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.
RIYADH: Arab News, a major publication of Saudi Research & Publishing Company (SRPC), will be the title sponsor for an ‘Inter-School Cricket Tournament 2009’, scheduled to be organized during this season in Riyadh. Khaled Almaeena, Arab News Editor-in-chief, who met with the senior RCA office bearers in his office and signed a sponsorship agreement here yesterday, announced this
RIYADH: Vocational training in the Kingdom is poised to take off in a big way, especially for girls who will now have access to specialized training in different vocations. The Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) has launched an ambitious project to set up 39 training institutes exclusively for girls by 2014. The new institutes will have a cumulative enrollment of some 120,000 students on different technical and vocational courses at any given time
RIYADH: The Kingdom will host an emergency meeting of Arab health ministers here on Tuesday to discuss how to send urgent medical assistance to thousands of Palestinians who have been wounded and rendered homeless in the continuing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. The ministers will also address the health crisis, especially among women and children who are dying in the poorly equipped and understaffed hospitals of the war-torn region.
RIYADH: On the orders of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia is sending several planeloads of relief supplies to Palestinians. “At least six planeloads of relief materials will be sent for the injured Palestinian patients within a week from now,” Khaled Al-Mirghalani, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Health, said yesterday.
PANEL of doctors has declared Capt. Hanadi Zakaria Al-Hindi once again ready for takeoff. The first Saudi woman pilot is fit to go back to her work following a number of abdominal surgeries at different British and Saudi hospitals recently.