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Posts published in “Saudi Arabia”

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

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

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

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

OFW: POLO releases the first issue of POLO News

From the official facebook page of Philippine Embassy POLO Riyadh and Central Region Office, announce the first issue of POLO News, a print and digital newsletter that features the latest POLO Projects, programs and services to support the OFW in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

You can download the digital copy by going to https://qrgo.page.link/pRXM1 or by scanning the QR code below;

MESSAGE FROM LABATT Nasser S. Mustafa for the pioneer issue of POLONEWS.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful; may peace and blessings be upon you all, and congratulations to the men and women behind this POLO Newsletter.

I join as you start this project of trying to make sure that our OFWs in particular and the Filipino community in general would be able to get abreast of the programs and services that we continue to do for them through this POLO Newsletter. As you embark on this task, may I wish that you will do it with dedication, professionalism and vigor because I am inspired to do the same to support you in the service of the OFWs, the Filipino community, our beloved country, and God, the Almighty.

Let this newsletter be one of our vehicles in serving, protecting, empowering, and educating our OFWs who are the modern day heroes. As such, let me assure you that we are here for you; we are here to help you; POLO and its staff are here to deliver the assistance and services you need with commitment, wholeheartedness and dedication.

Again, congratulations on the maiden issue of POLO Newsletter. Mabuhay!

You can now pre-order the new Macbook Air, 13-inch Macbook Pro and Mac mini with M1 chip in Saudi Arabia

If you’re in Saudi Arabia, you can now preorder the new Macbook Air, 13-inch Macbook Pro and Mac mini with M1 chip. To be more specific, you can preorder the new Macs powered with the M1 chips at Extra. The announcement was made via the social media account of the retail store.

Here are the pricing below;

Macbook Air;
8GB RAM + 256GB SSD storage: SAR 4,899.00
8GB RAM + 512GB SSD storage: SAR 6,199.00


13-inch Macbook Pro;
8GB RAM + 256GB SSD storage: SAR 6,299.00


Mac Mini;
8GB RAM + 256GB SSD storage: SAR 3,499.00
8GB RAM + 512GB SSD storage: SAR 4,499.00

The new Macbook Air, 13-inch Macbook Pro and Mac mini with M1 chip was first announced last week and from the reviews that are already out, it looks these new Macs with are great for first time Mac buyer and may be be so good if you are a professional and already have an established work flow.

HONOR 10X Lite now available in Saudi Arabia

Honor Arabia just announced that HONOR 10X Lite is now available for pre-order to those who are in Saudi Arabia.

HONOR 10X Lite features a 6.67 inches LCD with 2400×1080 resolution at 395 ppi density. Its thin bezel offers a 84.3% screen-to-body ratio. It’s powered by Kirin 710A Octa-core CPU and Mali-G51 MP4 GPU. The HONOR 10X Lite is equipped with a quad-rear camera and a 8 MP camera on the front. As for its battery, the HONOR 10X Lite have a 5000 mAh battery that supports by fast charging.

HONOR 10X Lite specs;

  • 6.67 inches LCD display, 1080 x 2400 resolution, @395 ppi screen density and 84.3% screen-to-body ratio
  • Processor: Kirin 710A Octa-core CPU (4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)
  • GPU: Mali-G51 MP4
  • Storage: 128GB
  • RAM: 4GB
  • OS: Android 10, Magic UI 3.1, no Google Play Services
  • Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
  • Quad-rear cmaera: 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF + 8 MP, f/2.4, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm + 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro) + 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
  • Front camera: 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide)
  • 3.5mm jack
  • Connectivity: dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
  • Network: GSM / HSPA / LTE
  • Bluetooth 5.1, A2DP, LE
  • GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, NFC,
  • Built-in FM radio antenna, USB Type-C 2.0
  • Sensors: side-mounted Fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, proximity
  • Battery: Li-Po 5000 mAh with 22.5W fast charging
  • Colors: Icelandic Frost, Midnight Black, Emerald Green
  • Dimensions: 165.7 x 76.9 x 9.3 mm
  • Weight: 206 g

The HONOR 10X Lite is now available for pre-order for SAR 769.00 and those will pre-order will receive a free Honor AM61 Sport Bluetooth Earphone worth SAR199.

Realme 7 and Realme 7 Pro now available at Jarir

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.

You can now pre-order the new Motorola Razr 5G in Saudi Arabia

The new Motorola Razr 5G is now available for pre-order in Saudi Arabia.

The new Motorola Razr 5G is foldable phone with a 6.2″ HD+ Cinema Vision Foldable Touchscreen Display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G CPU and supports 5G connectivity. The new Motorola Razr 5G was first announced last month with a price tag of $1,199.99 (USD).

If you will pre-order the foldable phone, the new Motorola Razr 5G will retail in the Kingdom for SAR 5,999.00 that will include a free Motorola Razr 5G Damage Care Motorola Razr 5G Damage Protection and Motorola VerveBuds 500 Earbuds, when purchase separately, is worth SAR 1,500.00.

You can pre-order the Motorola Razr 5G from Jarir and eXtra.

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

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.

Where you can pre-order PlayStation 5 in Saudi Arabia?

Sony has finally announce the pricing for the Playstation 5 and Playstation 5 Digital edition, and if you are in Saudi Arabia, this is where you can preorder the PlayStation 5 and its pricing.

It appears the only the PlayStation 5 With Blu-Ray Disc is the model that’s available and it will retail for SAR 2,299. While the DualSense™ wireless controller is available for SAR 348.00.

For those who preordered the gaming console, the expected shipping date will be between November 19th – November 25th.

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