Saudi Arabia Launches Largest Bus Transport Project Linking 200 Cities, Provinces

The Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services launched a mega bus transport services project aimed at linking 200 cities and provinces
The Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services launched a mega bus transport services project aimed at linking 200 cities and provinces
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Saudi Arabia Launches Largest Bus Transport Project Linking 200 Cities, Provinces

The Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services launched a mega bus transport services project aimed at linking 200 cities and provinces
The Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services launched a mega bus transport services project aimed at linking 200 cities and provinces

Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser has launched in Riyadh a mega bus transport services project aimed at linking 200 cities and provinces, with the capacity to accommodate six million passengers annually.

The project operates through three international alliances in three concession areas, utilizing a state-of-the-art fleet of buses equipped with advanced technological features to establish connections across 76 routes within the designated cities and provinces.

The inaugural ceremony, organized by the Transport General Authority (TGA), was attended by ministers, ambassadors, and officials from government authorities and private sector companies.

During the ceremony, the Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services, who also serves as the chairperson of the board of directors at TGA, highlighted the project's contribution to creating over 35,000 direct and indirect job opportunities, with an anticipated addition of SAR3.2 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Al-Jasser said the groundbreaking initiative, designed to improve services for beneficiaries and strengthen private sector partnerships, represents the first foreign investment in this particular field.

He also emphasized the positive impact of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS) launched by the Crown Prince, which has been instrumental in fostering growth and reform across all sectors of the transportation and logistics system.



Winston, Beloved Gorilla at San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Dies at 52 After Suffering Health Problems

The park said Winston was euthanized Saturday after veterinarians determined his condition was declining.(file photo/The AP)
The park said Winston was euthanized Saturday after veterinarians determined his condition was declining.(file photo/The AP)
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Winston, Beloved Gorilla at San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Dies at 52 After Suffering Health Problems

The park said Winston was euthanized Saturday after veterinarians determined his condition was declining.(file photo/The AP)
The park said Winston was euthanized Saturday after veterinarians determined his condition was declining.(file photo/The AP)

Winston, a western lowland gorilla who was a favorite attraction at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, has died at the age of 52 after suffering multiple health problems, officials said.

The park said Winston was euthanized Saturday after veterinarians determined his condition was declining.

“After careful consideration stemming from furthering complications from his worsening conditions, and with Winston’s quality of life top of mind, wildlife health and care teams made the difficult decision to compassionately euthanize him,” the zoo said in a statement, The AP reported.

Winston was one of the oldest male gorillas in a U.S. zoo, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Sunday.

“This gentle giant will be remembered for his quiet strength, easygoing nature, and heart of gold,” the zoo statement said.

In recent years, Winston had been treated for a variety of “age-related conditions,” including heart disease, degenerative joint disease and kidney disease, officials said.

The gorilla was born in the w84, ild and later came under the care of a private owner in England. Since coming to the San Diego safari park in 1984, Winston fathered nine offspring and is the grandfather to eight and a great-grandfather to one, the Union-Tribune reported.