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Riyadh Metro Opens Its Doors to the Public Sunday

This comes following the inauguration by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on November 27, 2024 - SPA
This comes following the inauguration by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on November 27, 2024 - SPA
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Riyadh Metro Opens Its Doors to the Public Sunday

This comes following the inauguration by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on November 27, 2024 - SPA
This comes following the inauguration by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on November 27, 2024 - SPA

Riyadh Metro, operated by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC), opened its doors to passengers on Sunday.
The metro is now serving commuters on three of its six lines: the Blue Line (Al-Olaya-Al Batha), the Yellow Line (King Khalid International Airport Road), and the Purple Line (Abdulrahman bin Aauf Street–Sheikh Hassan bin Hussain bin Ali Road).
The remaining three lines will follow a sequential operation plan. The Red Line (King Abdullah Road) and the Green Line (King Abdulaziz Road) will start on December 15, 2024, while the Orange Line (Madinah Road) will start being operational on January 5, 2025.
According to SPA, stations on the Blue Line, Al-Olaya-Al Batha, will open to passengers before the end of 2024.

These stations include Ministry of Interior, Qasr Al-Hukm, Sulaiman Al Habib, Al Murooj, Murabba, Wurud 2, Bank Albilad, King Fahd District, King Fahd Library, National Museum, Al Batha, and Al-Aziziyah.
An Naseem Station on the Purple Line, along Abdulrahman bin Aauf Street–Sheikh Hassan bin Hussain bin Ali Road will open during the same timeframe.
Passengers can specify their destinations and buy tickets using the "darb" mobile app or directly from vending machines at the stations.

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South Korea’s Birthrate Set to Rise for the First Time in Nine Years 

A woman stands on a rooftop overlooking the Gwanghwamun Gate (back C) of Gyeongbokgung Palace on a polluted day in Seoul on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
A woman stands on a rooftop overlooking the Gwanghwamun Gate (back C) of Gyeongbokgung Palace on a polluted day in Seoul on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
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South Korea’s Birthrate Set to Rise for the First Time in Nine Years 

A woman stands on a rooftop overlooking the Gwanghwamun Gate (back C) of Gyeongbokgung Palace on a polluted day in Seoul on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
A woman stands on a rooftop overlooking the Gwanghwamun Gate (back C) of Gyeongbokgung Palace on a polluted day in Seoul on January 21, 2025. (AFP)

South Korea's birthrate is set to show a rise in 2024 for the first time in nine years, following a rebound in marriages that were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Asian country has recorded the world's lowest fertility rates, but the number of newborns between January 2024 and November 2024 rose 3% from a year earlier to 220,094, monthly government data showed on Wednesday.

In 2023, newborns fell by 7.7%, extending declines to an eighth consecutive year and resulting in an annual fertility rate of 0.72, the lowest globally.

The rise comes as marriages rose in 2023, marking the first increase in 12 years after couples had postponed weddings during the pandemic.

In the Asian country, there is a high correlation between marriages and births, with a time lag of one or two years, as marriage is often seen as a prerequisite to having children.

In a government survey last year, 62.8% of South Koreans opposed births outside marriage, though that was down from 77.5% seen a decade ago.

In neighboring China, the number of births rose 5.8% to 9.54 million in 2024, also boosted by delays in marriages due to the pandemic.

The number of marriages in South Korea in the January to November period jumped 13.5% to 199,903. That figure, unless there is a change in December, will mark the biggest annual increase since 1980.

Last year, South Korea rolled out various measures to encourage young people to get married and have children, after now impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a "national demographic crisis" and a plan to create a new ministry devoted to tackling low birth rates.

Most of the measures consisted of financial support through tax cuts and subsidies, namely a one-time tax cut of 500,000 won ($349.35) per person for couples married between 2024 and 2026, though the government has said it will try to take a more comprehensive approach.

The annual data for 2024 is due to be released on Feb. 26.