RIYADH: Saudi King Salman will launch the construction of an “entertainment city” near Riyadh Saturday, authorities said, part of a series of multi-billion dollar projects as the Kingdom seeks to diversity its oil-reliant economy.
The 334-square kilometer project in Qiddiya, southwest of Riyadh, would rival Walt Disney and include high-end theme parks, motor sport facilities and a safari park, officials say.
The facility highlights a “relentless effort to develop giga-projects that will help achieve many direct and indirect economic returns,” project official Fahd bin Abdullah Tounsi was quoted as saying in a government statement on Monday.
Qiddiya chief executive Michael Reininger said he expects the project will draw foreign investors in entertainment and other sectors, but did not specify the total cost of construction.
Such projects are the brainchild of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a self-styled liberal change agent who is the chief architect of the sweeping “Vision 2030” reform program.
Saudi Arabia has dazzled investors with several plans for hi-tech “giga projects,” funded in part by its sovereign wealth fund, but some skeptics question their viability in an era of cheap oil.
The Kingdom has unveiled blueprints to build NEOM, a mega project billed as a regional Silicon Valley, in addition to the Red Sea project, a reef-fringed resort destination — both worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
Analysts say the projects could create funding pressures at a time when the government faces a yawning budget deficit and growth in the Kingdom’s non-oil economy is only slowly gathering pace.
The reform stems partly from an economic motive to boost domestic spending on entertainment as the Kingdom has been reeling from an oil slump since 2014.
Saudis currently splurge billions of dollars annually to see films and visit amusement parks in neighboring tourist hubs like Dubai and Bahrain.
In February, Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA) announced it will stage more than 5,000 festivals and concerts in 2018, double the number of last year, and pump $64 billion in the sector in the coming decade.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman will patronize the launch of Qiddiya Project
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman will patronize the launch of Qiddiya Project
- Qiddiya Project is the new entertainment, sports and cultural destination in the Kingdom
- The first phase will be completed by 2022
Thousands in Lebanon benefit from KSrelief healthcare services
RIYADH: A project by Saudi aid agency KSrelief to improve healthcare services for Syrian refugees and their host community in Bebnine, Akkar Governorate, has continued in Lebanon.
Some 2,689 patients were seen at the Akkar-Bebnine Health Care Center in December with 6,194 services provided under pharmacy, laboratory, nursing, community and psychological health programs.
Of the total number of patients, 68 percent were women and 51 percent were refugees, reported the Saudi Press Agency.
Saudi Arabia’s KSrelief continues aid work in new year
- The work reflects Saudi Arabia's ongoing commitment through KSrelief to help those most in need
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief has continued its humanitarian work at the start of 2025, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently.
In Syria, 892 families received food aid and health kits in the Afrin and Aleppo governorates of the war-torn country, benefiting 5,352 individuals.
The agency also distributed bags of flour, winter kits, and personal-care bags to 211 families in Syria’s Al-Rastan area, benefitting 968 individuals.
In Syria’s Rural Damascus governorate, KSrelief distributed bags of flour, food aid, personal-care bags, and shelter kits to 164 families.
In Pakistan, there were 2,821 food parcels, benefiting 18,638 people, distributed in the Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan areas of Punjab province, and the Hingol area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
KSrelief also distributed 1,082 clothing vouchers to families in Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan’s Amman, Zarqa and Balqa governorates.
Saudi Museum of Contemporary Art to host ‘Manga Hokusai Manga’ exhibition
- Exhibition is homage to renowned Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai
The much-anticipated “Manga Hokusai Manga” exhibition will be held at the Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art in JAX Diriyah from Jan. 15 to Feb. 8.
Held in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan and the Japan Foundation, the exhibition, ratified by the Kingdom’s Museums Commission, will showcase the works of the renowned Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai.
It will highlight the history and evolution of manga, and provide a perspective on how Hokusai’s classical illustrations have influenced modern visual arts, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently.
Hokusai published his first collection of art in 1814, featuring sketches of “daily life, landscapes and whimsical creatures,” according to a post on X by the museum.
The Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art aims to foster cultural exchange between local and international creators.
Kingdom readies itself for 3 days of rain and high winds
- Warning of high waves along the Kingdom’s coastlines
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is bracing itself for rainfall across most parts of the Kingdom over the next three days after the National Center for Meteorology issues warnings on Thursday.
In a weather bulletin, the NCM warned of downpours accompanied by winds of up to 60 kph, and the possibility of torrential rain and hail. High waves are expected along the nation’s coastlines.
The regions of Al-Jouf, the Northern Borders, and Hail will have rainy conditions on Friday and Saturday.
On Friday, rain is expected in the Tabuk and Madinah regions; on Saturday and Sunday in the Eastern Province, Asir and Jazan; and on Saturday in Qassim.
For the Riyadh and Al-Baha regions, rain is expected from Friday to Sunday.
The NCM urged the public to stay updated on the weather conditions in the Kingdom by checking the daily reports on its website, the Anwaa application, or its social media accounts.
Saudi Falcons Club CEO and Kazakhstan ambassador discuss ways to boost cooperation
RIYADH: The CEO of the Saudi Falcons Club, Ahmed Al-Hababi, met Kazakhstan’s ambassador to the Kingdom, Madiyar Menilbekov, in Riyadh on Thursday to discuss opportunities for cooperation and ways in which these might be enhanced to benefit mutual goals.
One of the topics was the Hadad Program, a leading initiative developed by the club with the aim of returning falcons to their natural habitats and saving the species from the threat of extinction.
Menilbekov praised the club for the important role it plays in enhancing falconry and preserving its cultural heritage.
The club said the meeting was part of its efforts to strengthen international partnerships in keeping with the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 plan for national development and diversification.
