A1SaudiArabia.com

JEDDAH: A number of Saudi youths launched a film on Tuesday appealing to US President Barack Obama to use his constitutional power of presidential pardon to set free a Saudi man jailed for sexual assault.

Humaidan Al-Turki is currently serving 28 years in a US prison.

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JEDDAH – Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, issued directives Wednesday to link issuance and renewal of residence permits (Iqamas) for foreign engineers with their registrations with the Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE).

Engineer Abdullah Ahmad Bugshan, chairman of the SCE, said the organization works to improve the engineering profession by establishing criteria for engineers and setting rules for their accreditation, which were approved for all engineers working in the Kingdom.

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RIYADH/JEDDAH: The Kingdoms most senior religious scholar has ordered a preacher to stop giving unauthorized fatwas (religious edicts) after he called for boycotting a supermarket chain that employs women as cashiers.

Youssef Al-Ahmed had urged people not to shop at Panda
stores because women there work in jobs that allow for the mingling of the
sexes. Al-Ahmed says this is a violation of Islamic law.

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RIYADH – Engineer Osama Kurdi, a member of the Shoura Council, stressed that privatizing commercial aviation in the Kingdom requires government responsibility for monitoring the sector and addressing obstacles, new airlines face as they attempt to build their businesses.

Foreign investment in the airline sector and other industries will provide benefits from increased competition and the technological experience of companies and investors that choose to participate, he said.

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INDIAs ties with the people of the Arabian Peninsula go back several millennia when sailors and merchants from South Asia and the Gulf used to cross the Indian Ocean in boats constructed with teak from Malabar. Our ancestors not only shared merchandise but, through this long and substantial contact, also exchanged ideas on culture, religion and society.

As a result of this rich exchange, today there is a remarkable cultural and social affinity between the people of India and the people of the Arabian Peninsula. These ties have continued to be refreshed and enriched over the centuries.

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AS we celebrate our  63rd anniversary of Independence Day, I extend my warm wishes to Indian nationals, Persons of Indian Origin and friends of India residing in the Western province of Saudi Arabia.

India is today an economic power and the world recognizes that the Indian route to economic progress has been a more stable and sustainable one.  The steady acceleration to 5.5 percent growth from 1980 to the year 2000 and to nearly 9 percent since 2004 has shown the world that India is an economic power. Despite many changes in the government with different political parties wielding power in New Delhi and in the states, there has been no reversal of the process of the economic reform and liberalization in the past 19 years.  Successive governments have taken forward the process and the Indian economy is today more globally integrated than ever before. 

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I EXTEND my warm greetings and best wishes to all Indian nationals in Saudi Arabia on the occasion of Indias 64th Independence Day.

On this auspicious day, we all remember with gratitude the struggle and sacrifices made by our freedom fighters to realize their dreams of an independent India. Today, India is respected across the world as the largest secular democracy and a unique example of peaceful coexistence in a pluralistic society. The economic, social, cultural, educational, scientific and technological progress achieved by us in the six decades after independence has earned admiration and respect for India in the international community.

The rapid economic growth of India over last two decades, especially the strong performance of the Indian economy in face of recent global financial crisis, has further reinforced our position in the international community. The success of our indigenous space, nuclear and defense programs is testimony to astounding success achieved in the field of science and technology. The achievements of our scientists and researchers working in frontier areas of science, including information and communication technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, have added to Indias positive image.

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JEDDAH – There are a total of 18,851 buildings located in 52 unplanned areas in the city that are unsafe and not built according to proper engineering standards, according to a city official.

Khaled Zaini, Chairman of the Dilapidated Buildings Committee and Director General of Jeddahs Emergency Department, added that most houses in the citys unplanned areas are not safe and cannot withstand natural forces.

Zaini said that there are no plans to remove these buildings. However, a study on the condition of the buildings is being reviewed by the committee.

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MADINA – The President of the Canadian Dawa Association (CDA) and UN Peace Ambassador Shahzad Muhammad has announced that the CDA is to host a “number of Muslim sporting and Hollywood celebrities” on Umrah trips during Ramadan.

The famous figures, whose names were not revealed, will also be given a tour of the Kingdoms sites of interest during their stay.

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RIYADH: The Shoura Council is to review a draft mortgage law for the Kingdoms real estate sector after its summer holidays, the councils secretary-general said on Friday.

“Since there was a difference of opinion on certain issues between the council and the Cabinet, the matter was taken up at the 40th regular session of the council held in June,” Muhammed Al-Ghamdi said.

He added that members asked for more time to discuss the proposed law, which proponents say would benefit the countrys economy.

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