JEDDAH: The Ministry of Interior has revealed that more than 32,000 illegal expatriates have left the country since the beginning of the government campaign “A Nation Without Illegal Expatriates” that was launched on March 29.
It said it has arrested 100,000 violators of the country’s residency laws since the launch of the campaign.
The drive entailed an amnesty period of 90 days, during which illegal expatriates can leave the country without being subjected to any penalties.
Deputy supervisor of the campaign in Riyadh Col. Safar bin Dlaim called on violators to make use of the grace period and leave before it ends.
“Those [violators] who do not leave will be required to pay all fines and fees and will be considered a wanted person in the system. The goal of the campaign is for every resident to be legal.”
Less than 50 days remain before the amnesty period expires.
The campaign – which is participated in by 19 government entities — has resulted in large numbers of expatriates showing up daily at 78 offices of the Passports Department – 16 offices in the Eastern Province, 12 in Makkah, 10 in Riyadh and 7 in Qasim. King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah has been particularly crowded with expats wanting to take advantage of the grace period.
The government announced that those who respond to the campaign will be exempted from being registered as “deported,” which will allow them to come back to the Kingdom legally.
The number of violators before the campaign was launched was estimated at one million, including more than 285,000 reported as “absent” by their employers.
The last similar campaign in the country took place more than four years ago and resulted in the deportation and the correction of residency status of more than five million illegal expatriates and labor law violators.
32,000 residency violators leave KSA, 100,000 arrested
32,000 residency violators leave KSA, 100,000 arrested
Oil Updates — crude gains as cooling US inflation points to possible easing
SINGAPORE: Oil prices rose on Monday as lower-than-expected US inflation data revived hopes for further policy easing, although the outlook for a supply surplus next year weighed on the market, according to Reuters.
Brent crude futures rose 36 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $73.30 a barrel by 07:21 a.m. Saudi time. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed 39 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $69.85 per barrel.
“Risk assets, including US equity futures and crude oil, have started the week on a firmer footing,” IG markets analyst Tony Sycamore said, adding that cooler inflation data helped alleviate concerns following the Federal Reserve’s hawkish rate cut.
“I think the US Senate passing legislation to end the brief shutdown over the weekend has helped,” he said.
Both oil benchmarks fell more than 2 percent last week on concerns about global economic growth and oil demand after the US central bank signaled caution over further easing of monetary policy. Research from Asia’s top refiner Sinopec pointing to China’s oil consumption peaking in 2027 also weighed on prices.
Money managers raised their net-long US crude futures and options positions in the week to Dec. 17, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission said on Friday.
Concerns about European supply eased on reports the Druzhba pipeline, which sends Russian and Kazakh oil to Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany, has restarted after halting on Thursday due to technical problems at a Russian pumping station.
Shipments resumed on Saturday, according to Belarus’ BelTa state news agency. On Sunday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said supplies on Druzbha to the country had restarted.
Before the halt, the pipeline was shipping 300,000 barrels per day of crude.
US President Donald Trump on Friday urged the EU to increase US oil and gas imports or face tariffs on the bloc's exports.
The European Commission said it was ready to discuss with Trump how to strengthen what it described as an already strong relationship, including in the energy sector.
Trump also threatened to reassert US control over the Panama Canal on Sunday, accusing Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central American passage and drawing a sharp rebuke from Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino.
In the US, the number of operating oil rigs was up one to 483 last week, the highest since September, Baker Hughes reported on Friday.
Macquarie analysts projected growing supply surplus for next year, which will weigh down Brent prices to an average at $70.50 a barrel, from this year’s average of $79.64 a barrel, they said in a December report.
Artist William Brooks seeks fresh inspiration in Diriyah Art Futures program
- Hub picks 12 artists for inaugural scheme
DUBAI: Saudi creative hub Diriyah Art Futures has handpicked 12 artists for its inaugural Emerging New Media Artists Program this winter, with Welsh talent William Brooks making the cut.
Set to run for one year, the newly launched program offers access to professional equipment and facilities, a production budget, learning experiences with international guest professors specializing in new media art, and mentorships.
Brooks spoke to Arab News about his artistic process and what he hopes to gain from the opportunity.
“The prospect of working in a place that is culturally and geographically far removed from my homeland offers a unique experience,” he explained.
“I anticipate that the historical significance of Diriyah, combined with the vibrant contemporary discourse on art, technology, and culture in the region, will inform new directions in my work and deepen my engagement with the concepts I explore.”
To work with a global cohort of artists, researchers and mentors is something Brooks is particularly looking forward to, and he added: “I believe a crucial aspect of being an artist is being inquisitive. This opportunity affords me the means to draw from a diverse and far-reaching wealth of knowledge.”
When it comes to his work, the multi-disciplinary artist has most recently been experimenting with the medium of installation in a bid to merge historical processes with new technologies. His most recent work, for example, “(conflates) the use of traditional etching processes on metal with digital imaging of the often overlooked but pervasive presence of digital communication.”
Brooks’ interest in digital signals and their vital role in daily modern life aims to explore and highlight how “these connections shape our interactions and identities in ways we often overlook.”
He added: “By making these digital elements visible, I aim to spark reflection on the implications of living in a world increasingly mediated by technology.”
Despite the seemingly futuristic nature of his work, the artist is keen to look back at history to inform his process.
He said: “When approaching a project, I start by immersing myself in archival materials, historical documents, or artifacts, aiming to uncover the ways in which older technologies or media forms were once used, understood, and experienced.
“This historical research is an attempt to see how these past media forms can recontextualize and critique present-day technological advancements.”
Brooks recognizes that it is no mean feat to translate such abstract concepts into physical artworks and pointed to his 2022 work “Radio Tapestry” as a piece he is particularly proud of.
He said: “This work involved translating data from wireless networks and digital devices into a visual and sonic installation of etched plates, allowing the audience to experience the otherwise invisible electromagnetic signals that we rely upon and surround us every day.
“The challenge lay in not only making the technology function smoothly, but also in creating an installation that communicated the conceptual depth of the work — highlighting how these intangible signals shape our environment.”
Australia approves extradition of former US Marine over alleged training of Chinese military pilots
- Australia’s Attorney General Mark Dreyfus approved the extradition on Monday
- Daniel Duggan has been in a maximum-security prison since he was arrested in 2022
NEWCASTLE, Australia: Former US Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan will be extradited from Australia to the United States over allegations that he illegally trained Chinese aviators.
Australia’s Attorney General Mark Dreyfus approved the extradition on Monday, ending the Boston-born 55-year-old’s nearly two-year attempt to avoid being returned to the US
Duggan, who served in the Marines for 12 years before immigrating to Australia and giving up his US citizenship, has been in a maximum-security prison since he was arrested in 2022 at his family home in the state of New South Wales. He is the father of six children.
Dreyfus confirmed in a statement on Monday he had approved the extradition but did not say when Duggan would be transferred to the US
“Duggan was given the opportunity to provide representations as to why he should not be surrendered to the United States. In arriving at my decision, I took into consideration all material in front of me,” Dreyfus said in the statement.
In May, a Sydney judge ruled Duggan could be extradited to the US, leaving an appeal to the attorney general as Duggan’s last hope of remaining in Australia.
In a 2016 indictment from the US District Court in Washington, D.C., unsealed in late 2022, prosecutors said Duggan conspired with others to provide training to Chinese military pilots in 2010 and 2012, and possibly at other times, without applying for an appropriate license.
Prosecutors say he received payments totaling around 88,000 Australian dollars ($61,000) and international travel from another conspirator for what was sometimes described as “personal development training.”
If convicted, Duggan faces up to 60 years in prison. He denies the allegations.
“We feel abandoned by the Australian government and deeply disappointed that they have completely failed in their duty to protect an Australian family,” his wife, Saffrine Duggan, said in a statement on Monday. “We are now considering our options.”
Pakistan defense minister blames judiciary for delayed verdicts in May 9 cases
- National problems require decisions at the earliest, says Khawaja Asif while talking to media in London
- Protests erupted in several Pakistani cities on May 9, 2023, over ex-PM Imran Khan’s arrest in a graft case
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday blamed the judiciary for delaying verdicts in the May 9, 2023, cases, which have so far led to the conviction of 25 supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for attacking government buildings and military properties last year.
On Dec. 21, the Pakistan Army sentenced 25 people for participating in the violent protests that erupted in several Pakistani cities following Khan’s brief detention on corruption charges, resulting in damage to major military facilities and martyrs’ monuments in the country.
However, several suspects are also facing legal charges in anti-terrorism courts, with the military hoping for early verdicts in their cases, according to a statement announcing the sentencing of the 25 individuals, which described the rioting as “politically provoked violence.”
The PTI has denied any involvement in the violence, describing the May 9 incident as a “false flag” operation aimed at crushing the party.
“The judiciary created the biggest hurdle in this [the conviction of May 9 suspects] while this thing was allowed to linger for one and a half years,” Asif said while speaking to the media in London, the city he is currently visiting.
Describing the May 9 protests as a national problem, he said all the cases related to it required verdicts at the earliest.
The conviction of the 25 individuals followed a ruling by a seven-member Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Dec. 13, allowing military courts to share their verdicts. Prior to that, the court had unanimously declared last year that prosecuting civilians in military courts violated the Constitution.
Khan’s PTI party rejected the military’s announcement, with opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan saying they were “against the principles of justice.”
The sentencing of the 25 individuals also raises concerns about Khan, who faces charges of inciting attacks against the armed forces and may potentially be tried in a military court.
Earlier, Asif had regretted the delay in announcing the verdicts, saying that it “raised the morale of the accused and their facilitators.”
“Right now, only the workers, who were used [to generate violence], have been punished under the law,” he had said. “This will not end until the ones, who planned this terrible day, are not brought before the law.”
‘Mufasa’ filmmaker and cast dish on ‘Lion King’ prequel
DUBAI: US filmmaker Barry Jenkins, known for his unique storytelling approach in films like the Oscar-winning “Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk,” was never in the business of making CGI-heavy blockbusters. But when Disney calls, you answer.
“Mufasa: The Lion King,” a prequel to the 2019 photorealistic telling of the 1994 classic, sees Jenkins take the directorial baton from Jon Favreau — and he says a vital piece of advice from the latter helped him see the project through.
“His advice was very simple and concrete. He said, ‘Just forget about the tech. Forget about the tech and just find whatever way you can to tell the story in your voice.’ It was really crucial,” Jenkins told Arab News.
“We still, of course, had to learn the technology, and sort of master it. But we realized very quickly we weren’t beholden to the way the technology was being presented to us, and that we could sort of mold it and meld it to fit our storytelling principles.”
Exploring the unlikely rise of the beloved king of the Pride Lands, “Mufasa” enlists Rafiki (John Kani) to relay the legend of Mufasa (Aaron Pierre) to young lion cub Kiara (Blue Ivy Carter), daughter of Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyonce), with Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) lending their signature schtick.
Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub who meets a sympathetic lion named Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) — the heir to a royal bloodline. Their chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey for the adoptive brothers, with their bonds tested as they work together to evade a deadly foe.
The concept of found family is integral to “Mufasa,” and while there are no surprises as to Taka’s eventual identity, Jenkins says telling his story was as important as telling Mufasa’s.
“When I first read the script, I was surprised and moved by the depth of this backstory. But then I was like, why am I surprised? Because when you watch the 1994 film, Jeremy Irons is bringing so much heartache, so much woundedness, so much bitterness to this performance. And this story is really about the energy of that woundedness, of that heartbreak. And so, I shouldn't have been surprised,” said Jenkins.
“But once I read the script, I did realize that the success of the film, the emotional success of it, was going to depend on the quality of that bond and the way we detail it. So it was really important to us,” he added.
Charged with making the film’s music Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the pop culture phenomenon “Hamilton.” Jenkins says he couldn’t have found a more perfect collaborator.
“I just always have admired how earnest Lin is in his work. If you look at interviews of him speaking about anything he’s done, you can tell he’s so earnest and passionate about what he does. And you know, you can’t make the ‘Lion King’ in a cynical way. You have to be just earnest about it. And I thought when it came to this idea of making a musical, I’ve never done that, so let me work with someone who has and who’s done it very well,” said Jenkins.
The star-studded cast — including Mads Mikkelsen, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen — bring fresh perspectives to the beloved “Lion King” universe.
When asked what made him say yes to the project, Mikkelsen — who plays the villainous albino lion Kiros — said that apart from the fact that he simply “loved lions,” he could see the parallels between Mufasa and his character.
“There’s not a big difference between Mufasa and Kiros. In the sense of their upbringing, except that Mufasa loses his parents in the beginning. They don’t throw him out. And that’s the opposite story with Kiros. He was abandoned. He’s an albino lion, and in the animal kingdom, it’s a no-go. So, his heart is darker than Mufasa. There’s no hope in his heart. That’s just survival. And so, he finds his own pride, and he wants a piece of the cake. He wants the entire cake,” Mikkelsen said.
Bringing the laughs in “Mufasa” are Eichner and Rogen, returning to play Timon and Pumbaa, respectively.
For Eichner, the film brings him strangely full circle.
“I saw the original in 1994 with my parents in the movie theater. I remember that. And then, strangely enough, several years later, when it went to Broadway in the very acclaimed Broadway production, I was right out of college and one of my first jobs was being a bartender at the ‘Lion King’ on Broadway. And I didn’t get to see the show. They wouldn’t let you watch the show, but they would pipe the audio from the show into the lobby so that we could hear it and know when intermission was coming. So, I’ve heard a lot of ‘Lion King’ in my life,” he said.
Rogen enjoyed collaborating closely with Eichner as they recorded their parts together, allowing them to work more organically.
“We get to record together, which is really rare in these types of movies. I think a lot of the dynamic that we have in the movies wouldn’t be possible if we were recording it two different times were, like, really interactive with one another and building off of what the other person’s saying in the moment. And it’s very fast as well. And yeah, it’s just really cool to get afforded the opportunity to carve out a little section of these giant, expensive franchise movies with our little brand of improvizational comedy. It’s cool that they let us do that,” Rogen said.
When asked if they could recall any of their improvised bits in the movie, Rogen said: “There’s some meta jokes that break the fourth wall. Billy makes some references to the Broadway show. We have a lot of jokes on how we wish we had more songs and more screen time. I mean, all that stuff that was just really making us laugh as we were doing it. And no part of me thought it would make it into the movie, honestly, but a lot of it made it into the movie.”
Eichner added: “I also like when Timon and Puma become a little bitter and resentful at Rafiki because he’s inserting himself into the story, but not giving us a part in it. At the premiere, actually, which is the first time I saw it with an audience, I had forgot about that. And that was kind of surprising that we’re allowed to do that in the movie, but it almost feels like that part is more for the adults in the crowd.”
