Let the show begin: World-class entertainment comes to Saudi Arabia

October 3, 2016

Jeddah, Oct 3: Since its establishment a few months ago, the General Authority for Entertainment (GAE) has been working relentlessly to introduce the Saudi public to a new form of entertainment that takes the Saudi cultural life into new dimensions.

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With a view to changing local and international perceptions, a royal decree was issued, ordering the creation of GAE, a decision that comes in tune with the announcement of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 for the future.

The decision is of great importance as it will help strengthen both the Saudi economy and its global competitiveness.

GAE has organized a live performance, conducted by the internationally recognized iLuminate, that is taking place in Princess Nourah University’s conference hall in Riyadh. The event started on Sept. 28 and will continue till Oct. 8.

Speaking to Arab News, Ziad Al-Suhaibani, a member of the GAE’s organizing team and an official at the advisory unit of the Ministry of Economy and Planning, said that the show has been very successful so far and was attended by thousands of citizens.

“Our goal is to change the stereotypical image of the cultural entertainment that has been projected to the local audience. What is unique in these activities is that they are not catering to only one type of audience. We open the door to families, single young Saudi men and women to attend and enjoy,” Al-Suhaibani said.

“Change is happening in Saudi Arabia. A new face of Saudi Arabia is emerging — one that is modern, young and open-minded,” he said.

“Our goal is to link this change with 2030 Vision; through entertainment to help achieve the objectives of the vision,” he added.

Al-Suhaibani pointed out that the entertainment industry is a green field and customer experience of this event is world class, stressing that the activities selected are in total harmony with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

The audience expressed satisfaction with the show through different social media platforms.

“The iLuminate live show I attended today was spectacular and well organized. I am so glad to see such kind of activities in the Kingdom,” said one twitterati.

“Besides Arabs and Saudis, the attendees were very diverse. We’ve got visitors from Korea, Germany, Tajikistan, US, UK, Italy, France and from many other countries,” Al-Suhaibani said.

“The concept of live show is new to the Kingdom. I guess this may be the first international live show brought to the Kingdom,” he said.

On April 25, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pointed out at the launch of Saudi Vision 2030 that the government is working to activate the role of various government funds in the establishment and development of recreational centers, as well as to encourage investors, both from the Kingdom and abroad, to invest in Saudi Arabia, create partnerships with international entertainment companies and have land allocated for the establishment of cultural and recreational projects such as libraries, museums, art galleries and others.

The worldwide visual “iLuminate” specializes in the field of entertainment technology that combines state-of-the-art technology with entertainers wearing lit costume and performing in the dark to create the ultimate performing art experience.

The group came from New York to perform for the first time in the Kingdom.

When it concludes its activities in Riyadh, the show will move on to Jeddah, where it will be held at King Abdullah Sports City from Oct. 12-22.

This type of visual presentation is directed at children, families and youths; it combines the latest technology and the best talents to create an exceptional experience in the field of performing arts, he added.

Earlier this years, GAE unveiled its programs and activities till the end of 2016.

They include 166 artistic performances and plays expected to be attended by half a million visitors and bring revenues of over SR43 million.

The scheduled events for October include iLuminate, which uses laser technology, as well as performances such as “Luxury Entertainment Hub.”

In November, the audience will enjoy WWE wrestling matches, the Monster Jam Food Festival, and performances by the best participants in “Arabs Got Talent” who will perform live in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam for three days.

There will also be graffiti drawing in the Graffiti District, an even that is expected to be fun and attract a large audience.

In December, the schedule include events like “Comic Con,” animation and cartoon characters, “Actionha”, Spartan Reese, a show by prominent actor Tareq Al-Ali “Qalb Lal Bei’” (Heart for sale), Jeddah comedy club tour “Love Factory”, which is will be performed by Artologi exhibition in the three cities.

Plans for 2017 include performances by Cirque Du Soleil, Universe Science, the Light Festival, the Lion King; they will draw an estimated 2 million visitors in 15 cities.

Experts believe that GAE will be instrumental in reducing the number of outbound tourists by 50 percent.

In this context, Abdulrahman Al-Sani, vice president of the National Committee for Tourism, said some 4.5 million Saudi tourists spent nearly $35 billion (SR131.25 billion) in 2015 in foreign countries.

This figure is poised to increase to more than $100 billion (SR375 billion) in 15 years, at an annual rate of 15 percent, he said.

The volume of money spent on outbound tourism reached SR96.2 billion in 2015, compared to SR69.3 billion in 2014, a 39 percent increase, according to estimates of the Tourism Information and Research Center at the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH).

GAE was created with several objectives in mind: dropping the unemployment rate from 11.6 percent to 7 percent, closer to the international rate; enhancing domestic tourism, in harmony with the Saudi Vision 2030, and supporting local festivals and activities, as tourism for entertainment purposes; activating the role of government funds to establish and develop entertainment centers; encouraging local and international investors to invest in Saudi Arabia and create partnerships; allocating lands for libraries and museums; supporting talented writers, directors and authors.

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News Network
April 5,2020

Beirut, Apr 5: The novel coronavirus has put global trade on hold, placed half of the world population in confinement and has the potential to topple governments and reshape diplomatic relations.

The United Nations has appealed for ceasefires in all the major conflicts rocking the planet, with its chief Antonio Guterres on Friday warning "the worst is yet to come". But it remains unclear what the pandemic's impact will be on the multiple wars roiling the Middle East.

Here is an overview of the impact so far on the conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Libya and Iraq:

The COVID-19 outbreak turned into a pandemic just as a ceasefire reached by the two main foreign power brokers in Syria's nine-year-old war -- Russia and Turkey -- was taking effect.

The three million people living in the ceasefire zone, in the country's northwestern region of Idlib, had little hope the deal would hold.

Yet fears the coronavirus could spread like wildfire across the devastated country appear to have given the truce an extended lease of life.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the month of March saw the lowest civilian death toll since the conflict started in 2011, with 103 deaths.

The ability of the multiple administrations in Syria -- the Damascus government, the autonomous Kurdish administration in the northeast and the jihadist-led alliance that runs Idlib -- to manage the coronavirus threat is key to their credibility.

"This epidemic is a way for Damascus to show that the Syrian state is efficient and all territories should be returned under its governance," analyst Fabrice Balanche said.

However the pandemic and the global mobilisation it requires could precipitate the departure of US-led troops from Syria and neighbouring Iraq.

This in turn could create a vacuum in which the Islamic State jihadist group, still reeling from the demise of its "caliphate" a year ago, could seek to step up its attacks.

The Yemeni government and the Huthi rebels initially responded positively to the UN appeal for a ceasefire, as did neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition in support of the government.

That rare glimmer of hope in the five-year-old conflict was short-lived however and last week Saudi air defences intercepted ballistic missiles over Riyadh and a border city fired by the Iran-backed rebels.

The Saudi-led coalition retaliated by striking Huthi targets in the rebel-held capital Sanaa on Monday.

Talks have repeatedly faltered but the UN envoy Martin Griffiths is holding daily consultations in a bid to clinch a nationwide ceasefire.

More flare-ups in Yemen could compound a humanitarian crisis often described as the worst in the world and invite a coronavirus outbreak of catastrophic proportions.

In a country where the health infrastructure has collapsed, where water is a rare commodity and where 24 million people require humanitarian assistance, the population fears being wiped out if a ceasefire doesn't allow for adequate aid.

"People will end up dying on the streets, bodies will be rotting in the open," said Mohammed Omar, a taxi driver in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida.

Much like Yemen, the main protagonists in the Libyan conflict initially welcomed the UN ceasefire call but swiftly resumed hostilities.

Fierce fighting has rocked the south of the capital Tripoli in recent days, suggesting the risk of a major coronavirus outbreak is not enough to make guns fall silent.

Turkey has recently played a key role in the conflict, throwing its weight behind the UN-recognised Government of National Accord.

Fabrice Balanche predicted that accelerated Western disengagement from Middle East conflicts could limit Turkish support to the GNA.

That could eventually favour forces loyal to eastern-based strongman Khalifa Haftar, who launched an assault on Tripoli one year ago and has the backing of Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Western countries have been hit hardest by the pandemic, which could prompt them to divert both military resources and peace-brokering capacity from foreign conflicts.

A report by the International Crisis Group said European officials had reported that efforts to secure a ceasefire in Libya were no longer receiving high-level attention due to the pandemic.

Iraq is no longer gripped by fully-fledged conflict but it remains vulnerable to an IS resurgence in some regions and its two main foreign backers are at each other's throats.

Iran and the United States are two of the countries most affected by the coronavirus but there has been no sign of any let-up in their battle for influence that has largely played out on Iraqi soil.

With most non-US troops in the coalition now gone and some bases evacuated, American personnel are now regrouped in a handful of locations in Iraq.

Washington has deployed Patriot air defence missiles, prompting fears of a fresh escalation with Tehran, whose proxies it blames for a spate of rocket attacks on bases housing US troops.

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News Network
April 23,2020

Riyadh, Apr 22: In an extraordinary initiative, the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has decided to facilitate the travel of expatriates who have an exit and reentry visa or final exit visa to return to their countries.

This is in line with the order of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

According to the initiative, called “Auda” (return), expatriates can apply seeking permission for travel to their countries through the Absher portal of the ministry.

Announcing this, Saudi's Ministry of Interior said that the initiative will be implemented in cooperation with a number of relevant government agencies.

Requests for travel from expatriates will be received and approved in coordination with the relevant authorities to complete their travel procedures on board international flights.

As per the initiative, a text message will be sent to the beneficiary stating the travel date, ticket number and reservation details, and by which the beneficiary can obtain his travel ticket and complete the travel procedures.

Clarifying the procedures for the travel, the ministry said that the applicant shall select the icon (Auda) after visiting the Absher portal and fill the following fields: iqama (residency permit) number, date of birth, mobile number, departure city and airport of arrival.

It is not mandatory for the expatriate to have his own Absher account for availing of the service, the ministry said, adding that this facility is to enable expatriates to benefit from this initiative.

The departure will be through the following airports: King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Prince Muhammad International Airport in Madinah, and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.

Those expatriates who are outside these cities can benefit from the service through entering airport of departure after completion of their travel procedures in sufficient period of time.

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Agencies
May 14,2020

Dubai, May 14: As many as 242 beggars of different nationalities have been nabbed by the Dubai Police since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.

Among those arrested, 143 were men, 21 were women and 78 were hawkers, said the police. "An anti-begging campaign was launched, especially to find beggar hotspots, to combat the negative phenomenon," said Colonel Ali Salem Al Shamsi, director of the anti-infiltrators department at the Dubai Police.

"Strict warnings have been issued to beggars to refrain from exploiting the sentiments of people during Ramadan," he added.

Col Al Shamsi also called on the public to stop helping them with money. "The public must direct those in dire straits through proper channels in order to get support from charitable institutions."

Col Al Shamsi also urged residents to report begging activities by calling 901 or through the Dubai Police app's 'Police Eye' feature.

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