Adventure, new flavors draw Malaysian travelers to Saudi tourism show

Special Adventure, new flavors draw Malaysian travelers to Saudi tourism show
Alhasan Aldabbagh, Saudi Tourism Authority president for Asia-Pacific markets, opens the STA's exhibition in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Aug. 28, 2024. (AN Photo)
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Updated 30 August 2024
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Adventure, new flavors draw Malaysian travelers to Saudi tourism show

Adventure, new flavors draw Malaysian travelers to Saudi tourism show
  • Five-day roadshow is the biggest travel exhibition staged by STA in Malaysia
  • ‘Phenomenal’ response as Malaysians are drawn to heritage, culinary tourism

PUTRAJAYA/DUBAI: In search of adventure, culinary experience, and new destinations, travelers have been heading to Saudi Arabia’s tourism exhibition running in Malaysia’s administrative capital this week.

The five-day show launched by the Saudi Tourism Authority at the IOI Mall in Putrajaya on Wednesday will run through Sunday, over Malaysia’s Independence Day weekend, and is the biggest travel exhibition the Kingdom has organized for Malaysian visitors so far in its push to win Asian markets.

Hundreds of visitors have been drawn to the roadshow each day to view Saudi heritage sites on virtual reality headsets, try traditional Arabic coffee, and interact directly with tourism officials introducing the Kingdom’s culture and history.

Alhasan Aldabbagh, STA president for Asia-Pacific, said that the reception has been “phenomenal” since the first day of the show.

“People have been coming in, asking about Saudi, asking about things to do, different activities, different destinations,” he told Arab News.

“They are interested in heritage and cultural experiences.”

Tens of thousands of Malaysians travel to the Kingdom every year for the spiritual journey of Hajj and Umrah. The STA’s exhibition also introduced them to previously unfamiliar destinations.

Eight of the sites feature on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including the historical area of Jeddah, which for centuries has been a major port for Indian Ocean trade routes, and AlUla, an ancient desert oasis and one of the most significant cultural cradles in the Arabian Peninsula.

“We have been putting a lot of effort to make Saudi a prime destination ... We have been studying and looking into the Malaysian outbound travel market and of the countries in Southeast Asia,” Aldabbagh said, adding that besides heritage, Malaysians are also drawn to culinary tourism.

“Saudi is a very diverse country. It’s geographically diverse and each region, each province — there are 13 of them — has a different local, authentic cuisine, different ways of cooking and recipes.”

Haziq Rostam, a 25-year-old manager visiting the roadshow, said that was where he would begin his journey.

“I would look for food, scenery, and attractive places,” he said. “Then (for) places which people would regard as new attractions.”

Office executive Nik Rafiuddin Nik Rashid, 30, said that the Kingdom’s food scene was a good option for Malaysian Muslims, as they could easily adhere to halal dietary requirements.

He was also looking forward to adventure activities that the Middle East can offer.

“I have seen from reels that people have shared, they have gone to the desert in trucks and slid on the sand,” Rashid said. “For me, this would be unique ... if I was given the chance, I would like to try that.”

The Saudi tourism sector has been growing under Vision 2030, as the Kingdom positions itself as a dynamic, diverse, year-round travel destination.

The Malaysia roadshow, which follows similar events held by the STA in other Asian countries, has already given a new perspective on what travelers can experience when they visit.

Ainil Abdul Aziz, a student, said that she is familiar with the Kingdom due to Umrah and Hajj, but will now think about traveling for sightseeing, too.

“There is a hiking opportunity ... and we can go to some urban area also,” she said. “As a tourist, I would definitely want to experience what locals do.”


More than 100 feared dead in Nigeria boat accident

More than 100 feared dead in Nigeria boat accident
Updated 9 sec ago
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More than 100 feared dead in Nigeria boat accident

More than 100 feared dead in Nigeria boat accident
  • The boat was packed with 300 passengers on their way to a festival in north-central Niger state when the accident happened
  • Boat accidents are common on Nigeria's poorly regulated waterways, particularly during the rainy season when rivers and lakes swell

KANO, Nigeria: Over 100 people are feared dead after a boat carrying mostly women and children capsized in Nigeria, rescue workers said as they pulled more bodies from the River Niger on Thursday.
Around 300 passengers were on their way to celebrate the Muslim festival Mawlid in north-central Niger State when the accident took place on Tuesday, the state's emergency agency said.
Thirty-six dead bodies have now been found and 150 survivors rescued, spokesman Ibrahim Audu Husseini told AFP.
"We have recovered 20 more bodies today. This brings to 36 the number of bodies recovered from the river."
There was "no possibility" of finding others alive, he said. "There is no way one can survive three days underwater. The work now is to recover all the missing bodies."
The agency did not specify the cause of the sinking in Gbajibo community, near Mokwa, but said it took place after dark at around 8:30 pm (1930 GMT).
Boat accidents are common on Nigeria's poorly regulated waterways, particularly during the rainy season when rivers and lakes swell.
Nigeria's waterways authority has tried in the past to prohibit night-time travel on rivers and says overloading vessels is a crime, but crews often break regulations.
Last month, an overloaded boat sank while carrying more than 50 farmers across the Gummi River in Zamfara State. Over 40 are believed to have died.
In June 2023, over 100 people died when a riverboat carrying around 250 passengers capsized in north-central Kwara state, one of the country's deadliest waterway accidents in years.

In a statement late on Thursday, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed sympathy for the victims and called for an investigation into recent boat accidents.
"President Tinubu commiserates with the families of the victims and prays for the repose of the souls of the dead," the presidency said.
The president urged officials to make sure boat operators violating the ban on travelling at night were brought to justice.
Tinubu also thanked emergency workers and praised local divers helping in the search.
 


‘Never-Trump’ Republican campaigns with Harris in Wisconsin, says Trump a threat to democracy

‘Never-Trump’ Republican campaigns with Harris in Wisconsin, says Trump a threat to democracy
Updated 23 min 18 sec ago
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‘Never-Trump’ Republican campaigns with Harris in Wisconsin, says Trump a threat to democracy

‘Never-Trump’ Republican campaigns with Harris in Wisconsin, says Trump a threat to democracy
  • Harris and Cheney hammer Trump for his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and his failure to quell the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021

RIPON, Wisconsin: Vice President Kamala Harris rallied side-by-side with Republican Liz Cheney in the birthplace of the modern Republican Party on Thursday as the two women delivered a double-barreled denunciation of GOP nominee Donald Trump as a threat to democracy.
As people raised signs declaring, “Country over Party,” Harris told the crowd that “people of every party must stand together” to reject Trump, citing his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and his failure to quell the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021.
It was an improbable moment — a Democratic nominee giving a nod to a rival party member and to the origins of the opposing party in the closing weeks of a presidential campaign — and it demonstrated how Harris is working to win over moderate voters.
Harris said of Trump, “As you have heard and know, he refused to accept the will of the people and to accept the results of an election that was free and fair.”
”The president of the United States must not look at our country through the narrow lens of ideology or party partisanship or self interest.”
Cheney is one of Trump’s most ardent antagonists. She is the daughter of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney and was the top GOP lawmaker on the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, earning Trump’s disdain and effectively exiling herself from her own party.
“Violence does not and must never determine who rules us. Voters do,” Cheney told the crowd as she recounted Trump refusing to act as he watched the violent attack on television. Someone in the crowd yelled “coward!” Others booed.
“He praised the rioters. He did not condemn them. That’s who Donald Trump is,” Cheney said.
She lost her Wyoming seat to a Trump-endorsed candidate two years ago and she endorsed Harris, the Democratic nominee, last month. The two women appeared together in Ripon, home to a white schoolhouse where a series of meetings held in 1854 to oppose slavery’s expansion led to the start of the Republican Party.
“I know that she loves our country, and I know she will be a president for all Americans” Cheney said of Harris. Noting that she herself remains conservative, Cheney said she was “honored to join her in this urgent cause.”
Instead of her usual “Harris-Walz” campaign signs, the stage was decorated with large signs that said “Country Over Party,” along with plenty of red, white and blue bunting.
Harris was opening a two-day trip to Wisconsin and Michigan, and Trump was in Michigan on Thursday as the two candidates grapple for wins in the “blue wall” battleground states, which also include Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said Thursday that he wasn’t concerned about a Trump-Harris race coming down to the wire because “it always gets this close.”
“She’s gonna do fine,” Biden said of Harris to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on his way to visit storm-ravaged Georgia and Florida. He added that Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, did well in his debate with Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance during Tuesday’s debate in New York.
“The other guy lost the debate,” Biden said. “He misrepresented everything.”
Harris’ visit to Wisconsin comes one day after a federal judge unsealed a 165-page court filing outlining prosecutors’ case against Trump for his attempt to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and obstruction.
Trump did not mention the document filed by special counsel Jack Smith or Cheney’s appearance with Harris during an 82-minute speech at a rally in Saginaw County, Michigan. In 2020, Democrat Biden won the bellwether county by a slim 303 votes, contributing to his victory in the state.
As Trump spoke, his campaign announced he’ll appear in Georgia on Friday with Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. The two men have made peace after Trump in August unleashed a blistering attack on Kemp, whom he has faulted for not giving in to his efforts to overturn his loss in 2020.
During the 2020 campaign, Liz Cheney criticized Harris as “a radical liberal” who “wants to recreate America in the image of what’s happening on the streets of Portland & Seattle,” a reference to unrest that took place in those cities after the murder of George Floyd.
But Jan. 6 was a turning point for Liz Cheney and her family. Both Cheneys are backing Harris, part of a cadre of current and former Republican officials who have broken with the vast majority of their party, which remains in Trump’s corner. Harris wants to portray her candidacy as a patriotic choice for independent and conservative voters who were disturbed by Trump’s unwillingness to cede power. Trump continues to deny his defeat with false claims of voter fraud.
Harris on Thursday also was endorsed by Cassidy Hutchinson, who was a young White House aide during Trump’s presidency and described during a hearing of Cheney’s Jan. 6 congressional committee how she grew disgusted by Trump’s refusal to stop the rioters that day. Harris’ campaign also began airing ads targeting Republicans, independents and former Trump voters in battleground states.
Cheney’s presence prompted some dissonance for Harris supporters in the audience, especially those that remember her father’s role as a Republican headliner.
Victor Romero, 46, said it was “a little weird” to be at an event with her.
“I still don’t like Liz Cheney’s politics. But I’m glad that she understands the Republican Party that currently exists is just for Trump.”
But for younger voters, they know Cheney primarily for standing up to Trump.
“She stuck to her morals,” said Kynaeda Gray, 22.
Harris on Friday will hold a campaign rally in Flint, Michigan, continuing her tour of states that have been critical to Democratic victories. Trump won Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan in 2016, and Biden won them in 2020.
Trump has ramped up his focus on Michigan, holding two rallies there less than a week ago before Thursday’s appearance in Saginaw.
 


US dockworkers’ union suspend strike until Jan. 15 to allow time to negotiate new contract

US dockworkers’ union suspend strike until Jan. 15 to allow time to negotiate new contract
Updated 04 October 2024
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US dockworkers’ union suspend strike until Jan. 15 to allow time to negotiate new contract

US dockworkers’ union suspend strike until Jan. 15 to allow time to negotiate new contract

DETROIT: The union representing 45,000 striking US dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports has reached a deal to suspend a three-day strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract.
The union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, is to resume working immediately. Both sides also reached agreement on wages, but no details were given, according to a joint statement from the ports and union Thursday night.
The union went on strike early Tuesday after its contract expired in a dispute over pay and the automation of tasks at the ports from Maine to Texas. The strike came at the peak of the holiday shopping season at 36 ports that handle about half the cargo from ships coming into and out of the United States.
The walkout raised the risk of shortages of goods on store shelves if it lasted more than a few weeks. But most retailers had stocked up or shipped items early in anticipation of the work stoppage.
The strike came at the peak of the holiday shopping season at 36 ports that handle about half of the cargo from ships coming into and out of the United States.
It raised the risk of shortages of goods on store shelves if it lasted more than a few weeks. But most retailers had stocked up or shipped items early in anticipation of the work stoppage.


Teen arrested in Germany over alleged anti-Semitic plot

Teen arrested in Germany over alleged anti-Semitic plot
Updated 03 October 2024
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Teen arrested in Germany over alleged anti-Semitic plot

Teen arrested in Germany over alleged anti-Semitic plot

BERLIN: A teenager suspected of plotting an attack against Jews was arrested in September in western Germany, a court source and local media reports said Thursday.
The 15-year-old boy has been placed in pre-trial detention over plans to “commit a crime,” Dusseldorf prosecutors told AFP, without providing further details.
Police had previously detained the suspect in August following intelligence it had received, according to the Bild and Spiegel newspapers.
The teenager was released but arrested again after investigators discovered conversations on his phone with a suspected foreign extremist believed to have tried to talk him into perpetrating a knife attack.
The two allegedly discussed potential targets, including festivals and Jewish communities, and the teenager also reportedly posted videos on TikTok featuring Daesh flags, according to Bild and Spiegel.
The arrest came as Germany has tightened security measures after a knife attack in the western city of Solingen on August 30 that was claimed by the Daesh group.
Three people were killed and several others were injured in the Solingen attack.
A 26-year-old Syrian suspect, who had been slated for deportation but evaded law enforcement, turned himself in after a day on the run and confessed to the attack.
And in June, a German court sentenced a 15-year-old boy to four years in jail for planning an Islamist attack on a Christmas market in the western city of Leverkusen.


Thousands in Berlin call for end to Ukraine war support

Thousands in Berlin call for end to Ukraine war support
Updated 03 October 2024
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Thousands in Berlin call for end to Ukraine war support

Thousands in Berlin call for end to Ukraine war support

BERLIN: Thousands of people in Berlin on Thursday demonstrated against Germany’s military support for Ukraine as it battles to hold back invading Russian troops.
Participants answered a call by a radical left-wing collective to gather in the German capital and brandished placards reading “Negotiations! No weapons!,” “No to war” and “Pacifism is not naive.” Some also held anti-American signs.
One of their main demands was for Germany to stop sending weapons to Ukraine, which Kyiv desperately needs to defend itself from Russian aggression.
The protest came one week ahead of the first state visit by a US president to the European country since Ronald Reagan in 1985.
Joe Biden is also expected to meet with Ukraine’s allies to discuss military support to the war-torn nation, at the US army base in Ramstein, western Germany.
Far-left populist leader Sahra Wagenknecht, who attended the Berlin protest, has long called for an end to weapon deliveries to Kyiv and opposes a plan to deploy US long-range missiles in Germany.
Germany has been the second-largest contributor of military aid to Ukraine after the United States, but plans to halve its budget for that aid next year.
Wagenknecht’s pro-Russia, anti-NATO stance has contributed to her party’s positive results in three eastern state elections, securing 12 percent of the vote in Brandenburg.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in September stunned the political establishment by winning its first-ever parliamentary vote — in the eastern state of Thuringia — and coming a close second in neighboring Saxony.
The AfD’s platform relied on its usual discourse against asylum-seekers, multiculturalism and Islam, but also on critiques of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s policy of unconditional support for Ukraine.
The state leaders of Saxony and Brandenburg, where AfD came in second, as well as the head of the conservatives in Thuringia, have called for a ceasefire in Ukraine, in an article expected to be published on Friday in the Frankfurter Allegemeine Zeitung newspaper.
Germany and the European Union’s dioplomatic efforts so far have been “too indecisive,” they said, urging Berlin to bring Russia to the negotiating table.