Snow in Hail and Riyadh, Russia Visa Exemptions, and Other News
The Kingdom is experiencing a severe cold wave with expectations of snowfall in several regions, coinciding with significant updates to visa systems including a mutual exemption with Russia and the launch of a new service for visitors. The Kingdom is also monitoring regional security situations in Bahrain and Syria, while a light earthquake was recorded in the south of the country.
Prepare for a sharp drop in temperatures that may reach zero degrees Celsius tonight, with chances of snow showers in parts of the Hail and Al-Qassim regions and the northern outskirts of the Riyadh region. Residents of these areas are advised to take the necessary precautions to face the extreme cold and low temperatures that may affect daily activities.
Regarding travel and mobility, the Kingdom and Russia have signed a formal agreement for mutual entry visa exemptions for citizens of both countries, which will facilitate reciprocal travel procedures. In a related context, the Ministry of Tourism has begun the pilot phase of the "Tourist Package Visa" service, a new service aimed at facilitating the arrival of visitors by linking the visa to specific tourism programs.
On the regional level, the Kingdom reaffirmed its support for the security measures taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain to protect its national security and condemned the recent attacks targeting Bahraini territory. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs also renewed its position rejecting all terrorist acts targeting the security and stability of Syria, which concerns the Arab communities residing in the Kingdom.
In the south of the Kingdom, seismic monitoring devices recorded a light earthquake with a magnitude of 2.87 on the Richter scale, occurring in an area approximately 52 kilometers northeast of the city of Jazan; the tremor did not result in any significant damage.
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