Month: April 2023

Caretaker Interior and Municipalities Minister, Judge Bassam Mawlawi’s press office issued a statement this afternoon, commenting on the circulation of a photo of a card issued by the municipality of Laqlouq to a Syrian policeman. “Minister of Interior, Bassam Mawlawi, directed the security services affiliated with the ministry to immediately investigate the validity of issuing the municipality mentioned for the card, and the extent to which the municipality applies the laws, as well as the identity papers of the Syrian person,” the statement read. The statement added that “the necessary legal measures will be taken against the violators in light of the investigation’s outcome.”

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Sunday urged a Christian agreement on a new president. ‘As Christians, we have a historic and major responsibility to agree, in order not to give an excuse to local and foreign forces to impose a president on us,’ Bassil said during a visit to Jezzine. ‘We want to propose candidates on whom we can agree at the Christian level at first and secondly at the national level,’ Bassil added, stressing that the FPM ‘will not cover any marginalization of Christians.’ Referring to political rivals who are nominated for the presidency, the FPM chief said: ‘Let no one threaten us with the ‘me or chaos’ equation and think that he can impose it.’ ‘Let no one lecture us about learning from the past, because he’s the one who has to learn and not act in an inferior way or accept any settlement only because it leads to his election, even if that comes at the expense of his environment, society and country,’ Bassil went on to say. He added: ‘Let no one bet on foreign settlements, because no matter how strong they cannot continue if they are not immunized and covered with domestic consensus

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

Caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transportation, Ali Hamieh, stressed, during his participation in a workshop held by the Arab League in Cairo on preparing a study for the development and interconnection of Arab ports, that “the importance of integration and interdependence among them stems from a realistic vision of the maritime transport sector worldwide.” He stressed “the need for the interdependence and integration of Arab ports with each other, through the preparation of an analytical study on this level, based on an objective view of reality and the accelerating political and geopolitical changes in the region and the world,” adding that this vital sector today lies between the ruthless globalization of those who not ready to confront it on the one hand, and between a desirable globalism, which may not embrace those who remain on its margins. Minister Hamieh’s words came during his participation in the workshop of the League of Arab States to discuss the mechanism for preparing an analysis of the status of the Arab seaports sector, branch of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Cairo – Smart Village, with the participation of representatives from the Arab League and many Arab countries, including Lebanon, Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Tunisia, Morocco, Yemen, Jordan, Oman, Algeria, Mauritania, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan and Djibouti.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly condemned the continued incursions by extremist settlers under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces into the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and preventing worshipers from entering. The OIC considered this an extension of Israel’s repeated violations of the sanctity of holy sites and freedom of worship and a flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions and international law.

The OIC held the Israeli occupation government fully responsible for the consequences of the continuation of such systematic attacks, which constituted a provocation to the feelings of Muslims all over the world. At the same time, it called on the international community to assume its responsibilities to put an end to these serious violations and the need to preserve the historical and legal status of Islamic and Christian holy sites in the occupied city of Jerusalem

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The Chairman of the Unaizah Association for Humanitarian Services (Taheel) Abdullah Alyahya Alsaleem and several officials from the association visited Ayurgreen Hospital yesterday in Kerala, India. The purpose of the visit was to implement the partnership agreement that was made previously between the two sides to promote medical tourism in Saudi Arabia.

The agreement aims to utilize exchanging services and specialities, sharing medical and technical expertise of the hospital with the Unaizah association. All of which can be attained through the establishment of a specialized center for rehabilitation that follows treatment methods used in the main hospital or other similar rehabilitation resorts in India. The new center would be part of the humanitarian association in Unaizah.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The Cruise Saudi company, a 100% Public Investment Fund-owned business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is preparing to participate in the Arabian Travel Market exhibition ATM 2023, which starts tomorrow and lasts for four days at the Dubai World Trade Centre. It will join the most prominent decision makers and regional experts in discussing the future of the travel and tourism industry in the region and exploring ways of professional cooperation.

Lars Clasen, CEO of Cruise Saudi, said the Arabian Travel Market is a leading international event in the field of travel and tourism, pointing out that through its participation, Cruise Saudi aims to give a boost to the tourism sector in the Kingdom by attracting 1.3 million cruise visitors by 2035, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, which has, among its goals, the tourism sector increasing to 10% its contribution to the gross domestic product.

Clasen mentioned the rapid growth of Cruise Saudi and how it supports the Kingdom’s position as a prominent new tourist destination due to its strategic geographical location in the region, which may be reached by about 250 million people living in Europe, Asia and Africa in three hours of air travel to the Red Sea or the Arabian Gulf. He pointed out that Cruise Saudi leads the development of the Saudi cruise industry in an integrated fashion and with high-level international quality.

“Since its launch in 2021, Cruise Saudi has succeeded in completing two successful seasons of cruises; its third season is still going on, he said, adding that the company is keen to introduce cruise ship passengers to various tourist destinations on the coasts of the Kingdom that have not yet been discovered by international tourists”.

He also said that Cruise Saudi plans to expand with government support and partners, which enabled the company to develop a marina and passenger terminal within three ports boasting infrastructure that enables it to receive international cruise ships, namely: Jeddah Islamic Port and Yanbu Commercial Port on the Red Sea, and King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam on the Arabian Gulf.

Clasen said that the company has been seeking to boost the tourism industry in the Kingdom by attracting more tourist cruise companies to add Saudi ports among the main ports on their routes, and worked to develop more ports and cooperate with partners to provide a package of varied coastal tours that suit different groups as well as fun beach adventures.

Source: Saudi Press Agency