Saudi media minister meets Iraqi minister of culture

Saudi media minister meets Iraqi minister of culture
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari met with his Iraqi counterpart Dr. Ahmed Fakkak Al-Badrani, the Minister of Culture, Antiquities and Tourism in Jeddah on May 25, 2023. (SPA)
Short Url
Updated 25 May 2023

Saudi media minister meets Iraqi minister of culture

Saudi media minister meets Iraqi minister of culture
  • Two ministers met on the sidelines of the 5th session of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari met with his Iraqi counterpart Ahmed Fakkak Al-Badrani, the minister of culture, antiquities and tourism, in Jeddah, Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday.
The two met on the sidelines of the fifth session of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council.
Al-Dosari who is chairman of the Saudi side of the Cultural, Media and Islamic Affairs Committee emanating from the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council, and Al-Badrani reviewed the committee’s achievements, as well as proposed new initiatives and the mechanism for following up on their implementation.
The two parties also discussed ways to activate the memorandums of understanding signed within the framework of the committee’s work and issues of common interest between the two brotherly countries.
 


446 hobby clubs set up across Saudi Arabia

446 hobby clubs set up across Saudi Arabia
Updated 48 min 47 sec ago

446 hobby clubs set up across Saudi Arabia

446 hobby clubs set up across Saudi Arabia
  • Platform offers hobby clubs for people to develop their interests and meet like-minded individuals

RIYADH: A rapid rise in the number of hobby clubs in Saudi Arabia is helping to bring communities together, as well as broaden people’s interests and opportunities.

Since the launch of the Hawi initiative, part of the Saudi Quality of Life program, in October 2022, 446 hobby clubs have been established in 50 cities and provinces around the Kingdom.

From pottery making, fashion, and collecting valuable items, to artisanry, public speaking and reading, the platform offers hobby clubs for people to develop their interests and meet like-minded individuals.

In recent weeks, events, activities and gatherings around the country have been organized or supervised by Hawi in cooperation with amateur clubs, attracting people from all age groups.

The activities and events are associated with the Quality of Life Program Center, which aims to register 6,000 amateur clubs in the Kingdom by 2030.

Khalid Albaker, the center’s CEO, said: “These tours play an important role in effective communication between the Hawi portal, amateur clubs, and their members, as they contribute to creating a fun, engaging, and secure atmosphere where people can practice their hobbies.

He said the leadership places a lot of emphasis on the hobby sector, and is keen to improve both the quality of life for individuals and society by providing the necessary resources to fulfill Saudi Vision 2030.

“The hobby sector is part of a comprehensive plan that seeks to achieve and benefit all segments of society, as well as for individuals’ lives to flourish through the practice of favored hobbies,” Albaker said. 


Saudi royal reserve authority becomes member of world conservation body

Saudi royal reserve authority becomes member of world conservation body
Updated 04 June 2023

Saudi royal reserve authority becomes member of world conservation body

Saudi royal reserve authority becomes member of world conservation body
  • Recognition of environmental and community achievements
  • Access to special databases, 18k experts linked to global body

The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority has been officially announced as a government member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The authority was recently granted IUCN membership in recognition of its efforts to empower local communities in nature conservation and wildlife protection, and the restoration of key flora and fauna throughout the country.

It is one of the first entities in the Kingdom to obtain IUCN membership, allowing it to draw on international databases specialized in wildlife protection, and the expertise of 18,000 specialists linked to the world body.

The authority will now be able to form partnerships, exchange experiences with members, and participate in the IUCN quadrennial meetings and conferences.

The authority seeks, through this membership, to ensure the sustainability of the environment, in line with the objectives and goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan and the Saudi Green initiative.  

Fahad Al-Shuwaier, director general of communication at King Salman Royal Reserve, told Arab News that the authority applied for the membership with comprehensive detail of all its environmental projects.

Al-Shuwaier said the IUCN advisory board meets every three months to discuss applications received from across the world.

Dr. Ahmed Al-Bouq, director general of wildlife conservation at the National Center for Wildlife Development, said the IUCN membership would aid in following best international practice.

Al-Bouq cited the example of the Farasan Islands’ Archipelago Reserve that became a UNESCO-listed entity by adhering to international benchmarks. 

“The membership gives you guidelines and allows you to benefit from the expertise of a large number of international experts,” added Al-Bouq.

“When talking about biodiversity, you need a huge company of international experts, as it is impossible to attract experts in every subspecialty in biodiversity.

“You may find one expert who specializes in a certain branch of microbiology, and sometimes you find a very small number of experts who specialize in other disciplines,” he explained.

He said that “what links these experiences to each other is usually international organizations.” International partnerships were important for determining standards. 

“When dealing with any organization that deals with protection, the first thing you need to do is to draw a baseline, and then examine the international standards that you aspire to reach, and thus draw (up) a plan to implement these standards.”

He said the most important part of the system was community involvement, a key factor recommended by international organizations concerned with protected areas. The main objective was not to prevent people from entering such areas, but to regulate the sustainable use of natural resources, said Al-Bouq.


Japanese singer Asca, DJ Yamato perform at Jeddah’s Anime Village

Japanese singer Asca, DJ Yamato perform at Jeddah’s Anime Village
Updated 13 sec ago

Japanese singer Asca, DJ Yamato perform at Jeddah’s Anime Village

Japanese singer Asca, DJ Yamato perform at Jeddah’s Anime Village
  • Asca in Kingdom for second time following December show in Riyadh
  • DJ Yamato, first Japanese artist to collaborate with DJ Avicii, in Saudi Arabia for first time

JEDDAH: The famous Japanese singer, Asca, launched her three-day concert series in Saudi Arabia at City Walk, Anime Village in Jeddah. 

Asca, known for singing the opening theme song for the anime “Sword Art Online” and ending theme song for “Edens Zero,” performed three shows at City Walk alongside compatriot DJ Yamato, from June 1-3.

The singer, who was in the Kingdom to perform for the second time following her show in Riyadh in December 2022, said: “Jeddah’s climate is very similar to that of Japan. It was very comfortable for me personally because the temperature was similar, and the humidity was high.

“Fans also made handmade boards, jumped with us, and yelled out. Saudi Arabia is very far from Japan, but I was very happy when I thought that there were people in Saudi Arabia who supported me so much,” she told Arab News.

Asca also noted that the Kingdom’s people were more active at night than people in Japan. “I am a night person, so Saudi Arabia suits me,” she added.

DJ Yamato, the first Japanese artist to collaborate with the late DJ Avicii, was performing in the Kingdom for the first time. 

“At first, I got the impression that the audience were shy, but once they opened up to us, everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Saudi people are friendly and amazing — I had a thought that music truly connects the world together,” he told Arab News.

DJ Yamato came to Saudi Arabia along with a company called Avex Asia, which is a production company that focuses in anime, and which is in charge of the stage policy at Anime Village in Jeddah.


Saudi Arabia, US keen on continuing Sudan talks - foreign ministry

Saudi Arabia, US keen on continuing Sudan talks - foreign ministry
Updated 04 June 2023

Saudi Arabia, US keen on continuing Sudan talks - foreign ministry

Saudi Arabia, US keen on continuing Sudan talks - foreign ministry
  • Saudi Arabia calls on Sudan factions to agree to new ceasefire

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and the United States are keen to resume formal talks between the delegations of Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

“Saudi Arabia and the United States remain steadfast in their commitment to the people of Sudan and call upon the parties to agree to and effectively implement a new ceasefire,” the statement said.
 

 

The ministry said that the delegations of the Sudanese fighting factions are still in Jeddah, and continue to engage in daily negotiations.

“Those discussions are focused on facilitating humanitarian assistance and reaching agreement on near term steps the party must take before the Jeddah talks resume,” according to the statement. 

It added: “Facilitators stand ready to resume formal talks and remind parties that they must implement their obligations under the May 11 Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to protect the civilians of Sudan.”

Sudan descended into chaos after fighting broke out in mid-April between the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
For weeks, Saudi Arabia and the US have been mediating between the warring parties. On May 21, both countries successfully brokered a temporary cease-fire agreement to help with the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid to the war-torn country. Their efforts, however, were dealt a blow when the military announced on Wednesday it would no longer participate in the cease-fire talks held in Jeddah.

The fighting has turned the capital, Khartoum, and other urban areas into battlefields, resulting in widespread looting and destruction of residential areas across the country. The conflict has also displaced more than 1.65 million people who fled to safer areas in Sudan and neighboring countries.
Residents reported intense fighting over the past two days in Khartoum and its neighboring cities of Omdurman and Bahri.
Loud sounds of shelling and gunfire were heard early Sunday in parts of Omdurman, as the military’s aircraft flew over the capital.
Fighting was also reported in the northern part of the Darfur region, which had witnessed some of the worst battles since the fighting began on April 15.


 


KSrelief provide prosthetic limbs for 216 civilians in Yemen’s Marib

KSrelief provide prosthetic limbs for 216 civilians in Yemen’s Marib
Updated 04 June 2023

KSrelief provide prosthetic limbs for 216 civilians in Yemen’s Marib

KSrelief provide prosthetic limbs for 216 civilians in Yemen’s Marib

Riyadh: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) provided prosthetic limbs for 216 civilians mutilated during the war in Yemen during the month of April, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Prosthetic Limbs and Rehabilitation Center project in Marib Governorate provided various medical services to citizens who had lost their limbs. The prostheses were manufactured and mounted, and 60 patients underwent rehabilitation through physiotherapy; 156 patients were given specialized consultations.
Amputations performed on civilians have been a prominent feature of the vicious war in Yemen, with many requiring assistance from KSrelief after suffering life-changing injuries from bombs and landmines.
Elsewhere, the center managed on Saturday to distribute 75 food packages to more than 549 displaced families in Gezira state, in Sudan, as part of the Saudi relief air bridge that KSrelief is running to help the Sudanese people.