Saudi Arabia

JEDDAH, 17 September — Prince Abdullah, the regent, yesterday urged Arab and Islamic countries to stand united in the face of challenges.

RIYADH, 17 September — The Kingdom and France have agreed to ensure that French poultry imported into Saudi Arabia would be of high quality and free from “Ostradiol” and “MPA” hormones.

JEDDAH, 17 September — Dr. Ghazi Abdul Rahman Al-Gosaibi, Saudi ambassador to Britain, has been appointed minister of water, a Royal Court announcement said yesterday.

From time to time, the deputy chairman of the Shoura Council, Bakri ibn Saleh Shatta, has issued various statements concerning the council’s role.

Newspaper columnists have hailed the apology offered by Jeddah’s mayor for the serious problem of uncollected garbage in the city.

JOHANNEBOURG, 17 September — A seminar was organized here on Sunday evening on “the role of Islamic call in combating terrorism.” The seminar, presided by Dr.

PARIS, 17 September — French President Jacques Chirac has criticized the nefarious attempts by certain quarters to link Islam with terrorism.

JEDDAH, 17 September — US authorities have detained about 18 Saudis for violating visa and traffic regulations and other reasons, according to Essam Al-Thaqafi, head of the consular section at the

RIYADH, 17 September — The final draw for major prizes of Saudi Research & Publishing Company’s subscription campaign will be held here today.

RIYADH, 16 September — Banks in the Kingdom are planning to issue smart cards containing microchips for storing and retrieving data on the user’s transactions without having to go online.