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RIYADH: The Royal Commission for Riyadh City on Thursday launched the Real Estate Balance Platform to receive applications from citizens seeking residential land in the capital.

The initiative follows directives announced earlier in the year by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to stabilize the property sector by making land available at affordable prices.

The RCRC said it aimed to provide between 10,000 and 40,000 plots annually over the next five years, priced at no more than 1,500 riyals ($400) per sq. meter, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Applicants must be Saudi citizens who are either married or over the age of 25, have lived in Riyadh for at least three years and own no other property. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 23.

Successful applicants will be required to build on their land within 10 years or risk forfeiture, with resale and transfer prohibited during that period except for mortgages used to finance construction.

The commission said that registering on the platform did not guarantee allocation. It also stressed that the platform, available at , was the sole channel for applications and that it was not represented by any intermediary.

Details and updates will be issued through official RCRC channels, with inquiries handled via its call center.

MAKKAH: The Saudi Red Crescent Authority in Makkah region has concluded a training workshop on basic first aid skills for staff at the Grand Mosque.

The workshop benefited more than 3,860 trainees and included theoretical and practical sessions on responding to common emergency situations such as fainting, shortness of breath, bleeding, and minor injuries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Participants also received hands-on training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillators.

The authority ensured that the program was delivered in Arabic and Urdu, communicating essential information to staff of various nationalities to enhance their readiness to respond to emergencies.