JEDDAH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman sent cables of congratulations to Dr. András Baka on the occasion of his election and swearing-in as president of Hungary. In the separate cables, the King and the Crown Prince expressed their sincere congratulations and best wishes for success to the president, and further progress and prosperity to the friendly people of Hungary. Andras Baka, a former head of the Supreme Court, took oath as the president in a ceremony held at the Hungarian parliament on Tuesday after the parliament elected…
Author: Editorial Team
A controversial study analysing excess deaths during the Covid pandemic, which was widely criticised for lending credence to vaccine scepticism, has been retracted, the British journal’s publisher announced Wednesday. The study, published in the journal BMJ Public Health in 2024, was retracted “on the grounds of misinformation on causes of death and limited original work conducted by the authors”, the BMJ Group said in a statement. The study suggested that the number of excess deaths in the West remained abnormally high even after the peak of the Covid-19 crisis had passed. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow…
RIYADH — The number of passenger transport app trips in Saudi Arabia exceeded 38.3 million in the second quarter of 2026, up 20 percent from the same quarter of 2025, according to the Transport General Authority (TGA). The TGA said that the growth reflects the increasing role of passenger transport apps in supporting urban mobility and providing flexible and safe transport solutions. These services enhance quality of life and improve mobility efficiency across Saudi cities. The apps offer advanced, safe, and highly efficient transport services through diverse mobility options that facilitate access to destinations and improve service quality for users.…
RIYADH — The value of weekly sales through point-of-sale (POS) transactions, from August 2 to 8, reached SR14.6 billion, compared to SR16.31 billion in the previous week, according to the weekly report issued on Wednesday by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). Consumer spending through POS transactions in the Kingdom last week was concentrated in the food and beverage sector, amounting to SR2.28 billion across 58.41 million transactions. This was followed by the restaurants and cafes sector, with spending reaching SR1.9 billion across 61.23 million transactions. The number of POS transactions executed last week decreased by approximately 5.1 percent to 253.42…
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet session held today in Jeddah. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques expressed his gratitude and appreciation to His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister; President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; and Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif for their successful and blessed efforts in convening the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Summit for Joint Defence, which reaffirmed the deep-rooted historical ties among the three countries and their shared commitment to strengthening the bonds of brotherhood and Islamic solidarity…
As 60% of manufacturers race toward full digitalisation, cyber risk is increasingly manifesting as a business risk, according to a new report by Kaspersky and VDC Strategy. This means cybersecurity is not merely a compliance function, it is a cornerstone of production assurance, safeguarding uptime, quality, and operational continuity. Manufacturers are modernising to deliver safer, more consistent and more cost-effective production and digitalisation is moving fast: just 9% of organisations describe themselves as fully digital today, but 60% expect to get there within two years, according to the joint report by Kaspersky and VDC ‘Cyber Resilience, Built for Manufacturing’. That…
As investment into femtech surges, more women in the GCC region are using smart devices to track their menstrual cycles and fertility. “Women are actively looking for tools that help them better understand their bodies and make informed decisions about their health,” said Dr. Ami Bhatt, Chief Medical Officer at wearable health tracker company Whoop. She said that according to the company’s data, menstruation is the second-most frequently logged behaviour among users in the GCC — one of the highest rates of menstrual logging globally. The surge in demand coincides with a broader boom in femtech investment. The sector attracted…
JEDDAH — Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms are forecast to continue affecting several parts of the Kingdom’s southwestern coast through Saturday, according to the National Center for Meteorology (NCM). According to projections from the Saudi Numerical Model and an animated map issued by the NCM, moderate to heavy rainfall is expected across most of Jazan’s coast on Wednesday afternoon, with lighter showers over southern Asir and areas along the border between Asir and Al-Baha. Heavy rainfall is expected to persist until early evening before weakening and becoming more scattered across the affected areas, eventually clearing by late evening. Early Thursday morning,…
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s 2026 Digital Experience Maturity Index scored 87.06 percent, achieving an “Advanced” maturity level following a comprehensive assessment of 59 digital platforms, the Digital Government Authority (DGA) announced. More than 805,500 people participated in the “Rate Your Digital Experience” survey, compared with 374,000 the previous year, reflecting the index’s expanding reach and its role in supporting the continuous improvement of government digital services. The assessment was based on four main perspectives covering 20 areas, including beneficiary satisfaction, user experience, complaint handling, and technologies and tools, with the aim of improving digital services and enhancing the beneficiary experience.…
More than 39,000 people have registered as organ donors in the UAE, while over 1,195 transplant procedures have been carried out under the country’s national organ donation programme, the Minister of Health and Prevention said marking the World Organ Donation Day. Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh said the figures show growing public awareness and confidence in the UAE’s organ donation and transplantation system. According to the minister, the UAE now ranks first in the GCC in terms of growth in donor numbers and organ transplant procedures. He said that Hayat has also become one of the fastest-growing programmes of its kind…