RIYADH, 18 November 2006 — Riyadh Governor Prince Salman will open an international seminar on the history of the Arabian Peninsula titled “Arabian Peninsula from fifth century until the end of seventh century Hijrah” on Sunday. Organized by King Saud University, the seminar will be held at Hamad Al-Jasser Hall. Dr. Abdullah Al-Faisal, president of the university, highlighted the significance of the seminar, saying it would help write the peninsula’s history in a correct perspective.

Workers Buried Alive as Ditch Collapses

JEDDAH, 18 November 2006 — Three Indians workers died in Riyadh when a sewage-line ditch they were digging collapsed on them Wednesday night. The accident took place in Nahda district in eastern Riyadh, press reports said. A civil defense source said the three had been buried in the ditch that was six to 10 meters deep. Civil defense officers toiled for several hours to dig out the bodies. An official of the contracting company that was carrying out the project said they were under pressure to complete the work before the rainy season.

57 Embrace Islam at Riyadh Center

RIYADH, 18 November 2006 — As many as 57 expatriates of different nationalities embraced Islam at the dawa center in the Sultana District of Riyadh in the past two months, according to a statement issued by the center. It said the center had distributed 4,476 copies of the Holy Qur’an and 1,004 copies of the Qur’an translation in various languages among expatriates. It also organized 78 Islamic lectures and 64 dawa tours in order to propagate the message of Islam.

Bank Clerk Thwarts Fraud Attempt

JEDDAH, 18 November 2006 — Security officers at a Jeddah bank caught a swindler after he managed to withdraw nearly SR200,000 from the account of a company using stolen checks and ID cards, press reports said. The bank’s accountant became suspicious about the man’s transactions, when he noticed differences in signatures on the checks. He then called the company to make sure whether they had issued the checks. The man was caught while he was cashing a third check for SR55,000.