RIYADH: An Argentine cyclist on a world tour arrived in Riyadh a few days ago after pedaling some 70,735km. Cyclist Pablo Garcia said at a press conference at the Riyadh Marriott Hotel yesterday that his mission was to “promote global peace and cultural exchange as a process for building peaceful relations all over the world, especially in the Middle East. “Cultural integration is a dynamic process of fostering peace among diverse nations.”
RIYADH: King Saud University (KSU) has announced plans to start courses in Chinese, Urdu, Swahili and Hausa. The university’s College of Language and Translation (COLT), which has emerged as the largest language teaching facility of its kind in the Middle East, has also geared itself to start three postgraduate programs in French, English linguistics and translation. “Chinese as a language will be taught from the next academic year,” said Saad H. Al-Hashash, the dean of COLT.
RIYADH: The whereabouts of a Ugandan executive who was arrested nearly four years ago and detained in a Dammam prison is unknown despite efforts by the country’s embassy to find him. “The fate of Faheart Huling Oling, 36, is uncertain after he was allegedly transferred to an undisclosed location and the Saudi government has not responded to our diplomatic notes so far,” Abdul Noor Sekindi, the Ugandan Embassy spokesman, said yesterday.
RIYADH: Education officials in the Gulf countries are committed to developing their curriculums, according to Ali Al-Karni, director-general of the Riyadh-based Arab Bureau for Education in the Gulf States (ABEGS). Al-Karni made his comments about curriculum development while announcing that the Almarai Award for Scientific Innovation would be given to “six students from each GCC member state, including Saudi Arabia” at a ceremony in Kuwait on Sunday.
RIYADH: In a show of brilliant cricketing, Pakistan International School Naseriya (PISN), Middle East International School (MEIS) and Pakistan International School English Section (PISES) crushed their opponents in the ongoing Arab News Inter-School Cricket tournament sponsored by Arab News and organized by Riyadh Cricket Association (RCA). The matches are being played at RCA Ground in Sulay District of the capital city. The ground wore a colorful look as families of players and supporters of the participating teams swarmed the arena in big numbers, which is indicative of the fact that the event is evoking great enthusiasm and big response in Riyadh.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Turkey have reaffirmed their desire to restore and rebuild the historic Hejaz Railway that linked Damascus with the holy city of Madinah by a narrow-gauge rail line. The Hejaz rail line was used by pilgrims traveling from Istanbul to the Prophet’s Mosque via the Syrian capital. “The plan envisages restoration and modernization of the railway line by the Turkish government within its territory, while it calls on Syria and Jordan to rebuild the tracks on their sides,” said Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim during a high-profile business meeting addressed by Turkish President Abdullah Gul here yesterday.
RIYADH: A mega inter-school cricket tournament sponsored by Arab News and organized by Riyadh Cricket Association (RCA) opens here today. The opening and succeeding matches in the event dubbed Fourth Arab News Inter-school Tournament will be played at RCA grounds in Sulay District near Exit 18 in Riyadh. “A meeting of the RCA office bearers and members as well as physical instructors of the participating schools discussed the arrangements made for the tournament,” said RCA adviser Raza Ur Rahman. A total of 13 school teams entered the event, which has generated much enthusiasm and interest among the cricket lovers of the capital city. The teams are divided into two age groups, Under-15 and Under-19.
RIYADH, 23 January 2007 — Al-Rajhi Bank has opened 12 new exchange and transfer centers across the Kingdom as part of its ambitious expansion plan. The new high-tech customer-friendly Tahweel Al-Rajhi centers at premium locations have started functioning, offering the whole range of products and services to customers including remittance services, demand drafts, traveler’s checks, local transfers and debit account remittance, Abdul Aziz M. Al-Sedeas, the new chief of Tahweel Al-Rajhi centers, said here yesterday.
RIYADH: The Arab Economic, Social and Development Summit slated to open in Kuwait today underlines the need for balanced solutions to secure an enduring socioeconomic future for the Arab region. “Economic growth, social welfare and development are inextricably interdependent,” Mohammad Abdullah Abul Hasan, chairman of the Information Committee of Arab Summit and adviser at Diwan Al-Emiri in Kuwait, said here yesterday.
RIYADH: A 16-year-old Pakistani girl collapsed inside the premises of a school here on Friday evening and died on the way to a nearby hospital. Meanwhile, officials of the Pakistan International School, Riyadh are pushing back on allegations that they decided not to announce the death until after an awards banquet. Atiya Hoshyar, a 10th grade student, collapsed in the Girls Section of the Pakistan International School, Riyadh (PISR) on Friday evening. She had come to receive an award on behalf of her elder sister.