JEDDAH: More than 4,700 pilgrims on 19 flights arrived at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah on the fist day of the 2012 Umrah season at the Haj terminal on Tuesday.
MAKKAH: A senior official at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called for simplifying bureaucratic procedures that are instrumental in delaying the implementation of several residential township projects in various regions of the Kingdom.
RIYADH: The Labor Ministry will close down recruitment companies with preliminary licenses to import foreign manpower if they start activities before obtaining the final licenses, business daily Al-Eqtisadiah reported Tuesday quoting Deputy Minister Mufrij Al-Haqbani.
JEDDAH: The office of the Ministry of Labor in Riyadh on Monday looked into the case of the 255 employees who have not been paid for 11 months. Some of these workers are staying here with expired iqamas.
RIYADH: The National Anti-Corruption Authority (NACA) has referred a number of employees in Tabuk to the Control and Investigations Bureau (CIB) for questioning regarding their role in forging a deed issued by the notary public office in the city, Arabic daily Al-Eqtisadiah reported Tuesday.
RIYADH: Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah has approved publicizing the names of violators of private health care law in the print media, according to an announcement by the ministry.
RIYADH: The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) is currently investigating more than 300 cases of women in the Kingdom that have undergone breast augmentation using silicon implants that were produced by a French company called “Poly Implant Prothese” or PIP, which has been shut down in 2010, business daily Al-Eqtisadiah found out on Tuesday.
RIYADH: Abdullah Al-Darrab, governor of Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), said the commission would go ahead with its earlier decision to enter the user’s ID number, together with a prepaid card number, to use a prepaid cell phone SIM card.
JEDDAH: The Saudi academician who has been charged with operating a terror cell to undertake activities aimed at spreading sedition in the country has been given until the next court session to reply to all the charges against him. Otherwise, the judge would irrespectively issue his verdict on the case.
RIYADH: A major challenge faced by the Kingdom’s electricity sector is that the demand for power in the country is growing at the rate of 8 percent annually, the highest in the world, according to the President of the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) Muhammad Al-Suwayyil.
JAZAN: On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Jazan Gov. Prince Muhammad bin Nasser will launch next month the first phase of the massive housing project for Jazan’s displaced people.
RIYADH: A team of consular officials of Embassy of India, Riyadh, will visit Dammam from Feb. 8-10 to provide welfare and consular assistance to Indian nationals at Dammam Deportation Center with a view to issue emergency certificates to them. This will facilitate their hassle-free departure from the Kingdom.
MAKKAH: The administrative court in Makkah on Monday nullified a lawsuit by the Saudi Company for Industrial Development (SADAQ) against its former chairman Saleh bin Ali Al-Turki and former managing director Mazin Batraji.
RIYADH: South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will arrive in the Kingdom Tuesday, the last stop in his Mideast tour that took in Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Korean Ambassador to the Kingdom Kim Jong-yong said.
RIYADH: The Saudi ADHD Society and Support Group AFTA organized a five-day leadership-training program for pediatricians and family physicians that started Saturday.
RIYADH: The Ministry of Health (MoH) and the General Directorate of Passports (DGP) have announced the launch of an electronic health certificate system.
TABUK: Col. Mansour Al-Nasir, spokesman at the Passport Department in Tabuk, said there has been a tremendous increase in the number of complaints lodged by Saudi sponsors against runaway workers over the past few months.
RIYADH: Imam Mohammad bin Saud Islamic University will organize a conference on literature to counter terrorism on Tuesday.
JEDDAH: Two hundred and fifty-five employees have been working without pay for 11 months. For the past 14 years, the company has repeatedly delayed paying their salaries. Some of the workers are in the Kingdom illegally because the company did not renew their iqamas.
JEDDAH: Bab Rizq Jameel (BRJ), an initiative of ALJ Community Initiatives (ALJCI), created 19,771 jobs through its international branches in Egypt, Syria, Turkey and Morocco in 2011.
JEDDAH: A special criminal court in Riyadh continued the trial on Sunday of the seven-member terror cell allegedly formed by a Saudi academic, who was also a well-known preacher.
RIYADH: An African expatriate is alleged to have murdered a Saudi man over a financial dispute, Riyadh police said Saturday.
Riyadh Gov. Prince Sattam discusses matters related to civil service with Minister of Civil Service Abdul Rahman Al-Barrak at his office in Hukum Palace in Riyadh on Sunday. (SPA)
JEDDAH: Director of Jeddah Police Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Saadi has warned against sheltering illegal foreigners and said this was a crime against society and the country.
JEDDAH: Prominent Saudi financial and legal experts say the current practice of local banks receiving personal loan repayments directly from the salaries of borrowers is a clear legal aberration that is unacceptable.
JEDDAH: HMS Somerset, one of the UK’s 13 type 23 frigates that are the mainstay of the country’s surface fleet, is paying a courtesy visit to Jeddah.
RIYADH: Private health care providers must obtain accreditation from the Central Board of Healthcare Institutions if they want to keep practicing, said the Council of Health Services that is chaired by Minister of Health Abdullah Al-Rabeeah.
RIYADH: The Philippine Embassy has announced that the Saudi Embassy in Manila and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) have discussed and agreed on a standard service contract for household workers in the Kingdom.
JEDDAH: The Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME) launched their first workshop about Environmental Science Schools in cooperation with Ministry of Education. It is part of the PME program to establish schools that have adopted environmental education as an important theme in the coming years.
RIYADH: Following reports about fake certificate-making rackets spreading in Saudi society, authorities have reiterated their determination to crack down on holders of fake certificates.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will occupy a top position on par with industrialized nations in terms of research and higher education within a few years from now, according to the Ministry of Higher Education.
Defense Minister Prince Salman and Afghanistan's Ambassador to the Kingdom Sayyid Ahmad Khalil discuss bilateral relations at his office in Maadher Palace in Riyadh on Saturday. The prince also received Gabon's Ambassador to the Kingdom Ismail Oljugi. (SPA)
JEDDAH: More than 70 people involved in the current crisis of cement shortage in Jeddah will be investigated and sentenced according to the rules and regulations of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, business daily Al-Eqtisadiah reported Friday quoting an official source.
JEDDAH: A former senior official at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry has lauded the efforts of the Makkah governorate and the chamber to regulate the real estate sector.
RIYADH: The means and ways to be followed by senior government officials in disclosing their holdings and properties have been submitted to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for final approval, chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Authority Muhammad Al-Sharif announced.
RIYADH: An Indian worker in Riyadh, who was in a coma for the past month following a hit-and-run road accident in Najran, passed away on Tuesday morning, the Indian consulate in Jeddah told Arab News.
Indian accident victim in Najran still critical
DAMMAM: The International Indian School’s Upper Primary Boys Section (UPBS) recently organized a first-of-its-kind Talent Fest, dedicated to mothers.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia appealed Monday to the international community to beef up efforts to find a solution to the Syrian bloodshed even though the UN Security Council failed to support Arab efforts to end the crisis.
MAKKAH: The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah will implement a number of projects valued at over SR2 billion at the two holy mosques during the current financial year.
Stephen Harper views the Muslim world through Israeli prism
RIYADH: Many countries have benefited from fighting extremism and terrorism, and several of these countries claim to have arrested terrorist cells. Interestingly, some governments were instrumental in certain explosions to create the impression among people that were it not for their government’s intolerance of foreign immigrations, people’s lives would have been less safe.
RIYADH: The Prince Salman Chair for Historical and Civilization Studies of Arabian Peninsula has set up an annual research award called “Prince Salman Award for Students of Higher Education in Historical and Civilization Studies of Arabian Peninsula.” Defense Minister Prince Salman, chairman of King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives, chaired the meeting of the supervisory and scientific committee of the Prince Salman Chair, which took the decision Monday to give the awards.
JAZAN: Jazan Gov. Prince Mohammad bin Naser said Monday a project involving new dental clinics at Jazan University is one of the unique projects in the Middle East.
MAKKAH/JEDDAH: Saudi gold traders in Makkah and Jeddah complaining about low demand for gold and difficulties they face are looking for ways to boost the market. The traders also object to the inequality between Saudi traders and foreign investors in the gold market.
JEDDAH: Many commercial buildings and work places have banned smoking at offices in an attempt to stop smoking in public places.
RIYADH: An Indian worker in Riyadh has been in a coma for the past month following a hit-and-run road accident in Najran, the Indian Consulate in Jeddah told Arab News Monday.
JEDDAH: In a studio setting, students of the Pakistan International School Jeddah (English Section) had a brainstorming session to discuss issues key to peace and stability in South Asia.
JEDDAH: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong relations and we aspire to strengthen it even further, Pakistan’s Consul General Salik Khan, said in Jeddah.
RIYADH: Prince Salman, minister of defense, said in Riyadh Saturday night that the late King Abdul Aziz, a great visionary leader of Saudi Arabia, has been a source of inspiration for citizens and rulers of this country. He said King Abdul Aziz was a leader of masses and a great statesman, who knew well about the complexities of politics, economy, foreign relations and how to exploit the natural resources of the country for the benefit of people.
RIYADH: Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said Saturday his ministry would provide required facilities and services for those doctors who like to offer voluntary services to the needy. The minister was speaking during an open house dialogue sponsored by Enaya, a social service organization, in cooperation with the Health Services Council of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Riyadh.
MAKKAH: The Court of Appeal in Makkah rejected a plea by two men convicted of stealing steel. The metal was being used for the expansion of the Masaa — the stretch between the mounts of Safa and Marwa in the Grand Mosque.
JEDDAH: Teachers and trainers from Jeddah College of Technology attended a series of workshops on Sunday, on alternative ways of approaching teaching. The course, organized and sponsored by the British Council, was presented and led by Tony Swainston. His experience in leadership management, cultural change and motivation in the field of education extends from the UK to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
