JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has invested SR500 billion ($133.3 billion) in industrial, service and logistics projects and contracts, which will go a long way in cutting dependence on oil, and in diversifying the national economy.The Kingdom is also witnessing a remarkable demand in industrial investment after intensified efforts by the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON) and other government agencies.“MODON’s success in…
Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar was the chief guest at a special celebration of Nepal’s National Day hosted by the Nepalese Embassy. The event, at the Cultural Palace in Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter, began with the national anthems of Nepal and Saudi Arabia. Then Dr. Mahendra Prasad Singh Rajput, ambassador of Nepal to Saudi Arabia, welcomed the guests — including…
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s National Day, celebrated every year on Sept. 23, has come a long way in broadening the concept of unification over the years.Though the National Day meant unifying disparate sheikhdoms under the nation’s founder, the late King Abdul Aziz, its implications across the political, socioeconomic and cultural spectrum have not been lost on successive rulers.It was King Salman…
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Finland have agreed to boost cooperation in the health sector by enhancing knowledge sharing, capacity building, introducing new health technology and digital services. “The plan is to boost cooperation as Finland stands at the forefront in health technology, health science, research and expertise,” Pirkko Mattila, Finnish minister of social affairs and health, told Arab News in…
RIYADH: Saudi rail chiefs plan to turn the Kingdom into a global logistics hub with an expanded network of commercial and industrial freight services. The Saudi Railway Company (SAR) already moved 9 million tons of freight last year, delegates to a forum in Riyadh were told. Compared with other means of transport, trains have a lower carbon footprint, cost less,…
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia celebrated International Literacy Day on Saturday with a pledge to raise its literacy rate from 94.4 percent to 100 percent in the near future. With illiteracy rates cut to below 5.6 percent, the Kingdom leads many Arab and Asian countries in achieving literacy targets. The current 94.4 percent literacy rate was achieved while boosting enrolment in thousands…
RIYADH: A package of incentives is to be offered to Saudi companies to list on the Riyadh-based stock market, with more initial public offerings (IPOs) expected next year, according to the CEO of the exchange. The Saudi Stock Exchange, known as Tadawul, expects IPOs to pick up next year, its chief Khalid Al-Hussan told Reuters, while the launch of stock index…
A senior Yemeni official has put Iran and Iranian-backed Houthi militias on notice, revealing for the first time that Houthis have ruthlessly killed 1,372 children and 814 women since war broke out in Yemen in 2014. Mohammed Askar, the Yemeni human rights minister, said: “Hundreds of children and women have been killed also from March to August this year.” The…
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…