JEDDAH — The number of Umrah visas issued this season has reached 3.1 million while the number of Umrah pilgrims who traveled to Makkah and Madinah so far crossed 2.6 million, Minister of Haj Bandar Hajjar said on Wednesday.
Hajjar said the Umrah sector was receiving a lot of attention and improving the quantity and quality of servi
Over 3 million Umrah visas issued so far, says Hajjar
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Experience overshadows hope as airlines spread wings
Saudi Gazette report
JEDDAH — Spokesman for the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) Khaled Al-Khaibari said Gulf Air and Qatar Airways will begin operating domestic flights within the Kingdom by end of 2013.
GACA has recently awarded the two airlines licenses to operate domestic flights t
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MoH trained 140,000 employees: Al-Rabeeah
Saeed Al-Khotani
Saudi Gazette
RIYADH — Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah has said the Kingdom aims to have an advanced healthcare system that operates efficiently and productively.
He said: “Because productivity has become a concern for the ministry as well as the efficient use o
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Sponsors are exasperated
Ihsan Buhulaiga
Al-Yaum
THOUGH there is much controversy over the crackdown against foreigners violating labor and residence laws that led to the closure of many establishments, we should appreciate the fact that not a single worker was nabbed unless he was found to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with a wrong sponsor.
This
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Separate mosques for expats?
Saeed Al-Suraihi
Okaz
IF Sheikh Al-Mutlaq had not, by his wisdom, humility and right spirit, contained a question asked to him by one of the viewers during his program on Al-Majd satellite channel, we would have been obliged to bury our heads in the sand out of shame over our arrogance and treatment of foreign workers who help us in our daily matt
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Court summons legal figure over coverup activity
Abdulrahman Al-Ali
Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — The Jeddah Criminal Court has summoned a prominent Saudi legal figure to personally appear in court over his alleged involvement in cover-up business operations.
The judge directed the man to appear at the next sitting set for May. The public prosecutor
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Historic decision: Officials
Saudi Gazette report MAKKAH — The order issued by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to grant citizens plots of land that have already been developed and soft loans to construct their homes has been widely welcomed by citizens and government officials. The King has asked the
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5 members of family injured in car crash
ABHA — Five members of a family were injured when their car swerved off the road in Khamis Mushayt and crashed into trees. They were all rushed to a nearby hospital. In Al-Qassim, three people sustained severe injuries when two cars collided into each other at a high speed. Also, a woman was run over while she was trying to cross a street in Al-Qunfudah.
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Attempt to smuggle hashish bricks foiled
ABHA — Asir police foiled Wednesday a young man’s attempt to smuggle 158 hashish bricks in his car. Spokesman Lt. Col. Abdullah Shathan said the young man and passengers riding with him were taken to the nearby police station for questioning. Officers also arrested two young men who stashed 228 guns inside their car. In Jubail, police apprehended an
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Bangladeshi jumps from roof to death
JAZAN — A Bangladeshi worker committed suicide by jumping from the roof of a two-story building in Jazan. Witnesses told police that the man, who was in his 50s, fell on his head and died on the spot. Jazan police spokesman Col. Awad Al-Qahtani said investigations are under way to find out why the man took his own life. The victim lived in a building enti
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Cop knocks out young man
QURAYYAT — Police are investigating an officer who is accused of hitting and knocking out a young man in Qurayyat. The victim’s father said his son went to visit his friends and the police officer accused him of smashing his patrol vehicle’s window glass. Although the young man said he did not do it, the officer beat him up until he lost consc
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CCTV clips help arrest robbery suspects
DAMMAM — Police in this Eastern Province city arrested two men who allegedly robbed a store and stole money and calling cards after assaulting the expatriate shopkeeper. The whole scene was caught on the surveillance cameras installed inside the store. The video was posted on social networking sites and showed two men hitting the expatriate worker. Easter
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KSA, Serbia to set up diplomatic ties
THE UNITED NATIONS — Saudi Arabia and Serbia on Wednesday signed an agreement to set up diplomatic relations between the two countries. Abdullah Al-Muallimi, the Kingdom’s permanent representative to the United Nations, and his Serbian counterpart Fiodor Starvic signed the agreement at Saudi Arabia’s UN mission in New York. Speaking at the sig
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Mother blames ex for girl’s death
TAIF — A woman has accused her ex-husband of causing the death of their daughter, Al-Watan reported.
Basmah, 14, was admitted to Taif Mental Health Hospital suffering from mental trauma. Basmah’s mother claimed that her daughter was deprived of food and drink by her father, who also assaulted her, battered her and humiliated her.
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Man drowns in septic tank
Abdulrahman Al-Ali Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — A man in his 40s died after falling into a septic tank in Turbah governorate on Tuesday. Civil Defense spokesman Col. Saeed Sarhan said the man’s body was found floating inside the tank near a mosque in Turbah. He said rescuers and divers
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Basant festival celebrated in traditional style in Al-Khobar
Saman Ali Saudi Gazette AL-KHOBAR — Basant is the Sanskrit word for spring. The season of spring brings warmth, festivities and happiness with it. New plants and flowers start to bloom. Snow melts and streams swell up. It has been a tradition in the Indo-Pak subcontinent to celebrate the advent of spring with great
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Stand-up comedy in Saudi Arabia: It shouldn’t work, but it does
Amjad Parkar Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Stand-up comedy is a concept that just should not work in the generally conservative Gulf region. Yet, slowly but surely a movement dedicated to making people laugh while remaining sensitive to cultural and traditional norms is gathering pace, especially here in Sau
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Filipino expats finally start voting in Jeddah
Ronaldo Z. Concha Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Filipinos in western Saudi Arabia registered for the overseas absentee voting (OAV) may now cast their vote at the Philippine Consulate General as the process began in Jeddah following a five-day delay. Consul Leo Tito Ausan Jr., the main point of contact for o
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Collection points for Indian EC applications
RIYADH — Community schools in major Saudi cities will set up centers to collect Emergency Certificate (EC) application forms from Indian nationals, said an Indian Embassy release Thursday.
Starting April 22, the IIS Riyadh, IIPS Riyadh, IIS Dammam, IIS Jeddah, IIS Jubail, IIS Buraidah, IIS Al-Khafji, IIS Taif, IIS Majmah and IIS Tabuk will
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Woman complains to NSHR against ‘pervert’ husband
Badea Abu Al-Naja
Saudi Gazette
MAKKAH — The Makkah office of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) is looking into a complaint filed by a Saudi woman against her husband accusing him of several charges, including forging her power of attorney and running businesses without her knowledge.
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