King Salman approved award 10 million Saudi Riyals to 353 employees of the General Auditing Bureau, the Saudi press agency SPA reported.
The Saudi King awarded them for their “professional excellence in carrying out their duties” during the fiscal year 1438/1439 AH (2017).
The staff of the General Auditing Bureau, Bureau's President Dr. Hussam bin Abdulmohsen Al-Angari extended his thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for the reward and his continuing encouragement of the Bureau.
RIYADH: An exercise aimed at raising readiness to confront environmental emergencies or oil spill incidents kicked off on the Tabuk coast on Tuesday.
The two-day exercise, called “Response 14,” is part of the Kingdom’s plan to combat pollution of the marine environment with oil and other harmful substances, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The exercise is being supervised by the National Center for Environmental Compliance and is taking place in cooperation with 39 governmental and private agencies.
The center’s official spokesman, Saad Al-Matrafi, revealed that the readiness of each participating agency increased every time such an exercise was held.
He added that there was a noticeable development in the technology being used by the various participating agencies as well as the skills of their employees, as a result of such exercises.
He explained that the exercise is being carried out in several stages in which satellites and advanced simulation programs are used.
Participants will learn how to deal with simulated scenarios of pollution spreading in the middle of territorial waters and its impact extending to coasts and marine habitats.
They will also learn how to contain this pollution and reduce its negative effects on the marine environment and the region’s economy.
Al-Matrafi said the national plan to combat oil spills and harmful substances has succeeded in testing its ability to contain a spill of 75,000 barrels, with a high response rate not exceeding 50 minutes, through the largest fleet of naval units designated for this purpose, in addition to specialist aircraft.
RIYADH: During an interview with Arab News on the sidelines of the GREAT Futures Conference, UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden underlined London’s goal of reaching £30 billion ($37.7 billion) of bilateral trade by 2030.
“The idea of this (GREAT Futures Conference) is to be a sort of shop window to show the opportunities for our two countries and then out of that, I think there’s huge opportunities for further trade and investment,” he said.
“We set an ambitious goal by 2030 of £30 billion of bilateral trade. It’s already growing quite rapidly. It’s about £17 billion. I think we can push it to that.”
The two-day conference from May 14, hosted at King Abdullah Financial District, features 47 sessions and workshops with 127 speakers from both the public and private sectors.
The conference aims to spark and strengthen Saudi-UK partnerships in 13 sectors such as tourism, culture, education, health, sports, investment, trade and financial services.
It welcomed 450 British delegates and company heads to meet with Saudi businesses and officials.
Dowden said he that he thinks “the relationship between our two kingdoms is stronger than it’s ever been.
“It’s based on very firm foundations, whether that’s diplomatic, military or the relationship, indeed, between His Majesty (King Charles III) and (Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman) in the royal family of Saudi Arabia.”
Dowden underlined that what he has witnessed during the GREAT Futures Conference and through the previous visits is “the huge opportunities for the future.
“The crown prince has set out the Vision of 2030. UK companies … want to be part of that vision, and that’s why I’ve brought the largest trade delegation the UK has taken to any country in the world in the past decade, the largest ever, to Saudi Arabia,” he said.
In the opening remarks of day one, the deputy prime minister spoke on a panel alongside Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, the Saudi minister of commerce.
He said there is a lot more that the two countries can do in the fields of technology and artificial intelligence.
“I think there’s a lot more we can do to collaborate together there because there’s huge expertise in artificial intelligence in Saudi Arabia,” Dowden said.
During his interview with Arab News Dowden also underlined that North East England is poised to receive investments worth £3 billion from the Kingdom.
“If you look at the North East of England, just one part of the UK, we’ve agreed £3 billion worth of investment that will support 2,000 jobs. I think there’s much more that we can do like that,” he said.
Leading up to the conference, the deputy prime minister stressed the importance of the event in building partnerships between the business sectors of Saudi Arabia and the UK.
“It (GREAT Futures) also allows British companies to familiarize themselves with relevant business regulations, incentives, and advantages for conducting business in Saudi Arabia,” Dowden said.
RIYADH: The 49th Saudi relief plane carrying food baskets for Gazans arrived at Egypt’s El Arish International Airport on Tuesday.
The plane was operated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The food baskets will be transported to Palestinian people inside the Gaza Strip and is part of the Kingdom’s support for them.
The war in the Strip has pushed much of Gaza’s population to the brink of famine, the UN says, and has devastated its medical facilities, where hospitals, if working at all, are running short of fuel to power generators and other essential supplies.
RIYADH: The inaugural Arab Forum of Anti-Corruption Agencies and Financial Intelligence Units begins Wednesday in Riyadh, hosted by the Presidency of State Security.
It brings together key stakeholders from the Middle East and North Africa to combat financial crime, money laundering, and terrorist financing through enhanced cooperation and capabilities.
The two-day forum aims to establish impactful collaboration among Saudi agencies, counterpart organizations, and regional and international bodies to combat financial crime effectively, according to the forum’s website.
Recognizing the need for a multi-faceted approach, the forum focuses on cooperation across borders, sectors, and disciplines to combat corruption.
Through international collaboration, elevating local institutional integrity, and engaging citizens, the forum aims to tackle corruption and financial crime challenges effectively.
Leveraging private sector efforts, deploying technology for transparency, and addressing root causes of corruption are also part of the agenda.
The event will feature 75 speakers from 25 countries, including Sheikh Ahmed Al-Thani, head of Qatar Financial Information Unit; Samya Abou Sharif, director of the Jordanian Anti Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Unit; Dr. Raed Radwan, head of the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission; and Richard Attias, CEO of FII Institute.
By uniting government agencies, law enforcement bodies, financial intelligence units, civil society organizations, and the private sector, the forum harnesses collective wisdom and expertise against financial crime.
The forum also facilitates networking, knowledge-sharing, and capacity-building, fostering partnerships and concrete initiatives for progress in anti-corruption efforts.
RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with his Kuwaiti counterpart Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya on Tuesday, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of a preparatory meeting for Arab League foreign ministers in Manama, Bahrain.
The ministers discussed ways of strengthening bilateral relations and regional and international developments of common interest.
