About 12% of Oil Production in Gulf of Mexico Shut-in

People inspect their damaged house after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on September 28, 2024. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)
People inspect their damaged house after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on September 28, 2024. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)
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About 12% of Oil Production in Gulf of Mexico Shut-in

People inspect their damaged house after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on September 28, 2024. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)
People inspect their damaged house after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on September 28, 2024. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)

About 12% of current oil production and 6.04% of the current natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico is shut-in due to storm Helene, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said in a statement on Saturday.

Authorities across the southeastern United States faced the daunting task on Saturday of cleaning up from Hurricane Helene, one of the most powerful and perhaps costliest to hit the country.

Damage estimates across the storm's rampage range between $95 billion and $110 billion, potentially making this one of the most expensive storms in modern US history, said chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter of AccuWeather, a commercial forecasting company.
Downgraded late on Friday to a post-tropical cyclone, the remnants of Helene continued to produce heavy rains across several states, sparking massive flooding that threatened to cause dam failures that could inundate entire towns.



Saudi Arabia Sees 656% Surge in Leisure Tourism in 2024

File photo of Saudi flag/Asharq Al-Awsat
File photo of Saudi flag/Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia Sees 656% Surge in Leisure Tourism in 2024

File photo of Saudi flag/Asharq Al-Awsat
File photo of Saudi flag/Asharq Al-Awsat

The Saudi Ministry of Tourism said its sector, particularly the leisure and holiday segments, witnessed substantial growth, due in no small part to the Kingdom's Vision 2030 directives.
In a statement marking World Tourism Day, observed every year on September 27, the ministry said that the Kingdom welcomed 17.5 million international tourists between January and July 2024, a 10% increase over the same period in 2023 and a 73% increase compared to the 2019 figures, SPA reported.
Most striking is the 656% increase in the number of tourists arriving specifically for entertainment and holiday purpose. The ministry said that 4.2 million tourists arrived for these purposes in the first seven months of 2024, a 25% increase over the previous year and an enormous leap over pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
These impressive results highlight the success of the Kingdom's long-term tourism strategy, under Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Saudi Arabia into a global tourism destination. The Kingdom had set the goal of 100 million tourists by 2030, but achieved this milestone in 2023, seven years ahead of schedule.
Saudi Arabia was acknowledged as the fastest-growing G20 country in the latest UN World Tourism Barometer report. According to September report, Saudi Arabia leads both in the growth of international tourist numbers and in tourism revenues.
These figures underscore the Kingdom's strategic focus on developing a sustainable tourism sector, improving infrastructure, and promoting Saudi Arabia as a premier global destination.
The ministry's achievements reflect the effectiveness of these efforts and position the Kingdom as a key player in the field of global tourism.