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Saudi Culture Ministry Signs Agreement with Snapchat

The agreement was signed by Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez, Deputy Minister of Culture, and Ben Schwerin, SVP of Content and Partnerships at Snap Inc. SPA
The agreement was signed by Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez, Deputy Minister of Culture, and Ben Schwerin, SVP of Content and Partnerships at Snap Inc. SPA
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Saudi Culture Ministry Signs Agreement with Snapchat

The agreement was signed by Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez, Deputy Minister of Culture, and Ben Schwerin, SVP of Content and Partnerships at Snap Inc. SPA
The agreement was signed by Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez, Deputy Minister of Culture, and Ben Schwerin, SVP of Content and Partnerships at Snap Inc. SPA

Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud has overseen the signing of an agreement with Snap Inc. in the presence of its CEO, Evan Spiegel, at Jax District in Ad-Diriyah.

The agreement was signed by Hamed bin Mohammed Fayez, Deputy Minister of Culture, and Ben Schwerin, SVP of Content and Partnerships at Snap Inc.

The agreement comes as part of the Ministry’s efforts to build partnerships with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to benefit the nation’s cultural scene, including the maximum leverage of cutting-edge technologies in this critical domain which represents a core component of Vision 2030’s Quality of Life program, besides collaborating to implement social service programs, adopting Augmented Reality (AR) solutions across the Ministry’s portfolio of events and initiatives, as well as upskilling local talent to master Snapchat’s unique offerings.

Snap Inc. has chosen the Jax cultural district in Diriyah to set up its Saudi base and a content creator studio. Jax district is the Kingdom’s trendiest creative hub boasting galleries, studios, and capabilities that incubate art and artists alike while inspiring the nation’s cultural movement.

The company will invest its digital technologies into local cultural programs and events besides supporting the cultural sector in line with the Ministry’s strategic plans to develop an interactive cultural experience on social media platforms and promote its creative content across 16 cultural sub-sectors.

Snapchat is a pioneering platform in the Kingdom with around 20 million active users.

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Varieties

Buyer Splashes Out $1.3 Million for Tokyo New Year Tuna

The head of a 276-kilogram bluefin tuna that was auctioned for 207 million Japanese yen (about 1.3 million US dollars), which was bought jointly by sushi restaurant operator Onodera Group and wholesaler Yamayuki, is carried by a sushi chef at an Onodera sushi restaurant after the first tuna auction of the New Year in Tokyo, Japan January 5, 2025. (Reuters)
The head of a 276-kilogram bluefin tuna that was auctioned for 207 million Japanese yen (about 1.3 million US dollars), which was bought jointly by sushi restaurant operator Onodera Group and wholesaler Yamayuki, is carried by a sushi chef at an Onodera sushi restaurant after the first tuna auction of the New Year in Tokyo, Japan January 5, 2025. (Reuters)
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Buyer Splashes Out $1.3 Million for Tokyo New Year Tuna

The head of a 276-kilogram bluefin tuna that was auctioned for 207 million Japanese yen (about 1.3 million US dollars), which was bought jointly by sushi restaurant operator Onodera Group and wholesaler Yamayuki, is carried by a sushi chef at an Onodera sushi restaurant after the first tuna auction of the New Year in Tokyo, Japan January 5, 2025. (Reuters)
The head of a 276-kilogram bluefin tuna that was auctioned for 207 million Japanese yen (about 1.3 million US dollars), which was bought jointly by sushi restaurant operator Onodera Group and wholesaler Yamayuki, is carried by a sushi chef at an Onodera sushi restaurant after the first tuna auction of the New Year in Tokyo, Japan January 5, 2025. (Reuters)

The top bidder at a Tokyo fish market said they paid $1.3 million for a tuna on Sunday, the second highest price ever paid at an annual prestigious new year auction.

Michelin-starred sushi restauranteurs the Onodera Group said they paid 207 million yen for the 276-kilogram (608 pound) bluefin tuna, roughly the size and weight of a motorbike.

It is the second highest price paid at the opening auction of the year in Tokyo's main fish market since comparable data started being collected in 1999.

The powerful buyers have now paid the top price for five years straight -- winning bragging rights and a lucrative frenzy of media attention in Japan.

"The first tuna is something meant to bring in good fortune," Onodera official Shinji Nagao told reporters after the auction. "Our wish is that people will eat this and have a wonderful year."

The Onodera Group paid 114 million yen for the top tuna last year.

But the highest ever auction price was 333.6 million yen for a 278-kilogram bluefin in 2019, as the fish market was moved from its traditional Tsukiji area to a modern facility in nearby Toyosu.

The record bid was made by self-proclaimed "Tuna King" Kiyoshi Kimura, who operates the Sushi Zanmai national restaurant chain.

During the Covid-19 pandemic the new year tunas commanded only a fraction of their usual top prices, as the public were discouraged from dining out and restaurants had limited operations.