PARIS (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday pulled out of touring a mega-campus for tech startups in Paris, an official in the French prime minister’s office said, a visit that was meant to highlight deepening Franco-Saudi tech ties.
The powerful young prince who is behind modernizing reforms in Saudi Arabia is on a three-day trip to France at a time when relations between the two countries have become more complicated, including over how to address Iran’s regional role.
He is not expected to sign mega contracts in France as he did during visits to the United States and Britain over the last month.
“It has been decided to keep working on defining Franco-Saudi entrepreneurial projects before envisaging a high-level visit,” the Matignon source said.
Prince Mohammed, 32, and President Emmanuel Macron both paint themselves as champions of their nations’ plugged-in youths with a modernizing message that has resonated strongly with younger Saudis and French citizens.
Prince Mohammed’s decision to skip a visit to Station F, Europe’s largest startup incubator founded by billionaire Xavier Neil, is likely to disappoint Macron, especially after the crown prince met with technology titans in Silicon Valley last week.
Station F is headed by an Iranian-American, Roxanne Varza, who previously worked at TechCrunch France and Microsoft Ventures.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament today that the suspect in the rape of a lady doctor at the Anuradhapura teaching hospital has been identified as an army deserter and he will be apprehended shortly.
Police have arrested the suspect connected to the sexual assault on a female doctor at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital today morning in Galnewa.
The Dutch Public Prosecutor suspects two companies of paying bribes in the construction of hospitals in Sri Lanka, according to an investigation by FD, the Dutch financial newspaper.
The Minister of Power, Kumara Jayakody, stated that in the future, internationally funded projects, such as power projects, will only be carried out through government-to-government (G2G) agreements and competitive procurement.
The Government today tabled in the House the Report of the Commission to Inquiry into the Establishment and Maintenance of Unlawful Places of Detention and Torture Chambers in the Batalanda Housing Scheme.
Israel, a major player in the global diamond and jewellery trade, has invited Sri Lankan gem and jewellery businessmen and designers to collaborate with Israeli diamond traders.
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