Amir attends camel fest:

News in Brief

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud sponsored on Thursday the final ceremony of the 2017 King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Riyadh with attendance of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s representative, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

The ceremony, which was held in Southern Siahed in Dahana Desert, about 140 kms northeast of Riyadh, was also attended by Bahraini King Hamad Bin Issa Al-Khalifa, and representatives of the Gulf States’ leaders.

King Salman inaugurated the project of Saudi Village for Camels, which is considered the first specialized village for camel’s heritage, studies and trading.

The festival, which kicked off on March 19, aimed at boosting the nation’s cultural heritage and to increase the awareness of the coming generations of the importance of the Gulf traditions and heritage.

Moreover, this year’s festival included various cultural and entertainment activities, as well as trading and auctioning in camels. (KUNA)

Saudi poet gets jail:

A counterterrorism court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a poet to two months imprisonment for poetry deemed insulting to security officials.

The state-linked Saudi Okaz reported Thursday that the poet, whose name was not published, had shared the poem on Twitter and YouTube.

The news website says the Specialized Criminal Court in the capital, Riyadh, found the Saudi poet guilty of producing and publishing material that was disrespectful to security officials and that could harm public order. The court also ordered the poet’s social media accounts closed.

Dozens of Saudi rights activists are behind bars or convicted under a sweeping counterterrorism law that equates demands for reform or criticism of the government as harmful to stability. Criticism of the monarchy, however, remains prevalent on Twitter and other social media sites. (AP)