Saudi officials and UN agency discuss development projects in Yemen

A delegation from the UN Industrial Development Organization met with officials from the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen. (SPA)
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A delegation from the UN Industrial Development Organization met with officials from the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen. (SPA)
A delegation from the UN Industrial Development Organization met with officials from the Saudi Fund for Development. (SPA)
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A delegation from the UN Industrial Development Organization met with officials from the Saudi Fund for Development. (SPA)
A delegation from the UN Industrial Development Organization met with officials from the Saudi Fund for Development. (SPA)
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A delegation from the UN Industrial Development Organization met with officials from the Saudi Fund for Development. (SPA)
A delegation from the UN Industrial Development Organization met with officials from the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen. (SPA)
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A delegation from the UN Industrial Development Organization met with officials from the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen. (SPA)
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Updated 12 January 2024
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Saudi officials and UN agency discuss development projects in Yemen

Saudi officials and UN agency discuss development projects in Yemen
  • UNIDO representatives met senior officials from the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen and the Saudi Fund for Development

RIYADH: During a meeting in Riyadh on Thursday, the assistant supervisor general of the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen, Hassan Al-Attas, and a delegation from the UN Industrial Development Organization discussed cooperation and coordination in efforts to improve living conditions in the war-torn country and achieve sustainable development under the leadership of the Yemeni government.

Saudi officials gave details of about 229 projects and development initiatives the program is involved with across Yemen, which aim to provide support for the country in key sectors such as education, health, water, energy, transportation, agriculture, fisheries, government capacity-building, and development.

Meanwhile, the deputy CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development, Faisal Al-Qahtani, met a delegation led by Hanan Hanzaz, UNIDO’s regional bureau chief and special representative for the Arab region. Their meeting focused on topics related to development and collaboration in the industrial and mining sectors.

The visitors were also given a tour of an interactive exhibition at the fund’s headquarters that highlights its development projects worldwide and showcases the effects of sustainable development on the beneficiaries, in terms of social growth and economic prosperity.

Since it was established in 1974 to provide development assistance to developing countries, the fund has worked in partnership with the UN to implement projects and programs around the world.


KSrelief delivers food and dates in Yemen, Chad

KSrelief delivers food and dates in Yemen, Chad
Updated 11 sec ago
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KSrelief delivers food and dates in Yemen, Chad

KSrelief delivers food and dates in Yemen, Chad
  • This assistance is part of the relief and humanitarian efforts provided by Saudi Arabia, represented by KSrelief

Saudi Arabia’s aid arrives in northern Gaza to assist Palestinians

Saudi Arabia’s aid arrives in northern Gaza to assist Palestinians
Updated 35 min 18 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia’s aid arrives in northern Gaza to assist Palestinians

Saudi Arabia’s aid arrives in northern Gaza to assist Palestinians
  • Wednesday’s delivery of essential food and other supplies is a part of KSrelief’s ongoing campaign to provide support for Palestinians

RIYADH: Several trucks with aid, provided by Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian agency KSrelief, have arrived in the northern Gaza Strip via Jordan.

Wednesday’s delivery of essential food and other supplies is a part of KSrelief’s ongoing campaign to provide support for Palestinians, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The northern Gaza Strip is currently facing severe challenges, exacerbated by the ongoing war and the closure of border crossings, making this aid critical to helping the population cope with the crisis. (SPA)

The aid was scheduled to be distributed through the Saudi Center for Culture and Heritage, which serves as the executive partner of KSrelief in the area.

The campaign to assist Palestinians, initiated by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has raised over $186.3 million from over 2 million donors.

The northern Gaza Strip is currently facing severe challenges because of Israel’s ongoing war on the Palestinians, which includes the closure of border crossings.


Saudi man arrested for $131m bank fraud

Saudi man arrested for $131m bank fraud
Updated 07 November 2024
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Saudi man arrested for $131m bank fraud

Saudi man arrested for $131m bank fraud
  • Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority announce new cases
  • Includes arrests for tobacco smuggling, roadworks scam

RIYADH: A Saudi man has been arrested for illegally obtaining SR493 million ($131 million) of bank financing.

The Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) worked with the Presidency of State Security and the Saudi Central Bank to arrest Khalid Ibrahim Al-Jraiwi.

He was arrested for “working with a bank employee in deceiving the banking regulations and obtaining an illegal bank financing of SR493 million,” Nazaha said on X.

It was one of a number of criminal cases announced on Wednesday by the authority, with legal proceedings underway.

Al-Jraiwi submitting a financing request containing false property deeds and fake contracts indicating investments in those properties by government entities.

The bank employee connected to Al-Jraiwi accepted the request and sent an email to the relevant departments at the bank confirming that the documents were valid. After receiving the financing, Al-Jraiwi transferred SR100 million abroad to purchase properties, registered under the names of his relatives.

Three men from the General Directorate of Passports were also arrested for facilitating the illegal entry and exit of Al-Jraiwi in exchange for money. The accused individuals admitted the charges and have been referred to court for prosecution.

In another case, Nazaha officials cooperated with the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority to arrest Saudi man Mohammed Ghazi Mohammed Al-Sayed and two Yemeni residents, Abdulmalik Ahmed Qaid and Abdullah Abdu Qasim, for smuggling a container of cigarettes from Jeddah Islamic Port.

The men were “caught in the act” of paying SR1.5 million to smuggle the container without paying a SR7.2 million tariff, by claiming that the cigarettes were paper tissues.

Investigations into the case are continuing ahead of the appearance of the accused in court.

The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority also helped Nazaha arrest Sudanese man Osman Mohammed Naeem Abdulrahman for using a car and SR20,000 to pay for smuggling four tons of tobacco from Jeddah Islamic Port.

In another case, Al-Jouf Municipality official Khalaf Saleh Marzouq Al-Khaldi was arrested for receiving SR8 million from Yemeni resident Mohammed Ali Omar Al-Saqaf to issue invoices worth more than SR17.6 million for roadworks projects in the region that were not executed.


Saudi stories pique audience interest, says Bloomberg Media MD

Saudi stories pique audience interest, says Bloomberg Media MD
Updated 07 November 2024
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Saudi stories pique audience interest, says Bloomberg Media MD

Saudi stories pique audience interest, says Bloomberg Media MD
  • Visiting the Athar Festival of Creativity in Riyadh, Amit Nayak told Arab News: “We’ve seen a real appetite from our global audiences for content from here”

RIYADH: Stories and articles about Saudi Arabia and the region are among the most widely read by audiences, according to Bloomberg Media’s managing director in the Middle East and Africa.

Visiting the Athar Festival of Creativity in Riyadh, Amit Nayak told Arab News: “We’ve seen a real appetite from our global audiences for content from here.”

He said that with such a large and diverse team based in the Middle East, Bloomberg Media was able to bring local insights and perspectives to provide content based on what audiences wanted.

“We remain focused on deeply understanding our Middle Eastern audience, fostering direct relationships, and delivering trusted news and insights tailored to their needs,” he said.

“We work with leading entities across the region, such as Saudi Tourism Authority and Red Sea Global, using custom content across different platforms to help tell their stories to regional and global audiences.”

The use of smart technology has been big part of Bloomberg’s strategy for over a decade, with The Bulletin being a predominant feature on the app. Launched by Bloomberg’s Media Innovation Lab in 2018, it provides single-sentence summaries of the top three stories.

“We leverage first-party subscriber data through our AI-powered Audience Accelerator platform,” added Nayak. “This allows us to precisely target key demographics to inform machine learning models that predict the population of users on the site, enhancing campaign performance and building brand credibility.”

In 2022, Bloomberg Media Studios opened a regional studio in Dubai and earlier this year launched “Bloomberg Horizons: Middle East & Africa,” a flagship morning program.

Bloomberg News also launched the Mideast Money newsletter, which focuses on “the intersection of wealth and power, and the impact of regional sovereign investors and dealmakers in global finance.”

Evolving as a commercial team that, 10 years ago, predominantly sold advertising, Nayak said that as clients became more sophisticated and keener to reach global audiences, Bloomberg Middle East was fostering internal talent to better collaborate with them.

“We were well placed because we have invested heavily in our teams on the ground here — whether that’s expanding sales, building a client marketing team, or hosting events on the ground in the region,” he said.


Saudi national guard minister holds talks with South Korean president in Seoul

Saudi national guard minister holds talks with South Korean president in Seoul
Updated 06 November 2024
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Saudi national guard minister holds talks with South Korean president in Seoul

Saudi national guard minister holds talks with South Korean president in Seoul
  • Meeting takes place during official visit by Prince Abdullah bin Bandar to attend a military parade

SEOUL: Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia’s minister of national guard, held talks on Wednesday with President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea in Seoul, during which they discussed bilateral relations and ways in which ties between their countries might be enhanced.
It came during a visit by the prince to attend a Korean Ministry of National Defense military parade, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Prince Abdullah conveyed greetings from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and their best wishes for the continued progress and prosperity of the president and people of South Korea. The president passed on his own greetings and message of appreciation to the king and crown prince.