JEDDAH: Saudi Minister of Health Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah announced on Thursday that the health plan for this year’s Hajj was a success, with no coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection cases identified.
“I would like to announce that this Hajj was successful, with neither coronavirus infection nor any other epidemic diseases reported,” he said.
He pointed out that due to the leadership’s interest in maintaining pilgrims’ health and safety, his ministry prepared the Saudi Red Crescent Authority for this year’s Hajj season, through an integral system of health facilities at the holy sites.
This included, he added, several hospitals, health centers and highly-equipped ambulances staffed by medical, technical and administrative personnel.
Al-Rabiah said that all the government agencies participating in serving pilgrims had made great efforts in executing the Hajj health plans to ensure safety, and to prevent any coronavirus infections during this year’s Hajj season, which was downsized to 60,000 vaccinated pilgrims.
He extended his gratitude to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their “unlimited support” to the Ministry of Health and its workers, as well as all government authorities and agencies which took part in Hajj.
“I would like to thank the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their care and keenness to deploy all capabilities in the service of the Guests of Allah and facilitate everything for them to safely and comfortably perform Hajj,” the minister said.
He added he hoped that Allah would accept the pilgrims’ Hajj and reward them, and wished them a safe return to their families.
Health plan for Hajj was a success, says Saudi minister
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Health plan for Hajj was a success, says Saudi minister

- “I would like to announce that this Hajj was successful, with neither coronavirus infection nor any other epidemic diseases reported”: Al-Rabiah
Uber CEO tells Riyadh-based forum AV cars to be seen in Saudi Arabia this year

- Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi: You will see autonomous vehicles in Saudi Arabia this year. It’s something that we are very focused on
- Khosrowshahi: Ultimately, autonomous will not only be safer, but will also be a cheaper form of transportation
RIYADH: The CEO of Uber announced Tuesday that autonomous vehicles will soon be seen in Saudi Arabia.
“You will see autonomous vehicles in Saudi Arabia this year”, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told a panel at the Saudi-US Investment Forum on Tuesday. “It’s something that we are very focused on.”
He said the vehicles would provide a much safer environment both for the passengers and other road users.
“Autonomous holds incredible potential for us,” he added. “First of all, it represents a safer street, as the autonomous driver isn’t distracted, isn’t going be texting while they’re driving, etc. And it’s a driver that continues to learn from all the experience of all the miles driven all over all over the world.”
“Ultimately, autonomous will not only be safer, but will also be a cheaper form of transportation.”
“We are now working with 18 autonomous partners... to make sure that autonomous technology are introduced in a safe matter.”
He also discussed how the Kingdom represented one of Uber’s top growing markets.
“First of all, the Kingdom represents one of our top growing markets,” he added.
He said there were 140,000 drivers who were now Saudi nationals on the platform, 4 million riders, and he said they operated in 20 cities across the Kingdom.
On the competition with other transport services he added: “Uber and public transit really do complement each other. There’s a perception that to some extent Uber competes with public transit, but actually our top competitor is personal car ownership and what we see in cities that have a strong public transit infrastructure, we see people using their cars less and Uber becomes a first mile and last mile solution to public transits.”
“So, for example, with the Riyadh Metro system… we offer discounted rides for first mile and last mile ... what we’re trying to then build is a lifestyle that essentially complements public transit.”
This session on Saudi Arabia’s GIGA projects, an in-depth conversation on the next chapter of national transformation, was moderated by Arab News Editor-in-Chief Faisal J. Abbas.
Saudi Arabia has committed itself to an abundance of giga projects as part of Vision 2030 in the Kingdom’s ongoing modernization.
One such project is Diriyah, the birthplace of Saudi Arabia.
Jerry Inzerillo, CEO of Diriyah company, spoke on preserving the Kingdom’s history, and the ancestral home of Al-Saud, the center of cultural heritage and diplomacy,
Celebrating that the project was running to schedule and on budget, he added: “We just welcomed to the UNESCO World Heritage site this week our three millionth visitor. We have 45,000 workers on their job now. We are very honored and pleased to say that right now we’re doing business with 83 American companies.”
Michael Dyke, CEO of the New Murabba Development Project, a vast cube-shaped building in Riyadh forming another part of the Vision 2030 project, said it would be one of the world’s iconic buildings and landmarks.
Dyke said the New Murabba in Riyadh, which is home to the Mukaab structure, would span 2 million square meters of floor space.
“It is one of the greatest, largest structures ever known,” Dyke said.
Drawing a comparison in size to entertainment MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, that seats almost 18,000 people, Dyke said the Mukaab would be 22 times larger.
“So when people enter the Mukaab, they will enter another world, there will be holograms and there will be strong AI driving through the whole of the facility.”
“The Mukaab will come on line in 2030 onwards, when people come to Riyadh they will see something new, something different. It would be another fantastic place that will complement the amazing projects already happening in the Kingdom.”
Another massive project being created as part of the Kingdom’s development is NEOM – a vast city on the Red Sea coast.
Rayan Fayez, Deputy CEO of NEOM, said the 26,500 square kilometer project would be the size of Massachusetts.
“Building a city and a region of this scale, requires significant infrastructure,” Fayez said.
“When we talk about some of the themes that we are spending our time and effort on, infrastructure is a big one. So whether its digital infrastructure, 500 kilometers of fiber has already been laid, a data center being built, power and utility infrastructure already have solar, and wind farms up. In addition to 194 kilometers of water pipeline, food infrastructure, greenhouse is being developed because NEOM is not just a real-estate development initiative, it’s an economy building.”
“It’s an 8.4 billion investment, a joint venture between Neom Aqua Power and Air products, which is, of course, a US company with a significant investment coming into Neom, developing what will become Green Hydrogen Project.”
John Pagano, CEO of Red Sea Global, in terms of investment opportunities he said they ere with numbers American companies and hospitality brands, including Marriot, Hayat and Hilton.
Massive shading project underway at Namira Mosque courtyards for Hajj

- Project will be implemented during the Hajj season to help to alleviate heat and to facilitate the movement of pilgrims as they perform their rituals
- Features planting 2,000 trees in the eastern courtyards, installing complete infrastructure for water and electricity networks, constructing 320 canopies, and setting up 350 misting fans
MAKKAH: Kidana Development Co., the master developer of the holy sites and the executive arm of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites, has implemented a project to provide shade and cooling in the courtyards surrounding the Namira Mosque in Arafat.
The project will be implemented during the Hajj season to help moderate the climate — especially given the intense heat during that time — and to facilitate the movement of pilgrims as they perform their rituals, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
The project, covering 85,000 square meters, includes planting 2,000 trees in the eastern courtyards, installing complete infrastructure for water and electricity networks, constructing 320 canopies, and setting up 350 misting fans.
Additionally, the company has completed the planting of 20,000 trees across 290,000 square meters as part of the Green Holy Sites initiative, in line with the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to expand green areas and improve the environment.
Royal Saudi Air Force joins search and rescue drill in Turkiye

- Saudi team brought two Cougar search and rescue helicopters, along with full aircrews and technical support
- 11-day drill focuses on combat search and rescue operations that support broader air missions
RIYADH: The international combat search and rescue exercise Phoenix of Anatolia began on Monday at Turkiye’s Konya Air Base, with the Royal Saudi Air Force joining units from several other countries.
The Saudi team brought two Cougar search and rescue helicopters, along with full aircrews and technical support, according to Lt. Col. Pilot Abdulrahman Al-Mansour, who leads the Saudi contingent.
“Our team includes six air controllers and aims to improve readiness in realistic conditions while exchanging expertise with other forces,” Al-Mansour said.
The 11-day drill focuses on combat search and rescue operations that support broader air missions. One focus is training tactical air control teams to coordinate with allied systems, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
The Saudi delegation arrived last week and was received by Rear Adm. Abdullah bin Gaith, the Kingdom’s military attache in Ankara.
KSrelief continues to aid Lebanon’s refugee population

RIYADH: Dozens of ambulance missions have been carried out by the Souboul Al Salam Association’s ambulance service in the Miniyeh district, northern Lebanon, in a Saudi-funded initiative.
Financially backed by KSrelief, the initiative ran from May 2-5.
The mission aimed to provide transportation and burn treatment for Syrian refugees and the local community.
WWE, Riyadh Season to host Night of Champions in June

- Kingdom Arena to hold event on June 27
RIYADH: World Wrestling Entertainment, in collaboration with Riyadh Season, will host the Night of Champions event at the Kingdom Arena, part of the Kingdom’s ongoing commitment to creating international entertainment, the Saudi Press Agency has reported.
The SmackDown show will take place on Friday, June 27.
The event will be exclusively live on Peacock in the US but will also be available on Netflix and other outlets for people in Saudi Arabia.