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King Salman highlights Saudi success in eradicating terrorism

Arab News
September 3, 2017

Makkah, Sept 3: Saudi King Salman on Saturday said the Kingdom has made great strides in protecting Muslim holy sites from terror attacks.

“The arms of terrorism have sought to harm the holy sites without any consideration to their sanctities,” he said during a reception in Makkah for dignitaries attending the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

“However, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — with Allah's help and in cooperation with the Kingdom's brothers and friends — have achieved great successes in eradicating terrorism and drying up its sources firmly and persistently,” he was quoted by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) as saying.

Saudi air defense forces had in the past intercepted ballistic missiles launched from Yemen that targeted the holy city of Makkah.

Security forces have also arrested dozens of suspects linked to a suicide bomb attack in the holy city of Madinah during Ramadan last year.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia represents the heart of the Muslim world. Therefore, it feels the pains of Muslims everywhere, strives to achieve unity, cooperation and solidarity in our Muslim world, and achieves security and peace in the whole world,” King Salman said.

On Friday, during a reception for Gulf and Saudi officials on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, the king paid tribute to members of security forces, who lost their lives protecting the Kingdom.

He also congratulated Hajj pilgrims and cited security forces and all agencies concerned for a job well done in ensuring a smooth Hajj.

More than 2.35 million faithful participated in this year’s Hajj, including more than 1.75 million, from all corners of the globe, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has said. No untoward incident has been reported this year.

The Kingdom has deployed more than 100,000 security personnel to keep pilgrims safe this year.

King Salman said Saudi Arabia had devoted all its material and human resources to ensure the safety of pilgrims who come from all over the world to perform the five-day ritual, a religious duty to be undertaken once in a lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the journey.

"We are determined, with God's permission, to continue to provide the highest level of services for the two holy mosques ... to ensure the safety of those who seek the sacred house of God," he said.

As pilgrims took turns to complete the last rites of Hajj, the king returned to Jeddah.

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News Network
May 21,2020

Dubai, May 21: Around 10,000 Iranian health workers have been infected with the new coronavirus, the semi-official ILNA news agency quoted a deputy health minister as saying on Thursday.

Health services are stretched thin in Iran, the Middle East country hardest hit by the respiratory pandemic, with 7,249 deaths and a total of 129,341 infections. The Health Ministry said in April that over 100 health workers had died of COVID-19.

No more details on infections among health workers were immediately available.

Earlier on Thursday, Health Minister Saeed Namaki appealed to Iranians to avoid travelling during the Eid al-Fitr religious holiday later this month to avoid the risk of a new surge of coronavirus infections, state TV reported.

Iranians often travel to different cities around the country to mark the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, something Namaki said could lead to a disregard of social distancing rules and a fresh outbreak of COVID-19.

"I am urging you not to travel during the Eid. Definitely, such trips mean new cases of infection...People should not travel to and from those high-risk red areas," Namaki was quoted by state television as saying.

"Some 90% of the population in many areas has not yet contracted the disease. In the case of a new outbreak, it will be very difficult for me and my colleagues to control it."

A report by parliament's research centre suggested that the actual tally of infections and deaths in Iran might be almost twice that announced by the health ministry.

However, worried that measures to limit public activities could wreck an economy which has already been battered by U.S. sanctions, the government has been easing most restrictions on normal life in late April.

Infected cases have been on a rising trajectory for the past two weeks. However, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Iran was close to curbing the outbreak.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

Kuwait will allow citizens and residents to travel to and from the country, starting August 1, the government communication center tweeted on early Thursday, citing a cabinet decision.

The decision excludes residents coming from Bangladesh, Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal.

Last month, Kuwait announced it would partially resume commercial flights from August, but does not expect to reach full capacity until a year later, as its aviation sector gradually recovers from a suspension sparked by the Covid-19 crisis.

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Agencies
July 28,2020

Dubai, Jul 28: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) (ADCB.AD) is letting go hundreds of employees, sources said, the latest in a round of lay-offs by regional banks as pressure mounts to cut costs amid lower oil prices and the coronavirus crisis.

The UAE’s third-biggest lender is laying off 400 employees, two sources familiar with the matter said, after it had committed to not cutting staff because of the crisis.

In a statement, a spokesman said ADCB had pursued efficiency over the last decade by managing out its lowest underachievers after regular reviews, while ensuring talent was deployed in high-growth areas, such as digital banking.

“A certain number of redundancies are therefore expected every year in the normal course of business,” the bank spokesman added.

The sources said the cuts would involve ADCB’s consumer business and several in top management were among those being let go. One source said the bank was looking to close 20 branches.

In March, ADCB had declared, “No employee will be made redundant during 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

UAE banks have been hit by government measures to rein in the spread of the virus, forcing many businesses to shut temporarily.

Last week, Dubai’s largest bank, Emirates NBD, reported a slump of 58% in profits. In June, sources told Reuters the bank started a new round of hundreds of lay-offs.

In May, ADCB reported a fall of 84% in first-quarter net profit as it took impairments of $292 million on debt exposure to troubled hospital operator NMC Health and payments group Finablr.

It was a major lender, with an exposure of about $981 million, to NMC Health, which went into administration this year after months of turmoil following questions over financial reporting.

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