Mohammed bin Salman

Saudi women to attend football game

Jeddah - Muslimchronicle

Saudi Arabia allowed women to enter a football stadium for the first time to watch a match Friday, as the ultra-conservative kingdom eases strict decades-old rules separating the sexes. The new measure comes after Riyadh, long known for imposing harsh restrictions on women, announced it was lifting a ban prohibiting them from driving, as well as reopening cinemas. Women supporters, allRead more

Saudi minister 'resumes work' after graft detention

Riyadh - Muslimchronicle

A Saudi minister who was detained in a sweeping anti-government probe at a Riyadh hotel attended a cabinet meeting on Tuesday after he was "proven innocent", media reported. The official Saudi Press Agency posted on its Twitter account pictures of Saudi King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the minister, Ibrahim Assaf, at the meeting. Saudi newspaper Sabq, which is close toRead more

Saudi chess PR gambit checked by controversies

Dubai - Muslimchronicle

Saudi Arabia brushed aside rulings from top clerics to host a big money chess tournament, but the gambit to improve the kingdom's image has been jolted by regional powerplays. The landmark event and its record $2 million (1.7 million euro) prize pot come as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks to repackage his oil-rich nation as more welcoming -- and moderate. ButRead more

Saudi Arabia to launch tourist visas

Jeddah - Muslimchronicle

Saudi Arabia will begin issuing tourist visas in the first quarter of 2018, its top tourism official said, a first for the kingdom as it undergoes major economic and social reforms. Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz told AFP that "all government approvals" are in place for the launch of electronic visas next year to "all nationals whose countries allow theirRead more

Main aim of budget to improve citizen’s living standards

Riyadh - Muslimchronicle

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman affirmed that improving the standard of living for Saudi citizens is at the heart of the efforts being pursued by the Kingdom's government to diversify the economy and achieve financial stability and generate more jobs for citizens. The Crown Prince said in a press statement following the announcement of the state budget for theRead more

Saudi crown prince buyer of $300 mn

Paris - Muslimchronicle

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been revealed as the owner of a French chateau described as the world's most expensive home, according to a report in the New York Times. The purchase of the vast property west of Paris for $300 million (275 million euros) would be the latest in a string of extravagant purchases by the powerfulRead more

Saudi filmmakers, businessmen eye return

Riyadh - Muslimchronicle

Saudi filmmakers and major cinema chains alike are basking in the news the kingdom will lift its decades-old ban on movie theatres, opening a market of more than 30 million people. At the Dubai International Film Festival on Tuesday, short-film directors talked shop on a seaside veranda, the city's iconic sailboat-shaped hotel in th0e background. And Saudi Arabia was on everyone's mind.Read more

Saudi Arabia lifts decades-long ban on cinemas

Riyadh - Muslimchronicle

Saudi Arabia on Monday lifted a decades-old ban on cinemas, part of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's far-reaching liberalisation drive that is shaking up the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom. The government said it would begin licensing cinemas immediately and the first movie theatres are expected to open next March, in a decision that could boost the Gulf state's nascent filmRead more

In landmark move, Saudi Arabia to issue cinema licenses in early 2018

Riyadh - Muslimchronicle

Cinemas in Saudi Arabia will get their licenses in 2018. “As the industry regulator, the General Commission for Audiovisual Media has started the process for licensing cinemas in the Kingdom,” Minister of Culture and Information Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad said in a statement. ”We expect the first cinemas to open in March 2018.” The government had promised a shake-up ofRead more