Riyadh Season 2024 to empower entrepreneurs and productive families
Initiative is part of the collaborative efforts among government entities to support the local economy
Updated 2 min 42 sec ago
Arab News
Riyadh: Riyadh Season will allocate sales outlets in key locations this year to productive families and entrepreneurs during major events, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The General Entertainment Authority and the Social Development Bank signed a cooperation agreement that will organize the participation of productive families and entrepreneurs, and allocate sales outlets in key locations throughout Boulevard World.
The agreement signed between the chairman of the GEA, Turki Al-Sheikh, and the CEO of the Social Development Bank, Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Humaidi, aims to empower the targeted groups by providing logistical and organizational support while highlighting Saudi products.
This initiative is part of collaborative efforts by government entities to support the local economy and achieve the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 by enhancing local content and supporting the growth and sustainability of the entertainment sector.
KSrelief continues food aid distribution across several countries
Updated 29 min 30 sec ago
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency, KSrelief, has continued to provide food assistance to vulnerable communities in Syria, Lebanon, Sudan and Pakistan.
In Syria, the agency distributed 888 food baskets and 888 hygiene kits on Friday in the town of Salqin, located in the Harem district of Idlib Governorate. This initiative benefited 5,328 individuals.
In South Sudan, KSrelief handed out food aid to displaced persons in the Equatoria Region, benefiting 2,500 families.
KSrelief provides food assistance to 2,500 families in South Sudan
In Lebanon, the agency implement the fourth phase of its Bakery Project in the Akkar Governorate and Miniyeh District.
Last week, the project distributed 175,000 bundles of bread to needy families, including Syrians, Palestinians, and members of the host community, benefiting a total of 12,500 families in North Lebanon.
In Pakistan, KSrelief distributed 1,500 shelter bags on Friday in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
These bags benefited 10,500 individuals from the most vulnerable families in flood-affected areas.
KSrelief provides medical assistance in Lebanon, Jordan
Updated 33 min 25 sec ago
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency, KSrelief, funded medical services in northern Lebanon and Jordan earlier this month, state news agency SPA reported.
The ambulance service of Miniyeh District, along with the Souboul Al-Salam Relief Team in North Lebanon, conducted 83 emergency medical missions from Oct. 4 to 10 with KSrelief’s support.
The services included transferring patients to and from hospitals and providing emergency assistance to traffic accident victims in Miniyeh.
In Jordan, KSrelief provided medical services to 2,605 patients at the Zaatari Refugee Camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan during the first week of October.
Saudi stray animals find unlikely homes in far-flung Philippines
Improvement in Kingdom’s care for strays complies with Vision 2030, says animal welfare official
Updated 19 October 2024
Marco Ferrari
RIYADH: Stray cats and dogs in Saudi Arabia are finding unlikely homes more than 8,000 km away in the Philippines thanks to a network of dedicated volunteers.
The sizable number of Filipino expatriates in the Kingdom are using their connections back home, aided by social media, to find suitable adopters in the Asian archipelago.
Physical therapist Virginia Alindayo is one such expatriate. She spoke to Arab News about how she has found homes for more than 50 cats and dogs, often transporting them to the Philippines herself.
Doris Bolla and her adopted dog skye in the Philippines. (Supplied)
“It makes me happy. It’s the only life that I want to live, as of now,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to do something like this, and it really makes me happy.”
Alindayo lives in the remote town of Rafha, a nine-hour drive from capital, Riyadh. Her dedication to animal welfare is so devout that she once took 12 cats from Rafha to Riyadh, before boarding a flight with them to the Philippines.
Another time, she managed to find homes for another 12 cats in the US. She again flew them across the world herself. “It was very easy,” she said.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Physical therapist Virginia Alindayo spoke to Arab News about how she has found homes for more than 50 cats and dogs.
• Saudi Society for Animal Welfare has almost 1,000 members who not only feed, rehome and neuter stray animals, but also offer their professional help free-of-charge.
• Lawyers who joined the association, for example, help to prosecute cases of animal cruelty in Saudi Arabia.
Alindayo first started her rehoming campaign in 2020 after her own pet cat went missing. In trying to find the cat, she came across several animal welfare groups on Facebook, including Aramina’s Pet Travel, Pawssionate Pet Lovers and Mission Pawsible.
She found her cat, and using the educational resources from the online groups, decided to take up the cause of helping stray animals.
Virginia Alindayo's rescued puppies in Saudi Arabia, waiting to find new homes. (Supplied)
Often paying out of her own pocket for vaccinations, paperwork and airfares, she is also supported by generous donors online.
But still, her love for animals has taken a financial toll. “I’m planning to neuter at least 20 cats. And you know what? I’m even planning to take out a loan for this … I have to do something about it. Otherwise, I’ll just close my eyes and never feed all these cats.”
Saeed Jazzar, vice chairman of the Saudi Society for Animal Welfare, or Refq, said that despite fast-changing attitudes among the public, stray animals in Saudi Arabia remain a problem.
“It’s a national issue, honestly, and part of it is done because people buy animals and then they turn them loose. They don’t want them, and those animals are still breeding.”
As of yet, there is no nationwide trap-neuter-release program — believed by many to be the most ethical method of dealing with strays.
“The level of education now in Saudi Arabia is a lot higher than it was 10 years ago, and 10 years ago it was better than it was 30 years ago,” Jazzar said.
“We see the society complying with these things, and part of that comes from Islam also, but it was totally ignored back then. What we see now is an improvement, honestly, and it complies with Vision 2030.”
Refq has almost 1,000 members — mostly volunteers — who not only feed, rehome and neuter stray animals, but also offer their professional help free-of-charge.
Lawyers who joined the association, for example, help to prosecute cases of animal cruelty in Saudi Arabia, including a shocking case that involved giraffes being kept in enclosures too small for them to fully straighten their necks.
Two of the giraffes died from their injuries, but Refq rescued the rest.
In another case, the society shut down a circus in Riyadh that was keeping horses out in direct sunlight without proper shelter.
As well as lawyers, Refq has engineers who use their expertise to design animal shelters for the society.
For Jazzar and Refq, there is still much work to be done to improve the situation of stray animals in the country.
But even so, any act of kindness can have its benefits.
Describing how some members spend upward of SR40,000 ($10,650) every year feeding stray animals, Jazzar said: “It’s like you’re throwing your money on the street, but in reality, you’re doing yourself good by helping other creatures that were mentioned in the Qur’an.
“If you help any living soul, it’s rewarded by Allah.”
Saudi Arabia and Spain explore opportunities in mining cooperation
Alkhorayef highlighted the strong partnership between Saudi Arabia and Spain, emphasizing the significant economic and trade ties that have developed over the years
Updated 19 October 2024
Arab News
LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources met on Saturday with Spanish Minister of State for Energy, Sara Aagesen Munoz, to discuss deepening mining cooperation between the two nations.
The meeting between Bandar Alkhorayef and Munoz also included Saudi Ambassador to Spain, Princess Haifa bint Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf Al Muqrin, and focused on attracting Spanish mining companies to invest in the Kingdom’s growing mining sector.
During the discussions, Alkhorayef highlighted the strong partnership between Saudi Arabia and Spain, emphasizing the significant economic and trade ties that have developed over the years.
He described Spain as a key partner in Saudi Arabia's efforts to expand its industrial and mining sectors, expressing optimism about strengthening cooperation in these areas.
Alkhorayef also discussed Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and noted that key sectors such as industry, mining, energy, and logistics were critical to achieving these goals, with mining in particular being a cornerstone of the Kingdom’s economic transformation.
Alkhorayef also welcomed foreign investment and underscored the attractive opportunities available for international firms. He invited Spanish companies to explore the Kingdom’s untapped potential in mining, noting that the government has implemented various initiatives to support the sector's growth.
The meeting concluded with both sides reaffirming their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and exploring new areas of cooperation in the mining industry.
Saudi minister meets India’s foreign secretary in New Delhi
They reviewed relations between their countries and discussed ways in which they might be enhanced
Updated 19 October 2024
Arab News
NEW DELHI: The Saudi deputy minister for political affairs, Saud Al-Sati, held talks with India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, in New Delhi on Saturday.
They reviewed relations between their countries and discussed ways in which they might be enhanced, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a message posted on social media platform X. Other topics included the latest regional and international developments and other issues of common interest.
The second meeting of the Saudi-Indian Strategic Partnership Council’s committee on political, security, social and cultural cooperation also took place on Saturday.
