MAKKAH, 3 February 2007 — Police arrested a man with weapons hidden under his clothes as he tried to enter the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman of the Interior Ministry, said yesterday that security personnel stopped the man late on Thursday because he appeared to be acting strangely. He was carrying a revolver and a sub-machinegun under his clothes, and was wearing what appeared to be a suicide belt but which later proved to be fake. Police also seized hashish from him. The man’s nationality was not clear.
Kingdom Planning Education Channel
JEDDAH, 3 February 2007 — Efforts are under way to launch Saudi Arabia’s first educational channel next year. The move is part of a plan to promote technology-assisted education in the country, an informed source said. As many as 450,000 teachers will be trained to provide e-education, the source said. He emphasized the need for teaching how to use electronic systems to promote e-education.
Teachers Told to Stop Verbal Abuse
JEDDAH, 3 February 2007 — The Education Ministry has decided to take strong action against women teachers who use abusive language against girl students. In a statement, the ministry said it has set out laws to punish such teachers. “We are making efforts to ensure that teachers behave decently with their students. We organize seminars and conferences to achieve this goal,” Al-Madinah daily reported quoting the ministry statement.
