Saudi Arabia

07 Dec 2021; MEMO: The Red Sea International Film Festival opened on Monday in Jeddah. This is the first such festival to be hosted by Saudi Arabia.

The ten-day festival is being held in the historic Al-Balad area of the coastal city. The area is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

RIYADH, Dec 2 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabia announced yesterday, the detection of its first case of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

The variant was detected from an inbound citizen, coming from a North African country, the Saudi Health Ministry said, adding that, the infected person was quarantined and those close contacts were tested.

The ministry called on the public to complete their COVID-19 vaccinations to protect the safety of all.

30 Nov 2021; MEMO: Jordan and Saudi Arabia have condemned Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to the Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron to celebrate a Jewish holiday. Herzog forced his way into the mosque on Sunday to participate in a candle-lighting ceremony. He was accompanied by a large number of Israeli police officers and illegal Jewish settlers.

29 Nov 2021; MEMO: Saudi Arabia, on Monday, called on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Saudi Arabia is looking to convene an "OIC Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting to Discuss Humanitarian Situation in Afghanistan," said SPA, the Kingdom's official news agency.

01 Nov 2021; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has deposited $3 billion into Egypt's central bank as part of efforts to help the North African country confront the coronavirus pandemic.

At the same time, the Gulf state extended the terms of $2.3 billion worth of previous deposits.

Egypt and Saudi are close allies with both countries forming half of the quartet which placed a blockade on Qatar in 2017.

30 Oct 2021; MEMO: Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have instructed Lebanese ambassadors to leave their capitals within 48 hours amid criticism about Saudi Arabia regarding the Yemeni war, Anadolu Agency reported on Saturday.

Bahrain's Foreign Ministry confirmed that Lebanese Ambassador Milad Hanna Nemmour was asked to leave because of unacceptable and negative attitudes and statements made.

RIYADH, Oct 30 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that, it is bidding to host the World Expo 2030.

The bid was submitted to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), World Expo’s organising body.

The theme proposed by Saudi Arabia for the World Expo 2030 is, The Era of Change: Leading the Planet to a Foresighted Tomorrow.

The event is scheduled to take place from Oct 1, 2030 to Apr 1, 2031.

29 Oct 2021; MEMO: Saudi Arabia is in talks with several carmakers about manufacturing in the country, Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih told Reuters, with an announcement expected this year.

The discussions are part of plans to attract foreign investment to support the transformation of Saudi Arabia's economy and diversify it away from oil.

"A car manufacturer will be announced before year-end, and following that there will be another one or two car manufacturers, and they will be cars of the future," Falih said.

28 Oct 2021; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has released Ali Al-Nimr, the nephew of influential Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr after nearly a decade in prison facing a possible death sentence, despite being a minor at the time of his alleged protest-related crimes. Sheikh Al-Nimr was executed in 2016.

RIYADH, Oct 28 (NNN-SPA) – The Joint Incidents Assessment Team (JIAT) in Yemen, announced yesterday, the results of investigations into allegations against some military operations conducted by the Saudi-led coalition.

In a press conference, JIAT spokesperson, Mansour Al-Mansour, refuted a number of claims raised by global bodies and international organisations, allegedly committed by the coalition forces.