1. Home
  2. Middle East
  3. Ahmadinejad’s Abu Musa visit ‘setback to peace efforts’

Ahmadinejad’s Abu Musa visit ‘setback to peace efforts’

April 17, 2012

The_king


Riyadh, April 17: The Council of Ministers yesterday denounced as a flagrant violation of the UAE’s sovereignty the visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the UAE island of Abu Musa, which is occupied by Iran.


The Cabinet, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, said Ahmadinejad's visit also invalidated the ongoing efforts to find a peaceful solution to the dispute through direct negotiations or taking the issue to the International Court of Justice.


Transport Minister and Acting Information Minister Jabara Al-Seraisry said the Cabinet meeting condemned last week’s terrorist attack in Bahrain that injured seven Bahraini policemen. It took place in the village of Akr, south of the capital Manama. Bahrain's public security chief Gen. Tareq Al-Hassan said an improvised bomb exploded last Monday (April 9) near a police checkpoint at the entrance to the village, "wounding seven policemen, three of them critically."


The Cabinet reiterated Saudi Arabia’s total support for Bahrain.


During the Cabinet meeting, King Abdullah briefed the ministers on the outcome of his talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and highlighted the deep-rooted Saudi-Turkish relations.


On other international issues, the Cabinet welcomed the decision taken by the UN Security Council on sending international observers to supervise a cease-fire in Syria.


“The Cabinet emphasized the need to stop the violence and end bloodbath of Syrian people,” Al-Seraisry said. The Kingdom also called for immediate steps to reach relief supplies including food and medicine to all Syrian victims. The first group of UN peacekeepers has arrived in Damascus to oversee the truce aimed at ending a year of bloodshed.


The Cabinet commended the resolutions taken by a forum for family issues at Shariah courts organized by the Justice Ministry, and endorsed an Arab agreement for combating information technology crimes. It also agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding on the conservation and management of dugongs and their habitats throughout the world.


The Cabinet appointed Saleh Al-Rasheed, director general of Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon), a member of the board of directors of Saudi Industrial Development Fund, in place of Commerce and Industry Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah.


It appointed Jamal bin Nasser Al-Molhem deputy mayor of Dammam for construction and projects; Sultan bin Ahmed Al-Sudairy assistant undersecretary for security affairs at Jazan governorate; Suleiman bin Abdullah Al-Tuwaijri director general of customs at King Fahd Causeway; Saad bin Muhammad Al-Sayari director of the office of the minister of communications and information technology; Aamir bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Dossari director general of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice’s branch office in the Asir region; and Abdullah bin Ali Al-Quraishi director of financial affairs at the general secretariat of the Cabinet.


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.
Agencies
August 4,2020

Beirut, Aug 4: A massive explosion has shaken the Lebanese capital of Beirut, with a very high number of casualties expected.

A warehouse at the Beirut Port caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a huge explosion, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Several smaller explosions were heard before the bigger one occurred.

Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s General Security, said that “highly explosive materials” confiscated earlier had been stored at the site.

Footage shared on social media captured the moment of the bigger explosion, with a colossal shock wave seen traveling fast across several hundreds of meters and shrouding the area in thick smoke.

The blast left enormous material damage to the surrounding buildings and structures. But it was not immediately known how big an area was affected.

There was also no immediate casualty count. Graphic amateur video from the scene showed bodies strewn on the ground, with their clothes blown off.

The NNA said rescue operations were underway. Ambulances were seen heading toward the scene in central Beirut.

Lebanese LBC television channel quoted Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hasan as saying that the blast had caused a “very high number of injuries” and “extensive damage.”

Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud said an unspecified number of firefighters dispatched to extinguish the initial fire had been killed in the explosion.

“As they were putting out the fire, the explosion took place and we’ve [lost them],” he said, breaking down on live TV.

The explosion comes at a time when the Arab country is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades, and amid rising tensions with Israel.

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.
Agencies
May 26,2020

Dubai, May 26: An Indian expat, who recently recovered from COVID-19, fell to his death from a building in Dubai, police said.

The 26-year-old Indian national identified as Neelath Muhammed Firdous from Kerala, fell from the seventh floor balcony of his building where he stayed with six others including his uncle, Naushad Ali, 33.

A Dubai Police official confirmed the incident to Gulf News on Monday and said it had been a suicide.

"He was suffering from a mental disorder and there is no criminal suspicions behind his death," said the official.

"The incident happened on Sunday," the official confirmed.

The victim's relative said: "(He) awoke early to perform prayers and everyone was getting on with their daily morning chores when he walked to the balcony and jumped.

"He was suffering from a mental disorder and had been disturbed for some time. He thought everyone was out to attack him and had stopped eating his food as he thought people were feeding him poison. He was refusing to even take water from us."

The victim had tested positive for COVID-19 on April 10. On May 7, he was discharged from a Dubai hospital after clearing all tests.

The relative told Gulf News that he had registered the victim in the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) last month in order to repatriate him, however he was unsuccessful in procuring a ticket.

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.
Agencies
April 8,2020

Riyadh, Apr 8: Saudi Arabia's health minister has warned the number of COVID-19 cases in the country could reach 200,000 in coming weeks.

As of Tuesday, the kingdom registered a total of 2,795 coronavirus infections, including 41 deaths.

"Within the next few weeks, studies predict the number of infections will range from a minimum of 10,000 to a maximum of 200,000," health minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah was cited as saying by the official Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia extended the duration of daily curfews in four governorates and five cities to 24 hours.

The kingdom imposed round-the-clock lockdowns in the capital Riyadh, Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran and Hofuf, the interior ministry said on Twitter.

The same measures were also imposed on the governorates of Jeddah, Taif, Qatif and Khobar, the ministry added.

Authorities had already sealed off the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, barring people from entering and exiting as well as prohibiting movement between all provinces.

Last month, Saudi Arabia suspended the year-round "Umrah" pilgrimage over fears of the coronavirus pandemic spreading to Islam's holiest cities.

Authorities are yet to announce whether they will proceed with this year's Hajj, scheduled for the end of July. Last week, authorities urged Muslims to temporarily defer preparations for the annual pilgrimage.

Last year, about 2.5 million people travelled to Saudi Arabia to take part in the Hajj, which all Muslims must perform at least once in their lives if able.

The Arab world's biggest economy has also closed down cinemas, malls and restaurants and halted flights as it steps up efforts to contain the virus.

King Salman has warned of a "more difficult" fight ahead against the virus, as the kingdom faces the economic double blow of virus-led shutdowns and crashing oil prices

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.