Saudi arabia

KLANG Bernama: The Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (Maqis) seized 25,200 kg of dates worth RM141,229.44 which did not meet import permit conditions at Westport, Port Klang here last Saturday (March 20) Selangor MAQIS acting director Zamri Hashim said the seizure was made following a routine inspection carried out by enforcement officers. He said in a statement on Monday (March 22) that the items were from Saudi Arabia were seized for not complying with the 3P certificate for grading, packaging and labelling. Zamri added that the case is being investigated under Section 15(1) of the Malaysia Quarantine and Inspection Services 2011, which carries a fine of not more than RM100,000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding six years or both if convicted, he added. Zamri said Maqis views issues related to food safety, disease control and risk of pest entry that could threaten the country’s food sustainability with concern.- Bernama ... » Learn More about Maqis seizes over 25 tons of dates imported from Saudi Arabia

Bintai Kinden Corp Bhd's subsidiary has signed a deal to supply the Greenie Medi Cold Chain Box for the storage and distribution of Covid-19 vaccine in Saudi Arabia. The group said in a filing with Bursa Malaysia that Bintai Healthcare Sdn Bhd will supply the cold chain boxes to Alrowad Medical Services, a healthcare-focused company in infection control and smart solutions. The collaboration is expected to augur well for Bintai Kinden as Saudi Arabai had recently rolled out its nationwide coronavirus vaccination with AsteraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, said managing director Ong Choon Lui. “The healthcare solution business is on the horizon for Bintai Kinden. "We hope our healthcare business can contribute more than 25% to the company’s profits in the future,” he added. The MoU with Alrowad is not expected to have any material effect on the issued and paid up share capital of Bintai Kinden but is expected to contribute positively towards the future earnings of the Group. ... » Learn More about Bintai Healthcare signs cold chain box supply deal with Saudi’s Alrowad

A senior Saudi official said Thursday he rejected claims that he issued a death threat against UN investigator Agnes Callamard following her probe into journalist Jamal Khashoggi's 2018 murder. At a meeting with UN officials in Geneva in January 2020, a senior Saudi official threatened twice to have Callamard "taken care of" if she was not restrained by the United Nations, the Guardian newspaper reported this week. Without naming the Saudi official, Callamard -- the UN's special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions -- told the British newspaper that the comment was perceived by her Geneva-based colleagues as a "death threat". Awwad Alawwad, the head of Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Commission, on Thursday said Callamard and UN officials believed he had made the threat. "I reject this suggestion in the strongest terms," Alawwad, who is the kingdom’s former media minister, wrote on Twitter. "While I cannot recall the exact conversations, I never would ... » Learn More about Saudi official denies death threat made to UN investigator

DUBAI (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Friday they had attacked Saudi energy and military sites with 18 armed drones, and the kingdom's energy ministry reported that a projectile had struck a petroleum products distribution station, causing a fire. The Saudi-led coalition which is battling the Houthi group said late on Thursday it had intercepted several drones aimed at Saudi Arabia. The attacks came days after Riyadh presented a peace initiative that includes a nationwide truce in Yemen as the war enters its seventh year. The Houthis, who control Yemen's capital and most populous areas, have stepped up drone and missile attacks on Saudi targets in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Riyadh faces increasing pressure from Washington to end the war, after new U.S. President Joe Biden withdrew his predecessor Donald Trump's support for the conflict. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group had targeted facilities of state oil giant Saudi Aramco in Ras al-Tanura, ... » Learn More about Yemen’s Houthis warn of stronger attacks after drone strikes on Saudi Arabia

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia aims to plant 10 billion trees in the coming decades as part of an ambitious campaign unveiled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday to reduce carbon emissions and combat pollution and land degradation. The de facto ruler of the world's top oil exporter said that Saudi Arabia aims to reduce its carbon emissions by generating 50% of the country's energy from renewables by 2030. Riyadh would also work with other Arab states on a Middle East Green Initiative to plant an additional 40 billion trees, which the prince said would be the world's largest reforestation programme. The statement did not provide details on how the ambitious planting project would be carried out in a country with limited renewable water resources. The world's largest producer of desalinated water has in the past said it would use cloud seeding and recycled water to plant local trees that require less irrigation, including in urban areas. The Saudi Green ... » Learn More about Saudi Arabia sees fields of green with major tree-planting drive

Saudi Arabia announced plans Tuesday to pump investments worth $3.2 trillion into the national economy by 2030, roping in the oil-reliant kingdom's biggest companies in a major new economic diversification push. The announcement by de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman underscores an effort to jumpstart the domestic economy as the top crude exporter battles high youth unemployment and a coronavirus-triggered downturn. "The total investment injected... into the national economy is expected to reach 12 trillion riyals ($3.2 trillion) by 2030," Prince Mohammed said in a speech carried by state television. Twenty-four of the kingdom's biggest companies, including energy giant Aramco and petrochemical firm SABIC, will lead the investment drive by contributing five trillion riyals over the next decade, the crown prince told reporters later at a virtual briefing. He said the companies, many of them listed, had agreed to lower their dividends and redirect the money into the ... » Learn More about Saudi plans economic overhaul with $3.2 trillion investment

Saudi authorities said Monday only people immunised against Covid-19 will be allowed to perform the year-round umrah pilgrimage from the start of Ramadan, the holy fasting month for Muslims. The haj and umrah ministry said in a statement that three categories of people would be considered "immunised" -- those who have received two doses of the vaccine, those administered a single dose at least 14 days prior, and people who have recovered from the infection. Only those people will be eligible for permits to perform umrah, as well as to attend prayers in the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca. The policy would effectively "raise the operational capacity" of the Grand Mosque during Ramadan, it said, adding that the condition also applies for entry into the Prophet's Mosque in the holy city of Medina. The ministry said the policy starts with Ramadan, which is due to begin later this month, but it was unclear how long it would last. It was also not clear whether the policy, ... » Learn More about Saudi to allow only ‘immunized’ pilgrims to Mecca

RIYADH: Energy giant Saudi Aramco on Sunday posted a 44.4 percent slump in 2020 net profit due to lower crude prices, as the coronavirus pandemic weighed heavily on global demand. Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s cash cow, has revealed consecutive falls in profits since it began disclosing earnings in 2019. That has piled pressure on government finances as Riyadh pursues multi-billion dollar projects to diversify the oil-reliant economy. “Aramco achieved a net income of $49 billion in 2020,” the company said in a statement — down from $88.2 billion in 2019. Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter, was hammered last year by the double whammy of low prices and sharp cuts in production. Aramco chief executive Amin Nasser described it as “one of the most challenging years in recent history.” The firm said “revenues were impacted by lower crude oil prices and volumes sold, and weakened refining and chemicals margins.” But compared to many of its loss-generating international ... » Learn More about Saudi Aramco 2020 profits slump

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has offered Yemen’s Huthi rebels a “comprehensive” UN-supervised ceasefire, as part of a series of fresh proposals aimed at ending a catastrophic six-year conflict. But the Huthis swiftly dismissed the initiative, which comes as the Iran-backed rebels escalate attacks on the kingdom — including its oil facilities — and push to seize the Saudi-backed Yemeni government’s last northern stronghold in the war-torn nation. The initiative includes “a comprehensive ceasefire across the country under the supervision of the United Nations,” a Saudi government statement said. Riyadh also proposed reopening the international airport in Sanaa, the rebel-held capital, and restarting political negotiations between the Yemeni government and the Huthis, the statement added. The kingdom’s plan also called for depositing taxes and customs revenue from ships carrying oil to the Red Sea port of Hodeida — a key conduit for desperately needed aid — in a joint account of the ... » Learn More about Saudi offers ceasefire to Yemen rebels

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has heaped pressure on foreign companies to move their Middle East headquarters to the kingdom, saying it will stop signing contracts with firms with hubs in other countries from 2024. The bold ultimatum could intensify competition for business and foreign capital between the kingdom and other Gulf states, especially its principal ally the United Arab Emirates, as they reel from an economic slump. “Saudi Arabia intends to cease contracting with companies and commercial institutions with regional headquarters not located in the kingdom,” the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported, citing an unnamed official source. “The cessation will include agencies, institutions and funds owned by the government and will take effect Jan. 1, 2024.” The decision seeks to “create more jobs, limit economic leakage, increase spending efficiency and guarantee that the main goods and services purchased by the different government agencies are made in the kingdom,” it added. ... » Learn More about Put offices in Riyadh, Saudi tells firms