JEDDAH, 12 March 2007 — A Saudi man, who spent SR1 million building a three-story house, was left devastated when he found out that he had built the home on the wrong plot of land, the daily Al-Watan reported yesterday. The man had completed building the home and was arranging for an electricity line to be installed when he discovered his mistake. The land he actually owned was an adjacent plot owned by a man living close by. The man visited the landowner who initially refused to exchange the land and asked him to tear down the house. Feeling desperate, the man even offered the landowner SR100,000 to exchange land deeds. The landowner eventually, after seeing the completed house, carried out the exchange free of charge.
Brothers Get Job for Showing Honesty
Arab News
DAMMAM — A Saudi company offered two unemployed brothers jobs after they returned an envelope containing a large amount of money that had been lost by the company’s treasurer, the daily Al-Watan reported yesterday. The brothers found the envelope by the side of a road here and took it to a nearby police station. Osman Al-Orabi, the owner of the company, said, “Our treasurer withdrew the money from the bank and accidentally left the envelope on his car roof and drove off. I offered them a job for their honesty. Despite being unemployed, they stuck to their principles, which is admirable.”
Police Detain Cyclist for Running Red Light
Arab News
JUBAIL — An expatriate cyclist was detained for 24 hours by traffic police for running a red light, the Okaz newspaper reported yesterday. Col. Abdul-Aziz Al-Ghamdi, head of Jubail traffic police, said the cyclist was detained because he had exposed himself to danger. “Traffic lights are set to regulate traffic and the movement of vehicles in order to avoid accidents. We don’t differentiate between cars, motorcycles and bicycles,” he said.
Snake Causes Panic in Mosque
Arab News
JEDDAH — A 16-year-old Egyptian boy was sent to a young offenders institute for letting his pet snake loose in a mosque here causing distress to members of the congregation. According to the boy, who has several pet snakes, he was carrying the snake in a plastic bag when he heard the call to prayer and so left his bag in a courtyard outside the mosque and went inside to pray. On returning he discovered the snake had disappeared and immediately informed the mosque authorities, who found the snake slithering across the mosque’s main prayer hall.
Schoolboy Swallows Lighter to Save Friends
Arab News
RIYADH — A teenager swallowed a cigarette lighter to save himself and his friends from being disciplined at school for smoking, the Al-Yaum newspaper reported yesterday. The schoolboy was with a group of friends smoking cigarettes at break time in a school corridor when they heard a teacher approaching. “We stubbed the cigarettes out and hid them. The lighter was then thrown at me. I didn’t know what to do, so I swallowed it to save my friends from being caught,” said the schoolboy, who added that the lighter tasted horrible.
Two Teachers Fight in School Over One Man
Arab News
ALKHOBAR — A headmistress sent students home for the day following a brawl between two teachers at the school. Unknown to each other, the women were married to the same man. A fight took place when during a morning coffee break they realized that their husband was the same person. The women initially screamed at each other and then a catfight ensued. Teachers and pupils tried to stop the fight but the hair pulling and scratching continued. Finally, the women were pulled apart and went home. The principal then gave pupils the day off because of the bad atmosphere felt at the school. The teachers have since not reported back to work.
