1. Home
  2. King Salman’s team takes charge in Saudi Arabia

King Salman’s team takes charge in Saudi Arabia

February 2, 2015

Jeddah, Feb 2: Saudi Arabia is all set for a new era under Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman as the newly appointed ministers and regional governors took oath of office in front of the king at Al-Yamamah Palace on Sunday.

team

King Salman urged the new governors and ministers to give top priority for the welfare and prosperity of citizens. “May Allah help us all to serve our religion, nation and people,” the king said in a brief speech.

He expressed his confidence in the new governors and ministers who took oath of office on Sunday, describing them as “the roots of this country founded by King Abdul Aziz.”

He highlighted Saudi Arabia’s position as the heart of the Muslim world and the cradle of Islam.

King Salman called upon Saudis to strengthen their unity and solidarity to bolster the Kingdom’s security and stability. He noted the great contributions made by previous kings.

“King Abdullah always advised me to give top priority for our citizens and our religion,” the king said.

Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar, State Minister Prince Mansour bin Miteb, National Guard Minister Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, Defense Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh, Education Minister Azzam Al-Dakhil and Culture and Information Minister Adel Al-Toraifi were sworn in during the ceremony. They swore separately: “In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful, I swear by Allah Almighty to be loyal to my religion, king and country, and not to divulge the state secrets, to maintain its interests and regulations, and to perform my duties sincerely, honestly and faithfully.”

Other ministers who took oath were: Justice Minister Walid Al-Samaani, State Minister Matlab Al-Nafeesa, State Minister Musaed Al-Aiban, Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Al-Naimi, Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf, Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen and Labor Minister Adel Fakeih.

Housing Minister Shuwaish Al-Dhuwaihi; Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar; Economy and Planning Minister Mohammed Al-Jasser, Minister of Commerce and Industry Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, Minister of State for Shoura Affairs Mohammed Abusaq, Minister of State Essam bin Saeed; Minister of Transport Abdullah Al-Muqbil, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammed Al-Suwaiyel; Minister of Social Affairs Majed Al-Qassabi, Minister of State Saad Al-Jabri, Minister of State Mohammed Al-Asheikh; Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs Abdul Latif Al-Asheikh; Minister of Health Dr. Ahmed Al-Khateeb; Minister of Civil Service Khaled Al-Araj, Minister of Agriculture Abdul Rahman Al-Fadli, and Assistant Shoura President Yahya Al-Samaan.

In a statement after taking oath, Al-Toraifi thanked King Salman for the appointment. “I thank the king for the trust bestowed on me. I value this trust and I am proud of it. I hope that I will live up to the expectations.”

Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil, president of the Council of Saudi Chambers, said he expected a new era of cooperation between the public and private sectors during King Salman’s era.

“There has been high optimism in business circles after King Salman ascended the throne,” he said.

Al-Zamil commended King Salman’s open-door policy that gave an opportunity for citizens to present their complaints to government departments. “We know King Salman for the last 50 years as governor of Riyadh,” he said while praising his efforts to make Riyadh a world-class city.

Samira Al-Suwayegh, chairperson of the Executive Council for Businesswomen at Asharqia Chamber, said the new decisions issued by the king would help achieve sustainable development. “It will also open new horizons of progress in the economic sector and open the door for women to participate in economic and investment ventures inside and outside the Kingdom,” she said.

Rima Al-Shahrani, a businesswoman, said King Salman’s programs would have a positive impact on the national economy and create more job opportunities for Saudi men and women. “It will also improve the living condition of citizens across the country,” she added.

Comments

MURUGAN RAMASAMY
 - 
Wednesday, 24 Feb 2016

Dear king of Saudi..

I am murugan Ramasamy from tamilnadu in India. Now I am very difficult situation so please help me in my features.. Now money is world. So life us big war .. We are victory of our sosaity . please donated some money. I will Expectations yous help. Thank you.

Add new comment

About text formats
  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
July 31,2020

Mount Arafat, July 30: Muslim pilgrims converged Thursday on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat for the climax of this year's hajj, the smallest in modern times and a sharp contrast to the massive crowds of previous years.

A tight security cordon has been erected all around the foot of the rocky hill outside Mecca, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy.

Pilgrims, donning masks and observing social distancing, were brought in buses from neighbouring Mina, state television showed, as Saudi authorities impose measures to prevent a coronavirus outbreak.

They were subject to temperature checks and attended a sermon -- which state media said was translated into 10 languages -- before they set off on the climb to the summit for hours of Koran recitals and prayers to atone for their sins.

The scene was strikingly different to last year's ritual when a sea of pilgrims ascended Mount Arafat, marshalled by tens of thousands of stewards in a bid to prevent any crushes.

After sunset prayers, pilgrims will make their way down Mount Arafat to Muzdalifah, another holy site where they will sleep under the stars to prepare for the final stage of hajj, the symbolic "stoning of the devil".

It takes place on Friday and also marks the beginning of Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice.

The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam and a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, is usually one of the world's largest religious gatherings.

But only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will participate in this year's ritual, compared with 2019's gathering of some 2.5 million from around the world.

"You are not our guests but those of God, the custodian of the two holy mosques (Saudi Arabia's King Salman) and the nation," Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten said in a video released by the media ministry on Wednesday.

Security cordon

A security cordon has been thrown around the holy sites to prevent any security breaches, an interior ministry spokesman said.

Riyadh faced strong criticism in 2015 when some 2,300 worshippers were killed in the deadliest stampede in the gathering's history.

But this year, those risks are greatly reduced by the much smaller crowd.

The pilgrims have all been tested for the virus, and foreign journalists were barred from this year's hajj, usually a huge global media event.

As part of the rites completed over five days in the holy city of Mecca and its surroundings, the pilgrims converged on Mount Arafat after spending the night in Mina.

A district of Mecca, Mina sits in a narrow valley surrounded by rocky mountains, and is transformed each year into a vast encampment for pilgrims.

They began the hajj on Wednesday with their first "tawaf", the circumambulation of the Kaaba, a large structure in Mecca’s Grand Mosque towards which Muslims around the world pray.

The Kaaba is draped in a black cloth embroidered in gold with Koranic verses and known as the kiswa, which is changed each year during the pilgrimage.

Pilgrims were brought inside the mosque in small batches, walking along paths marked on the floor, in sharp contrast to the normal sea of humanity that swirls around the Kaaba during hajj.

Comments

Add new comment

About text formats
  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
January 12,2020

Tehran, Jan 12: Iranian police dispersed students chanting “radical” slogans during a Saturday gathering in Tehran to honour the 176 people killed when an Ukrainian airliner was mistakenly shot down, Fars news agency reported.

News agency correspondents said hundreds of students gathered early in the evening at Amir Kabir University, in downtown Tehran, to pay respects to those killed in the air disaster. The tribute later turned into an angry demonstration.

The students chanted slogans denouncing "liars" and demanded the resignation and prosecution of those responsible for downing the plane and allegedly covering up the accidental action.

Iran said Saturday that the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 was “unintentionally” shot down on Wednesday shortly after taking off from Tehran's main airport. All 176 people on board died, mostly Iranians and Canadians, many of whom were students.

Fars, which is close to conservatives, said the protesting students chanted “destructive” and “radical” slogans. The news agency said some of the students tore down posters of Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian general killed on January 3 in a US drone strike on Baghdad.

Fars published pictures of demonstrators gathered around a ring of candles during the tribute and a picture of a torn poster bearing the image of a smiling Soleimani. It said that police "dispersed" them as they left the university and blocked streets, causing a traffic jam.

In an extremely unusual move, state television mentioned the protest, reporting that the students shouted "anti-regime" slogans.

A video purportedly of the protest circulated online showing police firing tear gas at protesters and a man getting up after apparently being hit in the leg by a projectile. It was not possible to verify the location of the video, or when it was filmed.

Iran's acknowledgement on Saturday that the plane had been shot down in error came after officials had for days categorically denied Western claims that it had been struck by a missile. The aerospace commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards accepted full responsibility.

But Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh said the missile operator acted independently, shooting down the Boeing 737 after mistaking it for a "cruise missile".

Comments

Add new comment

About text formats
  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 18,2020

Abu Dhabi, May 18: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has recorded a special message for Indian expats in the UAE as the country fights the coronavirus pandemic.

Khan - one of the biggest stars of Bollywood for decades - enjoys a large fan following in the Gulf, which is why Abu Dhabi roped in the actor to record a special video message for expats, urging them to cooperate with authorities in the capital and the country as they carry out sanitisation and testing programmes.

In the video, tweeted by the Abu Dhabi Media Office on Sunday night, the superstar appeals to Indians in Abu Dhabi to become heroes by staying home (stepping out for essential work/errands only), following precautionary measures and simply 'do the right thing' by getting tested if they have any Covid-19-related symptoms.

Khan, who has shot his recent super hit films (Race 3) in the capital, assured expats that Abu Dhabi authorities will not leave the community in these challenging times as it is a hospitable city who takes care of all residents.

"Following preventive measures also protects your family from the virus - so do the right thing as heroes do," Khan concludes.

The second phase of Abu Dhabi's sanitisation and testing in labour areas is underway, which started on May 16. Special testing facilities have been set up in the city for this purpose that test thousands of workers everyday.

As of May 17, UAE has confirmed over 23,000 cases along with over 8,000 recoveries and 220 deaths.

The country recently made a breakthrough in treating Covid-19 by using stem cells to help with the recovery.

The UAE leadership has thanked citizens and residents for their cooperation and assured that the country will take care of everyone in the country - with food and medicines being the red line, and that there will be no shortage of either during the crisis. Stimulus packages have been announced to help businesses stay afloat.

Comments

Add new comment

About text formats
  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.