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Posts tagged as “Saudi Arabia”

Disney Plus to increase subscription plan in the Middle East

November 4, 2023

Disney Plus, the popular streaming service, has announced a price increase for its subscription fee in the Middle East. The new pricing will take effect starting 21 November 2023. This means all the existing users signed up on or before 17 October 2023 and set to renew every month, will be charged at the revised subscription prices starting 21 November 2023. If the payment fails, the billing retries that happen on or after 21 November 2023 will be billed at the new price.

The monthly subscription fee for Disney Plus in the Saudi Arabia increase from SAR 29.99 to SAR 39.99. The annual subscription fee will now be SAR 354.99. The price increase appears to be part of the company’s plan to “accelerate profitability for the business.”

Below will be the new price plan of Disney Plus subscriptions in the Middle East;

Compare to Netflix’s Standard plan of SAR 43/month, the new SAR 39.99/month price of Disney is still low.

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

Saudi pricing of the new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2

September 18, 2023

If you are in Saudi and want to preorder the new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, below are the pricing from the top retailer in the Kingdom.


Apple Watch Series 9
Aluminum
41mm
GPS – SR1,849.00
GPS + Cellular – SR2,249.00

45mm
GPS – SR1,969.00
GPS + Cellular – SR2,379.00

Stainless Steel
41mm (GPS + Cellular)
Rubber Band – SR3,149.00
Stainless steel Band – SR3,349.00

45mm (GPS + Cellular)
Rubber Band – SR3,379.00
Textile Band – SR3,379.00
Stainless steel Band – SR3,579.00


Apple Watch Ultra 2 on ALL BANDS – SR3,599.00

Just like with the new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pros, the new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be available on Sept 22nd.

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.

KCON Korean Festival returns to Saudi for the Second time

September 11, 2023

Here’s something for OFW who are a big fan of K-pop, K-drama and/or Korean culture in general.

The KCON Korean Festival will return to Saudi Arabia to celebrate Korean culture in all its vibrant forms. This year, KCON Riyadh 2023 is officially happening this fall. The festival will take place on Friday, October 6, and Saturday, October 7, at the Mohammed Abdo Arena in Boulevard Riyadh City.

KCON Riyadh 2023 promises to be an exciting event, featuring performances by 14 South Korean bands. Fans can look forward to a variety of concerts and meet-and-greets, providing a unique opportunity to interact with their favorite artists.

But KCON is not just about music. It’s a celebration of all things Korean. 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.

Moreover, a market will be set up where attendees can pick up all sorts of Korean goodies. Whether you’re looking for K-pop merchandise, traditional Korean crafts, or popular Korean snacks.

First launched in LA in 2012, KCON has since grown into one of the largest Korean cultural festivals worldwide. It now attracts over a million visitors yearly across four continents.

No line up have been announce and we can assume that this will come in the coming days.

Brazilian Superstar Neymar Jr. Joins Saudi Club Al-Hilal in Two-Year Deal

August 16, 2023

Brazilian superstar Neymar has joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal in a two-year deal, the club announced on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. Neymar, who had been with Paris Saint-Germain since 2017, leaves the French club after scoring 118 goals in 173 appearances. He won the Ligue 1 title with PSG five times, but the club was never able to win the Champions League, which Neymar had been hoping to achieve.

After signing his transfer contract, Neymar Jr. stated that he was very happy, winning titles and friends in Europe and he enjoyed special times. Being a global player, always wanted to test himself in new challenges and opportunities in new places. He said, “I want to write a new history, and the Saudi Professional League has tremendous energy and quality players and is in great growth at the moment, so I believe it is the desired place.”

He added, “Al-Hilal is a giant club with fantastic fans, and it is the best in Asia. This gives me a feeling that it is the right decision for me at the right time with the right club, i love winning and scoring goals, and I plan to continue doing that in Saudi Arabia and with Al-Hilal.”

Al-Hilal is one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, holding 66 official titles. The club is also a regular participant in the AFC Champions League, and has won the tournament four times.

Neymar’s arrival is a major coup for Al-Hilal and is expected to boost the club’s chances of winning more trophies and retaining their leadership in the coming years. The Brazilian is one of the most popular and marketable players in the world, and his signing is sure to attract attention to the Saudi Professional League.

The transfer fee for Neymar is reported to be around $90 million, making it the most expensive transfer in Saudi Arabian football history.

Neymar’s move to Saudi Arabia has been met with mixed reactions. Some have criticized the move, saying that it is a waste of money for a club in a relatively small league. Others have defended the move, saying that it is a good opportunity for Neymar to experience a new culture and challenge himself in a new league.

Source: AlHIlal, Reuters, neymarjr.com

Honor 90 and Honor 90 Lite announced in Middle East

July 24, 2023

Honor Arabia has officially announced the availability of Honor 90 and Honor 90 Lite in the Middle East region. Both the Honor 90 and Honor 90 Lite are now available for pre-order.

Honor 90 features a 6.7 inches AMOLED display with Quad-Curved Floating Screen, a 93.3% Screen-to-body Ratio and a 2664×1200 resolution. It will have an Octa-core Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Accelerated Edition CPU and a Adreno 644 GPU. It will be running MagicOS 7.1 OS which is based on Android 13 and will be available in 8GB+256GB and 12GB+512GB variants.

As for the camera, the Honor 90 will have a triple rear camera setup; 200MP Ultra-Clear Camera (f/1.9), 12MP Ultra Wide and Macro Camera (f/2.2) and a 2MP Depth Camera (f/2.4). It supports up to 4K video resolution, 10x digital zoom and image capture of 16256×12192 pixels. Honor 90’s triple rear camera also include a single LED flash. As for the front shooter, it features a 50MP Camera(f/2.4) that can capture image at 8160×6112 pixels and up to 4k video resolution.

The Honor 90 will have 5000 mAh Lithium polymer battery that supports up to 11V/6A SuperCharge, compatible with 10V/4A,5V/2A. Just like with modern mobile phones, the Honor 90 support 5G, 4G LTE, 3G (WCDMA) and 2G (GSM). For wireless connectivity it supports WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 2×2 MIMO at 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency. Honor 90 also supports Bluetooth 5.2, GPS /AGPS/GLONASS/BeiDou/Galileo.

Honor 90 will be available in 3 colors; Diamond Silver, Midnight Black and Emerald Green.

The Honor 90 Lite on the other hand will have a slightly different specs, it features a 6.7 inches LTPS LCD display with a 2388×1080 resolution. It will have an a slower MediaTek Dimensity 6020 CPU and a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. Like with the Honor 90, it will also be running MagicOS 7.1 OS right out of the box. Unlike with its syblings, the Honor 90 Lite will come in 8GB+256GB variant.

As for the camera, the Honor 90 lite will also come with a triple rear camera setup; 100MP Main Camera(f/1.9), 5MP Ultra Wide and Depth Camera (f/2.2) and a 2MP Macro Camera(f/2.4). It will also feature up to 1080p video resolution, 10x digital zoom and up to up to 11584×8688 pixels image. The front shooter of the Honor 90 Lite is a 16MP (f/2.45) camera that supports up to 1920×1080 pixels for video capture and up to 4608×3456 pixels for image.

The Honor 90 lite will have smaller 4500mAh Li-ion Polymer Battery. The Honor 90 lite supports 5G, 4G LTE, 3G (WCDMA) and 2G (GSM). For wireless connectivity it supports WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 2×2 MIMO at 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency, Bluetooth 5.3 and GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BeiDou/Galileo.

Honor 90 will be available in 3 colors; Cyan Lake,Titanium Silver and Midnight Black.

In UAE the Honor 90 Lite is available for pre-order for 899AED and Honor 90 will be available for 1599AED that includes free gifts worth 597AED, while in Saudi Arabia, you can pre-order the Honor 90 Lite for SAR 949 with free gifts worth SAR528 and price for the Honor 90 will announced once it is available for pre-order this 26th July.

Riyadh Air unveil designs for their planes and new promotional video

June 5, 2023

Riyadh Air unveil the first of two design of their fleet which blend of cutting-edge technology and timeless elegance. The name Riyadh Air can be seen across the plane and features a lavender colors with stripes design.

Together with the new planes, Riyadh Air also release a 51 secs promo video that teases the public regarding an event on June 12th.

Public Investment Fund (PIF) first announce Riyadh Air in March of this year, explaining that the airline is expected to add US$20 billion to non-oil GDP growth, and create more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Saudi Astronaut Ali Alqarni shares image of Riyadh from the International Space Station

May 29, 2023

Saudi Astronaut Ali Alqarni who went to the International Space Station (ISS) last 22nd of May via Axiom Space’s Ax-2 mission, just a picture of Riyadh from the International Space Station (ISS). The image is a photo of a shining Riyadh at night. Astrounaut Ali Alqarni also shared a picture of the flag of Saudi Arabia inside the ISS.

The Saudi Crew are currently conducting educational outreach and conduct innovative research experiments while in orbit. The Axiom Space’s Ax-2 mission crew are currently in orbit and are scheduled to return early June 2022.

Crew of Axiom Mission 2 checks in before their flight to the International Space Station

May 22, 2023

The Axiom Space’s Ax-2 mission crew checks in before their long flight to the International Space Station. The 4-man crew is composed of Saudi Nationals Rayyanah Barwani and Ali Alqarni joined by Americans commander Peggy Whitson and pilot John Shoffner.

From ArabNews;

Rayyanah Barwani, who is the first Arab woman to reach orbit, graduated from the University of Otago, New Zealand with a BA in biomedical sciences, and obtained a master’s degree in biomedical sciences from Alfaisal University.

Ali Alqarni graduated from King Faisal Air Academy with a BA in aeronautical science and obtained a diploma in aeronautical science from Vance Air Force Base in the US. He is a captain in the Royal Saudi Air Force with more than 12 years of experience as a jet pilot.

Mission commander Peggy Whitson is the most experienced, having three previous trips to the ISS under her belt and 665 days in space. John Shoffner will serve as the pilot of the Dragon crew vehicle. The Axiom Space’s Ax-2 mission crew is scheduled to reached the ISS on Monday morning at around 9:16AM ET and they will be in orbit for 10 days.

Axiom Space’s Ax-2 mission is the second all-private human spaceflight mission to the International Space Station. The Ax-2 crew will participate in educational outreach and conduct innovative research experiments while on the orbiting laboratory.

Public Investment Fund (PIF) launches Riyadh Air, a new national carrier to expand Saudi’s local and global aviation industry

March 15, 2023

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) just announced the launching of a new national airline Riyadh Air. Wholly owned by PIF, Riyadh Air will leverage Saudi Arabia’s strategic geographic location between the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, enabling Riyadh to become a gateway to the world and a global destination for transportation, trade, and tourism.

Riyadh Air will be chaired by His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of PIF, while Tony Douglas, will be its Chief Executive Officer. Douglas brings more than 40 years of experience in the aviation, transportation and logistics industries.

The newly established airline is expected to add US$20 billion to non-oil GDP growth, and create more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Ramadan 2023 working hours announced for Saudi Arabia’s Private and Public Sector

March 15, 2023

Ramadan, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is just less than 10 days away and all workers in both public and private sector will have shorted working hours.

As announced by Saudi’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD), the working hours in the public sector will reduced to 5 hours a day, from 10 AM to 3 PM, while those working in the private sector, it will have a 6 hours workday, flexible time from 9 to 10 in the morning and 3 to 4 in the afternoon.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community.

Source: Saudi Gazette 1, 2

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.

Happy Bear MilkTea, an authentic taste of bubble tea from Taiwan to Saudi Arabia

March 6, 2023

Craving for milktea?

If you’re in Riyadh, KSA you can checkout Bubble TEA, a milktea shop that started as a home business and now a full blown business with 4 partners around the country. Their shop in Riyadh is located in the Sulimaniyah district, less than 1 km from Prince Sultan Medical City.

This is their location via Google Maps – https://goo.gl/maps/esVNSkkax3RdX6rj7

Happy Bear MilkTea offers dine-in or take-out.

You can checkout their full menu here.

Saudi Arabia to celebrate Flag Day on March 11 every year

March 5, 2023

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud announced in a royal decree that the Kingdom will celebrate March 11 every year as a special day for the Saudi flag named “Flag Day”.

Here’s the full text of the royal decree;

The decree said that this is based on the value of the national flag extending throughout the history of the Saudi state since its founding in 1139 AH corresponding to 1727 AD, which symbolizes the testimony of monotheism (There is no God but Allah) in its middle which is the message of peace and Islam on which this blessed state was based; and the sword symbolizes strength, dignity, the height of wisdom and status. For nearly three centuries, the flag is a witness to the country’s unification campaigns waged by the Saudi state, and the citizens of this country have considered it as a banner of pride and lofty out of belief in the great importance of the flag as a manifestation of the state, its strength, sovereignty, and a symbol of cohesion, coalition and national unity.

Whereas, the 27th of Dhu al-Hijjah 1355 AH corresponding to March 11, 1937 AD, is the day when the Founder late King Abdulaziz endorsed the flag in the form that we see today fluttering with its great connotations that refer to monotheism, justice, strength, development and prosperity.

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

Saudi Arabia beats Messi’s Argentina (2 – 1), one of the biggest upset in World Cup History

November 22, 2022

In what can be considered as one of the biggest upset in World Cup History, Saudi Arabia beats Argentina, 2 – 1, this is the first time a team in the Arab country has beaten Argentina in the FIFA World Cup.

It was all Argentina in the 1st half of the game, where Messi scoring the one and only goal of Argentina via penalty kick. Then in the second half, the Saudi’s lead by Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari, both scored in a span of five minutes to secure Saudi’s first win the tournament.

Saudi Arabia now leads Group C that includes Mexico, Poland and Argentina. Their next game will be against Poland this 26th of November, then Mexico on the 30th of November. Teams in each group are playing one another in a round-robin, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stage. While Argentina will face Mexico on November 26th and then Poland on November 30th.

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

OFW deployment in Saudi Arabia to start on November 7th 2022

September 14, 2022

Great news for our kababayan wanting to find jobs in Saudi Arabia, since the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have agreed to RESUME the deployment of Filipino workers to the Kingdom starting 7th November 2022.

You can read the joint statement of Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) below;

The announcement was posted on official Facebook page of Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia.

How to Pre-Order the iPhone 14 in Saudi Arabia

September 12, 2022

If you are still high on the recent announcement of the new iPhone 14 series, and want to immediately order the device, then you’ve come to the right place.

There are a number of ways you can pre-order the iPhone 14; you can preorder the device thru your carrier or thru a retailer.

These are the leading carrier in Saudi Arabia where you can preorder the latest Apple smartphone;

  • Mobily – orders will be released 16/09/2022 except for iPhone 14 Plus which will be available on October 7th, 2022.
  • STC – you can order via mystc app, which means that you should be a current STC subscriber in order to have an active MY STC account.
  • Virgin Mobile – they offer a limited number of of iPhone 14s for pre-order. You can also pre-register your interest and once iPhone 14 are available they will notify you over SMS.
  • Virgin Mobile – you can pre order thru their mobile app.
  • Zain – Stock is limited, 1 order per customer and the iPhone will be released on 16 September 2022, while the iPhone 14 Plus will be available by 7th of October .

If you want to go and place your pre order thru a retailer, then these are the leading retailers in the Kingdom;

All retailers said that the the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max will be release on September 16, 2022, while iPhone 14 Plus will be available by October 7th.

iPhone 14 & iPhone 14 Plus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehbmC1irQuY

iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max

Gilas Pilipinas routs Saudi Arabia in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers (84 – 46)

August 29, 2022
Gilas Pilipinas routs Saudi Arabia in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers (84 – 46)
Image: FIBA

Gilas Pilipinas crushed the Saudi Arabia in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers held in Mall of Asia Arena, this Monday, August 29. After falling behind the Saudis in the first quarter 14-11, the Gilas Pilipinas lead by NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson and Dwight Ramos, scored 23 points in the second qtr. while holding the Saudis to just 17 second quarter points.

Jordan Clarkson finished with a game high 23 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds, while Kai Sotto contributed 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

Here are some highlights of the game;

Philippines currently stands at 3-3, while Saudi Arabia is at 1 – 5, for the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

The Scores
Philippines 84 – Clarkson 23, Sotto 16, Ramos 9, Aguilar 8, K. Ravena 8, Parks 6, Oftana 6, T. Ravena 4, Thompson 2, Malonzo 2, Newsome 0, Adams 0.

Saudi Arabia 46 – Abdel Gabar 9, Kadi 9, Ma. Almarwani 9, Mo. Almarwani 8, Almuwallad 4, Belal 3, Mohammed 2, Abo Jalas 2, Alsager 0, Albargawi 0.

Quarters: 14-11, 37-28, 61-36, 84-46.

Saudi Government will no longer shoulder the COVID-19 cost for patients in private hospital

March 19, 2022

Saudi Arabia will no longer pay for the treatment of COVID-19 cost for patients in private private sector.

This was announced by Council of Health Insurance (Dhaman) last Tuesday, 14th of March, that the government will no longer bear the treatment costs of COVID-19 patients in the private hospitals and other health facilities. The announcement was made through a Dhaman circular sent to all the approved healthcare service providers and the qualified health insurance companies in the Kingdom.

Dhaman circular also emphasis the need to be vaccinated as well as take the booster shots for all the people inside the Kingdom in accordance with the directives of the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Public Health Authority (Weqaya).

Patients who are not eligible with for treatment or insurance coverage, can still avail of the services by getting the approval from MoH.

For more details, you can read the full report from Saudi Gazette;

SABIC partners with Microsoft to create the first consumer electronic product made with recycled ocean plastic

October 1, 2021

Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), one of the world’s largest petrochemicals manufacturers, and Microsoft just announced that they will be launching the ‘Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse’ – the first consumer product made from recycled ocean plastic. The Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse is made from 20% recycled ocean plastic.

According to SABIC;

Ocean plastic is defined as plastic that has been certified by a third party as recovered from any ocean or ocean-feeding waterways or where it washed ashore from these locations. Ocean plastic differs from ocean-bound plastic in that ocean-bound plastic is recovered from ocean-feeding waterways, shorelines, and inland areas within a 50-kilometer radius of the ocean. The two recycled products play complementary roles in helping address the issue of ocean plastic waste.

Microsoft design team initially goal was to create a new plastic resin with 10% ocean plastic, after several rounds of reformulation, SABIC was able to exceed Microosft’s 10% goal and then final product contains 20% recycled ocean plastic by weight in its external casing or “shell.”

SABIC added that “this project has also provided a blueprint to demonstrate to the broader industry sector that recycling and reusing valuable plastic resins that have been recovered from the ocean, ocean – feeding waterways or where they have been washed ashore from these locations, is achievable when value chain partners use their knowledge and expertise and work together.”

SABIC added that “the SABIC-Microsoft collaboration envisions SABIC providing a new XENOY™ resin for Microsoft product use that is comprised of 20% ocean plastic, as part of SABIC’S TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio and services. This new XENOY™ resin with recycled ocean plastic can help reduce plastic waste in the ocean. For example, based on a resin grade comprised of 20% recycled content, for every 1kT of product containing recycled ocean-plastic XENOY™ PC/PET compound, an equivalent of 24 million single-use 0.5liter PET water bottles is removed from the ocean, ocean-feeding waterways, or ocean-adjacent shores.”

Microsoft first unveil the “Microsoft Ocean Plastic Mouse” during their September 2021 Event, which will can be pre-order in selected market for $24.99 or around SAR 94.00.

You can read SABIC’s official announcement here – SABIC AND MICROSOFT COLLABORATE TO CREATE MICROSOFT’S FIRST PRODUCT MADE WITH RECYCLED OCEAN PLASTIC

Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia announces the extension for Overseas Voting Registration until 14 October 2021

September 30, 2021
Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia announces the extension for Overseas Voting Registration until 14 October 2021

Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia has announced that the Overseas Voting Registration will be extended until 14 October 2021. The Overseas Voting Registration can be done in the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, VFS Riyadh and in Al Khobar branches.

Documents required for the Overseas Voting Registration are;

  1. Completed OV Form No. 1, which you can download from https://irehistro.comelec.gov.ph/irehistro/ovf1.
  2. Valid Philippine Passport
  3. For OFW that has dual citizenship, provide a certified true copy of the signed ‘Oath of Allegiance/Order of Approval/Identification Certification.

Then just submit the required documents to the Embassy/Consulate for processing.

You can go to Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia official facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PHLinKSA/posts/6531414980264852, for more information.

GACA issue new guidelines for residents and visitors entering Saudi Arabia and shorten quarantine period

September 14, 2021

Saudi’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) issued today, Sept. 13th, new instructions to all airliners operating in the Kingdom’s airports to update their respective entry mechanism and procedures, for residents and visitors arriving in the Kingdom from permitted countries and to reduce the period of institutional quarantine.

Here’s the official statemenet from GACA;

First: A non-vaccinated person who has received one dose of the approved vaccines in the Kingdom, provided that he submits a negative (PCR) exam of a sample swab taken within (72) hours before leaving to the Kingdom at the latest, and that institutional quarantine procedures are applied to him for a period of five days. Furthermore, a corona exam to be conducted within (24) hours of arrival, and another exam on the fifth day after arrival (the recipient must adhere to the times of the corona examination based on what appears to him in the “Tawakkalna” application in the chronology service). The period of institutional quarantine ends with the appearance of a negative test result.

Second: Arriving passengers who completed one of the vaccines not approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and not approved in the Kingdom, or who completed one of the vaccines approved by the World Health Organization and not approved in the Kingdom, provided that he submits a negative PCR exam of a sample swab taken within (72) hours before leaving for The Kingdom at the highest estimate, and that institutional quarantine procedures are applied to him for a period of five days, and that a corona examination is conducted within (24) hours of arrival and another examination on the fifth day after arrival (the recipient must adhere to the times of corona examination based on what appears to him in the Tawakkalna application, in the chronology service), and the period of institutional quarantine ends with the appearance of a negative test result.

GACA also stated that dependents can also enter the country with their “immune” relatives, in accordance to the following;

First: Unvaccinated dependents under the age of eighteen shall be subject to home quarantine procedures for a period of five days, provided that a corona exam (for those who have completed eight years and above) is conducted on the fifth day, and that they’re committed to applying all precautionary measures determined by the Ministry of Health.

Second: Institutional quarantine procedures are applied to unvaccinated dependents who are eighteen years of age, or older.

These new guidelines will take effect on Sept 23rd.

GCA also stressed the following;

  • Arriving residents must complete the vaccine doses available in the Kingdom after the end of the institutional quarantine period, and whoever completed one of the vaccines approved by the organization and not approved in the Kingdom (currently the Sinopharma vaccine and the Sinovac vaccine) should obtain a booster dose from one of the vaccines available in the Kingdom after arrival.
  • Arriving passengers must register on “Quddum” platform before going to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
  • Isolation procedures will be applied according to the Ministry of Health protocols, for those who will be tested positive during institutional quarantine
  • Recovery from infection with the Coronavirus is not considered as a justification to not undergo Institutional quarantine procedures.

GACA also added that the amendment of the home quarantine procedures also applies to the non-vaccinated, which requires a home quarantine for a period of five days, and a PCR exam will be conducted on the fifth day in accordance to Ministry of Health protocols. A person will not be allowed to all places, activities, events and government and private facilities and the use of public transportation without being vaccinated with one of the approved coronavirus vaccines in the Kingdom.

Source: GACA