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AS IT HAPPENED: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets world leaders at G20

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Participants of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, pose for a family photo. (AFP)
Updated 01 December 2018
Arab News
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AS IT HAPPENED: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets world leaders at G20

  • World leaders pose for family photo as meeting in Buenos Aires gets underway
  • Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman holds talks with a number world leaders on the sidelines
Updated 01 December 2018
Arab News

BUENOS AIRES: Leaders from the world’s leading economies gathered for the G20  summit in the Argentinian capital on Friday to discuss development, infrastructure and investment. 

Saudi Arabia’s delegation was headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was greeted by world leaders including Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron.

The summit is overshadowed by issues including the US-China trade dispute to the conflict over Ukraine. Also expected to loom are tensions between the United States and Europe.

LATEST

 

02:00 GMT

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the G20. They discussed cooperation in the fields of energy and investment. 

22:00 GMT

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended a Gala event at Colon Theatre with other leaders of the G20.


21:00 GMT

Saudi Arabia's crown prince meets with the UK's Prime Minister Theresa May in the sidelines of the summit on Friday evening.

19:55 GMT

Thousands of demonstrators are flooding a downtown avenue in Buenos Aires to protest against the G20 summit, AP reported.
Activists from France, Germany, Italy and several Latin American nations are taking part alongside Argentines in a demonstration organized by left-leaning groups and labor unions.
About 22,000 police officers and other security forces are guarding the world leaders.

19:25

Saudi Arabia's energy minister Khalid Al-Falih has met with the Russian energy minister, Alexander Novak to discuss oil output.

SEE MORE: For the best images of the world's most powerful shaking hands and talking shop, click here.

18:36: 

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continued his series of meeting with world leaders. He met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the country's two delegations held talks.

18:35

18:11 GMT

Donald Trump lauded "good signs" ahead of talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on resolving their trade war.
"There's some good signs, we'll see what happens," Trump said. He is due to have dinner with Xi on Saturday.

READ MORE: Mauricio Macri, President of Argentina's full opening address at G20 Summit

17:46

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a meeting with the Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla. Earlier he met with the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

17:20

Saudi Arabia's energy minister Khalid Al-Falih will meet with his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak during the summit to discuss an oil output in 2019, the Russian news agency RIA reported. Novak also said that Russia's 2019 oil output is expected to be at the same level as this year but could be adjusted, depending on a deal between OPEC and non-OPEC members. Producer group OPEC and its allies are meeting in Vienna next week to discuss oil production.




Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets Russian president Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit. (Screenshot)

17:04 GMT

Donald Trump says "the sole reason" he canceled a meeting with Vladimir Putin at the G20 was because of Russia seizing Ukrainian ships

15:55 

G20 leaders including the presidents of the United States, Russia and China opened summit talks on Friday.
Argentinian President Mauricio Macri convened the two-day summit in Buenos Aires with a call for member nations to support international cooperation and multilateralism. He added that it will be an agenda "centered on people."

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin both grinned broadly and shook hands robustly as leaders converged for the start of the 2-day summit.

15:28 

Participants of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, pose for a family photo.

14:55 

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held talks with a number world leaders on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
The crown prince spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and others at the summit venue on Friday in Buenos Aires.

 

READ MORE: For an alternative guide to the meeting in Buenos Aires, click on Frank Kane’s G20 diary. Today he discusses the obligatory taxi driver story, the state of Argentina’s economy and some of the fine venues where world leaders will conduct their business.

14:25 

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived at the G20 summit in the Argentinan capital, Buenos Aires.

14:27 

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday denounced the “vicious” use of sanctions and trade protectionism, in a veiled swipe at Donald Trump at the G20 summit.
“One cannot help but see a dishonest competition increasingly taking the place of honest dialogue based on equality among states,” Putin told leaders of emerging economies as the summit opened in Buenos Aires.
“A vicious practice of returning to illegal, unilateral sanctions and protectionist measures is spreading, going around the UN Charter, the rules of the WTO and internationally recognized legal norms,” Putin said.
Putin said that the result was “an extremely negative effect on the spirit of international cooperation,” discouraging business.

11:36 

British Prime Minister Theresa May will hold a bilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G20 summit in Argentina, her spokesman confirmed on Friday.
The meeting will take place at 20:00 GMT.

Read More: UK PM May to hold bilateral meeting with Saudi crown prince

9:50 

The leaders of the United States, Mexico and Canada on Friday signed a huge regional trade deal to replace the old NAFTA, denounced by President Donald Trump as a killer of US jobs.
“This is a model agreement that changes the trade landscape forever,” Trump said at the signing ceremony in Buenos Aires, on the sidelines of the G20 leaders’ summit.
But he insisted that the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, was an “incredible milestone” that would aid US workers, especially in the auto industry, while putting in place “intellectual property protection that will be the envy of nations all around the world.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was less effusive about the renegotiated pact, but said the USMCA would resolve the threat of “serious economic uncertainty” that “would have gotten more damaging.”
Mexican President Pena Nieto, on his last day in office, called the revamped version of NAFTA important in shoring up “the view of an integrated North America with the firm belief that together we are stronger and more competitive.”

Read More: Trump joins leaders of Canada, Mexico to sign new trade pact

3:05 

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in Argentina and discussed cooperation between the two countries in security, energy and investments, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Friday.


The two leaders, who are attending the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, also discussed Saudi Arabia’s readiness to supply India with all its needs of oil and petroleum products and Saudi oil giant Aramco’s investments in the fields of oil refining and oil storage in India, SPA said. 

Read More: Saudi crown prince and Indian PM meet in Buenos Aires

Topics: G20 Summit 2018

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King Faisal Prize laureates honored at ceremony in Riyadh

Updated 15 April 2025
Rashid Hassan
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King Faisal Prize laureates honored at ceremony in Riyadh

  • Awards, most prestigious in Muslim world, recognize outstanding achievements in science, medicine, Islamic studies, Arabic language and literature, service to Islam
Updated 15 April 2025
Rashid Hassan

RIYADH: The King Faisal Prize ceremony, held on Monday night under the patronage of King Salman in Riyadh, honored six distinguished laureates whose contributions have significantly advanced their fields and enriched humanity.

Held under the auspices of King Salman, Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar handed over the awards to laureates at the event’s 47th edition.

Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Makkah’s governor, adviser to the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and chairman of the KFP board; several other princes; senior government officials; academics and scientists attended the ceremony at Prince Sultan’s Grand Hall at the Al-Faisaliah Center.

Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, thanked the dignitaries for attending and congratulated the laureates.

Scholars and experts in service to Islam, Islamic studies, medicine, and science gathered in the Saudi capital to celebrate excellence, knowledge, and service.

This year’s Service to Islam Prize was awarded jointly to two laureates from Saudi Arabia. The Tebyan Qur’an Project by Liajlehum Association for Serving People with Disabilities was recognized for developing the world’s first complete Qur’anic interpretation in sign language, making the sacred text accessible to the deaf community and promoting inclusivity in Islamic education.

The second laureate, Sami Abdullah Almaqlouth, was honored for his outstanding efforts in mapping and preserving historic Islamic sites through his work at the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information. His documentation supports cultural preservation and public awareness of Islamic heritage.

The Islamic Studies Prize, awarded for archaeological studies in the Arabian Peninsula, was also shared between two scholars. Prof. Saad Abdulaziz Alrashid, a leading Saudi archaeologist, was recognized for his foundational contributions to the study of Islamic inscriptions and archaeological heritage. His work has laid the groundwork for a new generation of scholars and brought international attention to the region’s historic richness.

Prof. Said Faiz Alsaid, another prominent Saudi figure in the field, was honored for his comparative studies of Arabian epigraphy and his contributions to decoding the ancient civilizations of the peninsula, bridging pre-Islamic history with Islamic archaeology.

The Arabic Language and Literature Prize on the topic of studies of identity in Arabic literature was withheld this year as the works nominated did not meet the standards of the selection committee.

The Medicine Prize, awarded for cellular therapy, went to Prof. Michel Sadelain, director of the Center for Cell Engineering at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

He was recognized for his pioneering work in CAR-T cell therapy, a breakthrough cancer treatment that involves genetically modifying immune cells to target and destroy tumors. His research has opened new possibilities in treating leukemia and other previously incurable diseases, marking a milestone in medical innovation.

The Science Prize, focusing on physics this year, was awarded to Prof. Sumio Iijima of Japan. Known as the father of carbon nanotubes, his 1991 discovery of these cylindrical nanostructures revolutionized the field of nanotechnology.

Carbon nanotubes are now used in cutting-edge applications across electronics, materials science, energy storage, and even biomedicine. His discovery laid the foundation for countless technological innovations in the 21st century.

The KFP was established in 1977, and was awarded for the first time in 1979 in three categories — service to Islam, Islamic studies, and Arabic language and literature. Two additional categories were introduced in 1981 — medicine and science. The first medicine prize was awarded in 1982, and in science two years later.

Since its inception in 1977 and its first awards in 1979, the KFP has recognized 301 laureates from 45 nationalities who have made outstanding contributions to Islam, knowledge, and humanity.

Each of the five prize categories is endowed with SR750,000 ($200,000), a 24-carat gold medal and a certificate signed by Prince Khalid Al-Faisal.

Topics: King Faisal Prize Saudi Arabia

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Saudi FM receives phone call from Iranian counterpart

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi. (File/AFP)
Updated 14 April 2025
Arab News
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Saudi FM receives phone call from Iranian counterpart

Updated 14 April 2025
Arab News

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call on Monday from his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, Saudi Press Agency reported. 

During the call, the two officials discussed developments in the region and efforts being made with regard to them.

Topics: Saudi Arabia Iran Abbas Araghchi

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How preventive healthcare is quietly driving sustainability in Saudi Arabia

Lifestyle habits like daily walks and wellness tracking may promote preventive care, easing healthcare’s environmental impact.
Updated 14 April 2025
Waad Hussain
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How preventive healthcare is quietly driving sustainability in Saudi Arabia

  • “Saudi Arabia is taking bold steps to integrate health, wellness, and sustainability through a series of forward-looking initiatives aligned with Vision 2030,” said Zaher
Updated 14 April 2025
Waad Hussain

RIYADH: As global conversations about sustainability expand, one sector is emerging as an unlikely player in the environmental movement: healthcare.

Experts say a growing shift toward prevention — rather than reaction — is not only improving personal health outcomes but reducing long-term resource strain on hospitals, supply chains, and the planet.

“Preventive care and longevity-focused medicine play a critical role in promoting environmental sustainability by reducing the overall burden on healthcare systems,” said Dr. Walid Zaher, a Saudi scientist and founder of Rewind.

Dr. Walid Zaher, Rewind founder

“When individuals stay healthier for longer through early detection, lifestyle interventions, and personalized medicine, there is less need for resource-intensive treatments, hospitalizations, and pharmaceutical use — each of which carries a significant environmental footprint.”

According to Zaher, every reduction in high-intensity care translates to real-world savings in emissions, energy, and medical waste.

“Fewer medical interventions mean reduced energy consumption, lower emissions from healthcare facilities, and less medical waste,” he said. “By shifting focus from reactive to proactive care, we create a more efficient, sustainable healthcare model that benefits both people and the planet.”

Saudi Arabia is taking bold steps to integrate health, wellness, and sustainability through a series of forward-looking initiatives aligned with Vision 2030.

Dr. Walid Zaher, Rewind founder

Dr. Ksenia Butova, founder of Detki Family Clinic and Molodost Clinic, agrees. She believes early diagnostics and family-centered wellness are not only medically superior — they are environmentally responsible.

“The costliest treatments — both financially and environmentally — come when disease is already in full swing,” she said. “Hospital admissions, emergency interventions, aggressive medications. But most of it can be prevented.”

She emphasized that check-ups today are no longer just routine, but predictive. “Conducting in-depth check-ups designed to detect diseases at their earliest, pre-symptomatic stages — or rule them out entirely — helps alleviate the pressure on the healthcare system,” Butova said.

Among the pillars of preventive medicine are targeted vaccination programs and ongoing wellness tracking — both of which lower overall consumption of antibiotics, emergency care, and overprescribed supplements.

“Nutrition science, mental health support, sleep optimization, hormone and micronutrient balancing — these are not ‘luxuries,’” Butova said. “They’re the new foundation of long-term health.”

The Kingdom is also investing in long-term well-being through national policy. “Saudi Arabia is taking bold steps to integrate health, wellness, and sustainability through a series of forward-looking initiatives aligned with Vision 2030,” said Zaher. “From national events like Saudi National Sports Day to wellness-centered urban planning, the aim is to embed health and wellness into the fabric of daily life.”

On the technology front, digitization of care is helping clinics become more efficient and less wasteful.

“Clinics that operate paper-free are sustainable,” explained Butova. “Everything from scheduling and medical records to treatment plans and follow-ups becomes digital. Patients have easy access to their data, and doctors spend less time on bureaucracy and more time on meaningful care.”

She also noted that online consultations reduce traffic, emissions, and time lost to travel. “One Zoom consultation means one less commute through city traffic, one less plastic coffee cup, one less parking hassle,” she said. “It saves time, energy, and reduces our environmental footprint.”

Both experts also pointed to a growing trend: longevity tourism — the merging of high-end medical care with eco-conscious lifestyle services.

“Longevity tourism is increasingly becoming a natural extension of the broader eco-wellness movement — one that merges sustainable living with proactive health optimization,” said Zaher. “In regions like the Gulf, there’s a unique opportunity to position longevity tourism at the intersection of luxury wellness and sustainability.”

Butova confirmed the trend is already gaining traction. “People are flying to us from Russia and Kazakhstan for access to rare vaccines … From Europe, the UK, and the US, we welcome patients seeking comprehensive check-ups, personalized recovery programs, and cutting-edge aesthetic treatments,” she said.

Still, awareness remains a challenge. Both Zaher and Butova stressed the importance of education in shifting habits and norms.

“When we educate the public about the benefits of preventive health measures, sustainable diets, and active lifestyles, we can shift societal norms toward more eco-conscious behaviours,” Zaher said.

Butova added: “Public awareness is everything. Without awareness, even the most advanced medical system won’t work.”

Her clinics run webinars, host “health school” events for families, and engage with communities through live Q&As. “One of the most important missions of healthcare professionals is raising awareness about obesity and metabolic health … That shift alone changes lives and reduces wasteful, unconscious consumption,” she said.

At a time when sustainability often means sacrifice, these experts argue that in medicine, it is quite the opposite: the more proactive the system, the less wasteful it becomes.

 

Topics: Healthcare saudi health Saudi Arabia

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Jeddah hosts Sea Nights cultural festival

People are pictured along Jeddah's corniche, Saudi Arabia June 23, 2018. (REUTERS)
Updated 14 April 2025
Arab News
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Jeddah hosts Sea Nights cultural festival

  • Celebrating Arab culture, the event offers a range of programs for families along Jeddah’s corniche, including traditional folkloric performances, children’s art, and acrobatic displays
Updated 14 April 2025
Arab News

JEDDAH: The Sea Nights festival began in Jeddah on Sunday with vibrant entertainment along the city’s waterfront.

Part of Jeddah Season, the festivities feature participation from several Arab countries until May 27, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Celebrating Arab culture, the event offers a range of programs for families along Jeddah’s corniche, including traditional folkloric performances, children’s art, and acrobatic displays.

Sea Nights will also feature immersive light and visual shows set to Arabic rhythms, creating a multisensory experience on Jeddah’s iconic waterfront.

The venue’s decor draws inspiration from across the Arab world, Africa and Asia.

Guests can relax at an on-site cafe or indoor lounge, with various family-friendly options.

The program also features sports competitions like football and beach volleyball, drawing large crowds of all ages eager to enjoy the season’s coastal activities.

The event highlights Jeddah’s growing reputation as a top regional destination for tourism and entertainment, showcasing the city’s role in expanding Saudi Arabia’s creative scene.

 

Topics: The Sea Nights festival

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Campaigner speaks of journey from housewife to member of House of Lords

Updated 14 April 2025
Tamara Aboalsaud & Marco Ferrari
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Campaigner speaks of journey from housewife to member of House of Lords

  • Shaista Gohir spoke to an audience at the British Embassy about how she was inspired to represent her community
  • Gohir: Women at home have a skill set that you can apply to anything, and if you’ve got drive and willpower, you can do anything
Updated 14 April 2025
Tamara Aboalsaud & Marco Ferrari

RIYADH: The founder of an anti-discrimination charity for Muslim women in the UK spoke at a Riyadh event about her journey from being a housewife to becoming a member of the House of Lords.

Baroness Shaista Gohir, OBE, spoke to an audience at the British Embassy about how she was inspired to represent her community and built a charity to help resolve the issues they face.

“When I was putting on the TV, you would only see Muslim men commenting on behalf of the British Muslim diaspora, whether it was Pakistanis or just Muslims generally,” she said, referencing a time when public discussions about Islam in the UK were intensifying after the 2005 London bombings.

She described how she contacted some of the most prominent Islamic societies in the country and was “pretty much rejected by them.”

Not put off by the rejection, Gohir went on to found her own organization — the Muslim Women’s Network.

“I think they probably thought, I’m a housewife at home, what can she contribute? And I think that’s another lesson; I think a lot of people underestimate women.

“If someone’s a CEO or a manager or a director, they might think, wow, she did something brilliant, but women at home have a skill set that you can apply that to anything, and if you’ve got drive and willpower, you can do anything.”

The Muslim Women’s Network carries out research and advocacy work, aiming to tackle anti-Muslim discrimination in the household and workplace.

It offers faith-sensitive counselling services and a helpline, conducts workshops, and guides policy.

“Everything we do is looking at how Muslim women are discriminated against in their families, in their communities and in wider society,” she said.

Gohir spoke about how she has managed to influence government policy from the inside after being appointed a member of the House of Lords in 2022.

“In terms of policy influencing, I would say it’s a lot easier now that I’m in the House of Lords.

“From the outside, you might write a letter, you might not get a response. You might get a response six months later.

“Now it’s a little bit easier because the minister’s probably thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to see her in the corridors, she wrote to me last week, I better reply to her.’ So I get my responses a lot faster.”

The women’s rights campaigner believes that faith-based discrimination is currently underreported in the British legal system.

This, she said, is partly due to an issue with how the police record crimes — if a discriminatory crime is believed to have been race-based, the police may not record it as faith-based.

“I hope that the law will change,” she said, explaining that one of her aims with the Muslim Women’s Network is to change the law to include “dual” reporting that will allow discrimination to be recorded as both race- and faith-based.

Topics: Shaista Gohir Muslim Women’s Network

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