Lina Khaled Almaeena is the co-founder of Jeddah United Sports Co. (JUSC), the first private sports company in Saudi Arabia to train girls and boys in team sports, including basketball, volleyball and soccer, to promote the culture of sport in the Kingdom.
It is also is a sports events management company.
Almaeena was also captain of the Jeddah United women’s basketball team until 2012, and has appeared as a speaker at many local and international conferences about women and sport.
She studied communications at George Mason University in Virginia, graduating in 2000, and earned a Master of Arts degree in psychology from the American University in London in 2005.
She was a speaker at the French Senate in 2004 and 2010 as part of delegations led by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, and received the entrepreneurship award at the Women in Leadership Forum in 2010.
Almaeena has also been a columnist for Al-Madinah newspaper, and she climbed to Everest Base Camp in 2012 as part of a breast cancer awareness campaign organized by the Zahra Breast Cancer Association.
She was ranked 71st on the Forbes Saudi Arabian list of the 200 most powerful Arab women in the Middle East in 2014, became a member of Sirb Angel Investors Network in 2014, won the Piaget entrepreneurship award in 2015, and is a member of the Young Business Committee and the Sports Investment Committee in the Chamber of Commerce.
She has been a member of the Shoura Council since 2016.
TheFace: Lina Khaled Almaeena, co-founder of Jeddah United Sports Co.
TheFace: Lina Khaled Almaeena, co-founder of Jeddah United Sports Co.
- Lina Khaled Almaeena has been a member of the Shoura Council since 2016
Saudi Arabia to be guest of honor at Beijing Book Fair
BEIJING: The Saudi Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission and the China National Publications Import and Export Group Corporation have signed a contract to host Saudi Arabia as the guest of honor at the Beijing International Book Fair, to be held this year between June 19 and 23 in the Chinese capital.
The signing ceremony was attended by Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission CEO Dr. Mohammed Hasan Alwan, and officials from the Chinese side.
Saudi participation in the fair is astep toward strengthening cultural exchange, boosting cooperation in literature, culture, and the arts, and promoting dialogue and boosting friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
Several other Saudi entities will participate in the fair to highlight the heritage, knowledge, and cultural diversity of the Kingdom through a diverse cultural program, including seminars, dialogue sessions, workshops, and artistic performances.
The Kingdom was the guest of honor at the New Delhi International Book Fair, held between Feb. 10 and 18; and will be the guest of honor, after Beijing, at the Seoul International Book Fair, from June 26 to 30, 2024.
Saudi Green Initiative in Makkah aims to promote sustainable development, afforestation
RIYADH: The State Properties General Authority has provided the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, and the Alahyaa Centers Association with seedlings produced at its agricultural nursery in Makkah.
The contribution is part of the authority’s efforts to support sustainable development and afforestation while upgrading the vegetation cover, and took place on Saudi Green Initiative Day on March 27.
Schemes include building and operating an agricultural nursery and equipping it with the newest systems to enhance production capacity and create an enabling environment for plant growth.
The project has led to the creation of 110,000 square meters of green spaces within the authority’s government compounds in Makkah, in addition to the distribution of plants, large trees and shrubs to more than 40 government entities.
The authority said that the nursery’s annual production includes 1.2 million plants that bloom in winter and in summer; 200,000 perennials and vines; 20,000 outdoor trees; 30,000 shrubs; and 5,000 indoor plants.
Saudi, Azerbaijani ministers discussed climate action cooperation
Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman met in Jeddah Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijan’s minister of ecology and natural resources, and also president of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The COP29 Conference takes place in November in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The two ministers discussed opportunities for cooperation in the field of climate action. They also spoke about working together to achieve the goals and principles of the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Paris Agreement.
The parties also looked at the Kingdom’s efforts and initiatives to address the effects of climate change.
Saudi Arabia announces cultural cooperation award with China
- The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Award for Cultural Cooperation culminate in an annual ceremony honoring the two countries’ shared cultural talent
RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Culture announced on Thursday the launch of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Award for Cultural Cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China, at the King Abdulaziz Public Library branch in Beijing, Saudi Press Agency reported.
This award aims to acknowledge the efforts of researchers, artists and translators from both countries, offering grants to support their continuing work. It is designed to spur enhanced collaboration and shared creative efforts.
The award includes several categories — cultural research and studies, artistic and creative works, translations, and a cultural personality of the year from each country, recognizing significant contributions to culture.
Additional categories target young researchers, creators and translators, encouraging youth engagement in cross-cultural communication. An annual ceremony will highlight the cultural achievements and award winners.
The award will promote creative cooperation and cultural dialogue between Saudi Arabia and China by highlighting the two countries’ achievements in the academic, cultural, media, literary and artistic communities.
It will culminate in an annual ceremony honoring the two countries’ shared cultural talent and announcing the winners in each category.
Saudi Culture Minister Prince Bader bin Abdullah said that the award was a critical component in bridging cultural divides and strengthening ties between China and Saudi Arabia through the arts, literature and academic research.
Individuals from Saudi Arabia and China, as well as government, private and non-profit institutions, may submit nominations. They can be submitted by filling out the nomination form, which will be posted on the award website.
On the same day, the Saudi Film Commission, a government body under the culture ministry, signed a framework memorandum of understanding with China’s Bona Film Group to explore collaborative opportunities in movie distribution, exhibition and talent development.
Bona Film Group, founded in 1999, has emerged as one of China’s leading movie distribution and production companies.
The signing ceremony in Beijing was attended by Prince Badr, Film Commission CEO Abdullah Al-Eyaf, and Bona Film Group CFO Qi Zhi.
The MoU outlines key areas of cooperation, such as investment in the film industry, the possibility of establishing a joint film fund dedicated to cinematic endeavors, and collaboration on Saudi film distribution in China. It also looks into talent development opportunities for Saudi filmmakers through Bona Film Group productions and Chinese film education institutions.
In accordance with this agreement, the Film Commission intends to develop the movie industry, improve local production and showcase Saudi productions. The commission also promotes investment, content production, talent development and regulatory frameworks.
The historic agreement reflects the commission’s commitment to fostering global partnerships and leveraging cultural exchanges as a key component of Saudi Vision 2030 objectives.
Intellectual property body to attract investment
- Public Prosecution Council in Saudi Arabia approved the establishment of the Intellectual Property Prosecution in mid-February
- Ministry of Justice, in its statement, indicated that the establishment of the body was decided as an enforcement of the National Intellectual Property Strategy
RIYADH: Experts in innovation and economics have told Arab News that Saudi Arabia’s establishment of a specialized investigative body for intellectual property litigation will motivate innovative projects and attract foreign investment to the country.
The Public Prosecution Council in Saudi Arabia approved the establishment of the Intellectual Property Prosecution in mid-February.
The Ministry of Justice, in its statement, indicated that the establishment of the body was decided as an enforcement of the National Intellectual Property Strategy launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, “which includes providing a distinguished environment for providing organizing and developing judicial services in intellectual property’s areas.”
The statement described the Intellectual Property Prosecution as “one of the main enabling factors for achieving the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.”
This body is concerned with investigating and filing criminal actions in cases related to breaching intellectual property rights stipulated in the trademark system and the copyright protection system, referred by the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, in addition to the system of patents and topography for integrated circuits, plant varieties and industrial models.
The ministry said that “these prosecutions will enhance developing the parliament in the comprehensive judicial protection of intellectual property. These prosecutions will have a cadre of qualified public prosecutors who have been trained and acquired the necessary skills according to the standards of legal competence for criminal protection of cases breaching intellectual property rights, which lead to the growth (this sector).”
Abdullah Alakeel, chairman of the Saudi Scientific Research and Innovation Association, said: “Establishing the Intellectual Property Prosecution contributes to developing “an environment that attracts international technologies, innovators and inventors locally and globally.
“The inventor, the innovative, or the creative or technical company owner will guarantee that his rights in the Kingdom will be safe and secure due to the presence of clear laws, regulations,” he said.
Abdullah Al-Hamed, head of investment advisory at GIB Capital, expects that creation of this body will positively preserve rights and confirm the ability to benefit financially and intellectually clearly and authentically the owner of this right. This will reflect a new thinking on the environment for intellectual property and its ability in Saudi Arabia.