MAJMAA, 18 June 2007 — An unwelcome guest joined people attending Asr prayer at a mosque in this Saudi town: A one-meter-long snake. According to the local media yesterday the slithering visitor entered from an adjoining empty building. Chaos predictably ensued as mosque-goers got fidgety, to say the least. An Egyptian worker at the mosque managed to capture and kill the serpent and peace returned to God’s house.
An Electronic Billionaire Three Times Over
YANBU, 18 June 2007 — Three times in the past two months Saudi worker Khaled Al-Zahrani has been told by his ATM machine that he is a billionaire, a local newspaper reported yesterday. Three times he has received erroneous and enormous deposits into his account. Three times he has reported the error to the bank and the bank corrected the error. Three times the bank froze the man’s account fearing that he was laundering money. Three times the man has complained to the bank and had to ask that his account be unfrozen. Is it time for this man to change to a more competent bank, or should he see if he’ll get his imaginary windfall of cash a fourth time?