Saudi Arabia, and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg have signed a bilateral agreement to regulate air transport between the two countries, and outlined a framework for flight operations. The agreement allows the national carriers of each country to operate passenger and cargo flights between the two countries. This in turn will contribute to the development of trade, tourism and economic movement between the Saudi Arabia and Luxembourg. The deal was signed at the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) headquarters in Jeddah recently. It was signed on behalf of the Kingdom by the Vice President for Safety and Economic Licensing, Capt. Mohammed Jamjoom, and on behalf of Luxembourg by Jean Graff, director of international economic relations at the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg’s Foreign Ministry. The signing of the agreement comes within the framework of developing air traffic between the two countries, and contributes toward the development of economic activity and to encourage flight operations between the two countries.
 

Saudi Hollandi Bank (SHB) has signed a training and endorsement agreement with the Human Resources Development Fund (HDF) to train and employ a number of Saudi youth. Saad Khalaf Al-Arfaj, GM of SHB’s human resources department, Ahmad Mohammad Al-Ghamdi, HDF’s head of Riyadh branch, signed the deal. Arfaj said: “The signing of this  agreement is a confirmation of the bank’s national role and responsibility toward elevating the Saudization ratio of jobs in the community, as well as contributing  toward jobs nationalization in the banking and financial industry, especially at a time when we have reached 87 percent Saudization ratio in Saudi Hollandi Bank.” The agreement is considered part of the bank’s continuous commitment to provide work opportunities to Saudi youth in the banking and financial industry. One of HDF’s main goals is to support and provide qualified national young cadre through training programs that are specialized in preparing, training and employing national work force in the private sector in the Kingdom.
 

After the launch of “Their Smile is in Your Hands” campaign three months ago, Modern Products Company (MPC) and Disabled Children Association (DCA) handed a check of SR1,545,000 to the Riyadh Disabled Children Association. The money, collected during the campaign, is to be used for purchasing medical supplies and equipment for disabled children. MPC’s PR Manager Turki Bin Moamer handed the check to the Vice Deputy Manager at Disabled Children Association, Awad bin Abdullah Al-Ghamdi. The campaign followed an agreement signed between MPC and DCA, which envisaged that MPC would donate 10 percent of the prices of a selected range of its products including Tide, Ariel, Bonux, Fairy, Pampers, Always, Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Pert Plus, and Herbal Essences. Consumers showed enthusiasm through the purchase of the products and signing phrases of support for both DCA and MPC for helping such a cause. “We are delighted to see the success of this campaign, which reflects the level of awareness of the different sectors of society to this very important category’s need. We at MPC hunt for new opportunities to improve the lives of others, and with our inspiration to contribute with this donation to DCA, we try and invest our efforts in a cause that we strongly believe in,” said Moamer, adding that the campaign reflects the level of awareness of the different sectors of society to this very important category’s need. Al-Ghamdi showed his gratitude to MPC, and said the campaign was a success due to the participation of consumers.
 

Jeddah Community College (JCC), a part of King Abdulaziz University (KAU) has opened its doors to expatriate students for its eight programs. The KAU, which currently has over 100,000 students, is one of the oldest and well-established universities in the Kingdom. There has been a good response for the first evening expatriate batch started in 2010. The students are being taught by experienced international faculty in their areas of specialization. They all participated in the recent sports day at the college. There are two intakes every year approximately in the months of February and September. Applications are invited for the second expatriate batch expected to start on Feb. 10. The eight evening associate degrees are offered in the following specializations: Marketing, accounting, sales, insurance, e-commerce, computer networks, computer graphics and pharmacy. Located in Rehab district in Jeddah, the JCC is considered to be one of the best community colleges in the Kingdom. The college has highly qualified and experienced international faculty. Students are enrolled into the semester system of the college. “The JCC is the first community college in the Middle East to receive accreditation from the Council on Occupational Education, USA. The college aim is to connect with the community and interact with different cultures in society, including international schools and companies which want to train their employees,” said college Dean Professor Ibrahim Ismail Kutbi.
 

Victor Mooney will soon be embarking on the humanitarian journey of crossing the Atlantic Ocean by his 21-foot rowing boat. The cause that the American PR specialist is supporting is global AIDS awareness and protection. During the journey that begins in Cape Verde and ends in Abu Dhabi, Mooney will be deploying Thuraya’s satellite-based services for communications. Specifically, he will be using both broadband (through Thuraya IP) and voice solutions (via Thuraya XT) for updates, emergency communications, weather reports, streaming and to stay in touch with his family and friends. “As this is going to be a challenging trip I had to be careful in my selection of a communication partner. I researched and read a lot about several satcom products and was impressed with Thuraya. The IP data solution and the XT handheld prove to be the ultimate choice from among other available satellite solutions in the market,” said Mooney. “What made me opt for Thuraya was the compact and sleek design of their devices. As I will be all by myself on a boat that is not very large, I need communication tools that do not take up much space. Both Thuraya IP and XT meet this criterion best in the satellite telecom world. I also need solutions that are easy to use and with Thuraya IP’s plug and play system I do not have to worry about installing additional software. I was also assured by some experienced satellite telecom users on the superb quality and reliability of Thuraya’s network,” he added.
 

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a major mobile phone provider, on Wednesday announced Samsung Star II, the successor to the 30-million selling Samsung Star phone. The Star II has been designed to deliver a superior mobile social networking experience, bringing together a user’s total social life in one device and giving constant connection to networks, groups, friends and family. The personalized user-interface is complemented by the full-touch screen, providing an easy-to-use and intuitive experience. The Star II is being made available in Germany this month, followed by other European countries, CIS, South America, India and the Middle East. JK Shin, president and head of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business, said: “The original Samsung Star exceeded all expectations; with its successor, the Samsung Star II, we have delivered a stunning full-touch device that meets the increasing demand for social networking services and enables unrivalled personalization. With the Star II, we have worked to tightly integrate social networking capabilities and give users choice of how they stay in touch with the people important to them. We fully expect it to mirror the success of its predecessor. Supporting Samsung’s Social Hub, the Star II enables contact integration between your phone and your social networks, allowing you to interact across social media platforms from your phone. The Social Hub also enables users to choose the way they interact with friends and family, with access available to all of their social media accounts within the same interface.”
 

Woodroc, the Kingdom’s major furniture manufacturing & wooden products company, recently signed a marketing research contract with Pan Arab Research Center (PARC) to build and establish a strong market information infrastructure for Woodroc’s wooden product lines. Abdulrahman bin Faisal Al-Amoudi, executive director, Woodroc, and Tony Proudian, GM, PARC, signed the deal in the presence of Mohammed Hasan Al-Amoudi, Woodroc’c assistant director. Saudi Arabia’s Woodroc factory is considered to be one of the major industrial projects of Al-Muwakabah Wooden Furniture & Industries Factory Co., headed by Al-Shaikh Mohammed Husain Al-Amoudi Group of Companies. The plant is based on the state-of-the-art and technology of sophisticated equipment in the furniture and wooden products industry. Woodroc claims to have the latest engineering technology in furniture manufacturing and the largest capacity in terms of production facilities in the Middle East. Hassan Hussein Al-Amoudi, chairman of the factory, said he was proud of this huge industrial achievement, which is not only considered an achievement for Al-Amoudi Group but also a remarkable milestone for the Kingdom’s industrial development. Abdulrahman bin Faisal Al-Amoudi said: “Our vision is to be a leading wooden products manufacturer and reliable source of prestigious and distinguished furniture in terms of design, quality and cost to satisfy customers locally and internationally.”