RIYADH: Parents in Saudi Arabia will spend millions of dollars on back-to-school shopping, according to retail analysts and market leaders.“Back-to-school is a major shopping event, and a sizeable amount is spent on school uniforms, shoes, books and other accessories,” Khaled Al-Ghanem, owner of the Al-Samran Stationery Store in Riyadh, told Arab News.Al-Ghanem said that “most hypermarkets, supermarkets, bookshops and stationery…
RIYADH: Enhancing Saudi-South Korean cultural ties will add “an important facet” to the “very wide-ranging” bilateral relationship, South Korean Ambassador Jo Byung-Wook told Arab News on Saturday. The Korea-Arab Friendship Caravan will be held in the Saudi capital on Oct. 14. More than 20 Korean artists will perform at the cultural event in the Riyadh-based King Fahd Cultural Center (KFCC),…
RIYADH: Localization of Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing, multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical industry will top the agenda at a high-profile food and drug conference in Riyadh next month. Regulation of pharmacy stores, strategic procurement of medicines, and food contaminants in Arab countries will be discussed at the three-day conference, organized by the Saudi Food & Drug Authority (SFDA), beginning on Sept. 25. “The SFDA…
RIYADH: Relations between Saudi Arabia and Nepal are poised for strong growth after the opening of the Saudi Embassy in Katmandu and the renewed Saudi pledge to extend aid and loan facilities for infrastructure projects in the south Asian country. “Nepal is also currently studying the clauses of a draft agreement to be signed with the Kingdom, which will facilitate deployment…
RIYADH: Three major Japanese banks will become operational in Saudi Arabia by October this year, said newly Japanese Ambassador Tsukasa Uemura. In an exclusive interview to Arab News on Sunday, the top diplomat said Japan has trained more than 10,000 Saudi engineers and technical personnel and will lend further support for an ambitious training program as part of the commitment…
RIYADH: Iran faces grave consequences if it continues to indulge in proxy wars with neighboring Arab countries, threatening the peace and stability in the Middle East, representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have warned. In statements issued on the 37th anniversary of the GCC’s establishment, delegates criticized Iran’s role in the Yemen conflict and Tehran’s continued support to the…
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will set up a high-powered national commission to help disabled people in the Kingdom integrate with mainstream society. “The creation of this new commission is an important step, a historic move,” said Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Riyadh-based King Salman Center for Disability Research (KSCDR), on Friday. Prince Sultan, who is also chairman of the…
On behalf of Prince Bandar bin Abdul Aziz, founder of the King Salman Center for Disability Research (KSCDR), Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar attended the General Assembly’s 9th meeting and the 12th meeting of the center’s founders. Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the board of trustees, expressed his thanks and appreciation to King Salman for his support of…
JEDDAH: The Consulate General of Italy in Jeddah hosted a celebration of the country’s National Day with a two-day cultural event, part of which focused on music from the Middle Ages. This an era from which it is easy to spot similarities and shared mutual influences between Western Christian and Arab Islamic music. To illustrate this, musician Stefano Albarello performed…
RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Sunday urged the international community to pressure Iran to respect the UN Charter, stop providing ballistic missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen to attack Saudi Arabia, and stop meddling in the affairs of Arab states. “The GCC countries want a Middle East free from all weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons,” said…