Global cinema chains eye huge opportunities in Saudi Arabia

Agencies
December 12, 2017

LONDON, dec 12: International and Middle Eastern cinema chains are eager to expand into Saudi Arabia following the Kingdom’s decision to allow movie theaters to operate from early 2018.

It will be the first time in 35 years that cinemas have been permitted to open in the Kingdom, and is a move likely to open up a whole new audience of cinema-goers hungry to watch the latest blockbusters without having to drive or fly to Dubai or Bahrain.

Novo Cinemas, which has 152 screens across the UAE and Bahrain, is one of the regional chains watching developments in the Kingdom with interest.

“Novo Cinemas are currently expanding everywhere. We have received several requests from KSA and are currently studying a number of these options,” Debbie Stanford-Kristiansen, chief executive at Novo Cinemas, told Arab News.

“These are dynamic and exciting times for KSA, the region and our industry,” she said.

Vox Cinemas, which is part of the Dubai-based Majid Al-Futtaim group, has also welcomed Saudi Arabia’s decision, and a spokeperson confirmed to Arab News that the cinema chain was “in talks to introduce our Vox Cinemas brand” to the Kingdom.

“We are highly committed to the people of Saudi Arabia and would welcome an opportunity to be part of this exciting development if given the opportunity,” the spokesperson told Arab News.

Vox cinemas has 284 screens across the whole Middle East region, including UAE, Lebanon, Oman, Egypt, Bahrain and Qatar.
In the UK, the cinema chain Vue is also exploring opportunities in the Kingdom.

According to reports In October by the UK newspaper, The Times, the company was invited to a Riyadh investment conference to pitch its idea for a chain of theaters in the Kingdom.

Commenting on the lifting of the ban, a Vue spokesperson told Arab News: “This is an exciting moment in the history of cinema, which has been an important medium for out of home entertainment for over 100 years.

“We are continually exploring new and attractive high-growth markets and this could be a significant opportunity for Vue. They have some incredible plans in place and we look forward to continuing our conversations in the region,” the spokesperson said.

Vue currently has 87 cinemas, with 843 screens across the UK and Ireland.

Last month, local media reported that the US-headquartered AMC Entertainment was potentially interested in operating in the Kingdom if the ban was lifted, citing comments made by AMC’s CEO Adam Aron at the MiSK Global Forum in Riyadh held in November.

The Saudi government will start issuing licenses for cinemas early next year, with the first theaters to open in March 2018, according to a statement from minister of culture and information, Awwad Al-Awwad issued on Dec. 11.

The lifting of the cinema ban is expected to bolster the Saudi Arabian economy, generate jobs, and help develop industries outside of the oil sector. It is one of a number of economic and social reforms, including the decision earlier this year to allow women to drive from June 2018.

“This marks a watershed moment in the development of the cultural economy in the Kingdom,” Al-Awwad said in a statement.
“Opening cinemas will act as a catalyst for economic growth and diversification; by developing the broader cultural sector we will create new employment and training opportunities, as well as enriching the Kingdom’s entertainment options.”

By 2030, Saudi Arabia is expected to be home to more than 300 cinemas, according to the government.

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Agencies
June 29,2020

Tehran, Jun 29: Iran has issued an arrest warrant and asked Interpol for help in detaining President Donald Trump and dozens of others it believes carried out the drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad, a local prosecutor reportedly said Monday.

While Trump faces no danger of arrest, the charges underscore the heightened tensions between Iran and the United States since Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.

Tehran prosecutor Ali Alqasimehr said Trump and more than 30 others whom Iran accuses of involvement in the Jan. 3 strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad face “murder and terrorism charges,” the semiofficial ISNA news agency reported.

Alqasimehr did not identify anyone else sought other than Trump, but stressed that Iran would continue to pursue his prosecution even after his presidency ends.

Interpol, based in Lyon, France, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Alqasimehr also was quoted as saying that Iran requested a “red notice” be put out for Trump and the others, which represents the highest level arrest request issued by Interpol. Local authorities end up making the arrests on behalf of the country that request it. The notices cannot force countries to arrest or extradite suspects, but can put government leaders on the spot and limit suspects’ travel.

After receiving a request, Interpol meets by committee and discusses whether or not to share the information with its member states. Interpol has no requirement for making any of the notices public, though some do get published on its website.

It is unlikely Interpol would grant Iran’s request as its guideline for notices forbids it from “undertaking any intervention or activities of a political” nature.

The U.S. killed Soleimani, who oversaw the Revolutionary Guard’s expeditionary Quds Force, and others in the January strike near Baghdad International Airport. It came after months of incidents raising tensions between the two countries and ultimately saw Iran retaliate with a ballistic missile strike targeting American troops in Iraq.

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News Network
January 10,2020

Dubai, Jan 10: Iran denied on Thursday that a Ukrainian airliner that crashed near Tehran had been hit by a missile, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said in a statement, according to state TV.

"All these reports are a psychological warfare against Iran. All those countries whose citizens were aboard the plane can send representatives and we urge Boeing to send its representative to join the process of investigating the black box".

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News Network
March 19,2020

New Delhi, Mar 19: Lawyer of Mukesh Singh, who is one of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, on Thursday mentioned a petition before the Registrar of the Supreme Court seeking an urgent hearing in the matter.

Advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, through the petition, sought directions to bring call record, documents and reports of his client through any probe agency and passed appropriate directions and measure to ensure justice in the matter.

The petition, however, has not sought a stay on the execution, which is scheduled for the morning of March 20. The petition is likely to be taken up for hearing today.

Earlier today, the apex court dismissed the curative petition of Pawan Gupta, another convict in the matter, who claimed juvenility at the time of the crime.

This comes as the four convicts -- Mukesh Singh, Akshay Singh Thakur, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta -- are scheduled to be hanged at 5.30 am on March 20.

Meanwhile, several other petitions are also pending in the matter in different courts.

The case pertains to the brutal gang-rape and killing of a 23-year-old paramedical student in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012, by six people including a juvenile in the national capital. The woman had died at a Singapore hospital a few days later.

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