Saudi Crown Prince Launches Urban Plan and Branding of Qiddiya City

Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. SPA
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. SPA
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Saudi Crown Prince Launches Urban Plan and Branding of Qiddiya City

Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. SPA
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. SPA

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz has launched the urban design for the city of Qiddiya and Qiddiya’s brand.

The Crown Prince is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC).

He stated that the city of Qiddiya will become, in the near future, the foremost global destination in the fields of entertainment, sports, and culture. This will have a positive impact on the Kingdom's economy and its international standing, enhancing Riyadh's strategic position and contributing to its economic growth. It aims to improve the quality of life, making Riyadh one of the top 10 economies globally.

The Crown Prince added that this qualitative investment in Qiddiya is a cornerstone of the Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the Kingdom’s economy, creating thousands of job opportunities for the ambitious Saudi youth.

Qiddiya philosophy of Play is based on decades of research that has proven that play is a vital element for human cognitive development, emotional expression, social skills, creativity, and physical health. Studies have also shown the positive effects of recreational activities on society, their ability to bridge differences between individuals, and enhance empathy and social cohesion.

Qiddiya's offering will be Qiddiya City, a one-of-a-kind destination located on the outskirts of Riyadh, that promises endless fun and excitement for its residents and visitors through unrivalled offerings in entertainment, sports, culture, and urban living.

Construction is progressing with contracts worth SAR10 billion awarded. With 60,000 buildings in an overall area of 360 square kms, it will eventually host over 600,000 residents. Qiddiya City is expected to create over 325,000 job opportunities, yielding nominal GDP of SAR135 billion per annum.

Additionally, Qiddiya City expects to attract an anticipated 48 million visits per year with its never-built-before array of world-class attractions and venues.

Located 40 minutes from Riyadh center and overlooking the stunning cliffs of the formidable Tuwaiq mountains, Qiddiya City will be a home of the first gaming and e-sports district, a speed park track, golf courses, a massive water theme park, and Six Flags Qiddiya.

In addition, the city will also host a stadium which will feature the world’s largest Olympic museum.

Qiddiya City’s unparalleled proximity and concentration of sports, culture and entertainment experiences in one place will make it a globally unique destination.
Qiddiya plans to launch its first assets over the next two years.



GCC Slams Israel’s Attack on Khan Younis, Calling it a War Crime

Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi Khan Yunis on September 10, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi Khan Yunis on September 10, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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GCC Slams Israel’s Attack on Khan Younis, Calling it a War Crime

Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi Khan Yunis on September 10, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of Israeli strikes on a makeshift displacement camp in Mawasi Khan Yunis on September 10, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi strongly condemned on Tuesday the “brutal massacre carried out by the Israeli forces against innocent Palestinian refugees in Khan Younis in Gaza.”

He stressed that these continuous and brutal attacks perpetrated by the Israeli forces against unarmed civilians in Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian territories “can only be described as deliberate war crimes, revealing a blatant and systematic criminal approach that reflects an utter disregard for international and humanitarian laws and treaties.”

He added that these acts are “blatant contempt for all legal, ethical, and humanitarian values,” the GCC said in a statement.

Albudaiwi called on the international community “to take immediate and urgent action to put an end to these heinous crimes, take decisive measures to cease fire immediately, subject the Israeli forces to accountability for their crimes against humanity, and hold the Israeli government responsible for its racist and barbaric policies against the defenseless Palestinians.”

An Israeli strike hit a crowded Palestinian tent camp early Tuesday in Gaza, killing at least 19 people and wounding 60, Palestinian officials said.

The overnight strike occurred in Mawasi, a sprawl of crowded tent camps along the Gaza coast that Israel designated as a humanitarian zone for hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians to seek shelter from the nearly year-old Israel-Hamas war.

The Muslim World League (MWL) also strongly condemned “the horrific massacres perpetrated by the Israeli forces against the Palestinian people.”

It denounced the continued targeting of unarmed displaced Palestinians in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis, located in a designated “safe zone” in the southern Gaza Strip.

In a statement, MWL Secretary General Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa expressed his deepest concern over the Israeli government's “blatant violation of all international and humanitarian resolutions, laws, and norms.”

“This ongoing humanitarian catastrophe, unfolding before the eyes of the world, is a direct challenge to the international community's calls for the protection of innocent lives,” he added.

Sheikh Al-Issa emphasized that “there is no justification for this barbarism and humanitarian tragedy other than defiance, arrogance, and revenge against innocent lives. This escalation only serves to complicate the Palestinian issue and hinder the pursuit of peace in the region.”

The MWL called upon the international community “to take urgent action to halt these ongoing massacres, confront the systematic killing, and stop the humanitarian catastrophe facing the Palestinian people.”