RIYADH, 8 March 2004 — A young Saudi motorist and two friends filled up his brand-new Toyota Camry at a gas station and sped away without paying. Another Saudi youth rammed the boot of a standing car, got down with three friends, snatched SR560 from the gas station attendant and sped away. In another incident, a group of hooligans were detained by the police on charges of drunk driving and beating workers at a gas station.
RIYADH, 26 February 2004 — A senior Saudi scientist said yesterday that the Kingdom has no plans to develop nuclear energy or to become a nuclear power. It is, however, working to expand its radiation monitoring capabilities. Dr. Khaled Al-Eissa, deputy director of the Institute of Atomic Energy Research (IAER) at King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), said that fossil fuel will remain the cornerstone of the country’s energy policy for the time being.
RIYADH, Feb. 22 – As a humanitarian gesture Riyadh Governor Prince Salman in Abdul Aziz donated one million Saudi riyals to the International Islamic Relief Organization (IIRO) last night following the opening of the eighth IIRO charity festival. With SR8 million contributed generously on the very first day, prominent donors include the Al Jomaih Group (SR2 million), USB’s Chairman Prince Al Waleed ibn Talal (SR1 million) and Chairman of the Jeraisy Group Abdulrahman Al-Jeraisy (half a million riyals).
RIYADH, 17 February 2004 — Senior officials and experts of the ministries of interior and information together with those from universities in Arab countries called on their governments to forge solidarity to combat terrorism and organized crime on a regional level. The call was made here yesterday at a seminar hosted by Naif Arab Academy for Security Sciences to discuss as how information exchange can help to fight terrorism in Arab countries.
RIYADH, 15 February 2004 — As part of its educational reform plans, the Kingdom has introduced a portion of its new curriculum. The aim of the reforms by the Ministry of Education is to revise controversial chapters. “A new contract with a major publishing company will be signed shortly for printing a series of books in different subjects including social science, mathematics and science,” said Dr. Khaled Al-Awwad, deputy minister of education, at the Swiss Education Fair in Riyadh yesterday.
RIYADH – In a move to combat acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), the Ministry of Health has announced plans to establish three specialized facilities in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. The facilities will study, evaluate and treat patients with AIDS. An AIDS treatment center at the Riyadh Medical Complex has already opened with necessary facilities, according to a ministry report released by Dr. Tarek Medani, adviser to the minister.
RIYADH, 15 January 2004 — Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov arrived in Jeddah yesterday on a four-day official visit to the Kingdom, according to Russian diplomats here. President Kadyrov, who will also visit Riyadh, is scheduled to hold talks with many senior Saudi officials during his trip, including Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard.
RIYADH, 11 January 2004 — A Saudi woman doctor has been named a visiting professor at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University in the United States. Dr. Selwa A.F. Al-Hazzaa, head of the ophthalmology department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, will become the first Middle Easterner to travel to the US several times in an academic year to deliver lectures.
RIYADH, 28 December 2003 — A Saudi seismologist, who monitored Friday’s devastating earthquake in Iran, has warned of possible aftershocks, possibly in the southeast of that country.
RIYADH, 23 December 2003 — Criticism of the Philippine Embassy here is mounting over its handling of 16 Filipino hunger strikers who were handed over to police Sunday night. The 16 say they have received death threats for speaking out against the Philippine chancery, while an organization looking after Filipinos abroad wants embassy officials recalled.