Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs launches Ramadan gift programs in Jakarta
Al-Hazmi explained that, thanks to the King Salman Iftar Program, thousands of meals had been distributed to people across Indonesia
Updated 25 March 2023
Arab News
RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, represented by the religious attache at the Kingdom’s Embassy in Indonesia, inaugurated today the King Salman Gift Program to distribute copies of the Holy Qur’an and boxes of dates, and the Iftar Program for those fasting.
The event took place at the headquarters of the attache in Jakarta, in the presence of the Saudi ambassador to Indonesia, Faisal bin Abdullah Al-Amoudi, the Kingdom’s religious attache, Dr. Ahmed bin Ali Al-Hazmi, and several senior Islamic figures in Indonesia.
Ambassador Al-Amoudi stressed that these efforts are an extension of the Kingdom’s role in serving Islam and Muslims all over the world, especially Indonesia, the largest Islamic country by population.
He noted that these gifts from King Salman come in the context of promoting the humanitarian and Islamic work of the Kingdom. Al-Amoudi added that the Indonesian government and people appreciate and respect Saudi Arabia, its leadership and the Saudi people.
Al-Hazmi explained that, thanks to the King Salman Iftar Program, thousands of meals had been distributed to people across Indonesia.
He noted that the number of beneficiaries from the dates program had reached 55,000 people, encompassing 80 tons of dates. Those benefiting from the Iftar Program amount to 150,000, and 88,500 copies of the Holy Qur’an will be distributed.
Al-Hazmi stressed that Muslims all over the world anticipate these programs annually with passion, love, and appreciation.
These programs are an implementation of King Salman’s directives to distribute one million copies of the Holy Qur’an and numerous tons of dates to people during Ramadan in 2023, as a culmination of the efforts made by the Kingdom in caring for Muslims around the world.
Teruzushi — with 50 years of history across three generations of sushi chefs — is located in the small-town ward of Tobata in Northern Kyushu’s countryside
Updated 30 May 2023
Malak Al-Zahrani
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.
Three Japanese chefs presenting authentic Japanese taste in the Via Riyadh Mercato area with the sushi and wagyu beef. (Supplied)
Arab News Japan spoke to Junpei Moriya, a chef at Teruzushi. He began his career aged 18 close to Tokyo in Gunma prefecture, an area famous for its countryside hot spring resort (Kusatsu Onsen) and which boasts the largest flowing hot water volume in Japan.
Moriya, who will turn 30 this year, later moved to Tokyo to learn how to prepare kaiseki-ryori, a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner that requires fine technique and preparation.
He continued on that path for 10 years but one day sent an Instagram message to Watanabe to ask for an opportunity to work at Teruzushi. He worked for two years under the celebrity chef in Japan before being offered a position at the restaurant’s new outlet in the Kingdom.
“It all started when I helped my mother cook by making a little omelet. I was incredibly happy when I saw my mom’s happy face when I made her that omelet,” Moriya told Arab News Japan.
Teruzushi — with 50 years of history across three generations of sushi chefs — is located in the small-town ward of Tobata in Northern Kyushu’s countryside.
Watanabe chose Saudi Arabia as the ideal location for the restaurant’s first overseas venture because it offered a rare and once in a lifetime opportunity to do business in the Middle East.
The Riyadh outlet is located inside VIA Riyadh’s Via Mercato, a luxury food market concept that offers a variety of artisanal and specialty food products to enjoy at home or in the market itself.
There are three Japanese chefs in the Riyadh branch — Watanabe, nicknamed “Sushi Bae,” Moriya, also known as JP, and Haruhisa Kitagawa, nicknamed BB, who hails from Tokyo prefecture.
Moriya said that the lack of sushi culture in Saudi Arabia offers an opportunity for the Japanese chefs to showcase their work, adding that he looks forward to the day when the raw fish dishes are accepted in the Kingdom.
“The most liked sushi is salmon, and tuna is extremely popular as well. As most Saudis like spicy food, yuzu pepper is popular, too,’’ he said.
“At Teruzushi, the food is divided into four seasons resembling the beautiful four seasons in Japan, and I feel that the seasons are one of the best things about Japan,” he added.
The restaurant changes its menu and ingredients with each passing season. (Supplied)
The restaurant changes its menu and ingredients with each passing season, with the exception of Watanabe’s favorite dish, kuru (grouper fish), which is a mainstay of the celebrity chef’s videos on TikTok and Instagram.
“By having more Japanese food spreading, people understand how simple and delicious it tastes. That way Saudi people would want to come sightseeing in Japan,” Moriya said.
Saudi Armed Forces launch ‘Eagle Resolve 23’ with GCC, US troops
Updated 30 May 2023
Arab News
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.
It will also consolidate the principles and foundations of coordination for joint action to reach a required operational compatibility and integration, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Brig. Gen. Uqab bin Awad Al-Mutairi, the commander of the duty force in the joint exercise, said the forces participating in the exercise will implement a number of theoretical and practical exercises, including air and missile operations with live ammunition, defensive counter-air operations, air-to-air refueling operations, and surface-to-naval warfare operations, electronic warfare, naval incursions, defense against weapons of mass destruction and mass casualties.
He added that the exercise is being implemented for the first time in the Kingdom, where preparatory meetings and academic lectures for the exercise began last week.
Prior to that, eight conferences were also held, seven of which were in Riyadh and another in Tampa, Florida in the US.
Saudi Arabia to host 10th session of Arab-Chinese Business Conference
Expected to be the largest Arab-Chinese gathering for business and investment, with over 2,000 participants
Updated 29 May 2023
Arab News
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.
It is organized by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Investment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in partnership with the Arab League’s secretary-general, the Chinese Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and a number of government agencies.
The conference is expected to be the largest Arab-Chinese gathering for business and investment, with more than 2,000 participants, including high-level government representatives, senior officials, CEOs, investors, and entrepreneurs.
Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih said that trade and cultural ties between Arab countries and China extended over 2,000 years, and that the conference reflected that historic relationship.
He added that Saudi-Chinese relations had developed, especially following King Salman’s visit to China in 2017 and the two historic visits by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Beijing in 2016 and 2019.
Trade in 2022 between the Arab countries and China reached SR1.6 trillion ($430 billion), a 31 percent increase on the previous year.
Saudi Arabia led the way in that, with trade between the countries around SR400 billion ($106 billion), a 30 percent increase over 2021.
The conference’s agenda will include many dialogue sessions and bilateral meetings on the development of Arab-Chinese relations; prospects for investment and financing China’s Belt and Road Initiative; review investment opportunities in a variety of economic sectors; and mobilizing efforts to achieve sustainable development in various Arab countries and China.
The conference will also focus on promising economic sectors, most notably manufacturing industries; the digital economy and artificial intelligence; renewable energy; agriculture and food security; construction and real estate activities; mining; tourism and entertainment; infrastructure; logistics; and entrepreneurship and innovation.
Two-day event at L’Art Pur in Riyadh opened doors for conversations and cultural exchange in the world of fashion
Updated 30 May 2023
Dhai Al-Mutairi
RIYADH: The Saudi Fashion Commission teamed up with the French Embassy and Alliance Francaise for an event in L’Art Pur in Riyadh.
The two-day France & Fashion event on Saturday and Sunday gathered fashion fans for exhibitions, panel discussions, and training workshops with leading French fashion experts.
Ambassador of France Ludovic Pouille and CEO of the Fashion Commission Burak Cakmak attended the official opening.;
“This is why the French Embassy wanted to bring to Saudi Arabia, French talents from embroidery, fashion history, creation, and training,” said Pouille.
“This is a unique moment to gather French and Saudi experts, at a very special time, when Saudi designers are now growing, and we can see their popularity inside and outside of Saudi Arabia.”
Cross creation with French embroidery and Saudi Sadu workshop. (AN photo)
The Fashion Commission, established two years ago, has provided increased support for local designers with opportunities and initiatives to reach a global audience.
Cakmak said: “We are happy to see that our efforts in training and education are now going beyond and countries like France are very interested in supporting talent within Saudi Arabia.”
FASTFACTS
• The two-day France & Fashion event gathered fashion fans for exhibitions, panel discussions, and training workshops with leading French fashion experts.
• Saudi Arabia’s Fashion Commission, established two years ago, has provided increased support for local designers with opportunities and initiatives to reach a global audience.
The event began with a presentation by Barbara Jeauffroy, the associate curator of the Christian Dior Museum on the early years of one of French fashion’s biggest icons.
“Dior, a museum, a story” revisited the designer’s childhood and explored his parents’ grand villa and the influence it had on his designs.
The event included workshops for aspiring fashion designers. (AN photo)
Panel discussions were led by Saudi fashion designers including Mona Alshebil, Arwa Alammari, Haifa AlHumaid and Bander Hawsawi, and leading French fashion experts including professors and directors from the Institut Francais de la Mode, and Nadia Albertini, the French embroiderer and historian.
Panelists considered the Kingdom’s place in the global fashion industry, its cultural influence on local designs, female participation and the future of fashion. Challenges and opportunities for designers, technology and social media were also topics.
“I believe this is the perfect place, the perfect timing for anybody, especially women to be in Saudi Arabia,” said Alshebil. “Everybody is rooting for us, everybody is helping us, the government, the Fashion Commission, the population.”
This is a unique moment to gather French and Saudi experts ... when Saudi designers are now growing, and we can see their popularity inside and outside of Saudi Arabia.
Ludovic Pouille, Ambassador of France
Alammari said: “For a fashion industry to succeed, there should be an ecosystem, and this has started two years ago, with fashion schools, and the updated curriculum of fashion majors in universities, like in PNU.
“We need more know-how. We have the minds, we have the vision, but we need to learn more about the know-how and the new technology in the industry.”
We are happy to see that our efforts are now going beyond and countries like France are interested in supporting talent within Saudi Arabia, says Burak Cakmak CEO of the Fashion Commission
Speaking on the international perception of the Saudi fashion industry, IFM associate professor Jean-Marc Chauve said: “We can see now in magazine articles the Saudi fashion designers and their collections and brands, which didn’t exist five years ago … we didn’t hear about Saudi fashion designers then.”
The event offered training for designers, including how to structure a fashion collection, creating a brand and embroidery.
As part of its ongoing efforts to support the local designers and the Saudi fashion industry, the Fashion Commission will be exhibiting 100 Saudi brands to Paris on June 20.
“We will have a big moment that is going to spread for two weeks, with pop-ups, fashion shows, and other experiences highlighting the best out of Saudi Arabia in the heart of the fashion capital in Paris to a global audience,” said Cakmak.
Nodah, a visitor, said that the event was well organized and the talk on the Dior museum “full of useful information.”
Saudi deputy foreign minister meets Mexican counterpart
The meeting was also attended by Faisal Al-Mandil, the director of South American department affairs at the Saudi Foreign Ministry, and Anibal Gomez Toledo, the Mexican ambassador to the Kingdom
Updated 29 May 2023
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji met his Mexican counterpart Carmen Moreno Toscano at the ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
The two sides looked at bilateral relations between the countries and the means of enhancing them. They also discussed regional and international developments.
The meeting was also attended by Faisal Al-Mandil, the director of South American department affairs at the Saudi Foreign Ministry, and Anibal Gomez Toledo, the Mexican ambassador to the Kingdom.
The Saudi minister also held talks with the newly appointed US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney, with Al-Khuraiji welcoming him and wishing him success in his role.
The parties focused on relations between the two countries and talked about how they could be developed in the future.
