RIYADH, 10 February 2005 — The government has made its preparations; the candidates have stumped on the campaign trail. Now it’s time for registered voters to, well, vote. More than 200 election observers will monitor the historic municipal elections today in the capital city besides a large contingent of Election Commission officials and security officials. The poll officials and the candidates said here that the elections observers have been drawn from different independent, non-governmental organizations, including the National Society for Human Rights and Saudi Journalists Association.
RIYADH, 9 February 2005 — Voting in the historic elections for Riyadh municipal council will be held tomorrow. The counting of votes will start immediately after the voting ends and results will be announced late that night or on Friday, an Election Commission spokesman said.
RIYADH, 8 February 2005 — Many candidates contesting the landmark municipal elections have voiced concerns about the plight of expatriate workers, and called on the government as well as employers to improve their living conditions. At the same time, the candidates have called for reducing reliance on foreign workers in a phased manner. They have also stressed the need for a cleaner environment, especially in certain neglected districts of the capital city where expatriates live in large numbers.
RIYADH, 8 February 2005 — Thirty-two percent of wives in Saudi Arabia keep their assets or part of their earnings as well as their assets secret from their husbands. Their assets are in bank accounts, stocks and shares or property other than real estate, according to a survey conducted by a London-based research firm, Synovate. According to the survey which dealt with nine countries, “this tendency is even more prevalent in Japan, where 38 percent of wives keep their husbands in the dark about their assets; 32 percent of wives in Saudi Arabia do so and 21 percent in China.”
RIYADH, 30 January 2005 — Petty theft and crime is on the increase in the Saudi capital. The sought-after items are mobile phones and handbags belonging to both men and women. “Police apathy and public carelessness has led to these problems,” said an Asian worker whose cell phone was stolen recently. When the theft occurred, the worker was using the phone as he stood in the street; two boys in a car suddenly stopped beside him, snatched the phone and sped away.
RIYADH, 18 January 2005 — Would-be terrorists hoping for a free ride on the information superhighway instead are getting tangled in the World Wide Web as officials are keeping close tabs on Internet cafes and who’s who in cyberspace. Three Internet cafes, including one located in downtown Riyadh, have been raided by security officials in a move to crack down on terrorists who have been using public cafes to exchange information, post terror messages and issue threats to organizations, government agencies and nations.
RIYADH, 17 January 2005 — Saudi Arabia has launched a major research project to monitor demand of Zam Zam water. The study aims to optimize supply and distribution of Zam Zam, while making sure that sustainable supply limits are not exceeded in order to prevent wastage or possible depletion of the water well. With the dramatic rise in the number of pilgrims from only a few thousands per year reported during 1960s to millions arriving every year during this decade including more than two million reported to perform Haj this year alone, supplies could be under threat.
RIYADH/JAKARTA, 7 January 2005 — A Saudi telethon launched yesterday to mobilize relief aid for victims of the Asian tsunami disaster collected more than SR260 million till the time of going to press, including an SR20 million donation from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd. Crown Prince Abdullah pledged SR10 million while Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, gave SR5 million.
RIYADH, 5 January 2005 — Saudi Arabia has tripled its assistance to Asia’s tsunami victims to $30 million. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd directed that the $10 million donation announced earlier by the Kingdom be raised to $30 million “in light of the size of the tragedy and the losses” suffered by the countries affected by the disaster, according to the Saudi Press Agency.