Saudi anime movie ‘The Journey’ premiers in Tokyo

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Updated 28 June 2021
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Saudi anime movie ‘The Journey’ premiers in Tokyo

  • The film involved a team of 300 Saudi specialists worked alongside their Japanese counterparts
  • The company had already screened the film in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, Jeddah and Dubai

RIYADH: The Saudi-Japanese anime film “The Journey” had its Japanese premiere at the Hamarikyu Asahi Hall in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, on Sunday.
The film by Manga Production Company, a subsidiary of the Mohammed bin Salman Charitable Foundation (MiSK), was made in cooperation with the Japanese Toei Animation. Actors Toru Furiya, Hiroshi Kamiya and Takaya Kuroda, who dubbed the film in Japanese, joined director Kobun Shizuno and executive producer Shinji Shimizu at the premier. Several Japanese MPs and company heads also attended the event, along with a large media presence.
The company had already screened the film in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, Jeddah and Dubai. It is now being shown in cinemas in nine Arab countries. It is also available with 4DX technology — the first Saudi movie to present this experience to audiences.
The film, which was shot using anime-style animation and took two and a half years to make, involved a team of 300 Saudi specialists worked alongside their Japanese counterparts.
Set about 1,500 years ago, it presents the ancient civilizations in the Arabian Peninsula and Middle East. It follows the story of Aws and the people of Makkah who are forced to take up arms to liberate themselves and their city from enslavement by a ruthless general.
“I was delighted to watch this epic tale that presents our ancient civilization in the Arabian Peninsula in an attractive form that supports the journey of rapprochement between the two peoples since 1955,” the Kingdom’s ambassador to Japan, Nayef Al-Fahadi, said, adding the Saudi government “welcomes everything that would support the relationship between the two friendly peoples at all levels, based on the firm belief that we have partnerships that support further cooperation.”
Dr. Essam Bukhari, CEO of Manga Production Company, said: “The Kingdom and Japan have built their relationship through trade in oil and other goods, and today this relationship is further strengthened through our close partnership in the field of culture and entertainment.” He said the film is the company’s first cinematic collaboration with Toei Animation.

HIGHLIGHT

The film, which was shot using anime-style animation and took two and a half years to make, involved a team of 300 Saudi specialists worked alongside their Japanese counterparts.

Teruhiko Mashiko, MP and former deputy minister of economy, industry and trade, said: “Japan was able to achieve high economic growth by importing oil from Saudi Arabia. I think that economic growth alone is not enough for development, (and) what we need now is to find additional opportunities and content to take root in people’s minds.
“Today’s show was fantastic, and I think this is a great opportunity for both our countries to invest in animation and in various other resources. If we can strengthen our friendship, we can make a huge contribution to the world. Let us all work together for the development of our two countries.”
“The Journey” is being shown in both Tokyo and Osaka and has been well received by Japanese audiences.
The Manga Production Company is keen to produce animation and video games projects aimed at communicating the Saudi message globally. It has focused on transferring content-making techniques from developed countries in this field, fostering a keenness among young Saudi and Arab animation talents to instill values and morals in the younger generation.


Officials detained as investigators smash drug-smuggling operation at Al-Jouf Airport

Updated 4 sec ago
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Officials detained as investigators smash drug-smuggling operation at Al-Jouf Airport

  • 9 people arrested, including Ministry of Interior employee, 4 people associated with the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, and a Saudi Electricity Company worker

RIYADH: A drug smuggling operation at Al-Jouf International Airport in Saudi Arabia, in which several government and other public-sector officials allegedly were involved, has been shut down following an extensive investigation.

An official source at the Ministry of Interior said on Thursday that nine people were detained, including a ministry employee, four people associated with the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, and one from the Saudi Electricity Company.

Their alleged roles in the smuggling network included helping to get the drugs into the Kingdom, ensuring shipments bypassed inspections, transporting them, and concealing them in homes and at other locations.

They also engaged in the promotion and distribution of the narcotics in the country, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The amount and type of drugs involved was not immediately apparent.

The Ministry of Interior said it remains committed to confronting all threats to national security and will take stringent action against anyone who jeopardizes the safety and stability of the country.


OIC discusses draft humanitarian funds statute

Updated 14 November 2024
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OIC discusses draft humanitarian funds statute

  • It discussed the draft humanitarian funds statute
  • Taha added that it was important to make every effort to finalize the statute of these funds

JEDDAH: The general secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held a meeting of the open-ended Group of Governmental Experts in Jeddah on Thursday.
It discussed the draft humanitarian funds statute, in accordance with the Council of Foreign Ministers.
OIC Secretary-General Hussein Ibrahim Taha said that the meeting was held amid difficult and harsh humanitarian circumstances that required concerted efforts and collective action to adopt actions to help contain humanitarian crises and hardships.
In his speech, Taha added that it was important to make every effort to finalize the statute of these funds, undertake the necessary reforms to their working mechanism and support them with the financial resources to enable them to fulfil their role.
The statement delivered by assistant secretary-general for humanitarian, cultural and social affairs, ambassador Tariq Ali Bakhit, on behalf of OIC’s secretary-general, highlighted the significant challenges faced by member states in the humanitarian field.


KSrelief distributes shelter supplies in Afghanistan

Updated 14 November 2024
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KSrelief distributes shelter supplies in Afghanistan

  • KSrelief will distribute 4,882 shelter items, such as tents, blankets, plastic mattresses and other supplies

KABUL: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has launched a shelter project for people returning from Pakistan to Afghanistan and victims of the 2024 floods.

It will distribute 4,882 shelter items, such as tents, blankets, plastic mattresses and other supplies across the provinces of Kabul, Ghazni, Bamyan, Badakhshan, Kunduz, Baghlan, Parwan, Kapisa, Panjshir, Herat, Nimroz, Nangarhar and Laghman. The project will help 29,292 people.

The scheme is part of the Kingdom’s humanitarian and relief efforts, through its humanitarian arm, KSrelief, to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people.


KSrelief wins Global Humanitarian Achievement Award

Delano Roosevelt, CEO of National Council on US-Arab Relations, presents the award to the supervisor general of KSrelief.
Updated 14 November 2024
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KSrelief wins Global Humanitarian Achievement Award

  • Delano Roosevelt, the council’s second president and CEO, presented the award to the supervisor general of KSrelief, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, in Washington
  • Dr. Al-Rabeeah said the award is an international acknowledgement of Saudi Arabia’s leading role in relief efforts

WASHINGTON: The Saudi aid agency KSrelief was honored with the Global Humanitarian Achievement Award by the National Council on US-Arab Relations, in recognition of relief efforts that have made a substantial impact in crisis regions around the world.

Delano Roosevelt, the council’s second president and CEO, presented the award to the supervisor general of KSrelief, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, in Washington, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Dr. Al-Rabeeah said the award is an international acknowledgement of Saudi Arabia’s leading role in relief efforts.

He underlined the Kingdom’s commitment to assisting people in need, supporting those affected by crises, and assisting refugees wherever possible.

He also affirmed that Saudi Arabia has consistently been a leader in charitable and humanitarian initiatives and is at the forefront of donor countries on regional and international fronts.


4th Saudi Green Initiative Forum hosted in COP16 Green Zone in Riyadh next month

Updated 14 November 2024
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4th Saudi Green Initiative Forum hosted in COP16 Green Zone in Riyadh next month

RIYADH: The Saudi Green Initiative announced on Thursday that the SGI Forum 2024 will take place on Dec. 3-4 under the theme “Action is in our nature.” 

The flagship climate and environment action event, now in its fourth year, will return to Riyadh for the first time since its launch in 2021 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, prime minister and chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Saudi Green Initiative.

The SGI Forum 2024 will coincide with the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties, or COP16, of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, or UNCCD. 

According to an SGI press release, the Riyadh COP16 (Dec. 2-13) will be the largest-ever UNCCD conference, the first to be held in the Middle East region, and the largest multilateral conference hosted by Saudi Arabia.

At this year’s SGI Forum, hundreds of policymakers, business leaders and subject-matter experts from across the world will convene in a dedicated SGI Pavilion in the UNCCD COP16 Green Zone. 

Dozens of tailored sessions will explore best practices, innovations and progress against SGI targets, with the goal of deepening collaboration and scaling up action for a greener future.

Since the launch of SGI, a significant positive impact has been achieved, with 4+ GW of renewable energy capacity installed, more than 95 million trees and shrubs planted, and more than 1,660 endangered animals re-wilded across the Kingdom.

For the duration of COP16, the SGI will welcome the public to a 4,000 sq m SGI Pavilion, where visitors can enjoy an interactive journey through Saudi Arabia’s whole-of-society climate and environment efforts in the SGI Gallery. 

A multimedia showcase and a broad range of experts will enable guests to learn more about the more than 80 initiatives already launched as part of SGI. 

Visitors can also attend and exchange ideas during daily SGI Talks, an expert-led speaker series that launched in 2023.

The SGI was launched by the crown prince in 2021 to drive climate action across all levels of society and achieve Saudi Arabia’s ambition to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. 

The initiative demonstrates the Kingdom’s dedication to improving the quality of life for current and future generations and addressing the region’s environmental challenges, including high temperatures, low rainfall, dust storms and desertification.

In 2022, the SGI Forum was held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in tandem with UNFCCC COP27. The event revealed major climate action projects, including the launch of a circular carbon economy knowledge hub, and the establishment of a regional center for advancing emissions reduction with UNESCWA.

In 2023, the third SGI Forum took place in conjunction with UNFCCC COP28 in Dubai.

During the event, the Kingdom unveiled a 300 percent increase in installed renewable energy capacity since 2022, and more than 43 million trees were planted toward the goal of 10 billion.