Kuwait Starts Covid-19 Jabs as Gulf Rolls out Mass Vaccinations

Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Saturday was the first person in the Gulf nation to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. (AFP)
Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Saturday was the first person in the Gulf nation to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. (AFP)
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Kuwait Starts Covid-19 Jabs as Gulf Rolls out Mass Vaccinations

Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Saturday was the first person in the Gulf nation to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. (AFP)
Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Saturday was the first person in the Gulf nation to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. (AFP)

Kuwait began coronavirus vaccinations on Thursday, following several other Gulf states in rolling out a mass inoculation campaign.

"This vaccine is safe and has been approved by many countries," said Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, who was the first to receive the jab, state media reported.

Kuwait, which has officially confirmed more than 148,000 coronavirus cases including 924 deaths, received the first 150,000 doses of the vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia, with more than 360,000 recorded cases including 6,148 deaths, began its campaign with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on December 17.

In Bahrain, which has recorded more than 90,000 cases including 350 deaths, vaccinations continued on Thursday. It has approved both the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and another developed by Chinese firm Sinopharm.

Officials in the capital Manama said that nearly 40,000 people have already received the vaccine.

In the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi began vaccinations on December 14 after approving the Sinopharm vaccine, while Dubai began its campaign using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday.

The UAE has confirmed nearly 200,000 cases, including 645 deaths.

Meanwhile, Oman, with more than 128,000 recorded cases, 1,491 of them fatal, is to launch its vaccination campaign on Sunday.

Qatar, which has confirmed more than 142,000 cases including 243 deaths, launched a vaccination campaign on Wednesday.



No Damage as Quake Strikes Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region 

No damage was reported from the earthquake. (SPA)
No damage was reported from the earthquake. (SPA)
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No Damage as Quake Strikes Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region 

No damage was reported from the earthquake. (SPA)
No damage was reported from the earthquake. (SPA)

An earthquake struck Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region on Wednesday.

Spokesperson for the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) Tariq Aba Al-Khail said no damage casualties were reported in the 4.0-magnitude quake.

The earthquake resulted from tectonic stresses from the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian geological plates in the Zagros Mountains of Iran, which activated existing faults in the Earth's crust in Eastern Region of the Kingdom, he said.


Saudi FM Meets with Key Figures from Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies to Discuss Cooperation 

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets with the officials in Riyadh. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets with the officials in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi FM Meets with Key Figures from Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies to Discuss Cooperation 

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets with the officials in Riyadh. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah meets with the officials in Riyadh. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah met in Riyadh with Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, along with members of the Oxford Centre’s board of trustees.

During the meeting, they reviewed areas of cooperation in intellectual and cultural initiatives aimed at fostering dialogue, promoting tolerance, coexistence, and mutual understanding, and supporting efforts to advance moderation and centrism, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.


Saudi, Malaysian FMs Discuss Bilateral Ties 

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (EPA file)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (EPA file)
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Saudi, Malaysian FMs Discuss Bilateral Ties 

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (EPA file)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah. (EPA file)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held telephone talks on Tuesday with his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad Haji Hasan.

They discussed bilateral relations between their countries, the latest developments, and issues of common interest.