Saudi Arabia terms Aleppo massacre a ‘war crime’

January 3, 2017

Riyadh, Jan 3: The Cabinet, chaired by King Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday, expressed appreciation for his order to organize a Kingdom-wide fundraising campaign to provide humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people.

king salman

The Cabinet praised the king’s directive to allocate SR100 million ($26.7 million) for the campaign, his donation of SR20 million ($5.3 million), Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif’s donation of SR10 million ($2.7 million), and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s donation of SR8 million ($2.1 million).

The Cabinet said the donations embodied the keenness of the Saudi leadership to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people, notably those displaced from Aleppo and other areas.

The Cabinet also renewed the Kingdom’s position, taken at the emergency meeting of the executive committee of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), that the massacres committed in Aleppo are “a war crime against humanity,” SPA reported.

It recalled the Kingdom’s welcoming of UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution 2328 on the deployment of international observers in Aleppo to supervise the evacuation of civilians.

The Cabinet expressed the Kingdom’s support for the Syrian people in the face of genocide by the Syrian regime throughout the country.

It stressed the Kingdom’s welcoming of proposals by US Secretary of State John Kerry on a final solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the UNSC’s adoption of resolution 2334 condemning Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land.

The Cabinet strongly condemned the assassination of the Russian envoy in Turkey, and other terrorist acts in Berlin, Baghdad, and the latest one in Istanbul.

The Cabinet congratulated King Salman on the second anniversary of his accession to the throne, and achievements made during the past two years in various fields, including the Kingdom’s international status.

The Cabinet praised the general budget for the fiscal year 2017, for its sufficient strength to cope with economic and financial challenges.

It also praised the government’s prudent fiscal policies, and its determination to move forward to enhance elements of the national economy via Vision 2030.

The Cabinet said the Saudi leadership sought through the budget to improve the efficiency of capital and operational expenditures and strengthen public finances.

It also praised the king’s directives on implementing the budget carefully to achieve the aspirations of the leadership and improve services provided to citizens.

The Cabinet assessed the outcome of the meeting of oil ministers of the Organization of Arab Petroleum-Exporting Countries (OAPEC) at its 97th session in Cairo, and the cooperation and commitment among OAPEC member states to apply the agreement on production cuts reached in November.

It approved several decisions, including a security cooperation agreement with Djibouti; a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with India on cooperation in exchanging investigations related to money-laundering, terrorism and related crimes; an MoU for cooperation in renewable energy between King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (K.A.CARE) and China’s National Energy Administration (NEA); and arrangements by the General Authority of Sports to streamline the sports sector, expand the base of sports practitioners, realize excellence in Saudi sports locally and internationally, and encourage investment in the sector.

The Cabinet assigned the General Authority of Statistics to implement a general census of the population and houses in 2020, and start preparations from 2017.

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News Network
May 4,2020

Dubai, May 4: An Indian salesman in the UAE has won a whopping 10 million dirhams at an Abu Dhabi draw, a media report said.

Dileep Kumar Ellikkottil Parameswaran, from Kerala’s Thrissur, works with an auto spare parts company in Ajman and earns 5,000 dirhams (USD 1,361) a month, Gulf News reported on Sunday.

Parameswaran, who won the 10 million dirhams (USD 2.7 million) prize at the Big Ticket draw in Abu Dhabi, will spend a big part of the money to repay a loan of 700,000 dirhams (USD 190,574 ), according to the report.

He said that a good part of the prize money will be spent on the education of his two children.

Parameswaran, who has been a resident of the UAE for 17 years, lives in Ajman along with his family.

Big Ticket is the largest and longest-running monthly raffle draw for cash prizes and dream luxury cars in Abu Dhabi.

A live monthly draw is organized at the Abu Dhabi International Airport on 3rd of each month.

Tickets are sold for 500 dirhams (USD 136).

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News Network
May 3,2020

Jeddah, May 3: Saudis and expats who spread rumors on social media could be jailed for up to five years and fined SR3 million ($800,000) under measures to counter false information regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

The move follows warnings by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health, Ministry of Interior, General Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques and other government entities that people should rely on trusted news sources and not third parties for information on the Kingdom’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Saudi Public Prosecutor warned that legal action will be taken against individuals who spread misinformation and rumors.

On Saturday, media spokesman for the Riyadh region police, Col. Shakir Al-Tuwaijri, highlighted a video circulating on social media in which a person spreads rumors about steps taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Other false claims include a planned change in curfew hours, warnings of food shortages, and a suggestion that health authorities are deliberately concealing the number of cases in the Kingdom.

In a recent case, a Riyadh resident claimed to know when worshippers will be allowed to return to the Grand Mosque.

All suspects have been arrested and face legal action, police said.

Dimah Al-Sharif, a Saudi legal counsel and member of the International Association of Lawyers, urged people to be responsible regarding content they access on social media.

“Receivers should not save such content or share it with others, and should delete it if possible since they, too, will be liable,” she said.

“Under Saudi laws to counter cyber-crime, we are not allowed to produce, prepare, send or save any unauthorized content or rumors.”

Individuals who breach regulations can be jailed for up to five years and face fines of SR3 million, as well as confiscation of the device(s) used in the crime, she said.

In addition, the judicial ruling will be published in newspapers at the offender’s expense.

The Kingdom’s Public Prosecution Office took to social media to warn users about the consequences of spreading rumors and misinformation.

@bip_ksa tweeted: “Receiving information from its official sources is a moral obligation and commitment, and legal responsibility. Do not fall victim to malicious rumors and news from anonymous sources that violate the procedures and effort, and cause terror regarding the Coronavirus, in order to avoid strict criminal accountability in this regard.”

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Gulf News
April 12,2020

Dubai, Apr 12: Saudi Arabia reported 429 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 4462, the Ministry of Health announced on Sunday.

The ministry also confirmed 7 deaths bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 59.

According to the ministry of health the number of recoveries are 41 cases, making total of recoveries 761.

Ministry also said that 40,000 have been quarantined since the beginning of the epidemic, and only 7,000 remain in quarantine, including those who recently returned from abroad.

Extension of curfew

Early on Sunday, King Salman approved the extension of curfew until further notice due to current rates of coronavirus spread, the official news agency SPA announced.

Earlier last week, Saudi Arabia imposed a 24-hour curfew and lockdown on the cities of Riyadh, Tabuk, Dammam, Dhahran and Hofuf and throughout the governorates of Jeddah, Taif, Qatif and Khobar.

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

Total lockdown on Medina neighbourhoods

The Ministry of Interior also announced a total lockdown on five neighbourhoods in Medina on thursday until further notice. The neighborhoods include Al Sherbat; Bani Dhafar; Qurban, Al Jumuah; and parts of Al Iskan district and Bani Khudrah. No one is allowed to enter or exit these areas.

An official source from the ministry highlighted that the Ministry of Labor and Social Development will provide residents of these neighbourhoods with food baskets and will follow up on their needs while the ministry of health will provide them with necessary medications.

Saudi Arabia, which has reported the highest number of infections in the Gulf, is making every possible effort to limit the spread of the disease at home.

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