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JEDDAH – India’s trade with Saudi Arabia is gradually increasing not only in terms of revenue but range as well, according to Consul General Sayeed Ahmed Baba.
Baba told a press conference here on Saturday that India’s exports to the Kingdom increased from $1.4 billion in 2004-05 to $5.1 billion in 2008-09.
He said that to increase it further the CGI, in cooperation with the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), will hold a two-day ‘mega catalog-cum-product show ’ starting Sunday at the chamber premises.
The show, which will be inaugurated by Mazen Batterjee, vice chairman of the JCCI, “commemorates the recent historic visit of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Riyadh following the landmark visit of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to India in 2006”.
The consul general said that 300 companies will take part in the show, most of them new to the Saudi market. Some of the companies produce non-traditional products, such as one manufacturing artificial hair.
“It is the beginning of the thrust to showcase and introduce Indian companies to the Saudi business community. It is a sort of testing of the Saudi market for Indian products,” he said, and added that depending on the response received, the catalog show will later be followed by an expo of Indian products.
“We will evaluate the show after it is over and also weigh the opinions and response of the Saudis, before taking further action,” he said.
Consul General Baba said that the signs are good and encouraging as many enquiries are coming in. According to him, a major hospital – AIMS – in Gurgaon, set up by Dr. Trehan, who was with Escort, is seeking collaboration with a Saudi hospital partner here to send patients to India for treatment.
He added that medical tourism, especially to Kerala, is popular and new hospitals being established in Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad are also targeting it, and looking for tie-ups with hospitals in the Kingdom.
Mohammed Rashid Khan, Consul (Commercial) said that India imports 20 percent of its oil requirements from Saudi Arabia.
He said that some of the products exported to Saudi Arabia recently included cathodes and sections of cathodes ($416 million), rice, mainly basmati, ($413m), benzene ($155m), boneless meat of bovine animals ($71.94m), barley ($71m), brass and rods of refined copper ($67.64m) and compressors used in air-conditioning equipment ($65m).
Khan said that bilateral trade has increased from $2.7 billion in 2004-05 to $25 billion in 2008-09. – SG

JEDDAH – Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pakistani Foreign Minister, is arriving in the Kingdom on April 2. Qureshi will convey a message from President Asif Ali Zardari to King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, focusing on ways to further boost the existing strong bilateral relations.
The minister will also brief the Monarch on the developments in his country and South Asia.
Abdul Aziz Al-Ghadeer, the Kingdom’s Ambassador to Pakistan, said the minister’s visit comes as part of the constant consultation and coordination between the two countries on developments in the Middle East especially in Palestine, Iraq and Iran.
Qureshi will also hold talks with his counterpart, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, covering developments in Pakistan besides the latest regional and global developments. The talks will mainly focus on enhancement of bilateral relations, ways of boosting joint Islamic work and bilateral efforts to combat terrorism, the ambassador said.
A Pakistani source said Qureshi will brief Prince Saud on the outcome of the recent dialogue between Pakistan and India.
Addressing a recent press conference in Islamabad, Qureshi welcomed any mediation by the Kingdom for the improvement of India and Pakistan relations. “Pakistan will never object to such efforts if they come from a friendly country like the Kingdom which has a long history of good relations with Pakistan,” Qureshi was reported by the media as saying. – Okaz/SG

RIYADH – Business houses in the capital have been warned against door-to-door distribution of leaflets advertising their products.
The Emir’s Office here has sent a directive to the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) urging the relevant bodies to strictly abide by lawful methods for the distribution of fliers and pamphlets.
The directive calls for the reactivation of the decision a few years ago banning the distribution of advertising publications to private homes.
The Emir’s Office stressed the importance of strictly enforcing penalties against advertising agencies, media companies, malls, restaurants and groceries violating the set guidelines. Non-adherence to the rules poses a great security threat to the public, the directive said.
The distribution of pamphlets door-to-door has negative social, security and moral implications, it said.
The RCCI has urged members to distribute their publications through proper channels such as post offices and different media outlets. It also urged private educational and training institutions to fully cooperate with the responsible authorities to prevent private teachers from distributing their advertisements in malls, and supermarkets and from posting them on walls.
Also, it called upon the public to join the fight against unlicensed and untrained private teachers who exploit families and cause great damage to the education process. – Okaz/SG

JEDDAH – SABB is participating in the global initiative “Earth Hour 2010”, scheduled for March 27 to help reduce the emissions of global warming, and combat the threat posed by this phenomenon on planet Earth.
The participation of SABB in this initiative comes in support of Saudi Arabia’s intent to combat the threat posed by “global warming”. – SG
The campaign aims to emphasize that individual contributions on a mass scale contribute significantly to better improve the environment in which we live. The initiative calls on individuals and companies around the world to turn off any unnecessary lighting for one hour on March 27 from 8.30 P.M. to 9.30 P.M.
This is the third year in a row that SABB is taking part in this initiative. SABB is only one of the top companies and institutions in Saudi Arabia participating in “Earth Hour”. The bank has also urged staff members to participate in this global campaign, with the aim of sending a strong message that highlights the need for effective measures to reduce the phenomenon of “global warming”. – SG

AL-KHOBAR – The Kingdom belatedly marked World Kidney Day last weekend by distributing information material and campaign literature on the prevention and management of diabetes, which is often the cause of kidney diseases.
World Kidney Day was celebrated on March 11 by over 100 countries. The celebration in Saudi Arabia was spearheaded last weekend by the Saudi Diabetes and Endocrine Association (SDEA) together with its annual educational campaign to help diabetic patients reduce their risk of kidney failure.
This year’s celebration of World Kidney Day focused on diabetes, which is the leading cause of kidney diseases worldwide.
“Kidney failure in Saudi Arabia is a serious problem and carries with it many medical, social, and financial consequences,” said Abdulaziz Ali Al-Turki, president of SDEA, during the launching of the education drive in Al-Khobar.
Information material and brochures on the prevention and management of diabetes and other endocrine diseases were distributed in malls, commercial centers, and schools.
During the launch, Al-Turki emphasized that the educational campaign starts with blood sugar screening to identity those patients at risk of diabetes and then helps diabetic patients attain and maintain their blood sugar and blood pressure levels within normal ranges.
SDEA information material cited the following guidelines on diabetes prevention, such as optimizing blood sugar control, optimizing blood pressure control, avoiding the consumption of excessive protein, moderating the consumption of salt and salty foods, performing annual screening and undertaking all kidney function tests, avoiding smoking, maintaining blood lipids within normal ranges, avoiding taking medication without physicians’ orders, and avoiding dehydration.
Dr. Basem Futa, head of the SDEA committee on information and education, said the scientific committee of the SDEA will address diabetic prevention and management programs during its annual diabetes update conference on April 7.
The World Health Organization said the celebration of World Kidney Day “is a good opportunity to remind governments that the pandemic weighs heavily on all countries’ healthcare budgets and that it is crucial to take action to facilitate early detection and encourage healthy lifestyles”.
WHO statistics show that kidney diseases affect around 600 million people worldwide – approximately one in ten people.
Kidney diseases are silent killers and patients may have no symptoms until they have kidney failure. “It is then too late for treatment and the only way to stay alive is lifetime dialysis – or transplantation, for the lucky few who manage to find a donor.
Sadly, dialysis is often not an option in the developing world, where it is too expensive, water is scarce or machines are unavailable,” WHO said in its advisory on the fight against kidney diseases. – SG

TAIF – The Saudi Medical Specializations Commission has introduced measures to clamp down on cheating in its examinations.
A committee from the commission has ruled that any non-Saudi person proven to have cheated is to be barred from the profession in the Kingdom and put on a blacklist.
Saudis found cheating will be barred from practicing for the period of one year and obliged to undergo training at a recognized hospital for a minimum of nine months.
If they are found cheating a second time, they will be barred from practicing permanently and a ruling will be issued declaring them unsuitable for work in the health sector.
It is hoped the measures will curb the various forms of cheating observed in the Medical Specializations Commission’s examinations, including the use of other persons to sit the tests in lieu of the real examinee. – Okaz/SG

DHAHRAN – “King Faisal – An Observer and a Martyr”, the exhibition showcasing the life and achievements of the third Saudi ruler, has been extended by two weeks because of popular public demand.

A large number of people, especially the youth, have thronged King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Dhahran, the venue of the exhibition, in order to view the era of King Faisal.

Organizers told Saudi Gazette that the exhibition, scheduled to end on March 20, has now been extended until April 7 by public demand. More than 180,000 people have already visited the exhibition, many from the neighboring countries of Bahrain and Kuwait.

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JEDDAH – Prince Misha’l Bin Majed Bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Jeddah, has suspended a surgeon with four medical error complaints against him from practicing after the Ministry of Health for two months failed to initiate any action against him.
Abdul Rahman Al-Ojairi, head of the Shariah Medical Commission in the province of Makkah, said the body had received complaints directed at the surgeon from four patients and passed reports on to the Ministry of Health seeking the doctor’s suspension.
“Two months later, we found that the surgeon was still working,” Al-Oraiji said. “I was concerned that problems might get worse, so I contacted the governor and informed him of the evidence against the surgeon.”
The surgeon has now been suspended from practicing until investigations into the complaints are completed. – Okaz/SG

AL-AHSA – The Civil Defense in Jubail has handed over to police the results of the investigation it conducted on the death of a 33-year-old Asian worker who was found dead in a septic tank. Colonel Mansour Al-Dowsari, spokesman of Civil Defense in Al-Ahsa, said that initial inquiries indicated that there was a criminal motive involved in the mans death so the case has been handed over to the police. – Okaz/SG

JEDDAH – Police here are investigating the murder of an Indian national who held a senior post in the Saudia catering department. The man was found lying in a pool of blood in his home inside the Saudia residential compound in the citys Khalidyia District. Authorities were called when the victims friends discovered his absence and reported the matter to the police. Initial report made by the forensic team said that the victim had been stabbed once in the jugular vein and as a result had bled to death. – Okaz/SG