KSA: Al Musawara From Terror Hideout to Cultural Hub

Saudi cultural center in Al Musawara neighborhood in Al-Awamiyah town,Eastern Province , Saudi Arabia, Asharq Al Awsat
Saudi cultural center in Al Musawara neighborhood in Al-Awamiyah town,Eastern Province , Saudi Arabia, Asharq Al Awsat
TT

KSA: Al Musawara From Terror Hideout to Cultural Hub

Saudi cultural center in Al Musawara neighborhood in Al-Awamiyah town,Eastern Province , Saudi Arabia, Asharq Al Awsat
Saudi cultural center in Al Musawara neighborhood in Al-Awamiyah town,Eastern Province , Saudi Arabia, Asharq Al Awsat

Within a year of the Saudi government’s decision to reform and develop Al Musawara neighborhood in Al-Awamiyah town nestled in the Eastern Province, the locality has been transformed from a springboard for terror assaults against security servicemen to a cultural center meant to advance provincial stability.

Saudi security forces have successfully routed terrorist groups that were holed up in the neighborhood that has become home to one of the country’s greatest cultural and development projects achieved in under 12 months.

Mayor of the Eastern Province Fahd Bin Mohammed Al-Jubeir confirmed that the project’s construction works were accomplished.

Speaking to Asharq Al Awsat, Jubeir said that the total cost of the project stood at $64 million dollars (SAR 239 million riyals) and was finished in the remarkable period of eight months.

The educational center is one of the development projects that are designed to preserve the urban and cultural identity in the eastern region, combining heritage and tradition with modern day architecture and development.

Considered a regional milestone in development for the Eastern Province, the center spans over an area of 180,000 square meters and provides a number of multi-cultural, tourist and commercial services to both locals and visitors.

More so, Jubeir reaffirmed that the Eastern Region Secretariat is working rapidly to wrap up the finishing touches on the project for a timely delivery without undercutting construction quality and safety standards.

Last October, the project’s completion rate was 70 percent. The project will include commercial stores, a cultural center, a public library, a sports complex, cafes, restaurants, men’s and women’s halls, a shopping mall, a women’s club, a kindergarten, and a car park.

The center will also host landmark heritage towers built on an area of 866 square meters.



Kuwait Includes 8 Lebanese Hospitals on 'Terror' List

Kuwait indicated that it had listed eight hospitals in Lebanon as part of regulations related to "combating terrorism.” KUNA
Kuwait indicated that it had listed eight hospitals in Lebanon as part of regulations related to "combating terrorism.” KUNA
TT

Kuwait Includes 8 Lebanese Hospitals on 'Terror' List

Kuwait indicated that it had listed eight hospitals in Lebanon as part of regulations related to "combating terrorism.” KUNA
Kuwait indicated that it had listed eight hospitals in Lebanon as part of regulations related to "combating terrorism.” KUNA

Kuwait's foreign ministry issued on Sunday a circular indicating that it had listed eight hospitals in Lebanon as part of regulations related to "combating terrorism.”

Lebanon's health ministry expressed surprise and said it would seek clarification.

It said it received the Kuwaiti statement "with great surprise", adding it had not been provided with "any information or notification from any Kuwaiti entity about this matter.”

"The hospitals mentioned in the statement are registered with the syndicate of private hospitals in Lebanon and carry out their role in providing treatment and health services to all Lebanese without exception," the ministry statement said.

It called the facilities "an essential part of the Lebanese health system,” and said it would contact the relevant authorities to request clarification and "protect Lebanon's health system.”

It noted that "Kuwait has numerous joint projects with the ministry... and has been among the most prominent countries that have stood by the health system during the successive crises that Lebanon has faced.”

The latest move was "unprecedented and inconsistent" with the Gulf country's usual approach, it added.


Saudi and Guatemalan FMs Discuss Bilateral Ties

The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs met on Sunday with his Guatemalan counterpart in Riyadh. SPA
The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs met on Sunday with his Guatemalan counterpart in Riyadh. SPA
TT

Saudi and Guatemalan FMs Discuss Bilateral Ties

The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs met on Sunday with his Guatemalan counterpart in Riyadh. SPA
The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs met on Sunday with his Guatemalan counterpart in Riyadh. SPA

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah met on Sunday with his Guatemalan counterpart Carlos Ramiro Martínez in Riyadh.

During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations and discussed developments of mutual interest.


Faisal bin Farhan, Barrack Discuss Developments in Syria

The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince met on Sunday with the US Special Envoy for Syria in Riyadh.(SPA)
The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince met on Sunday with the US Special Envoy for Syria in Riyadh.(SPA)
TT

Faisal bin Farhan, Barrack Discuss Developments in Syria

The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince met on Sunday with the US Special Envoy for Syria in Riyadh.(SPA)
The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince met on Sunday with the US Special Envoy for Syria in Riyadh.(SPA)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah met on Sunday with US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack in Riyadh.

During the meeting, they reviewed developments in Syria.