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Posts tagged as “KSA”

Price for the coming KCON Korean Festival in Saudi

September 28, 2023

We know the when and the who for the upcoming KCON Korean Festival in Saudi, and now we have the answer on the “HOW MUCH” since there have been no official announce on the ticket price for the Korean Festival.

There will be 3 categories of tickets; Entry Ticket will be SR 280.00, Golden Circle is SR 550.00 and VIP will cost SR 1,000.00.

  • VIP : This ticket will include the access to the VIP stand, Free Snacks and Drinks, access to the Gold Circle, and the convention.
  • Gold Circle : This ticket will include the access to the private lounge, the Gold Circle, and the convention.
  • Entry Ticket : This ticket will include the access to the general areas and the convention.

You can get your tickets from TicketMX using this link – https://www.ticketmx.com/en/d/4080/kcon-saudi-arabia-2023

The Music Commission will host the KCON Festival for the second time in the Kingdom on October 6 and 7 at the Mohammed Abdo Theater in Riyadh City Boulevard, with the participation of 14 Korean bands performing an international concert over two days presenting a variety of Korean cultural music as well as allocating an accompanying exhibition concerned with Korean culture.

Exhibition timings: 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Concert timings: 10:00 pm – 12:30 am

Ticket categories:
VIP : This ticket will include the access to the VIP stand, Free Snacks and Drinks, access to the Gold Circle, and the convention.
Gold Circle : This ticket will include the access to the private lounge, the Gold Circle, and the convention.
Entry Ticket : This ticket will include the access to the general areas and the convention.
Meet & Greet : An additional ticket added to your basic ticket that let you enjoy the experience of meeting your favorite band and artists.
3 different sessions, 3 different bands per day from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm

Pricing of iPhone 15s and Iphone 15 Pros in Saudi Arabia

September 18, 2023

For those in Saudi Arabia, the iPhone 15s and iPhone 15 Pros are now available for preorder and will be available in retail store on the 22nd of September. While there is no Online Apple store for Saudi Arabia, you can place your preorder to any of the local retailers in the country.

Below are the Saudi Pricing of the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max;


Iphone 15
128 GB – SR3,799.00
256 GB – SR4,299.00
512 GB – SR5,299.00

Iphone 15 Plus
128 GB – SR4,199.00
256 GB – SR4,699.00
512 GB – SR5,699.00


iPhone 15 Pro
128 GB – SR4,699.00
256 GB – SR5,199.00
512 GB – SR6,199.00
1 TB – SR7,199.00

iPhone 15 Pro Max
256 GB – SR5,699.00
512 GB – SR6,699.00
1 TB – SR7,699.00

Lineup for the KCON Korean Festival in Saudi

September 16, 2023

We finally have the official band line up for the coming KCON Korean Festival in Saudi. Of all the 14 bands, I only recognize Super Junior. Looks like the rest of the bands are up and coming bands in the K-POP scene.

For October 6th;

  • Super Junior D&E
  • HighLight
  • Hyolyn
  • Kard
  • Everglow
  • 8turn
  • Riize

For Octoher 7th;

  • Super Junior
  • Oh My Girl
  • Dreamcatcher
  • Tempest
  • The New Six
  • Eleltz U+P
  • Evnne

The KCON Korean Festival will (KCON Riyadh 2023) be on Friday, October 6, and Saturday, October 7, at the Mohammed Abdo Arena in Boulevard Riyadh City. In addition to the musical performances, there will be an exhibition dedicated to Korean culture. This will provide attendees with a deeper understanding of Korea’s rich history and traditions.

The official Instagram account of KCon also announced the band line for the KCon Riyadh.

Yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus now available for Pre-Order in Saudi Arabia

March 11, 2023

The recently announced ‘yellow’ iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus is now available for pre-order in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The pricing of the Yellow iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are as follows;

iPhone 14

  • 128 GB – SAR 3,799.00
  • 256 GB – SAR 4,299.00
  • 512 GB – SAR 5,299.00

iPhone 14 Plus

  • 128 GB – SAR 4,199.00
  • 256 GB – SAR 4,699.00
  • 512 GB – SAR 5,899.00

You can place your pre-order to your favorite retailers; Jarir, Extra, Xcite and Virgin Megastore.

Steamdeck now available in Saudi Arabia

February 13, 2023

Steamdeck is now available in Saudi Arabia. You can purchase Valve’s handheld gaming computer – Steamdeck from Xcite, which from a quick lookup, appears to be the only local retailer to sell the gaming device. Before, if you want to purchase Steamdeck, you can either need to contact someone from the United States or buy it from the gray/black market.

The Steamdeck is a handheld gaming computer developed by Valve Corporation. Released on February 25, 2022, the Steam Deck can be played as a handheld or connected to a monitor in a similar manner to the Nintendo Switch. Steamdeck is designed to designed for playing Steam-based game, but can also support third-party storefronts like Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect, or Origin. The user can also replace the preinstalled SteamOS with a different operating system entirely, since it supports multi-booting.

Here are the pricing of Steamdeck, based on Xcite’s website listings;

  • SAR 2,498.99 – Steamdeck 64GB eMMC
  • SAR 3,199.00 – Steamdeck 256GB NVMe SSD
  • SAR 4,199.00 – Steamdeck 512GB NVMe SSD

Here’s the full specs of the Steamdeck;

Compute
Processor AMD APU
CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)
GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz (up to 1.6 TFlops FP32)
APU power: 4-15W
RAM 16 GB LPDDR5 on-board RAM (5500 MT/s quad 32-bit channels)
Storage 64 GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 x1)
256 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or PCIe Gen 3 x2*)
512 GB high-speed NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or PCIe Gen 3 x2*)

Controls and Input
Gamepad controls A B X Y buttons
D-pad
L & R analog triggers
L & R bumpers
View & Menu buttons
4 x assignable grip buttons
Thumbsticks 2 x full-size analog sticks with capacitive touch
Haptics HD haptics
Trackpads 2 x 32.5mm square trackpads with haptic feedback
55% better latency compared to Steam Controller
Pressure-sensitivity for configurable click strength
Gyro 6-Axis IMU

Display
Resolution 1280 x 800px (16:10 aspect ratio)
Type Optically bonded IPS LCD for enhanced readability
Display Size 7″ diagonal
Brightness 400 nits typical
Refresh Rate 60Hz
Touch Enabled Yes
Sensors Ambient light sensor

Connectivity
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0 (support for controllers, accessories and audio)
Wi-Fi Dual-band Wi-Fi radio, 2.4GHz and 5GHz, 2 x 2 MIMO, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac

Audio
Channels Stereo with embedded DSP for an immersive listening experience
Microphones Dual microphone array
Headphone / mic jack 3.5mm stereo headphone / headset jack
Digital Multichannel audio via DisplayPort over USB-C, standard USB-C, or Bluetooth 5.0

Power
Input 45W USB Type-C PD3.0 power supply
Battery 40Whr battery. 2 – 8 hours of gameplay

Expansion
microSD UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC
External connectivity for controllers & displays USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode support; up to 8K @60Hz or 4K @120Hz, USB 3.2 Gen 2y

Size and Weight
Size 298mm x 117mm x 49mm
Weight Approx. 669 grams

Software
Operating System SteamOS 3.0 (Arch-based)
Desktop KDE Plasma

Images and video from steamdeck.com

Current pricing of the new Samsung Galaxy S23 phones in Saudi Arabia

February 5, 2023

If you’re in Saudi Arabia, below are the pricing of the just announced Samsung Galaxy S23 phones;

Galaxy S23
8GB RAM + 128GB storage – TBA
8GB RAM + 256GB storage – SAR 3,499.00

Galaxy S23+
8GB RAM + 256GB storage – SAR 3,999.00
8GB RAM + 512GB storage – SAR 4,399.00

Galaxy S23 Ultra
8GB RAM + 256GB storage – TBA
12GB RAM + 256GB storage – SAR 5,199.00
12GB RAM + 512GB storage – SAR 5,699.00
12GB RAM + 1TB storage – SAR 6,699.00

Samsung announced the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ last Feb 1, 2023 at their Galaxy Unpacked 2023. In a nutshell, the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ are the same phones with different screen size while the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the premium version that supports S-Pen and features a 200 MP camera.

You can read more about the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ here.

Changes to Passport Renewal Process at the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh this New Year

January 4, 2023

Philippine Embassy in Riyadh just announced that there will be changes in the passport renewal this 2023. The announcement took effect last Jan 3, 2023, the Consular Section of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh will only receive regular passport renewal application through VFS Global both in Riyadh and in Al Khobar. Walk-ins are allowed adn no need for an appointment.

Philippine Embassy in Riyadh will still provide the following services;

  1. Passport applications for newborns
  2. Issuance of emergency travel documents
  3. Resolutions of issues with passport applications
  4. Civil Registry (Reports of Birth, Marriage and Death)
  5. Application for marriage and solemnization of marriage
  6. Correction of entries in birth certificates and marriage contracts registered at the Embassy
  7. Notarial
  8. Visa

DFA welcomes the return of four abused Filipino nurses from Saudi Arabia, November 12th, 2022.

November 14, 2022

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced the safety return of four (4) abused Filipino Nurses from Saudi Arabia.

The four nurses originally filed a labor complaint against their employer for maltreatment, verbal and physical abuse, and unpaid salaries. The employer retaliated by filing cases against them for theft and labor contract violations for which they were eventually detained, to which the 4 OFW lost the case then later detained.

While in detention, DFA provided the workers with legal and welfare assistance and was able to successfully secure their release and repatriated back to the Philippines.

“The release from detention and the repatriation of the four nurses are proof that the DFA remains fully committed to its mandate to assist our distressed overseas Filipinos, especially when they are victims of abuses by their employers,” affirmed DFA Acting Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Eduardo Jose A. De Vega.

Source: Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia launches its own electric vehicle brand – Ceer

November 10, 2022

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced the launching of Ceer – “the first Saudi electric vehicle brand that will contribute to Saudi Arabia’s automotive manufacturing sector.” The announcement is part of PIR and Saudi’s plan to diversify the country’s economy, as it moves away from oil dependency.

Ceer will also contribute to Kingdom’s “efforts towards carbon emissions reduction and driving sustainability to address the impact of climate change.” In the official announcement published by Saudi Press Agency (SPA), his Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) said;

Saudi Arabia is not just building a new automotive brand, we are igniting a new industry and an ecosystem that attracts international and local investments, creates job opportunities for local talent, enables the private sector, and contributes to increasing Saudi Arabia’s GDP over the next decade, as part of PIF’s strategy to drive the economic growth in line with Vision 2030.

Ceer is the first Saudi automotive brand that will will design, manufacture and sell a range of electric vehicles for consumers in Saudi Arabia and the MENA region. It is projected that Ceer will attract more than US$150 million of foreign direct investment, and create up to 30,000 direct and indirect jobs. Ceer is projected to directly contribute US$8 billion to Saudi Arabia’s GDP by 2034.

Ceer motors, the company behind Ceer, is a joint venture between PIF and Foxconn, will be using technology from BMW for its vehicle development process. Foxconn will also develop the electrical architecture of the vehicle, to power its infotainment, connectivity and autonomous driving technologies. Each vehicle will be designed and manufactured in Saudi Arabia, and will be tested to the highest global automotive quality control and safety standards. Ceer vehicles are expected to be on the road by 2025.

Source: SPA, ceermotors.com

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman appointed as Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia

September 28, 2022

In a Royal Decree, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman have been appointed by King Salman as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s appointment was made with the exemption to the provision of Article 56 of the Basic Law of Governance, and the relevant provisions contained in the Law of the Council of Ministers.

The Royal Decree also states that Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Khalid Bin Salman will be the Kingdom’s Minister of Defense and Yousef Bin Abdullah Al-Benyan as the Minister of Education.

The King appointed Talal Bin Abdullah Al-Otaibi as assistant minister of defense.

Source: Saudi Gazette
Image: SPA

Realme 7 and Realme 7 Pro now available at Jarir

November 3, 2020

After almost two month since it was announce, realme 7 series is now available in Saudi Arabia thru Jarir bookstore. Both the realme 7 and realme 7 Pro will be sold in the Kingdom. Realme 7 Pro will retail for SAR 1,299.00, while the Realme 7 retail for SAR 999.00.

Both the Realme 7 and Realme 7 Pro will have 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. You can checkout the full specs of Realme 7 here and the Realme 7 Pro here.

Where you can pre-order Xbox Series X and Series S in Saudi Arabia?

September 22, 2020

If you are on the Xbox faction, this is where you can pre-order Microsoft’s next gaming console.

Both the Xbox Series X and Series S are available with the following retail price;
Xbox Series X 1 TB – SAR 2,299.00
Xbox Series S 512 GB – SAR 1,349 (at Extra, it mentioned that the storage is 1 TB).

The pre-order period starts on September 22nd, 2020 until November 6th, 2020 while quantities last. Shipping for the Xbox Series X is expected to be between November 7th , 2020 and November 12th, 2020, while the shipping for the Xbox Series S will be between November 13th , 2020 and November 18th, 2020.

Saudi Arabia extends curfew to 3:00 PM

March 26, 2020

Three days after imposing a curfew, Saudi government announced that the curfew will now extend to 3:00 Pm in the afternoon from the previous time of 7:00 PM.

The new curfew time took effect today, March 26, 2020, as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 1,012. There were also reports that a curfew violators have been apprehended in the Eastern region of the country.

The new curfew time will not affect the previously reported exemption like “employees of the security, military and media sectors, and workers in the sensitive health and service sectors.”

Source: Arab News

Philippine Embassy Advisory on the Imposition of Curfew in KSA

March 24, 2020

With the recent announcement of the nation-wide curfew, the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia also released an advisory for the OFW in the country.

The advisory provided additional information on the imposed curfew and encourages OFW in the Kingdom to stay at home to prevent the further spreading of COVID-19.

The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh also deleted the advisory that they released yesterday regarding “the new rule from Saudi Government that all shops except supermarket and medical store will only be open from 6 am to 8 pm.”

Here’s their official statement;

Saudi Government enforces curfew to slowdown the spreading of COVID-19

March 24, 2020

In an effort to slowdown the spread of the highly contagious novel coronavirus or COVID-19, the Saudi Arabian government has mpose a kingdom-wide curfew for 21 days, which started today, Monday, March 23, 2020.

The curfew will be for the “health and safety of citizens and expatriates” within the Kingdom. Exempted from the curfew “are the employees of the security, military and media sectors, and workers in the sensitive health and service sectors.” The Saudi government released a separate announcement providing additional information on the “Curfews’ Exceptions.” you read the full text of the announcement here.

The Saudi Government is also urging everyone to stay at home during the curfew period and not to leave unless it is extremely necessary.

The curfew was impose a day after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reported that there have been more than 500 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Source: SPA
Image By lawepw via flickr

Philippine Embassy’s response on the news regarding the new rule from Saudi Government

March 23, 2020
Philippine Embassy’s response on the news regarding the new rule from Saudi Government

Philippine Embassy in Riyadh just release a statement regarding “the new rule from Saudi Government that all shops except supermarket and medical store will only be open from 6 am to 8 pm.”, which is circulating in different social media platform and being shared to OFW within the Kingdom.

Here’s their official statement;

This is fake news and if ever someone sent this to you, just inform them and stop spreading the news.

Temporary suspension of regular consular services at the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh

March 20, 2020
Temporary suspension of regular consular services at the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh

Philippine Embassy in Riyadh is temporarily suspending all their regular consular services in view of the measures to limit the spread of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID 19). Exempted from the suspension are emergencies like issuance of travel documents in case of death, medical emergencies and release of passports.

You can read the full announcement below;

Philippines now included in Saudi Arabia Travel Restriction

March 12, 2020

If you are coming from the Philippines, you won’t be able enter Saudi Arabia, since the Kingdom just included Philippines in their travel restriction list.

You are exempted from the travel ban if you are a health workers in as long as you take the necessary precautions and cleared enter the country.

Here are the list of countries as reported by Arab News;

Region

1. Bahrain
2. Egypt
3. Iraq
4. Kuwait
5. Lebanon
6. Oman
Syria
7. Turkey
8. UAE
ASIA

1. China
2. India
3. Pakistan
4. Philippines
5. South Korea
6. Sri Lanka

AFRICA

1. Djibouti
2. Eritrea
3. Ethiopia
4. Kenya
5. Somalia
6. South Sudan
7. Sudan

EUROPE

1. Austria
2. Belgium
3. Bulgaria
4. Croatia
5. Cyprus
6. Czech Republic
7. Denmark
8. Estonia
9. Finland
10. France
11. Germany
12. Greece
13. Hungary
14. Ireland
15. Italy
16. Latvia
17. Lithuania
18. Luxembourg
19. Malta
20. Netherlands
21. Poland
22. Portugal
23. Romania
24. Slovakia
25. Slovenia
26. Spain
27. Sweden
28. Switzerland (non-EU member)

Saudi’s Ministry of Education suspends all classes on all levels

March 9, 2020

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education suspends all classes to all levels as a preventive measures against COVID-19.

Here’s what the ministry announced from their official twitter account;

(Translated via Google Translate)

# The Ministry of Education announces the # suspension of study in all public, private, university and technical education schools and institutions in the Kingdom, from Monday 7/14/1441 AH until further notice.

There are now 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Kingdom, most are those who came from Iran and entered the country via the UAE.

Honor 9X Pro now in Saudi Arabia

March 2, 2020
Honor 9X Pro now in Saudi Arabia

Honor just announced that the Honor 9X Pro will be available Saudi Arabia for SAR 999.00. The company is currently accepting pre-order, where users will get freebies worth SAR 999.00.

These are the freebies;
-18K Gold Coin 2 Grams Standard.
-HONOR Sport PRO Earphones.
-6 Months Screen Warranty.
-6 Months HUAWEI Mobile Cloud 50GB Storage.
-Up to 6 Months HUAWEI Music VIP Membership.

Here are the notable features of the Honor 9X Pro;

  • 6.59-inch Pop-up FullView display
  • Kirin 810 chipset
  • 48MP f/1.8 main + 8MP f/2.4 super wide-angle + 2MP depth-assist triple rear camera setup
  • 16MP pop-up selfie camera
  • 4,000mAh battery
  • Liquid cooling system
  • HUAWEI APPGALLERY
  • 6GB RAM and 256GB storage