RIYADH, Saudi Arabia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 15, 2024--
The Hong Kong-listed tech company Newborn Town, in partnership with Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment, hosted an event in Riyadh under the theme 'To Connect, Explore, and Thrive Together'. During the event, MISA granted Newborn Town a Regional Headquarters license, making it the first social entertainment company to establish its MENA headquarters in Saudi Arabia.
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Held at Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC Hotel, this inauguration ceremony gathered guests including Mohammed Alshabanah, general manager of the ICT Sector from the Ministry of Investment; Alhassan Hamidaldin, general supervisor of the Regional Headquarters Program (RHQ Program); Huang Nailiang, head of the MENA Market from Newborn Town; Song Pengliang, senior vice president from Newborn Town and Lena Chen, Director of Corporate Strategy and responsible for the RHQ in MENA region from Newborn Town.
Huang expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "We are honored to receive the permit to establish our regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia, one of our most important markets. We firmly believe that our participation in the RHQ Program will not only help us attract top talents but also pave the way for significant successes in the MENA region.”
Mohammed Alshabanah outlined Saudi Arabia's cutting-edge initiatives to improve its business environment and draw foreign investment, while emphasizing the country's landmark achievements in information technology, the digital economy, and online social entertainment.
Alhassan Hamidaldin highlighted, "Establishing Newborn Town’s Regional Headquarters is an addition to the sectoral diversity of the licensed RHQs, which indicates the strong economy that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia endures.”
According to Hamidaldin, Saudi Arabia's non-oil revenues have grown to account for 70% since the launch of Vision 2030. He also emphasized that the nation's net foreign direct investment (FDI) has quadrupled, placing Saudi Arabia second among G20 countries in digital competitiveness.
Hamidaldin also revealed that the Kingdom aims to invest over $60 billion in entertainment and amusement industries.
Since 2017, Newborn Town has focused on penetrating the MENA market by delving deep into the social and entertainment needs of local users.
Huang reiterated Newborn Town's commitment to supporting KSA's economic diversification: "Looking ahead, we will continue to delve into the social entertainment market within Saudi Arabia and across other MENA countries. We are excited to grow alongside Saudi Arabia and the broader MENA community, exploring new business opportunities and working together toward a brighter future."
(Photo: Business Wire)
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Princess Yuriko, the wife of wartime Emperor Hirohito’s brother and the oldest member of the imperial family, has died after her health deteriorated recently, palace officials said. She was 101.
Yuriko died Friday at a Tokyo hospital, the Imperial Household Agency said. It did not announce the cause of death, but Japanese media said she died of pneumonia.
Born in 1923 as an aristocrat, Yuriko married at age 18 to Prince Mikasa, the younger brother of Hirohito and the great-uncle of current Emperor Naruhito, months before the start of World War II.
She has recounted living in a shelter with her husband and their baby daughter after their residence was burned down in the U.S. fire bombings of Tokyo in the final months of the war in 1945.
Yuriko raised five children and supported Mikasa’s research into ancient Near Eastern history, while also serving her official duties and taking part in philanthropic activities, including promotion of maternal and child health. She outlived her husband and all three sons.
Her death reduces Japan’s rapidly dwindling imperial family to 16 people, including four men, as the country faces the dilemma of how to maintain the royal family while conservatives in the governing party insist on retaining male-only succession.
The 1947 Imperial House Law, which largely preserves conservative prewar family values, allows only males to take the throne and forces female royal family members who marry commoners to lose their royal status.
The youngest male member of the imperial family, Prince Hisahito — the nephew of Emperor Naruhito — is currently the last heir apparent, posing a major problem for a system that doesn’t allow empresses. The government is debating how to keep succession stable without relying on women.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, visiting South America to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation and Group of 20 summits, issued a statement expressing “heartfelt condolences.”
“I cannot help but feel saddened to hear of the loss. I extend my heartfelt condolences along with other Japanese citizens,” Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in a statement.
Yuriko had lived a healthy life as a centenarian before suffering a stroke and pneumonia in March. She enjoyed exercise in the morning while watching a daily fitness program on television, the Imperial Household Agency says. She also continued to read multiple newspapers and magazines and enjoyed watching news and baseball on TV. On sunny days, she sat in the palace garden or was wheeled in her wheelchair.
Yuriko was hospitalized after her stroke and had been in and out of intensive care since then. Her overall condition deteriorated over the past week, the Imperial Household Agency said.
This story corrects that Mikasa was current emperor’s great-uncle, not uncle.
FILE - Princess Yuriko of Mikasa, fourth left, with Crown Prince Akishino, from left, Crown Princess Kiko, Princess Kako, Princess Nobuko of Mikasa and Princess Akiko of Mikasa, waves during the New Year's appearance by the Japanese royal family at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Jan. 2, 2023. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - In this file photo provided by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan, Princess Yuriko, wife of the late Prince Mikasa, poses for a photo at her palace residence reception room in Tokyo, May 22, 2023. (Imperial Household Agency via AP, File)
In this file photo provided by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan, Japanese Prince Mikasa, right, and his wife Princess Yuriko talk at their residence in Tokyo, Nov. 16, 2015. (Imperial Household Agency of Japan via AP, File)
