MADINAH, 14 November 2007 — A local development committee in Fariaa village, 700 kilometers north of Madinah, has come up with a unique way to encourage people to stop smoking. The committee is offering a reward of SR200 to anyone who hands over an unopened pack of 20 cigarettes. “We announced this reward as part of our efforts to enhance public awareness of the dangerous effects of smoking,” Saleh Al-Balawi, chairman of the committee told the Al-Madinah daily yesterday. He said the award had encouraged many people to quit the unhealthy habit. “By introducing this unique program, we are sending home the message that money should be spent on useful things and not on harmful ones,” he said.
School Principal Gets Rodent Surprise
JEDDAH, 14 November 2007 — Students of a primary school in south Jeddah decided to pull a prank on their principal by leaving a box full of rats in front of her office while she was having a staff meeting, the Al-Madinah daily reported yesterday. The educators’ meeting was interrupted after dozens of the rodents began scurrying around the floor. The principal and teachers jumped on their chairs and began screaming. The school’s male guard was eventually called to save the day by driving the rats away.
