Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea film festival postponed due to coronavirus

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival has been postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. (Red Sea Film Festival)
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Updated 04 March 2020
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Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea film festival postponed due to coronavirus

LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival has been postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

The organizers released a statement on Tuesday saying that the decision was driven by the safety and wellbeing of guests, staff and audiences being of “primary consideration.”

The statement said: “It’s with feelings of deep sadness that we have had to take this tough decision. The spread of coronavirus is a battle we all must face around the globe, and its with no hesitation that we are respecting all the measures needed to meet the current health emergency.

The organizers thanked people for their “support and understanding” and assured film fans the festival would take place at a later date “as soon as feasible” as they “remained committed to all filmmakers, producers, partners and audiences.”

The 10-day event was set to feature a number of local and regional movies and high-profile guests such as director Spike Lee were scheduled to attend.


SDAIA president says Saudi Arabia is building an integrated AI ecosystem

Updated 20 February 2026
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SDAIA president says Saudi Arabia is building an integrated AI ecosystem

RIYADH: Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority President Abdullah Al-Ghamdi says that Saudi Arabia is moving steadily to establish artificial intelligence as a trusted national capability, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Guided by the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, Al-Ghamdi said the goal is to use AI to help develop government services, enhance competitiveness, build human capacity and improve quality of life through a comprehensive strategy based on three main pillars that unlock the potential of this technology and achieve sustainable developmental impact.

“The first pillar focuses on building human capacity and enhancing readiness to engage with AI technologies,” he said.

The second pillar is building an integrated national AI ecosystem that drives expansion and innovation by developing advanced digital infrastructure that enables various sectors to adopt AI applications efficiently, consistently and with effective governance, Al-Ghamdi said.

The third pillar, he said, is governance that ensures responsible and measurable AI through a national framework aligned with international standards.

This came during Al-Ghamdi’s speech at a high-level ministerial session held on Thursday on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.

He is heading the Saudi delegation, and the session saw broad participation from heads of state, decision-makers and technology leaders from around the world.

Al-Ghamdi also had a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday evening, discussed AI cooperation and expressed his gratitude for hosting the summit and for the hospitality extended to the participants.