RIYADH, 27 March 2005 — Security officials have unearthed a number of drug, liquor and pornography dens during their raids here yesterday. “A total of 37 expatriates, mostly Asians, have been detained on charges of drug-trafficking alone,” a security official said. A Pakistani in possession of six kg of heroine and an Indian with 3.5 kg of hashish have been taken into custody, while five expatriates, including three Filipinos, have been arrested for sodomy.
RIYADH, 24 March 2005 — A series of raids on commercial and residential premises in downtown Riyadh have led to the arrest of at least 172 people, mostly expatriates, allegedly involved in running gambling dens and selling or renting out fake and pornographic CDs. The raids also uneartherd two warehouses used for gambling by two different gangs besides a number of cozy rooms and shops used for illegal businesses like unlicensed telephone booths.
RIYADH, 18 February 2005 — The local Security Forces Hospital (SFH) has won a prestigious award for its international partnership in healthcare and for its use of highly innovative telemedicine services offered by WorldCare Saudi Arabia. The award for the “Best Use of International Healthcare Partnership was presented to Dr. Adnan B. Mofti, deputy director general of the Security Forces Hospital by Tarik Abdulaziz Al-Khereiji, executive manager of WorldCare Saudi Arabia on behalf of the Arab Health Exhibition and Congress 2005, which concluded in Dubai recently.
RIYADH, 14 February 2005 — Interior Minister Prince Naif has rejected moves to classify Saudis into Islamists and non-Islamists. He was referring to media reports that Islamists had won Riyadh Municipal Council elections. “I strongly object to the media for focusing on this issue. We don’t accept such classifications, because we are all Muslims and citizens. The elections were held in the right manner. It has been proved that they (the winners) followed the law and did not create any problem,” he told reporters.
RIYADH, 11 February 2005 — An estimated 82 percent of registered voters cast their ballots yesterday as historic polling began on a moderate note at 73 polling stations across this sprawling capital city, election officials and voters said. A large number of voters were seen queuing up at the polling booths in different districts of the city in the historic elections that have considerable significance for this region in general and the world in particular.
RIYADH, 10 February 2005 — The government has made its preparations; the candidates have stumped on the campaign trail. Now it’s time for registered voters to, well, vote. More than 200 election observers will monitor the historic municipal elections today in the capital city besides a large contingent of Election Commission officials and security officials. The poll officials and the candidates said here that the elections observers have been drawn from different independent, non-governmental organizations, including the National Society for Human Rights and Saudi Journalists Association.
RIYADH, 9 February 2005 — Voting in the historic elections for Riyadh municipal council will be held tomorrow. The counting of votes will start immediately after the voting ends and results will be announced late that night or on Friday, an Election Commission spokesman said.
RIYADH, 8 February 2005 — Many candidates contesting the landmark municipal elections have voiced concerns about the plight of expatriate workers, and called on the government as well as employers to improve their living conditions. At the same time, the candidates have called for reducing reliance on foreign workers in a phased manner. They have also stressed the need for a cleaner environment, especially in certain neglected districts of the capital city where expatriates live in large numbers.
RIYADH, 8 February 2005 — Thirty-two percent of wives in Saudi Arabia keep their assets or part of their earnings as well as their assets secret from their husbands. Their assets are in bank accounts, stocks and shares or property other than real estate, according to a survey conducted by a London-based research firm, Synovate. According to the survey which dealt with nine countries, “this tendency is even more prevalent in Japan, where 38 percent of wives keep their husbands in the dark about their assets; 32 percent of wives in Saudi Arabia do so and 21 percent in China.”
RIYADH, 30 January 2005 — Petty theft and crime is on the increase in the Saudi capital. The sought-after items are mobile phones and handbags belonging to both men and women. “Police apathy and public carelessness has led to these problems,” said an Asian worker whose cell phone was stolen recently. When the theft occurred, the worker was using the phone as he stood in the street; two boys in a car suddenly stopped beside him, snatched the phone and sped away.