RIYADH,13 December 2007 — As part of an ambitious plan to enable Saudi nationals to own houses, a major Saudi financing company with a capital of SR2 billion has been launched. The company has started receiving applications from individuals interested in seeking loan facilities, announced Abdullatif Al-Shelash, managing director of the Saudi Home Loans Company (SHL), here yesterday.
RIYADH/ABHA, 26 November 2007 — Attempts to smuggle six truckloads of live birds into Riyadh during the last four days have been thwarted by the municipality. In the campaign against bird flu, the municipality also declared the city off-limits to vehicles carrying live birds. Several government agencies, including the ministries of agriculture and health, have intensified efforts to check the spread of the disease.
RIYADH, 23 October 2007 — Parents and relatives of Safia Asif, the 19-year-old student at the Pakistan International School, Riyadh, (PISR), who is recovering at a local hospital after allegedly being assaulted by teachers, have called on Saudi and Pakistani officials to ensure they are given justice. Safia’s supporters have called on the Riyadh governorate, local human rights groups and the Ministry of Education to look into the teenager’s case. “The governorate has already asked the police to ensure a fair investigation in this case,” said Imran Ali, Safia’s brother-in-law.
RIYADH, 18 October 2007 — Burglars are on the prowl again despite intensified security patrolling on the streets of the capital city as companies and businesses reopen following the Eid holiday. That isn’t to say the holidays have been crime-free; numerous cases of theft and snatchings were reported. Mohammad Ayaz, who works as a senior architect for Saudi Oger, lost cash and jewelry worth over SR45,000 in a case of theft recently.
RIYADH, 12 October 2006 — Carrefour opened its first hypermarket in the Eastern Province on Tuesday evening. “The new Carrefour Hypermarket in Alkhobar (at Rashid Mall), occupying a shopping space of 10,000 square meters, offers a huge range of world-class products at the lowest possible prices,” said Abdullah Al-Ahmed, Carrefour’s vice president for business development and public relations.
RIYADH, 11 October 2007 — In a major move to cut reliance on foreign workers, Al-Othaim Markets Co. (OMC) has announced plans to recruit 300 Saudi employees this year within the framework of an agreement signed by OMC and the government-owned Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF). The OMC is also working with the General Organization for Technical Education & Vocational Training to hire trained Saudi manpower. Yousef Mohammed Al-Gafari, OMC’s company’s executive president, said here yesterday Othaim Group has already set up an academy to train Saudi graduates for free.