France awards SAPTCO CEO Legion of Honor 

Special France awards SAPTCO CEO Legion of Honor 
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French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ludovic Pouille presents Khalid Al-Hogail with the Legion d’honneur. (SPA)
Special France awards SAPTCO CEO Legion of Honor 
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French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ludovic Pouille presents Khalid Al-Hogail with the Legion d’honneur. (SPA)
Special France awards SAPTCO CEO Legion of Honor 
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French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ludovic Pouille presents Khalid Al-Hogail with the Legion d’honneur. (SPA)
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Updated 15 February 2023
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France awards SAPTCO CEO Legion of Honor 

France awards SAPTCO CEO Legion of Honor 
  • Khalid Al-Hogail recognized for building nations’ ties
  • Saudi citizen leading figure in global transport industry

RIYADH: France has awarded the Kingdom’s Khalid Al-Hogail, CEO of the Saudi Public Transport Co., with its prestigious Legion d’honneur for fostering ties between the two nations.

French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ludovic Pouille presented the award to Al-Hogail at a ceremony in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter recently.

Sharing photos of the ceremony on Twitter, SAPTCO stated: “On behalf of the French president, the French ambassador to the Kingdom honors Khalid Al-Hogail, CEO of SAPTCO, who received the medal of the Legion of Honor with the rank of knight.” 

In his speech, Pouille said the Legion of Honor recognizes the work of individuals who have sought to strengthen ties with France.

The Legion of Honor is regarded as one of France’s most prestigious civic awards. It was instituted in 1820 by Napoleon Bonaparte. It was previously awarded only to soldiers, but later to civilians who had distinguished themselves in the name of France in various disciplines, including sports and culture.

Al-Hogail received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from King Saud University in 1986 and opted for a professional career focused on transport and logistics. Since 2006, he has been the CEO of SAPTCO and has contributed to the development of the public transport sector, in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 plan.

He has been an active member of the Franco-Saudi Economic Council since 2012 and has contributed to promoting and strengthening business relations between the countries.

In 2021, Al-Hogail became president of the International Association of Public Transport, a global network that brings together all modes of transport. Al-Hogail is the first man of Arab origin to hold this position and the second from a non-European country since the creation of this association 135 years ago.

Pouille said the history of the Saudi-French relationship goes back to the meeting between King Faisal and French President Charles de Gaulle in 1967.

Ever since, relations between the two countries have evolved through personal contacts and visits at the highest level, and now the two countries enjoy a cordial and close relationship, which has gained momentum in recent years with the increasing pace of bilateral visits.

King Salman and France’s former President Francois Hollande played a crucial role in strengthening the two nations’ global strategic partnership. In May 2015, the two leaders adopted an ambitious action plan to boost bilateral relations.


KSrelief, UNDP call for joint action to address humanitarian, development crises

KSrelief, UNDP call for joint action to address humanitarian, development crises
Updated 29 sec ago
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KSrelief, UNDP call for joint action to address humanitarian, development crises

KSrelief, UNDP call for joint action to address humanitarian, development crises
  • Organizations committed to aid projects globally including Yemen, Somalia
  • Nations should provide more financial support to deal with funding crisis, say officials

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s aid agency KSrelief and the UN Development Programme recently organized a high-level roundtable discussion titled “The Humanitarian, Development, and Peace Nexus: From Theory to Practice with the Compass Towards 2030” on the sidelines of the 78th UN General Assembly in New York City.

Participating in the discussion, which was moderated by Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Arab States Abdallah Al-Dardari, were KSrelief’s Supervisor-General Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, and International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger.

Al-Rabeeah said that KSrelief was committed to providing humanitarian assistance to help alleviate suffering across the world, and ensure recovery and development that can lead to sustainable peace.

He added that if all these elements can be brought together, “we can hope to save lives at the onset of a crisis and also improve the lives of generations to come.”

KSrelief, he added, would keep expanding its partnership with the UNDP through projects in Yemen and Somalia.

Steiner said that the collective results of humanitarian, development and peace-building support in countries with protracted crises are essential to keep them on the right track to achieve the promise of prosperity for the world, as envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

At the close of the roundtable discussion, KSrelief and the UNDP called for an integrated approach that links humanitarian, development and peace-building actors to face increasing humanitarian emergencies and development crises.

Earlier, the KSrelief chief participated in a high-level meeting on bridging the humanitarian funding gap with Martin Griffiths, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

The session was organized by Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the EU, in the presence of representatives from several countries and humanitarian organizations, on the sidelines of the UN assembly.

Al-Rabeeah said that humanitarian efforts must be combined to expand the scope of donor countries, bodies and individuals, and raise the level of coordination and impact of humanitarian aid.

He noted that Saudi Arabia holds annually the “Gift of Dates” campaign in partnership with the World Food Programme costing over $136 million, which benefits 72 countries around the world.

Al-Rabeeah said KSrelief has supported the global response to the COVID-19 crisis by providing vaccines, medical devices, medicines and care units.

Al-Rabeeah also attended a session on the Rohingya crisis with Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikha Hasina Wajid.

He stressed that Saudi Arabia has been a firm supporter of the international community’s stand vis-a-vis the Rohingya, to ensure they live in peace and dignity. He said that the Kingdom has hosted 260,000 Rohingya refugees, providing healthcare, employment and education at a cost of $2.25 billion.

He added that Saudi Arabia has also been supporting Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and other countries over the past few years through 43 projects costing $186 million, for emergency relief, education, shelter and health.

In addition, he said KSrelief carried out 25 other projects costing more than $26 million.


Saudi authorities thwart massive hash-smuggling attempt

Saudi authorities thwart massive hash-smuggling attempt
Updated 21 min 44 sec ago
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Saudi authorities thwart massive hash-smuggling attempt

Saudi authorities thwart massive hash-smuggling attempt

RIYADH: Drug smugglers were caught with a massive 114,973 kg haul of cannabis in Saudi Arabia’s Empty Quarter, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority found the drugs concealed in a vehicle’s boot as it passed through the Empty Quarter crossing.
The authority said it remains vigilant against smuggling, working closely with its partners in the General Directorate of Narcotics Control.
The authority urges the public to report any suspicious activity or information related to smuggling by contacting the responsible authorities.


Saudi Arabia condemns attack that killed two Bahrain soldiers

Saudi Arabia condemns attack that killed two Bahrain soldiers
Updated 26 September 2023
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Saudi Arabia condemns attack that killed two Bahrain soldiers

Saudi Arabia condemns attack that killed two Bahrain soldiers
  • Bahrain’s military command said several other soldiers injured by the drone attack

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned an attack on its territory that killed two Bahraini military personnel near the southern border with Yemen.

The Saudi foreign ministry voiced its “condemnation and denunciation” of a “treacherous attack on the defence force of the sister Kingdom of Bahrain stationed on the southern border of the kingdom, which resulted in the martyrdom of a number of its brave soldiers and the injury of others,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

“We express our deepest and sincerest condolences to the leadership and people of the sisterly state of Bahrain, and to the families of the heroic martyrs.”

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stands by the sisterly state of Bahrain and renews its stance of rejection to the continued flow of weapons to the terrorist Houthi militia as well as calls to ban arms export to Yemeni territories.”

Bahrain’s military command said a drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed the two Bahraini soldiers — one an officer — at Saudi Arabia’s southern border early Monday. The soldiers had been patrolling the area.

The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge carrying out the attack as efforts to strike a peace deal between Riyadh and the rebels continue.

The military’s statement, carried by the state-run Bahrain News Agency, said “a number” of Bahraini soldiers were also wounded in the strike, without elaborating.

“This terrorist attack was carried out by the Houthis, who sent aircraft targeting the position of the Bahraini guards on the southern border of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia despite the halt of military operations between the warring sides in Yemen,” the statement said.

 

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned on Tuesday the drone attack.  

Hussein Ibrahim Taha, the Secretary-General of the OIC, expressed deep condolences to the families of the two individuals killed, as well as to the government and citizens of Bahrain. He also wished a swift recovery for those wounded in the attack. 

Secretary-General Taha emphasized that such provocative actions are incompatible with ongoing diplomatic efforts to resolve the Yemen crisis, adding that the OIC remained committed to supporting diplomatic endeavors aimed at ending the Yemen conflict and achieving lasting peace.  


Saudi prince becomes viral sensation serving and cooking at newly opened restaurant

Saudi prince becomes viral sensation serving and cooking at newly opened restaurant
Updated 26 September 2023
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Saudi prince becomes viral sensation serving and cooking at newly opened restaurant

Saudi prince becomes viral sensation serving and cooking at newly opened restaurant
  • Prince Nayef bin Mamdouh bin Abdulaziz donned chef’s apron, joined staff at Makarem Najd restaurant in Jeddah
  • Prince can be seen cooking chicken over charcoal and explaining restaurant’s food safety accreditation to a customer

JEDDAH: A Saudi prince has caused a social media sensation with video clips of him serving and cooking for customers at his newly opened restaurant.

Prince Nayef bin Mamdouh bin Abdulaziz donned a chef’s apron and joined the staff to offer traditional Saudi cuisine such as mandi, jareesh, kabsa, mitazeez, margoog, harissa, and arekah at the Makarem Najd restaurant in Jeddah.

In one video clip, the prince can be seen cooking chicken over charcoal, and explaining the restaurant’s food safety accreditation to a customer.

“Young people say to me, ‘Why are you wearing this, and why are you working like this?’ This is my job,” the prince said. “I like to share my work with my team. Work is an honor, it is not a shame, and there is no prophet who did not herd sheep — work on yourself.”

Fans on social media approved. Abdul Rahman Al-Solaim said: “This is a message to some of our young men and women who may refuse to work in such professions. Prince Nayef bin Mamdouh bin Abdulaziz mobilizes enthusiasm and promotes the culture of self-employment.”

Another user, Mohammed Al-Shehri, said: “A beautiful and wonderful scene of Prince Nayef personally supervising and serving the patrons of a restaurant.”

The son of inventor, philanthropist, and former Tabuk Gov. Prince Mamdouh bin Abdulaziz, the prince has followed in his father’s footsteps doing charitable work.

One of his projects involved the creation of a rescue and relief helicopter with firefighting capabilities, an initiative that earned him a grand prize from the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations at the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions.


Saudi Arabia’s AlUla, UNESCO sign deal for cultural programs, heritage fellowships

The AlUla vision aligns with Vision 2030 in bolstering strategic partnerships in development, including with UNESCO. (SPA)
The AlUla vision aligns with Vision 2030 in bolstering strategic partnerships in development, including with UNESCO. (SPA)
Updated 26 September 2023
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Saudi Arabia’s AlUla, UNESCO sign deal for cultural programs, heritage fellowships

The AlUla vision aligns with Vision 2030 in bolstering strategic partnerships in development, including with UNESCO. (SPA)
  • The two-year program will emphasize the role of heritage and creativity in constructing sustainable sites and a development model founded on cultural and social interaction in AlUla

RIYADH: Royal Commission for AlUla and UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization officials recently triggered the second phase of a cultural programs agreement signed in Paris in 2021.

The inking of the deal to activate the next stage of the initiative came in coordination with a steering committee represented by bodies including the RCU, UNESCO, the Saudi National Committee for Education, Culture, and Science, and the Saudi permanent delegation to UNESCO.

The AlUla vision aligns with Vision 2030 in bolstering strategic partnerships in development, including with UNESCO. (SPA)

Part two of the accord will focus mainly on projects related to building an integrated cultural scheme and developing a fellowship program in antiquities protection in cooperation with UNESCO and the Al-Mamalek Institute. Both initiatives aim to preserve heritage, promote education, nature, and creative arts.

The RCU UNESCO program will provide technical support while concentrating on capacity building and promoting international relations.

HIGHLIGHT

The fellowship program in antiquities protection will welcome its first fellows to AlUla this year, enabling researchers and heritage professionals to conduct work focused on conservation, management, and the exchange of knowledge.

It also aims to highlight cultural heritage and creativity as drivers of AlUla’s sustainable development plan, aligning with the AlUla vision and Saudi Vision 2030.

The two-year program will emphasize the role of heritage and creativity in constructing sustainable sites and a development model founded on cultural and social interaction in AlUla.

The fellowship program in antiquities protection will welcome its first fellows to AlUla this year, enabling researchers and heritage professionals to conduct work focused on conservation, management, and the exchange of knowledge.

The AlUla vision aligns with Vision 2030 in bolstering strategic partnerships in development, including with UNESCO. It aims to enhance education, culture, and science to stimulate economic opportunities, generate employment, and achieve comprehensive sustainable development.