Author: Editorial Team
RIYADH — A royal decree has been issued approving the appointment of members to Saudi Arabia’s 13 Regional Councils for their eighth term, which will span four years. The regional councils of Riyadh, Makkah, and Madinah each comprise 20 members, while the councils of Jazan, Eastern Province, Al-Qassim, Asir, Hail, Tabuk, Al-Baha, Northern Borders Region, Al-Jouf, and Najran each have 15 members. Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif expressed his gratitude to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman for issuing the royal decree approving the appointment…
RIYADH — Saudi Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser warned that the impact of the Strait of Hormuz crisis was not limited to global oil supplies but also extended to global food security. He described the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as the largest oil supply shock in history. “Global markets had lost more than 2.6 billion barrels of supplies since the crisis began,” he said on Tuesday while speaking to Al-Arabiya Business following the release of the company’s quarterly results. Al-Nasser said that Saudi Aramco continued its strong financial and operational momentum in the second half of the…
The urban design sector within the Quality of Life Program recorded significant progress during 2025, with improved urban indicators and strategic initiatives enhancing the urban landscape across Saudi cities. Key among these initiatives was the launch of the Saudi Architecture Map by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, featuring 19 architectural styles inspired by Saudi Arabia’s geographical and cultural characteristics. The map is expected to contribute over SAR8 billion to cumulative GDP and generate more than 34,000 job opportunities by 2030. Urban indicators showed notable improvement across several measures. Citizen…
Rakuten Group has recently taken steps to advance an existing online medical and pharmacy service by collaborating with technology company J Frontier. The pair intend to align to deliver online medical consultations and guidance on medications, a move which would build on the services provided by the Rakuten Healthcare Yoyakusuri app. Rakuten stated the app currently provides pharmacy reservation and medical record services across Japan. It is bringing online consultation and guidance services J Frontier provides in its own app into the mix. The initial integration means users of the J Frontier app can pick a Yoyakusuri Pharmacy for collection…
MAKKAH — The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has approved the results of its evaluation of companies providing services to international pilgrims for the 2026 Hajj season. This was part of the ministry’s ongoing efforts to enhance services, improve quality, and strengthen transparency in assessing the performance of service providers, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Pilgrim Experience Program. The ministry said the evaluation covered companies contracted by pilgrim affairs offices, companies contracted by affiliated organizers, and companies operating under the direct Hajj model. Companies in each category were classified into three tiers based on…
There are few sensible reasons to venture outdoors during a Dubai summer. Dining, however, is one of them. On one particularly balmy evening, we headed to J1 Beach, which continues to quietly cement itself as Dubai’s most compelling collection of beach clubs and serious restaurants. It’s a destination that understands the difference between expensive and exceptional. This visit also happened to coincide with World Caviar Day — a celebration I confess had somehow escaped my diary until now. It did, however, remind me of my neighbour back in the tiny Northumberland village of Glanton, whose enduring claim to fame is…
JEDDAH — The municipal authorities have shut down 18 illegal warehouses operating within a closed complex in the southern part of Jeddah. A joint field campaign, carried out by the Jeddah Mayoralty, in cooperation with the relevant authorities, led to the seizure of the illegal warehouses. The warehouses contained clothing, furniture, honey, perfumes, foodstuffs, and fake medical products. The campaign uncovered a range of illegal activities within the closed complex, which was being used to store and distribute products and goods in violation of regulations. The seized facilities included nine clothing warehouses, two honey production warehouses, two furniture warehouses, one…
King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH) in Riyadh has reduced the hospital stay of children undergoing surgery for congenital heart defects by 44% among patients eligible for minimally invasive procedures, with the average length of stay falling from nine days in conventional surgery to five days. This reduction was achieved through KFSH’s minimally invasive pediatric congenital heart surgery program, launched in mid-2023. The approach enables surgeons to access the heart through a small incision between the ribs rather than dividing the breastbone, as in conventional open-heart surgery. The program has established KFSH as a regional leader in advanced…
NTT recently invested in a deep-tech start-up named OptQC, with the end goal of this collaboration to advance joint research into quantum computing. The companies are working to deliver a 1 million-qubit quantum computer within the next five-years which could be used in industries including finance, manufacturing, pharmaceutical development, energy optimisation and advanced AI. NTT president and CEO Akira Shimada said the capital and business alliance with OptQC covers the research, development and launch of quantum machinery with the “potential to contribute to solving a wide range of social challenges”. OptQC representative director and CEO Kan Takase said joint discussions…
RIYADH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has approved the awarding of the Medal of Merit of the Second Class to 25 Saudi citizens and expatriates. This was in recognition of the humanitarian gesture of each one of them by donating blood 50 times. Saudi Arabia launched last year an annual blood donation campaign to encourage voluntary blood donation and promote community participation in humanitarian work. There was tremendous response for this from the part of the members of the Saudi society to donate their blood across the Kingdom. The campaign aimed to increase the percentage of…