UN Senior official meets international counterparts on Gaza recovery

New York: Sigrid Kaag, UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, met in Saudi Arabia on Monday with a group of Arab and international officials on the recovery needs of the Gaza Strip.

According to the UN Spokesperson, Kaag attended the World Economic Forum meetings and was on a panel discussion with Prime Minister, Bisher Khasawneh and Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly.

She also met with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, as well as Palestinian investors, to discuss future investments needed. Kaag also met with Bank of Palestine CEO Mahmoud Shawa.

She also met with a number of political and private sector counterparts to discuss humanitarian needs as well as the scope and scale of recovery and reconstruction needs in Gaza.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Qatari PM Arrives in Riyadh for World Economic Forum Special Meeting


Riyadh, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani arrived in Riyadh today to participate in the World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development, held on April 28 to 29.

He was received at King Khalid International Airport by Deputy Governor of Riyadh Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz and several other officials.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

SASO Introduces New Method for Verifying Conformity of Used Vehicles in Shipping Country to Facilitate Import by Individuals


Riyadh, The Saudi Standards, Metrology, and Quality Organization (SASO) has introduced a new method for verifying the conformity of used vehicles shipped to the Kingdom by individuals. To facilitate vehicle import procedures, an electronic consignment certificate from the SABER platform will be issued starting June 30, 2024.

SASO aims to enhance the process of conforming imported used vehicles to Saudi specifications before they arrive in the Kingdom. This will reduce the return of non-compliant vehicles and improve the smooth flow of the import movement. The matching of used vehicles will take place in the country of shipment before arriving in the Kingdom through inspection bodies accepted and accredited by SASO.

Individuals who plan to import used vehicles are required to issue a vehicle import consignment certificate through the SABER platform before shipping it to the Kingdom. They must visit the SABER platform website (saber.sa), log in, and submit a request to obtain a vehicle import consignment cert
ificate. They need to pay the application costs and choose an inspection body. The inspection body will follow the procedures and add the vehicle’s fuel consumption rate and age. Finally, the system issues a vehicle import consignment certificate.

SASO provides all beneficiaries with support services around the clock. They can call the SABER platform’s unified phone number, 920008673, or email eCare@saber.sa.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Two young men were injured by occupation bullets in Azzun

Qalqilya – Ma’an – On Monday, two young men were injured by bullets during confrontations with the occupation forces in the town of Azzun, east of Qalqilya.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said in a statement, ‘Our crews are dealing with two injuries in the town of Azzun near Qalqilya, one of which was caused by shrapnel from live bullets in the back of a 55-year-old man, and the second was of a 15-year-old child who was injured by live bullets in the foot.’

She indicated that the injured were transferred to the hospital to receive treatment.

Eyewitnesses said that confrontations broke out between young men and the occupation army at the main entrance to the town of Azzun, during which the occupation used live bullets. The occupation forces also arrested a young man during those confrontations.

The occupation army has closed the main entrance to the town of Azzun since October 7.
The shekel jumps against the dollar.. These are the reasons

Bethlehem Together – The shekel has risen by about 1.5% since t
his morning against the dollar, and is now trading at 3.76 shekels to the dollar, compared to the representative price set last Thursday at 3.81 shekels.

The main reason is the advanced negotiations to release the kidnapped, and as long as they progress, the shekel advances. The value of the shekel has recently witnessed major fluctuations as a result of the war. The relative silence or rumors of the release of prisoners strengthen the shekel, and the outbreak of war or the closing of negotiations leads to a decline in the exchange rate.

It now appears that negotiations for the release of the kidnapped are well underway: Sinwar’s deputy confirmed that a Hamas delegation will meet today in Cairo with mediators, and US Secretary of State Lincoln said in Riyadh that Hamas has a “very generous support” offer – all of which encourages currency traders. .

Volatility in the exchange rate is expected to continue, as Wall Street is expected to have a stormy week (interest rate decision, reports from tech giants and
employment report) as well as negotiations on the ceasefire and release of the kidnapped will see more ups and downs, affecting the shekel.

#CT#Business/CT#
Source: Maan News Agency

Secretary-General of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Patronizes Honoring Ceremony for Winners of Qatar Alliance of Civilization Award

Doha: Under the auspices of HE Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Qatar Committee for the Alliance of Civilizations, Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi, the Qatar Committee for the Alliance of Civilizations and the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science held an honoring ceremony for winners of Qatar Alliance of Civilization Award 2023-2024 at the Diplomatic Club in Doha.

Addressing the ceremony, HE Dr. Al Hammadi said he is hopeful that the participation in the upcoming Qatar Alliance of Civilization Award 2025-2026 will increase, noting the increasing interest of the State of Qatar in the file of alliance of civilizations both at the educational curricula and the practices pursued by the educational institutions.

The alliance of civilizations currently represents one of the most consequential tools of soft diplomacy that promote peaceful co-existence among nations and peoples, he affirmed, pointing out that the State of Qatar has been interested in c
ultural dialogue and alliance of civilizations since its independence in 1971, and this was embodied in building corporate frameworks that offered activities and broadly promoted understanding and cooperation among diverse civilizations and cultures.

He said the State of Qatar’s interest in the alliance of civilizations has dramatically increased following the launch of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) in 2007, affirming that this was demonstrated in the participation of Qatar, Turkiye and Spain, as the founding countries, in setting the UNAOC core pillars, with the State of Qatar hosting the 4th UNAOC forum, the dialogue conference between Arab and Chinese civilizations, and patronizing the 8th Global Forum of UNAOC held in New York in November 2018.

HE Dr. Al Hammadi added that Qatar’s priority for the alliance of civilizations was also demonstrated in the Qatar National Vision 2030 which underscored the importance of patronizing and supporting dialogue of civilizations and coexistence
among diverse religions and cultures, affirming that the Qatar Committee for the Alliance of Civilizations was established in 2010 which strives to promote the State of Qatar’s role in highlighting the contribution of the Islamic civilization, as well as other civilization in human progress, in addition to resolving disputes and conflict and underscoring the importance of values of tolerance, solidarity, peace and sharing expertise among nations based on justice and equality in pursuit of achieving the sublime international ends.

His Excellency highlighted that the Qatar Alliance of Civilization Award comes within the framework of implementing the Qatar’s plan for the Alliance of Civilizations 2023-2027 that primarily aims to promote understanding among nations and forge deep-rooted relationships, in addition to addressing the causes of division and misunderstanding, culminating in the humanitarian objective of enhancing co-existence, accepting the other and respecting the people and their diverse cultures.

H
e outlined that the plan includes implementing multiple programs and activities to achieve the goals of the alliance in a multitude of fields, primarily education, noting that the plan in education included multiple goals, such as providing appreciation awards for outstanding research and funding solid research in the dialogue among civilizations.

In conclusion, His Excellency thanked the curators of the award for their steadfast efforts to have a successful project, wishing the winners and schools further success in providing the best research.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Participates in Coordination Meeting to Support Efforts to Implement Two-State Solution, Recognize the State of Palestine

HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani participated Monday in a coordination meeting held in Riyadh at the invitation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Norway in support of efforts to implement the two-state solution and recognize the State of Palestine.

Foreign ministers and representatives of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Palestine, the Kingdom of Belgium, the French Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Ireland, the Italian Republic, the Portuguese Republic, the Kingdom of Spain, the Republic of Slovenia, the Republic of Turkiye, the United Kingdom, the European Union and the Arab League also participated in the meeting.

Source: Qatar News Agency