They include a GCC infection control conference and an infection control course designed and conducted by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). The five-day events, to be opened in Riyadh on Oct. 17, will be attended by a panel of international experts as well as delegates from the Kingdom’s medical world.

The Luxembourg-based EU's General Court struck down an order freezing the funds of Al-Qadi, suspected of links with Al-Qaeda, saying that his rights had been violated.

Addressing a press conference, Vitry said that Barclays Saudi Arabia (BSA) was honored to have received its commencement letter from the Capital Market Authority (CMA), which allows them to conduct regulated activities now. He said: "The Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, was an important market in which Barclays has a strong footprint and client base." The Kingdom now becomes the fourth Barclays operation in the region after Egypt, Qatar and the UAE.

Riyadh: At least three people were reported injured when gunmen opened fire outside a mosque in Riyadh on Wednesday night. However, Senior Police officials told Arab News that only one person was hit.

Flights will operate as planned on Monday as Sama makes urgent arrangements to accommodate stranded passengers on other airlines. Sama CEO Bruce Ashby said the decision was not an easy one for the airlines and was taken only after failing to find an alternative. Sama has informed the General Authority of Civil Aviation of its plan, said GACA spokesman Khalid Al-Khaibari.

The statement released by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) on Saturday said that a "heavy hit on the surface of the runway caused the crash that led to a fire and billowing smoke all around" immediately after landing.

The hefty wedding costs associated with marrying Saudi women prompted over 2,100 Saudi men to go hitched to non-Saudi women last year , according to a study conducted by the Ministry of Justice.

There were no casualties, although its two pilots sustained minor injuries, according to the German airline and the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). The aircraft split into two pieces when it landed at 11.38 in the morning. "The cause of the incident is being investigated, and one of the two KKIA runways temporarily closed has since been reopened for regular flights," said GACA spokesman Khaled Al-Khaibari.

A Jeddah-bound Saudi Arabian Airlines flight with 182 passengers on board aborted takeoff at India’s Chennai airport on Monday after the pilot detected smoke coming from one of its engines.

Three Saudi men who allegedly opened fire on a senior Riyadh-based journalist and his friend are still at large. Riyadh police have detained several suspects for identification since the attack on Wednesday night on Subhi Rakha, a correspondent for the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai. “Many suspects were released after the two police lineups in which we were called to identify the culprits,” Rakha said on Saturday. He said three men “fired indiscriminately from their pistols after my friend and I intervened to settle a scuffle between the Saudi men and an Egyptian national.”

After a hiatus of more than 20 years, Saudi Arabia will restore aviation links with Iraq with the launch of the first flight from Jeddah to Baghdad by the Kingdom's privately owned Alwafeer Air on Thursday.

The body of a man was found in the landing gear of a Nas Air plane that flew from Beirut and landed at Riyadh's King Khaled International Airport (KKIA) early Saturday with 130 people on board.

Hanadi Zakaria Al-Hindi will undergo a nephrectomy procedure at King Faisal Hospital in Jeddah on July 20. “The nephrectomy will finally decide my fate, either to allow me to work as a pilot in the cockpit or as a flying instructor on the ground,” Al-Hindi told Arab News, thanking well wishers for their support.

The Saudi Press Agency reported that a plan to implement a multibillion-riyal refinery project in Jazan has also been finalized with the aim of boosting the local economy. The government would also fund the construction of basic educational and health infrastructure at five different locations in southern Jazan, an area that witnessed large-scale evacuations during the clashes.

“These prisoners, detained on charges of petty crimes, have already served the jail terms handed down by Saudi courts,” the ambassador said. Referring to his two-hour meeting with Prince Naif in Jeddah on Tuesday night, Alisherzai said the talks covered a range of important subjects, including cooperation in the fields of security, counterterrorism and organized crime. A proposal to set up “a consultative panel representing officials of the ministries of interior of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan” was also discussed, he added.

RIYADH: Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), the state-controlled power provider, has signed a contract with a consortium for SR7.9 billion to build a gas-fired power plant. The SEC will be committed to buy the electricity for 20 years from the plant as per the provisions of the contract, said Ali Saleh Al-Barrak, SEC chief executive officer, speaking after signing of the power purchase agreement, here Tuesday.

International Indian School-Dammam (IISD), in which girls have performed well in both science and commerce streams, has reported a total pass percentage of 99.1. International Indian School-Jeddah (IISJ) has a pass percentage of about 95 percent and International Indian School-Riyadh (IISR) 94.2 percent.

Following his meeting with Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Otte said on Wednesday, the Kingdom was playing a very “positive role” for achieving the goal of a negotiated settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli problem. "The rarest commodity at the moment on both sides is trust,” the EU special envoy said in a wide-ranging interview where he provided an overview of the recent developments in the Middle East.

The CL-60 aircraft carrying Anna and Lydia Hentschel flew from the special terminal of King Khaled International Airport (KKIA), while the escorts who were seeing them off shed tears of happiness. “The girls on arrival at Dresdan airport were received by German officials, relatives, friends and a number of well-wishers on Wednesday,” said a top airline executive, who preferred to remain anonymous.

RIYADH: In a renewed move to cut dependence on foreign workers, Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states are planning to reduce the number of work visas issued every year, train their own nationals more intensively for jobs in different sectors and reward private companies hiring local workers.

Riyadh: Ministers of interior from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) pledged on Wednesday to work togeather to tackle terrorism, money laundering and organized crime.  

“The CDSI has urged the public to provide full support during the two-week process of population counting that will end on May 12,” said Abdullateef Al-Khamees, a spokesperson for the Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI), on Monday. Al-Khamees said that all census enumerators would carry official badges and ID cards. He added that the results of the census would help government agencies map out future plans and policies.

In a daring robbery committed Friday night, burglars entered the restaurant, and made away with cash, crockery, gas cylinders and other items. The police have intensified their hunt for the criminals. This is the second restaurant theft in less than a week. It is widely believed that the same gang may be involved in other robberies of restaurants and businesses in recent weeks,” a spokesman said. In another instance, a popular restaurant in Haiul Wazarat, “Coco Palm Restaurant,” was robbed of thousands of riyals in cash, gas cylinders, and other items, said Amjad Raja, the restaurant’s owner.

The ceremony will include a series of events over two days. “The academy, which will rely on state-of-the-art aircraft, training facilities and equipment, aims to produce a cadre of highly skilled pilots who are disciplined and who practice superior aeronautical decision-making skills,” said William Roe, SAFA managing director. A joint venture between the SAC and the private sector, SAFA has placed a purchase order for the new generation of DA42 and DA40 aircraft to equip the flight school.

The Saudi food sector, which is largely dependent on imports, has, however, taken a giant leap in terms of food processing and vegetable, dairy and poultry production. In fact, many of the Kingdom’s food and drink giants have set up huge food processing units. Of late, they have started expanding their facilities, modernizing existing units and more importantly looking to expand their presence overseas.