RIYADH, 10 June 2004 — Saudi authorities have freed 24 Filipinos, who had been in jail in Riyadh following convictions on drug charges. The Filipinos have been deported to the Philippines after being released from Al-Hair Prison following a royal clemency granted by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd. “A group of 14 Filipinos are still in the same prison on drug charges,” said Romulo Victor M. Israel, third secretary & vice consul at the Philippine Embassy.
RIYADH, May 26 – A senior investment expert said here that the Ministry of Commerce in Saudi Arabia is considering the potential for non-GCC ownership of Saudi shares, keeping in mind the flow of inter- national capital to the Saudi market and increased interest from foreign investors. Saudi policy makers have observed the success of Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia who have committed, slowly but surely, the foreign ownership of domestic shares. however, in the case of the Kingdom, this may be restricted to limited foreign ownership of Saudi shares in the initial stages.
RIYADH, 26 May 2004 — The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council took another step toward closer ties among member states by finalizing a plan for unified ID cards for Gulf nationals. The main feature of the cards, which will bear both the GCC’s and the member country’s logo, is “inter-operability” — making its features readable in all Gulf states. The cards will use smart card technology and have common security features and accessing devices.
RIYADH, 21 May 2004 — The Civil Defense has set up a rapid reaction force to confront terror attacks and natural disasters, its director Maj. Gen. Saad Al-Tuwaijri said here yesterday. “We now have a special force whose members are highly-trained and equipped with the most sophisticated equipment to deal with terrorist attacks,” he said in a press statement.
RIYADH/DAMMAM/JEDDAH, 14 May 2004 — India’s parliamentary election results yesterday stunned Indian expatriates across the Kingdom, who nonetheless welcomed the verdict in favor of Congress. More than one expat said the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government’s divisive communal politics cost it dearly, as did anger among the millions of rural poor who felt left behind by the country’s economic boom. “The economic benefits have failed to reach the hundreds of millions living in crushing poverty in rural India, where electricity, jobs and clean water are still luxuries,” one of them said.
RIYADH – Sky gazing was the order of the night yesterday evening as people enjoyed a total lunar eclipse. It was seen across the Kingdom from 9.49 p.m. to 1.30 a.m. The lunar eclipse reached its peak at 11.31 p.m. last night. Special prayers were held across the Kingdom during the eclipse as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him had done at such times.
RIYADH – Canadian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs V. Peter Harder, currently visiting Saudi Arabia as part of his Middle East tour, said that Arab governments including the Kingdom have initiated the process of reforms in political, social, educational, economic and legal spheres with an emphasis on the participation of their citizens in the process. He, however, observed that people in the region feel that the pace of reforms is too slow.
RIYADH, 23 April 2004 — Security has been stepped up across the capital after Wednesday’s bomb blast. Government offices, hotels, housing compounds, shopping malls, banks and embassies are all in a high state of alert. Most government offices and the commercial organizations imposed tighter restrictions on visitors, who were asked to produce ID. Major government installations and hotels were put under the special guard of the mobile police and truckloads of special forces with mounted machine guns.
RIYADH – Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, yesterday reaffirmed that Islam is a religion of peace and moderation. The crown prince was delivering the inaugural address at an international conference on Islam and terrorism, organized by Imam Muhammad in Saud Islamic University.
RIYADH – Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, will inaugurate an international conference on Islam and terrorism at Imam Muhammad In Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) today. The conference, titled “The Position of Islam on Terrorism, Violence and Extremism”, will bring together some 100 scholars from around the world.