BISHA, 21 August 2007 — A Saudi father was shocked when he was told that his son wouldn’t be issued a driving license until he paid a fine for a traffic violation that he had allegedly committed five years ago when he was only 13 years old, the daily Okaz reported yesterday. Both father and son were left speechless when a traffic department official refused to issue a driving license for the son who recently turned 18, claiming he had an unpaid speeding ticket. The irate father pointed out that his son was 13 at the time of the alleged offense and did not even have a national ID card then. The traffic department is looking into the case.
Bahraini Authorities Scramble to Find ‘Missing’ Saudi Passenger
Arab News
DAMMAM — The Bahrain airport authority was put on alert recently when a Saudi passenger was missing from a connecting flight to Riyadh, the daily Okaz reported yesterday. The Saudi passenger was aboard a Riyadh-bound flight from Hong Kong, which had a brief stopover in Bahrain. The passenger had requested authorities permission to be allowed to leave the plane so he could make the 30-minute drive to Dammam. His request was denied and he was ordered to remain on board the flight while the plane refueled. Nevertheless, he managed to sneak off the plane and out of the airport. Once cabin crew noticed the man was missing, airport authorities were alerted and a full-scale search for the missing passenger was launched. How the man managed to get off of the plane remains a mystery.
