Royal Commission for AlUla, Red Sea Global Sign MoC in Tourism Sector

The MoC was co-signed by Eng. Amr AlMadani, CEO of RCU, and John Pagano, CEO of RSG, in AlUla. (SPA)
The MoC was co-signed by Eng. Amr AlMadani, CEO of RCU, and John Pagano, CEO of RSG, in AlUla. (SPA)
TT

Royal Commission for AlUla, Red Sea Global Sign MoC in Tourism Sector

The MoC was co-signed by Eng. Amr AlMadani, CEO of RCU, and John Pagano, CEO of RSG, in AlUla. (SPA)
The MoC was co-signed by Eng. Amr AlMadani, CEO of RCU, and John Pagano, CEO of RSG, in AlUla. (SPA)

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and Red Sea Global (RSG) signed a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) to facilitate the exchange of experiences and best practices in tourism, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Monday.

The MoC aims to solidify Saudi Arabia's position as a leading global destination for tourists and investors.

The MoC was co-signed by Eng. Amr AlMadani, CEO of RCU, and John Pagano, CEO of RSG, in the AlUla governorate.

The agreement entails promoting the growth of the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia through the sharing of knowledge, expertise, best practices, innovative ideas, and solutions.

Both sides are committed to aligning with the goals and aspirations of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030.

This collaboration will enable RCU and the Red Sea Project to achieve their objectives as year-round tourist destinations.

It will also showcase the effectiveness and allure of the tourism sector, thereby contributing to the diversification of the national economy and creating a favorable image for visitors.



Ukraine Receives First 3 Bln Euro Tranche of G7 Loan from EU

An explosion of a drone after it hit an apartment building is seen in the sky during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 10, 2025. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
An explosion of a drone after it hit an apartment building is seen in the sky during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 10, 2025. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
TT

Ukraine Receives First 3 Bln Euro Tranche of G7 Loan from EU

An explosion of a drone after it hit an apartment building is seen in the sky during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 10, 2025. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
An explosion of a drone after it hit an apartment building is seen in the sky during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine January 10, 2025. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Ukraine received its first 3 billion euro ($3.09 billion) tranche of the European Union's portion of the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) loan agreed for Ukraine by the G7 group of countries, its prime minister Denys Shmyhal said on Friday.

It was the first tranche of EU loan secured by profits from frozen Russian assets, Shmyhal wrote on the Telegram app.

G7 leaders in October agreed to provide some $50 billion in loans to Ukraine via multiple channels.
"Today, we deliver €3 billion to Ukraine, the 1st payment of the EU part of the G7 loan. Giving Ukraine the financial power to continue fighting for its freedom – and prevail," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on social media platform X.

In other economic news, Ukraine's steel output rose by 21.6% in 2024 to 7.58 million metric tons, its producers union said late on Thursday, though fighting that is closing in on the country's only coking coal mine threatens to slash volumes this year.

Steel production has already suffered since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, which has led to the destruction of leading steel plants.

Ukraine, formerly a major steel producer and exporter, reported a 70.7% drop in output in 2022 to 6.3 million tons. It fell to 6 million tons in 2023.

The steelmakers' union said in October the potential closure of the Pokrovsk mine, Ukraine's only coking coal mine, could cause steel production to slump to 2-3 million metric tons in 2025.
Advancing Russian forces are less than 2 km (1.24 miles) from the mine, Ukrainian military analyst DeepState said on Friday.
The mine's owner, steelmaker Metinvest BV, said last month it had already halted some operations at the mine and two industry sources said it was operating at 50% capacity.
Producers have said they hope to find coking coal from elsewhere in Ukraine should the mine be seized by Russian troops, but imports would inevitably be needed which would raise costs.