Saudi Arabia

17 July 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia is reportedly seeking to raise $2.7 billion (10bn riyals) to proceed with the development of its ambitious smart megacity project, Neom, according to Bloomberg.

16 July 2023; MEMO: Sudanese representatives have arrived in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah to resume talks with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudanese government sources told Reuters on Saturday, after three months of fighting between the army and RSF.

17 July 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman said yesterday that since 2021, the kingdom has become the largest oil supplier to Japan, fulfilling 40 per cent of its total needs, Anadolu news agency reported.

Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) ahead of the arrival of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the kingdom yesterday, the minister said the kingdom will continue cooperating with Tokyo on clean hydrogen, ammonia and recycled carbon fuels.

RIYADH, July 15 (Xinhua) -- A report released by the official Saudi Press Agency on Saturday said Saudi Arabia had made "creative" efforts to promote its civilization and heritage in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 since the kingdom's Culture Ministry became an independent entity in 2018.

11 July 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia's Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, met with his French counterpart, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, in Riyadh on 8 July, Gulf Business reports.

According to the report, the two signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen their cooperation in energy, with a focus on clean energy from renewable resources.

RIYADH, Jul 1 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabia announced yesterday, the success of the health plans for this year’s Hajj season, which saw the return of pilgrim numbers to pre-pandemic levels.

Health Minister, Fahd Al-Jalajel, said, the season was free from any outbreaks or threats to public health, attributing the success to the integration of all concerned government organisations and early preparedness for the Hajj season.

30 June 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has so far refused to sign a document committing to free access to all UNESCO members for the World Heritage Committee's meeting in September, with the issue of allowing Israeli officials to enter the country as the main sticking point, Axios quoted informed Israeli officials and Western diplomats as saying.

RIYADH, Jun 28 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq al-Rabiah, announced, more than 1.8 million worshippers from over 150 countries are performing the Hajj this year.

The number of pilgrims from Arab countries reached more than 346,000, or 21 percent of the total, the General Authority for Statistics said, yesterday.

Among the pilgrims were more than one million from Asian countries, excluding Arab nations, making up 63.5 percent of the total, while nearly 223,000 pilgrims, or 13.4 percent of the total, came from African countries, excluding Arab nations.

MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims on Wednesday braved intense heat to perform the symbolic stoning of the devil during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

With morning temperatures rising past 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Farenheit), huge crowds of pilgrims walked or took buses to the vast Jamarat complex just outside the holy city of Mecca, where large pedestrian bridges lead past three wide pillars representing the devil.

27 June 2023; MEMO: The 2023 Club World Cup will take place in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, football's world governing body FIFA said on Monday. Reuters reported that the decision was announced following a FIFA delegation visit to Jeddah last week to assess ongoing preparations for the tournament.