“We must not allow freedom of speech to be used as a cover to insult religion,” said Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the OIC, speaking on the sidelines of a high-profile three-day dialogue between Japan and the Islamic world, which concluded Tuesday.
RIYADH, 10 March 2008 — A South African nurse who has been missing since November has been found imprisoned in a Saudi jail and is expected to return to her country within the next few days. Dannelene Noach disappeared after allegedly discovering corruption at the hospital where she worked. “The South African Embassy has managed to trace the nurse, and the mission is rendering all consular support to her,” said South African Ambassador John Davies.
RIYADH, 6 March 2008 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah inaugurated the 23rd National Heritage and Culture Festival at Janadriya, 45 kilometers north of Riyadh, yesterday.
RIYADH, 5 March 2008 — A Canadian citizen who has been sentenced to death by a Saudi court will appeal the verdict. “The case will undergo an appeals process,” Andrea Meyer, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Embassy, said here yesterday. “We are very concerned about the death penalty handed down to Mohammed Kohail, 23, from the Canadian city of Montreal.” Kohail was convicted of killing an 18-year-old student in a schoolyard brawl in Jeddah in January 2007. Meyer said the embassy has had regular consular access to Kohail and his imprisoned brother Sultan.
RIYADH, 4 March 2008 — The Kingdom has tightened rules for Saudi nationals. Saudi nationals will now require approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before Pakistani visas are endorsed on their passports, said Pakistani Ambassador Shahid Karimullah, who was speaking during a high-profile meeting of Saudi and Pakistani businessmen here Sunday night.