RIYADH: Secretary-General of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition Maj. Gen. Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Moghedi met Kenyan Defense Minister Aden Bare Duale in Nairobi on Wednesday to discuss counterterrorism and violent extremism-related issues. During his meeting with Al-Moghedi, the Kenyan minister praised the coalition’s framework – for military, counterterrorism, anti-terrorism financing, as well as intellectual and media matters – as a strategic pillar in fighting terrorism and violent extremism.

Hussain AbdRab Al-Nabi is an innovation and strategy marketing leader and expert who has worked in both marketing and finance fields. He is vice president and head of marketing strategy at SAP South Europe, Middle East and Africa. He has contributed significantly to SAP throughout his more than decade-long experience with the company. As VP, his responsibilities include developing and implementing cohesive marketing strategies for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and managing relationships with regional and global stakeholders across all departments.

ROME: The Italian government on Wednesday lifted restrictions on the export of military weapons to Saudi Arabia, ending an embargo which began in 2019. The move was announced in a communique at the end of a Council of Ministers presided over by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The decision was made “in accordance with the foreign and defense policy of Italy,” the official communique said. Restrictions on the export of weapons from Italy to Saudi Arabia were imposed by the Italian government to prevent their use in the conflict in Yemen.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made a phone call to Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Saudi Press Agency reported early Thursday. The Crown Prince congratulated Erdogan after he was declared the victor in a historic runoff Turkish election. Prince Mohammed wished the president success and the Turkish people further progress and prosperity.

RIYADH: Malaysian Interior Minister Saifuddin Nasution praised Saudi Arabia’s Makkah Route initiative, facilitating the travel procedures of Hajj pilgrims from Malaysia. The statement was made during Nasution’s visit on Wednesday to a hall dedicated to the initiative at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where he was briefed on its readiness to facilitate pilgrims’ journey. The Makkah Route initiative enables Hajj pilgrims from six countries to complete immigration, cargo and travel procedures before departing for the Kingdom.  

هنأ ولي العهد السعودي الأمير محمد بن سلمان، خلال اتصال هاتفي، الرئيس التركي رجب طيب أردوغان بفوزه بالانتخابات الرئاسية التركية....

RIYADH: Prince Abdullah bin Khalid has presented his credentials as Saudi ambassador to Germany to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. During a reception in Berlin, the prince conveyed a greeting from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wishing the people of Germany continued progress and prosperity. He also affirmed the Kingdom’s keenness to strengthen friendly relations between the two countries.

RIYADH: The Saudi Green Initiative is celebrating World Reef Day by recognizing initiatives taking place to protect and regenerate the Kingdom’s stunning ocean habitats. The annual World Reef Day on June 1 raises awareness about the importance of coral reefs and the urgent need to protect them. The SGI was launched in 2021 under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to help protect the planet and combat climate change with three targets: Reducing harmful emissions, foresting and protecting land and sea.

RIYADH: Six people have been arrested in Riyadh in connection with an attempt to sell almost 4.1 million tablets of a controlled drug, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday. The arrests followed an investigation into gangs linked to the smuggling and distribution of drugs inside the Kingdom, Maj. Marwan Al-Hazmi, a spokesman for the General Directorate for Narcotics Control, said.

RIYADH: The population of Saudi Arabia has reached 32.2 million, statistics from the 2022 census released by the General Authority for Statistics on Wednesday revealed. Of the total number, Saudis made up 18.8 million people (58.4 percent), while non-Saudis accounted for 13.4 million, or 41.6 percent of the population. The census results also revealed the Kingdom’s youthful population, with the median age being 29 and the proportion of Saudis aged under 30 reaching 63 percent of the population.

RIYADH: Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, minister of state for foreign affairs, on Wednesday met newly appointed US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney, in Riyadh. Al-Jubeir wished Ratney success in his new role and in fulfilling his duties. Al-Jubeir also met non-resident Francisco Chacon Hernandez, Costa Rica’s ambassador to the Kingdom. The parties discussed bilateral relations as well as issues of mutual interest.  

RIYADH: Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Alqarni, and Americans Peggy Whitson and John Schoffner, made a safe splashdown off the coast of Florida early Wednesday morning, after completing a successful eight-day Ax-2 mission on the International Space Station. The 12-hour journey of the Dragon capsule back to Earth from the ISS was watched live by many Saudi citizens, who expressed pride at the contribution of the two Saudi astronauts to space research.

RIYADH: The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha recently held a meeting with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen in Dhaka. The two men expressed their satisfaction with the level of cooperation between the OIC and Bangladesh and discussed ways and means to enhance it.

ISLAMABAD: The first group of 773 Pakistani pilgrims has reached Makkah from Madinah ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia this year restored Pakistan’s pre-pandemic Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims. Around 80,000 Pakistani pilgrims are performing the pilgrimage this year under the government scheme, while more than 91,000 will use private tour operators. Hajj flights from the country commenced on May 21 and the final flight departs for Saudi Arabia on June 21.

On behalf of King Salman, Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji recently attended the inauguration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president of Nigeria. The minister conveyed the greetings and congratulations of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the Nigerian leader, as well as their wishes for the government and people of the African nation for further progress, growth and prosperity.

RIYADH: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology is hosting the Times Higher Education Global Sustainable Development Congress, the Saudi Press Agency has reported. The event, which runs until June 1, gathers more than 1,000 researchers and innovators from leading universities in the region, as well as government agencies in Saudi Arabia.

RIYADH: The EU envoy to the Horn of Africa has hailed Saudi-US efforts to end the violence in Sudan but warned that the ongoing fighting continues to threaten regional stability. In an interview with Arab News on Monday Annette Weber, the EU Special Representative, said that the risk of a “spillover” of violence was clear.  Weber arrived in Riyadh on Saturday to discuss the Sudan crisis with officials from the Foreign Ministry and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

JEDDAH: Despite the record-fast rescue by Lebanese security services on Tuesday of a kidnapped Saudi citizen, the incident comes as yet another reminder of the many heists, abductions and hijackings that have plagued the Arab country since the 1970s. Mashari Al-Mutairi, an employee of Saudi Arabia’s Saudia airlines who lived in the Beirut suburb of Aramoun, was abducted at about 3 a.m. on Sunday. The Lebanese Army’s intelligence directorate found and freed him after a security operation on the border with Syria.

RIYADH: Cruise Saudi, a Public Investment Fund fully-owned business, said this week it was committed to creating 50,000 direct and indirect jobs in the Kingdom by 2035. The company participated in the Saudi Ministry of Tourism’s first two-day Tourism Job Fair, with the aim of recruiting Saudi talents in the rapidly growing cruise tourism sector.

MAKKAH: Global and local companies specializing in dairy products participated in the Al-Saman Festival in the Northern Borders region, which concluded on Monday. The festival, deriving its name from the Arabic word for “ghee,” highlighted the diverse products of the region, which is home to the largest number of livestock in Saudi Arabia and which is famous for producing ghee.

JEDDAH: The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance conducted the first follow-up meeting to ensure the completion and readiness of works and projects for Hajj. Those at the meeting discussed the needs of the ministry’s facilities in the holy sites, the most prominent implemented projects and the work of maintenance and operation companies.

RIYADH: More than 50 aspiring designers and would-be fashion entrepreneurs from across the Kingdom are being given the chance to make their dreams come true with two new training programs launched by the Fashion Commission in cooperation with the French Institute of Fashion in Paris. The first of the courses is the Fashion Executive Business Certificate, which starts in June and aims to provide 30 students with a range of practical skills needed to succeed in the fashion business.

أكد وزير الخارجية الإيرانية، حسين أميرعبداللهيان أن التقارب مع السعودية ليس مجرد اتفاقية تكتيكية وقال إن الرياض أعطت الأولوية للاستثمار الاقتصادي في ...

DUBAI: Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni are scheduled to return to Earth late Tuesday after spending eight days on the International Space Station (ISS), where they conducted a series of science experiments. Barnawi, the first Saudi Arabian and Arab woman to go into space, and AlQarni arrived at the space station on May 22 as part of the private AX-2 mission launched by Axiom Space. TIMELINE: AX-2 mission’s return to Earth

RIYADH: Beat the heat this summer in Jeddah with a visit to the world’s biggest floating water park, recently opened by German company Wibit Sports and local Saudi partner Blue Limits. Speaking to Arab News at the Saudi Entertainment and Amusement summit and expo in Riyadh, Witbit founder Robert Cirjak said that the layout of Pure Beach in King Abdullah Economic City spelled out the letters Saudi Arabia, adding: “We are more than proud to have broken a record again and we are so happy that it is in Saudi Arabia.” 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet said on Tuesday that it is following developments in the situation in Sudan. The Cabinet also said it was following the course of negotiation talks in Jeddah and the agreements that resulted in a short-term ceasefire and humanitarian arrangements. Developing   

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Masam project dismantled 875 mines, planted by the Houthi militia across Yemen, in the last week of May. Overseen by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), a specialist team removed 11 anti-personnel mines, 165 anti-tank mines, 686 unexploded ammunition, and 13 explosive devices, reported Saudi Press Agency (SPA). In Aden, the team dismantled three anti-personnel mines, 11 anti-tank mines, 519 unexploded ammunition, and seven explosive devices.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s aid agency has continued providing healthcare services to Syrian refugees and the host community in Lebanon. The Arsal Medical Center in Baalbek, operating under King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), delivered 9,456 services to 4,186 patients in April. “This initiative reflects Saudi Arabia’s commitment, represented by KSrelief, to provide humanitarian aid to those in need, particularly Syrian refugees, to alleviate their suffering in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis they are facing,” state news agency SPA reported.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives and the Boutique Group, owned by the Public Investment Fund, have signed a memorandum of understanding to preserve the Kingdom’s “captivating history and legacy,” the group announced on Monday. The agreement will cover research and the holding of various events, including on culture, literature and geography, at Tuwaiq Palace in the Diplomatic Quarter, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

RIYADH: Saudi authorities tackling drug traders and smugglers reported a number of arrests across the Kingdom in recent days. On Monday, the General Directorate for Narcotics Control arrested four Bangladeshi residents attempting to sell methamphetamine and narcotic tablets in the Eastern Province. Authorities also arrested a citizen in the Eastern Province for attempting to sell hashish and prohibited tablets, and for being in possession of firearms and live bullets.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will host the 10th session of the Arab-Chinese Business Conference and the eighth Investment Symposium from June 11-12 in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency has reported. “Collaborating for Prosperity” aims to boost cooperation in the areas of the economy, trade, and investment to achieve solutions of mutual interest to Arab nations and China through strategic collaboration.

RIYADH: Famous Japanese sushi restaurant Teruzushi, based in the Northern Kyushu prefecture, has opened its first overseas branch in Riyadh. Located in the luxury VIA Riyadh precinct, the restaurant held a pre-launch event on May 11. The restaurant was already the subject of attention after VIA Riyadh released a commercial starring famous Colombian-US model and “Modern Family” star Sofia Vergara, who at one point during the clip had a huge knife pointed at her by famous Japanese chef Takayoshi Watanabe, who later serves the actress sushi.

RIYADH: The Saudi Armed Forces launched a joint exercise on Sunday with the participation of forces from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the US, the Kingdom’s defense ministry announced on Monday. The “Eagle Resolve 23” drill, which was launched at the Air Warfare Center in the Eastern Province, aims to enhance military cooperation, exchange expertise in the field of missile air defense and unify planning and implementation of procedures.

RIYADH: The Mishkat Interactive Center for Atomic and Renewable Energy is hosting an event with the aim of educating visitors on the importance of renewable energy, energy science, and Vision 2030’s sustainable development goals, which intend to supply the Kingdom with clean energy sources. The center launched “Renewable” on May 26 in Riyadh, one of a series of activities that come as a part of Mishkat Evenings. The center opens its doors from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and the event will last until June 1.

RIYADH: Lebanon’s Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said he has been following the kidnapping of a Saudi citizen in Beirut with internal security forces since Sunday. A Saudi citizen was kidnapped on the road to Beirut airport after midnight on Saturday, Lebanese media reported on Monday. The Saudi citizen works for Saudia, the Kingdom’s flag carrier, and the kidnappers sent a message from the southern suburbs of Beirut demanding a ransom of $400,000, Al-Ekhbariya reported.