Asia Saudi Arabia Real GDP rose 9,6% in the first three months of 2022 compared to the same period last year, the fastest increase in a decade, with oil activities up 20,4% from a year ago
Asia Saudi Arabia Like Eternals and West Side Story, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has also been blocked for the inclusion of an LGBTQ character, with homosexuality considered illegal in Arab countries
Asia Saudi Arabia A new white paper on Urban Tech, commissioned by Mastercard in collaboration with Arabnet, is showing how the country's e-government, tourism, healthcare and transport sectors will benefit from smart city use practices
Asia Saudi Arabia The holy month of Ramadan begins today according to moon sightings by experts in Saudi Arabia, with countries such as Egypt, Kuwait and Qatar following suit; the country has lifted most restrictions just ahead of Ramadan and the visit to Mecca
Asia Saudi Arabia The UK-based King's College Hospital will open in Jeddah and by the end of 2023; it will count 150 beds in the first phase and increase to 250 beds later, and be featured with a fully equipped emergency department, single rooms and VIP suites
Asia Saudi Arabia The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and Energy have teamed up with the Non-Oil Revenues Development Center to grant industrial licences to facilities operating in the renewable energy and power plant sectors
Asia Saudi Arabia African countries such as Mauritania and Senegal have announced their support for the country's bid to host Expo 2030, which was submitted last year
Asia Saudi Arabia Having gradually opened up opportunities for women, who were not allowed to drive until 2018, a job advert to recruit 30 female train drivers, who will also receive a year's training, has attracted 28.000 applicants
Asia Saudi Arabia Given the country's long and rich coffee tradition, 2022 has been designated as 'The Year of Saudi Coffee'; according to internal reports, the country plans to plant 1,2 million coffee trees by 2025
Asia Saudi Arabia The country has regsitered one of the highest adoption curves of contactless payments in the world over the past three years, with the overall share of contactless payments reaching 95% during the period
Asia Saudi Arabia Interactive screens in six languages have been installed to facilitate visitors' access to the ritual sites; the initiative of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques is part of the plan to improve the orientation system
Asia Saudi Arabia The three-week-long Saudi Design Festival is part of a move towards city-wide activation that will put design at the centre; it was founded by Basma Bouzo, who says she took the challenges of the pandemic and used them as an opportunity to ground them
Asia Saudi Arabia Light shows illuminated the facades of 58 palaces in the archaeological village of Dhee Ayn in Baha to celebrate the addition of Arabic calligraphy to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list