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,…
Protective materials were used to shield some components from sand and extreme temperatures in Saudi Arabia RIYADH: The Haramain high-speed railway running between Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah is in the final stages of operational testing before its inauguration, Minister of Transport Nabeel bin Mohammed Al-Amoudi said on Monday. “This 450-km rail facility will be soon open for the public,” he…
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 major exhibition featuring the cultural history and heritage of China will be inaugurated jointly by Prince Sultan bin Salman, chief of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), and Li Huaxin, Chinese ambassador, in Riyadh on Sept. 12. The exhibition, titled “Treasures of China,” marks the first major cultural relic show that Beijing has organized in…
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: German Ambassador Dieter W. Haller hosted an interfaith iftar dinner at the Marriott Hotel in Riyadh recently to share the blessings of Ramadan and to promote interfaith harmony, peace and cooperation. In his remarks, he underscored that “peace, love and tolerance are the essence of all faiths in the world, while Ramadan is a month of introspection, tolerance and restraint,…
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: 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…