Saudi Arabia has made another official move to boost its cultural landscape, today announcing the formation of new councils that will work to enhance the country's food, theatre, design, architecture, art and film scenes.
The new bodies will be overseen by Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah, who tweeted that "this is the beginning of a new and important stage in the history of our culture", thanking the country's leadership "for their support of culture and intellectuals".
An announcement from the Saudi Press Agency said that the new councils will work across "literature, publishing and translation; museums, heritage, films and libraries; architecture and design," as well as "music, theatre, performing arts, visual arts, culinary arts and fashion".
The cultural scenes of the country have already seen a boost thanks to the 'seasons' events taking over each city: with three-day dance music festival MDL beast in Riyadh creating a "shock and awe effect" that drew a crowd of 200,000; and with Al Ula's Winter At Tantora event bringing in names such as Andrea Bocelli and Yanni.
The film industry saw an initial boost when a movie theatre opened in Riyadh for the first time in 35 years back in April 2018. It's forecast that around 45 movie theatres will be open in Saudi by the end of this year, and the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah this March will strengthen the independent movie scene not just in the country, but in the region.
On the TV front, on Tuesday it was announced that MBC, based primarily in Dubai, would set up a headquarters in Riyadh's new Media City project:
Saudi Arabia has been going through a transformation of its economy under Vision 2030, an overarching social and economic agenda driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Weaning its economy off oil, part-privatising state entities and opening its non-oil sector for investment are among the key pillars of Saudi Arabia’s reform programme.
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Date started: July 2020
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MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Manchester United v Barcelona, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
