Prince Khaled: Souk Okaz to be a full-fledged tourist center

September 11, 2013

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Jeddah, Sep 11: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal announced plans to develop Souk Okaz, located in the summer resort of Taif, into a full-fledged tourist center on Tuesday, opening its doors throughout the year and not only during the holiday seasons.

He emphasized the role of Souk Okaz in promoting creativity among Saudis.

“It’s a venue for people to present their creativity and exchange their thoughts. It’s also a venue for promoting culture, literature and tourism,” he said.

Addressing a press conference at Taif University on the occasion of the launch of Souk Okaz’s activities for this year, Prince Khaled said: “It’s an opportunity to learn from others’ thoughts, knowledge and experience and a window for Saudis to showcase their culture and achievements in various fields to the world.”

Prince Khaled, himself a poet, said the word “souk” should not be misconstrued as only a venue for trade. “It’s an occasion for the exchange of thoughts and cultural dialogue.”

The governor added: “We are proud that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah was the first world leader to promote a culture of dialogue at regional and international levels.”

He said the organizers do not want Souk Okaz to remain just a heritage show, but rather, seek to showcase the Kingdom’s present and future with the participation of public and private agencies.

He disclosed plans to set up incubators for making innovative thoughts and ideas of youth into reality.

Deputy Gov. Abdul Aziz Al-Khodairy highlighted the initiatives taken by Prince Khaled for the development of the region, including his efforts to carry out stalled development projects in various sectors and strengthen the Haj and Umrah sector by launching a campaign entitled “Haj instils worship and civilized behavior.”

Saleh Al-Nassar, supervisor of the National Strategy for Youth, said the plan was drafted after studying about 80 similar plans in other countries. It aims to protect the health of youth, fight unemployment, develop their skills and build youth welfare facilities.

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News Network
April 21,2020

Dubai, Apr 21: Saudi Arabia reported 1122 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 10,484, the Ministry of Health announced on Monday (April 20).

Ministry of health announced 27% of the cases are for Saudis, while 73% for non-Saudis, and ages ranged from one month old baby to 96 years old.

Meanwhile, the ministry reported 92 recoveries today, with total recoveries in the kingdom at 1,490. There are 96 cases in intensive care.

The ministry also confirmed 6 deaths on Monday, bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 103.

The Saudi health minister on Monday announced that 47 billion riyals were approved by the goverment to support the health ministry in this pandemic.

Also the minister in a press confrence referred to the large numbers of cases revealed in past days saying, "During the past three days, everyone noticed an increase in the number of people infected with the coronavirus, due to the active testing of areas."

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News Network
April 25,2020

Riyadh, Apr 25: Saudi Arabia announced nine deaths and 1,197 new cases of the COVID-19 virus on Saturday.

Of these cases, 120 were recorded in Madinah, 364 in Makkah, 271 in Jeddah, 170 in Riyadh and 43 in Dammam.

The number of people who had recovered from the coronavirus in the Kingdom increased to 2,214 after 165 patients were reported to have recovered.

A total of 136 people have died of the disease in the Kingdom so far.

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News Network
April 9,2020

Apr 9: The UAE Cabinet, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, adopted a resolution to grant paid leave to select categories of employees at the federal government.

This move is part of a series of precautionary measures and procedures taken by the UAE government to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control.

The resolution stipulates that married employees of the federal government may take fully paid leave to take care of their children below the age of 16. The age condition shall not apply to people of determination, as well as in cases where a spouse is subject to self-isolation or quarantine that requires no contact with family members, upon a decision from the Ministry of Health and Prevention.

The resolution also applies to employees whose spouses work in vital health-related occupations, such as doctors, nurses, paramedics and other medical jobs that require exposure to infected people, as well as employees of quarantine centres, throughout the emergency period witnessed by the country.

Pursuant to the resolution, the relevant ministry or federal authority may ask employees holding essential technical occupations to work remotely instead of taking leave.

The resolution was issued in line with the UAE government's keenness to support employees and provide them with a safe and healthy working environment, as well as to protect the health and safety of government employees and their families, during the current crisis that requires greater efforts, additional working hours, and in some cases, exposure to infected people.

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