‘Best yet to come,’ says AlUla tourism chief on launch of global brand campaign

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Updated 01 March 2024
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‘Best yet to come,’ says AlUla tourism chief on launch of global brand campaign

  • Strategy to include events at 6 major cities highlighting ancient location’s modern appeal 

RIYADH: AlUla is only just beginning its journey to becoming a global tourism destination, the region’s tourism chief said on Thursday after the launch of its new global brand campaign.

The “Forever Revitalising” campaign will unfold through events aimed at travel trade and media partners across six major cities: Dubai, London, New York, Paris, Shanghai, and Mumbai, Saudi Press Agency reported.

“In just a few years, AlUla has established itself as a destination on the global traveler’s wish list,” Phillip Jones, chief tourism officer at the Royal Commission for AlUla, said.

He added: “Through this campaign, we can open up the dialogue even further on a global stage, and communicate the full depth of AlUla’s appeal, attributes and ambition. The best is yet to come,” he added.

The campaign includes a two-and-a-half-minute film by French cinematographer Bruno Aveillan.

This film, which can be adapted in length and is available in several languages, showcases the essence of AlUla through its core destination pillars: history and heritage, arts and culture, nature and adventure, and wellness, SPA added.

“Crafting this film was an enriching experience, not only because it allowed me to witness some of the world’s most breathtaking landmarks and locations but also because it offered me a vast canvas to explore the depths of my own creativity — a profound and enduring gift that AlUla bestows upon everyone who walks upon her historic sands and experiences the sheltered embrace of her oasis,” Aveillan said.

Additionally, the campaign features a series of “Brand Pillar” six-second videos that highlight iconic destinations within AlUla, such as Hegra, Jabal Ikmah, AlUla Oasis, AlUla Old Town, Sharaan Nature Reserve, and Elephant Rock.

Other highlights include balloon adventures, luxury accommodation, local arts and crafts, and the lively food and drink scene on offer in AlUla.

Melanie de Souza, executive director of destination marketing at RCU, said: “Forever Revitalising is not only about driving global awareness of a destination that until recently was relatively unknown to most travelers, but also about communicating the breadth and depth of the programs and initiatives designed to create a better future for all those who live, work and visit our ancient oasis.

“We hope that the film and creative assets do justice to a truly unique destination.”

 

The rebirth of AlUla
Hegra, ancient city of the Nabataeans in Saudi Arabia’s historic AlUla Valley, is emerging from the mists of time to take its rightful place as one of the wonders of the world

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Pakistan’s deputy PM to attend OIC meeting in Istanbul, call for Israel-Iran ceasefire

Updated 12 min 37 sec ago
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Pakistan’s deputy PM to attend OIC meeting in Istanbul, call for Israel-Iran ceasefire

  • OIC meets this weekend amid Pakistan-India tensions and Israel-Iran escalation
  • Ishaq Dar will hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts on conference sidelines

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will attend a meeting of foreign ministers from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul this weekend and call for an immediate Israel-Iran ceasefire to help restore peace in the Middle East, the foreign office said on Thursday.

The 51st session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers is expected to focus on coordinated efforts to de-escalate tensions between the two regional rivals, along with the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The meeting comes at a time of heightened volatility for the bloc, following Pakistan’s brief but intense military standoff with India last month and Iran’s escalating confrontation with Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

"During the plenary session, the DPM/FM will share Pakistan’s perspective on the developments in South Asia following the ceasefire arrangement between Pakistan and India and the situation in the Middle East after Israel’s recent aggression against Iran and other regional states," the foreign office spokesperson, Shafqat Ali Khan, said in a statement.

He added that Dar would advocate for peace in the Middle East and highlight the need for humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza during the meeting on June 21 and 22.

Beyond the Middle East, Dar is also expected to address broader issues of concern to the Muslim world, urging the international community to "combat the escalating tide of Islamophobia" by addressing rising extremism and militancy, as well as the growing threat of climate change.

He will also reaffirm Pakistan's commitment to the principles and objectives of the OIC in addressing challenges faced by Muslim nations globally.

Dar, who also holds the portfolio of foreign minister, is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other OIC member states on the sidelines of the conference.

According to the foreign office, he will participate in an award ceremony honoring Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with the “OIC Youth Forum Grand Youth Award.”

The high-level meeting is taking place amid media reports that the United States is weighing options, including potentially joining Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

Iran launched retaliatory missile attacks last week after Israeli forces bombed sites linked to its nuclear and military infrastructure on June 13.

Tehran says more than 224 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the strikes. Israel has also reported over two dozen civilian deaths.


Israel restarts limited gas exports amid ongoing conflict, Egypt still waiting

Updated 13 min 50 sec ago
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Israel restarts limited gas exports amid ongoing conflict, Egypt still waiting

  • A ministry spokesperson said exports are now resuming “from surpluses, after domestic needs are met“
  • An energy ministry source said most of the limited exported gas is currently flowing to Jordan

CAIRO: Israel has resumed limited natural gas exports from surplus supplies, the country’s Energy Ministry said on Thursday, nearly a week after shutting down two key offshore fields as Israel and Iran waged an air battle.

A ministry spokesperson told Reuters that exports are now resuming “from surpluses, after domestic needs are met.”

An energy ministry source said most of the limited exported gas is currently flowing to Jordan, and only “tiny volumes” reached Egypt this week.

Egyptian fertilizer producers, who were forced to halt operations due to the supply disruption, told Reuters they have yet to receive any gas but expect flows to resume next week.

The Egyptian Petroleum Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Following military escalation in the region, Israel halted exports on June 13 after closing the Leviathan field, operated by Chevron and the Karish field operated by Energean. Only the Tamar field has remained operational, supplying mainly domestic demand.

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said on Wednesday that exports would only resume once military authorities deemed it safe.

“I don’t want to use our strategic storage, so therefore, I needed to cut exports,” he told Reuters.

Egypt, which has increasingly relied on Israeli gas since a domestic production decline in 2022, is scrambling to compensate for the supply gap.

The country has ramped up fuel oil use in power plants and has signed deals to import over $8 billion worth of liquefied natural gas, while preparing additional floating regasification units.

Israeli gas typically accounts for up to 60 percent of Egypt’s total gas imports and around a fifth of its total consumption, according to data from the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI).


Review: Shawn Chidiac’s stand-up comedy shows London what ‘Laughing in Translation’ is

Updated 3 min 39 sec ago
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Review: Shawn Chidiac’s stand-up comedy shows London what ‘Laughing in Translation’ is

  • Shawn Chidiac is one of the best up-and-coming Arab comedians with over 645,000 followers on Instagram
  • His comedic qualities stem from his ability to perform personas and accents inspired by the people he interacts with in Dubai

LONDON: The stand-up comedian Shawn Chidiac’s first challenge upon arriving in London last week was getting used to looking right before crossing the road. However, when he finally did, he bumped into a cyclist who swore at him and sped off.

Chidiac, who is based in the UAE, swore back angrily at the cyclist, an act he would not do in Dubai but felt compelled to since he was on an island where 57 percent of people swear most days. He was in the UK to perform “Laughing in Translation,” his first solo stand-up comedy show since he became a full-time comedian and content creator in 2023.

With over 645,000 followers on his @myparents_are_divorced page on Instagram, he is one of the best up-and-coming Arab comedians. Chidiac’s parents are, indeed, divorced, and the audience at the nearly sold-out show at Shaw Theatre needed no reminder of this. Some of them were eager to share with him that their parents were also divorced.

In a previous conversation with Arab News, the comedian said he likes “connecting as many people as possible through (comedy stories about my) upbringing. Whoever has lived in the Gulf will have a similar story or narrative in their minds.”

Before delving into his childhood and adult life experiences in Dubai, he guided the audience through a brief inner journey, using the commanding, deep voice of an Indian yoga guru, asking them to close their eyes, take a deep breath, and exhale. The audience — mostly young people, some of whom were Arabs or had Arab roots — struggled to maintain a sense of calm.

Audience attending Shawn Chidiac's ‘Laughing in Translation’ stand-up comedy show at Shaw Theatre in London, UK, June 15, 2025. (AN Photo: Bahar Hussain)

One of Chidiac’s comedic qualities is his ability to perform personas and accents inspired by the people he interacts with or has witnessed throughout his life in the Gulf, which became a melting pot of nationalities, languages, religions, and cultures. He was born in Canada to a family originally from Lebanon, but they later moved to Dubai, where he was primarily raised by his mother.

He told the crowd that he went to the Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park, expecting an English narrator dressed in a three-piece suit, similar to those he had seen in “Downton Abbey” and other historical TV dramas. Instead, he encountered a man from Punjab complaining about the increasing number of immigrants in the UK.

Thanks to the “Chinese DVD man” who roamed the neighborhoods of Dubai, Chidiac was able to keep up with the latest comedy shows and newly released films that his classmates were watching while he attended an expensive school where he was the poorest student. As he was known, the “Chinese DVD man” always had a secret compartment in his suitcase, which did not contain action, racing, or historical movies but another, unnamed genre that sold out quickly.

Chidiac told Arab News that such stories “(come from) the people I know and see, and the things I do, and my interaction with them. So, the more interaction I have, the better it is, which is hard because I’m a massive introvert.”

His interactions in Dubai span many nationalities and cultures. Whether in hospital, where he recently endured the ordeal of kidney stones and had to communicate with a Filipino nurse and an Egyptian doctor, or on a horse riding date with a British woman, which unexpectedly landed him in the sand. When the doctors presented him with options for removing the kidney stones, he chose the shockwave lithotripsy. “As an Arab, I chose the explosives,” he said.


Trump will make Iran war decision ‘within next two weeks:’ White House

Updated 19 June 2025
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Trump will make Iran war decision ‘within next two weeks:’ White House

  • “I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” Trump said

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he will decide whether to attack Iran within a fortnight, as Israel and its regional rival continued to trade fire for a seventh day.

“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” Trump said in a statement read out by his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt.


Aoun to US envoy: We look forward to American support in strengthening security in southern Lebanon

Updated 19 June 2025
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Aoun to US envoy: We look forward to American support in strengthening security in southern Lebanon

  • Lebanese leader announces dramatic increase in troop deployment south of the Litani River
  • Hezbollah condemns assassination threats against Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as ‘reckless’ and warns of ‘grave consequences’

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun assured US Ambassador to Turkiye and Special Envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, that Lebanon “looks forward to US support in its efforts to restore security and stability in the south,” adding that this includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the five occupied hills, an end to hostilities, and the extension of UNIFIL’s mandate.

He said that UNIFIL, in coordination with the Lebanese Army, is working to implement Resolution 1701, ultimately enabling the army’s deployment along the internationally recognized borders.

Aoun also said that Lebanon will increase the number of army personnel deployed south of the Litani River to 10,000 soldiers. Their responsibilities include eliminating unauthorized armed presence, seizing illegal weapons and ammunition, and ensuring that only official security forces operate in the area.

However, he added that their ability to fully carry out this mandate remains hindered by the Israeli occupation of the five hills and the surrounding areas.

The Lebanese president reaffirmed the country’s commitment to advancing the principle of exclusive state control over weapons. He informed Barrack that “consultations are ongoing at both the Lebanese and Palestinian levels regarding the issue of arms in the Palestinian refugee camps, with the hope that these efforts will intensify once the region stabilizes, following the recent escalation in the Israeli-Iranian conflict.”

A source at the presidency told Arab News: “Barrack was informed that Lebanon is moving toward the withdrawal of weapons from north of the Litani River, but this process will take time. Hezbollah is a Lebanese party, and its members will remain in the country. There is historical precedent — after the civil war, militias gradually handed over their weapons to the state, a process that took considerable time to complete.”

The source said that Barrack, who is overseeing the Lebanese file until a successor to former US envoy Morgan Ortagus is appointed, “demonstrated an understanding of Lebanon’s position during his meetings with political officials on the disarmament issue, and his response was generally seen as positive.”

While no official response was issued regarding Barrack’s warning about potential Hezbollah involvement alongside Iran, the party released a statement on Thursday condemning US threats against Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

Hezbollah warned that “threatening his assassination is not only a political miscalculation, but a reckless act with dangerous consequences.”

Hezbollah affirmed that it is “more firmly committed than ever to the path of Imam Khamenei and his firm stance, and more united around his leadership in confronting US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic. Through its blind support for Israel, the US is steering itself toward an abyss from which it will not emerge.”

On Thursday, the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon received a large delegation of Lebanese parties, political forces, and figures aligned with Hezbollah, along with representatives from Palestinian factions closely affiliated with the party.

The visit was held to “affirm their solidarity with Iran in the face of Israeli aggression.”

Iranian Chargé d’Affaires Tawfiq Samadi said that “any military response by Iran will be measured, precise, gradual, and proportionate to the level of threat.”

He placed responsibility on the US for its unwavering support of Israel, saying that it bears accountability for “the crimes committed against Iran.”

While acknowledging that the US is not currently a direct party to the aggression, he cautioned that “continued American support for Israeli actions would carry strategic and legal consequences.”