Mideast countries have right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes: Saudi

October 11, 2016

Riyadh, Oct 11: The Cabinet, in its weekly meeting on Monday, reiterated Saudi Arabia's belief in the legitimate right of Middle Eastern countries to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, under supervision of and according to the International Agency for Atomic Energy standards.

saudi

The Kingdom gave voice to this belief just before the 71st UN General Assembly meeting discussing the importance of implementing the Agreement on Barring the Use of Chemical Weapons in Syria.

The Cabinet also reviewed the outcome of the Arab League's extraordinary meeting, held at permanent representatives level, to discuss the serious situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo.
It acknowledged the Kingdom's assertion that it is important for Arab countries to stand by the Syrian people and exert all possible efforts, at the international level, to provide safe havens where relief can be delivered for civilians

The Cabinet asked the international community to break its silence over the crimes committed by the Syrian regime.

The Cabinet’s meeting was chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, who briefed the ministers on the outcomes of his talks and meetings with Maldives President Abdulla Yameen, Italian defense minister, Japanese minister of economy, trade and industry and Japanese minister of state for foreign affairs.

During those meetings, bilateral relations as well as the developments in the regional and international arenas were discussed, as was the oral message received by the monarch from President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger.

The Cabinet praised the results of Al-Khaleej (Gulf) 1 shield maneuvers, which were carried out by the Saudi royal naval forces — Eastern Fleet — in the Arab Gulf and Oman Sea waters, across the Hormuz Strait as well as the joint aerial drill dubbed Al-Jazeerah (peninsula) conducted by Eagle (2016 fighters) in the UAE with the participation of air forces of the GCC member states.

Minister of Commerce and Investment Majid Al-Qassabi, who is also acting minister of culture and information, said in a statement to SPA after the meeting that the Cabinet discussed the Kingdom's participation in the joint annual meetings of the World Bank and the IMF, and the meeting of the G20, which were held in Washington, and highlighted the efforts exerted by Saudi Arabia to implement economic reforms as part of the national transformation program to achieve the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

He asserted that the application of these reforms is bound to yield a strong, balanced and sustainable economic growth, and to activate the role of the private sector in enhancing job opportunities and economic growth.

The minister said the Cabinet welcomed the outcome of the 28th GCC justice ministers' meeting, held in Riyadh, underscoring the importance of completing a study on transferring the current guiding systems to unified systems and laws as per the GCC supreme 36th summit, and based on the king’s vision.

The Cabinet was briefed on a host of activities and events held last week, including the agreement signed by the Ministry of Housing to construct more than 10,000 residential units in Tarout and Safwa centers in Qatif, the MoU signed by the Kingdom with Bulgaria in the fields of tourism and heritage, the 10th meeting of the general prosecutors and attorneys, as well as heads of investigation and general prosecution commissions of the GCC countries in addition to the symposium organized by the Global Union for General Transportation for the Middle East and North Africa under the theme Efficiency of Consuming Fuel and Alternative Energy.

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Agencies
May 26,2020

Riyadh, May 26: The authorities in Saudi Arabia have decided to ease some restrictions put in place over coronavirus fears, allowing movement and resumption of some economic and commercial activities, Saudi Press Agency reported early Tuesday citing an official source at the Interior Ministry.

The move also allows restarting of domestic flights, opening of mosques, restaurants and cafes and work attendance, however, the temporary suspension of Umrah pilgrimage remains in force.

The easing of restrictions will be carried out in a phased manner, with the first phase beginning on Thursday (May 28) and ending on May 30.

In the first phase, the movement within and between all regions of the Kingdom in private cars will be allowed from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. except in Makkah. Economic and commercial activities will resume in retail and wholesale shops and malls but beauty salons, barber shops, sports clubs, health clubs, entertainment centers and cinemas will continue to remain shut due to social distancing concerns.

In the second phase, which begins on May 31 and ends on June 20, the movement is allowed from 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. in all areas of the Kingdom, except in Makkah. All congregational prayers, including Friday prayers, will resume in all mosques across the Kingdom except in Makkah.

The suspension of workplace attendance will end, allowing all employees in ministries, government entities and private sector companies to return to working from their offices provided that they follow strict precautionary guidelines.

The suspension on travel between regions in the Kingdom using various transport methods will no longer be in place. Airlines will be allowed to operate domestic flights if they adhere to precautionary measures set by the civil aviation authority and the Ministry of Health. The suspension of international flights, will, however, continue until further notice.

Restaurants and cafes serving food and beverages can reopen, however, beauty salons, barber shops, sports clubs, health clubs, entertainment centers and cinemas will be barred from reopening in the second phase. The ban on social gatherings of more than fifty people, such as weddings and funerals will also continue to remain in force.

In the third phase commencing on June 21, the Kingdom will return to "normal" conditions as it was before the coronavirus lockdown measures were implemented.

Meanwhile in Makkah, the first phase measures will be implemented between May 31 to June 20 and the second phase will begin on May 21. Friday prayers and all congregational prayers will continue to be held in the Grand Mosque, only to be attended by Imams and the employees.

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Mohammed Sarfraz
 - 
Tuesday, 26 May 2020

I think second phase is May 31 to June 20. Must be a typo. 

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Agencies
May 22,2020

Riyadh, May 22: The family of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Friday said that they forgave his killers. Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who had written columns critical of Saudi Arabia, was brutally killed in October 2018, allegedly at the behest of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

“In this blessed night of the blessed month [of Ramadan] we remember God’s saying: If a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah,” Jamal Khashoggi’s son Salah Khashoggi said in a tweet. “Therefore, we the sons of the Martyr Jamal Khashoggi announce that we pardon those who killed our father, seeking reward [from] God almighty.”

The legal outcome of this announcement is not yet clear. Earlier, Salah Khashoggi said he had “full confidence” in the judicial system, and that the accused were trying to exploit the case.

Jamal Khashoggi’s body was said to have been dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and disposed of elsewhere, but his remains were never found.

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News Network
January 16,2020

Abu Dhabi, Jan 16: The number of people being killed by terrorism activities worldwide has decreased significantly over the recent years, according to the latest Global Terrorism Index.

The 2019 Global Terrorism Index, which was presented at a forum in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday also showed that the UAE improved its ranking in the index by coming down to 130th rank among the 163 countries. The terrorism impact in the UAE is categorised as 'very low'. In the UAE, only two terrorism incidents were reported over the past decade - one in 2010 and another in 2014 - and there were no casualties.

Commenting on the report, Mansour Al Mansouri, director of the UAE National Media Council (NMC) said: "These findings rightly show the UAE as one of the safest countries in the world in terms of terror threat."

The index showed that the total number of deaths from terrorism declined for the fourth consecutive year in 2018, falling by 15.2 per cent to 15,952 deaths. This represents a 53 per cent reduction since its peak in 2014 when 33,555 people were killed in terrorist attacks.

The index published for the seventh year in a row, ranks 163 countries across the globe according to the relative impact of terrorism. This takes into account the number of terrorist incidents, deaths caused by terror and total value of property damage.

The latest results saw three Middle East countries - Iraq, Syria and Yemen - continue in the top 10 positions of the index.

The findings also showed Taleban overtaking Daesh as the deadliest terrorist group in the world, accounting for 38 per cent of all terrorist deaths. This is an increase of 71 per cent. Afghanistan is the country most affected by terrorism in 2018 followed by Iraq, Nigeria, Syria and Pakistan, according to the report. The least impacted nations were Belarus, Guinea-Bissau, Oman, The Gambia and North Korea.

During his presentation of the key findings of the index at the Foreign Correspondent's Club of the UAE (FCC), Serge Stroobants, director of Europe and Mena at the Institute of Economics and Peace, said lesser people were now being killed in terrorism activities.

"There have been long-term trends in global terrorism, with deaths caused by terror down by 52 per cent compared to high point of 2014, which saw Daesh and Boko Haram at their peak," said Stroobants attributing the decrease in the deaths to the increase in security measures and cooperation among nations in the fight against terrorism.

In contrast to this, there has been a 320 per cent increase in far-right terrorist incidents in the West, with political ideology being the driving force behind an increased proportion of terror motivation.

"There has been an increase in far-right terrorism in Western Europe, North America and Oceania for the third consecutive year," said Stroobants.

Terrorism still remains a global security threat, according the index, with 71 countries recording more than one death - the second highest number of countries since 2002.

Stroobants said conflicts remain the main cause of terrorism with 90 per cent of terrorist incidents occurring in places where there are conflicts or insurgencies.

The report said the global economic impact of terrorism was $33 billion in 2018, a substantial decrease of 38 per cent from the previous year.

Boko Haram was responsible for 80 per cent of all female suicide attacks, said the terrorism index.

Global Terrorism Index: Most affected countries

>Afghanistan (7379 deaths)

>Iraq (1,054 deaths)

>Nigeria (2,040 deaths)

>Syria (662 deaths)

>Pakistan (537 deaths)

>Somalia (646 deaths)

>India (350 deaths)

>Yemen (301 deaths)

>The Philippines (297 deaths)

>Democratic Republic of the Congo (410 deaths)

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