Forum for Creative Youth Ideas Kicks Off in Central Saudi Arabia

 Photo from the first edition of the Community Participation Forum in the Eastern Province (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Photo from the first edition of the Community Participation Forum in the Eastern Province (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Forum for Creative Youth Ideas Kicks Off in Central Saudi Arabia

 Photo from the first edition of the Community Participation Forum in the Eastern Province (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Photo from the first edition of the Community Participation Forum in the Eastern Province (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Under the patronage of Prince Dr. Faisal bin Mishal bin Saud, Emir of the Qassim region, the second forum for community participation in Qassim will kick off on Sunday, in the presence of the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, and a number of officials and stakeholders in the non-profit sector in the region.

The second edition of the forum is held under the slogan, “Community Solidarity,” as it aims to shed light on the establishment of urban parks and their importance to residential areas, and the role of community participation in activating various programs and activities.

The forum focuses on inviting creative youth initiatives to exchange expertise and experiences that reflect the integration between entities in the non-profit sector, with the aim to reach effective contribution and highlight the role of the non-profit sector in achieving the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

The forum will feature a number of seminars and dialogue sessions, in addition to a parallel exhibition that showcases the most prominent local experiences and expertise in community work.

The sessions address a number of topics, including art in public places, and expanding the concept of quality of life in residential neighborhoods to include the social and urban environment, by developing indicators to measure community satisfaction, in addition to activating the role of urban parks in humanizing cities.



Turkish Annual Inflation Falls More Than Expected to 44.38%

A shopkeeper uses his mobile phone as he waits for customers at a popular middle-class shopping district in Istanbul, Türkiye March 4, 2024. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File photo
A shopkeeper uses his mobile phone as he waits for customers at a popular middle-class shopping district in Istanbul, Türkiye March 4, 2024. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File photo
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Turkish Annual Inflation Falls More Than Expected to 44.38%

A shopkeeper uses his mobile phone as he waits for customers at a popular middle-class shopping district in Istanbul, Türkiye March 4, 2024. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File photo
A shopkeeper uses his mobile phone as he waits for customers at a popular middle-class shopping district in Istanbul, Türkiye March 4, 2024. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File photo

Turkish annual consumer price inflation fell more than expected to 44.38% in December, official data showed on Friday, with education, housing and restaurant prices leading the rise.

Month on month, inflation was 1.03%, the Turkish Statistical Institute said, compared with 2.24% in November. Annual consumer price inflation (CPI) was 47.09% in November.

Furniture prices rose 2.78% from the previous month, data showed, while telecoms-related prices gained by 1.82%.

In a Reuters poll, the annual inflation rate was expected to fall to 45.2%, with the monthly figure seen at 1.61%, owing to easing food price inflation and a limited rise in energy prices.

The latest inflation print was close to the central bank's midpoint prediction of 44% for the end of 2024.

The bank, having kept its main interest rate steady at 50% since March, launched an easing cycle last week, cutting the policy rate by 250 basis points to 47.5%.

The bank said it will set policy "prudently" meeting by meeting with a focus on the inflation outlook while responding to any expected "significant and persistent deterioration".

The Turkish lira was little changed after the data at 35.3850 to the dollar, hovering around the record lows.

The domestic producer price index was up 0.4% month on month in December for an annual rise of 28.52%, the data showed.