Saudi Arabia bags four regional tourism awards

January 29, 2017

Jeddah, Jan 29: Several Saudi personalities and journalists gathered Thursday at the Arab Tourism Media Awards announcement ceremony 2017 at Casablanca Grand Hotel Jeddah.

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Among the attendees of the program were Hussain Al-Mannai, chairman of the Arab Center for Tourism Media; Ahmed Al-Juaed, board member of Saudi Tour Guides Association; Fahad A. Al-Ghamdi, executive chairman of Al Mada advertising, Sultan Al-Yahyaie, chairman of the Oman Center for Tourism Media, and Khalid Al-Khalil, Sabq Tourist supervisor.

The Arab Heritage Man for the year went to Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al-Rawas, counselor of Cultural Affairs to Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman. The Heritage Personality of the Year Award went to Mohammed Abu Zaid Mustafa, minister of Tourism, Antiquities and Wildlife for the Republic of Sudan.

Khalid Al-Sulaiti general manager of Katara cultural village from Qatar, won the title of the Best Government Personality in Supporting Arab Tourism. Mehdi Al-Abduwani of Oman won the award for Leading Personality in Tourism.

Saudi Arabia captured four regional tourism awards. Best Tourist Snapshot was won for a photograph of Taif. The Best Tourism Writer was won by Saudi journalist Ahmed Awad Sulais of Al-Jazirah newspaper and Essam Taboni from Libya.

Nayef Anzi of Saudi Arabia won the award for Best Director of the Year for Public Relations in the Tourism Sector. The Best Tourist Instagram award went to the Saudi Tourism Instagram accounts of Sami Tokhees and Hisham Hamid.

The awards included about 28 media categories specializing in the field of tourism. The contest saw a large turnout through the electronic voting.

Almost 900,000 people participated in voting for 260 participants from all the Arab countries. The Saudi winners were among several Arab contenders in various categories, including entrants from Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, Bahrain, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Tunisia and Jordan.

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Agencies
August 4,2020

Beirut, Aug 4: A massive explosion has shaken the Lebanese capital of Beirut, with a very high number of casualties expected.

A warehouse at the Beirut Port caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a huge explosion, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Several smaller explosions were heard before the bigger one occurred.

Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s General Security, said that “highly explosive materials” confiscated earlier had been stored at the site.

Footage shared on social media captured the moment of the bigger explosion, with a colossal shock wave seen traveling fast across several hundreds of meters and shrouding the area in thick smoke.

The blast left enormous material damage to the surrounding buildings and structures. But it was not immediately known how big an area was affected.

There was also no immediate casualty count. Graphic amateur video from the scene showed bodies strewn on the ground, with their clothes blown off.

The NNA said rescue operations were underway. Ambulances were seen heading toward the scene in central Beirut.

Lebanese LBC television channel quoted Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hasan as saying that the blast had caused a “very high number of injuries” and “extensive damage.”

Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud said an unspecified number of firefighters dispatched to extinguish the initial fire had been killed in the explosion.

“As they were putting out the fire, the explosion took place and we’ve [lost them],” he said, breaking down on live TV.

The explosion comes at a time when the Arab country is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades, and amid rising tensions with Israel.

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News Network
May 13,2020

Riyadh, May 13: Saudi Arabia’s cabinet on Tuesday urged oil-producing nations not only to adhere to agreed cuts to production, but further reduce output to help restore balance in global oil markets, state news agency SPA reported.

In issuing the call to OPEC+, which includes members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus Russia and other nations, ministers said the Kingdom is committed to supporting the stability of global oil markets.

After the meeting, acting Minister of Media Majed Al-Qasabi said that in addition to its commitment to the OPEC+ agreement, the Kingdom will voluntarily reduce output by an additional 1 million barrels a day in June. It will also try to implement additional cuts this month, with the consent of its customers, he added.

The cabinet said the Saudi initiatives aim to encourage other countries, whether they have signed up to the OPEC+ agreement or not, to adhere to its reduced rates and to cut output even further to help stabilize global oil markets.

During the cabinet meeting, which was conducted using video conferencing, King Salman also briefed ministers on his recent telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump. He said they affirmed the historical and strategic relationship between the two countries and their commitment to the continuation of joint efforts to enhance security and stability in the region.

Ministers were then updated on the latest developments in the corona virus crisis, including the steps being taken locally and internationally to control it and safeguard public health, the number of cases in the Kingdom and the care being provided to those who are infected. They also reviewed details of the active screening and testing programs in all parts of the country, which have helped to keep the number of deaths relatively low compared to global rates.

The cabinet praised the efforts being made by government officials to combat the pandemic, and stressed that citizens and expatriates must abide by the precautionary and preventive measures introduced to prevent the spread of the virus.

Ministers described the decision by Saudi Arabia to host the Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen 2020 on June 2 as an extension of the Kingdom’s humanitarian and development contribution, which reflects its pioneering role in supporting its neighbor.

The cabinet also welcomed the formation of the new government in Iraq and reiterated Saudi Arabia’s support for the nation and its readiness to work with the new administration to strengthen relations and enhance security and stability in the region.

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Agencies
May 25,2020

Abu Dhabi, May 25: Dusty weather to persist in the UAE on Monday as well with a chance of rainfall in parts of the country, the national Met department reported.

According to the NCM, the weather today will be fair to partly cloudy, with a chance of some convective clouds formation by afternoon - eastward and northward - extending to some internal areas that may be associated with some rainfall.

The weather will get humid by night and Tuesday morning over some coastal areas.

NCM predicts a wet Eid break.

Sharjah Police issued a weather warning as heavy rain flooded roads in Sharjah's Kalba among other areas.

Moderate to fresh winds will gain strength during the day causing blowing dust and sand.

The sea will be slight to moderate in the Arabian Gulf and in Oman Sea.

Earlier on Sunday, a weather alert was issued by authorities as moderate to heavy rain - accompanied with hail - lashed parts of the UAE. A rainbow in Dubai skies cheered up residents, celebrating a unique Eid this year amid the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic - by mostly staying home.

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