RIYADH – Two prominent Arab professors from Egypt and Morocco, Mustafa A. Nasif and Muhammed A. Al-Omari, respectively, shared the 2007 King Faisal International Prize (KFIP) for Arabic Language and Literature, while two cancer experts from the US and Canada were declared co-winners of the prize for medicine.
Prince Muqrin, chief of General Intelligence, said yesterday that the Kingdom, as part of its SR3 billion e-government initiative, would lay down a full-fledged foundation for the system well before the target year of 2010. The initiative, dubbed Yesser (Arabic for “Simplify”), aims to make Saudi society more digitally literate and to streamline government bureaucracy.
Capt. Hanadi Zakariya Hindi, the first Saudi woman pilot, will start flying one of the jets belonging to Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal, founder and chairman of Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), in mid-2007 following her completion of an advance pilot proficiency training program.
More than 300 farm workers have run away from their employers during the last six months. Many farm owners have lodged complaints about the sudden disappearance of their workers. Many are making the rounds of labor offices, embassies and deportation centers to find their laborers, local farm owners and businessmen said here yesterday.
RIYADH, 5 January 2007 — Top jobs, especially in the ministries of education and higher education are to be reserved for women. The Education Ministry, which announced the plans two weeks ago, has already appointed more than 27 women in top positions. Five posts for deans have been reserved for women as part of the government’s efforts to place women in top positions and give them more autonomy concerning girls’ education.
RIYADH, 4 January 2007 ? Rising rent prices and other cost-of-living factors have led one study to conclude that 23 percent of expatriates living in Saudi Arabia are unable to save any money.
RIYADH – Singapore has announced to simplify visa procedure for Saudi nationals under which all Saudi citizens holding diplomatic passports will not require visas to visit Singapore with effect from yesterday. Though, all other types of Saudi passport holders will still be required to obtain appropriate visas for entry, but they have also been assured of a simplified and timely processing system of visa applications.