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  • Amnesty says migrant workers exploited at Carrefour Saudi stores

    Rights group Amnesty International published Monday a report that accused the Saudi Arabian franchise of French supermarket giant Carrefour of exploiting migrant workers. Carrefour told AFP that an internal probe had not confirmed most allegations but was planning on conducting an external review. Amnesty said it found migrant workers for Carrefour's Saudi Arabian franchisee were deceived by recruitment agents, forced to work excessive hours, denied days off, cheated of their earnings and made to live in squalid accommodations.

  • Saudi Film Confex considers role of film as a tool of cultural diplomacy

    Saudi Arabia’s Prince Turki Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz, chairman of the King Faisal Foundation’s Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, emphasized what he believed to be the power of cinema in fostering cultural exchange and showcasing Saudi heritage to the world, in an on-stage conversation of the second edition of the Saudi Film Confex in Riyadh (October 9-12).

  • Saudi Arabia Deploys Tornado Fighter Jets for Exercise in Pakistan

    The Royal Saudi Air Force has deployed six Panavia Tornado fighter jets for the Indus Shield 2024 air exercise in Pakistan, where Turkey and Egypt also showcased their military capabilities and explored opportunities for enhanced cooperation. The drill allowed each nation to discuss and exchange best practices on the latest technologies, strategies, and operations. In addition to Riyad’s Panavia Tornados, the Turkish Air Force contributed with F-16s, the Egyptian Air Force sent Mirage 2000s, and Pakistan deployed J-10C fighter jets.

  • Kushner has discussed U.S.-Saudi diplomacy with Saudi crown prince

    Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump, has discussed U.S.-Saudi diplomatic negotiations involving Israel with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman multiple times since leaving the Trump White House, said a source familiar with the discussions. The source did not identify when the talks took place and whether they occurred before or after the start of the Gaza conflict. But they included discussions on the process of normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a key diplomatic objective of both the Biden and Trump administrations, the source said.

  • Iran’s Khamenei warned Nasrallah of Israeli plot to kill him, sources say

    Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Hezbollah leader Syyed Hassan Nasrallah to flee Lebanon days before he was killed in an Israeli strike and is now deeply worried about Israeli infiltration of senior government ranks in Tehran, three Iranian sources said. In the immediate aftermath of the attack on Hezbollah's booby-trapped pagers on Sept. 17, Khamenei sent a message with an envoy to beseech the Hezbollah secretary general to leave for Iran, citing intelligence reports that suggested Israel had operatives within Hezbollah and was planning to kill him, one of the sources, a senior Iranian official, told Reuters.

  • Saudi Vision 2030 reforms cut unemployment, boosted job creation: Analysts

    The unemployment rate among Saudis fell to an all-time low of 7.1% in Q2 2024, from 7.6% in Q1 2024, based on data available since 1999, the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) Labor Force Survey showed. Analysts surveyed by Argaam attributed this downtrend to several factors driven by the Saudi Vision 2030’s goals. They said the vision-related programs helped achieve the goal of reducing unemployment six years ahead of schedule, in addition to the intense labor market reforms undertaken by the government.

  • Israel calls for evacuations from south Lebanon, explosions in Beirut

    Israel's military urged residents of over 20 towns in south Lebanon to evacuate their homes immediately on Thursday as it pressed on with an incursion after suffering its worst losses in a year of fighting the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah. The call for evacuations from southern towns included the provincial capital Nabatieh, suggesting another Israeli operation designed to further weaken Hezbollah is imminent.

  • Saudi unemployment drops again in second quarter

    The unemployment rate for Saudi nationals fell to 7.1 percent in the second quarter of 2024, government data shows, down from 7.6 percent in the first quarter and 8.5 percent in the same period a year ago. The overall unemployment rate, which includes expatriate workers, dropped to 3.3 percent in Q2, down from 4.1 percent in 2023, according to the General Authority for Statistics’ latest labour force survey.

  • Unemployment among Saudi citizens falls to 7.1% in Q2

    Unemployment among Saudi citizens continued to decrease in the second quarter, falling to 7.1%, according to government data released on Monday, down from 7.6% in the previous quarter, and from 8.5% in the same period a year earlier. The overall rate of unemployment, which includes expatriate workers, fell to 3.3% in Q2, down from 4.1% in the prior year period, the General Authority for Statistics said.

  • Saudi Arabia: Experience The Monumental Heritage Of A Kingdom Waiting To Be Explored

    Alhasan revealed that Saudi Arabia ranked as one of the top long-haul destinations for Malaysian travelers last year, “representing 23% of all long-distance trips.” In comparison to the figures from 2022, Saudi Arabia saw a significant 15% rise in Malaysian visitors in 2023, highlighting the growing appeal of the kingdom among Malaysian tourists. The Saudi Arabian tourism ministry, through the Saudi Tourism Authority’s (STA) office in Kuala Lumpur, will maintain its strong collaboration with travel partners in Malaysia to further enhance tourism opportunities.