Seven women killed as family car hits truck in Saudi Arabia

Arab News
January 28, 2018

Jazan, Jan 28: Seven women were killed and five injured as the second family this month suffered multiple fatalities in a traffic accident at Sawarma Road in Jazan region.

Earlier, Sami bin Mohammed Ali Al-Nami lost his wife and six sons in an accident at Al-Kadmi Center in Sibia.

In the latest crash, the five injured include an elderly man, a woman and two children. Witnesses to the accident said family had been traveling to a wedding.

It was reported to Okaz newspaper that the car struck the rear of a truck which was been driven without taillights. The truck was being towed by another truck, near Madaya town, on a single-lane dark highway.

Locals have already petitioned for lighting for the 15km highway, which they say lacks basic safety measures, and is doubly treacherous due to the fact that camels stray on to the road.

A spokesman for Red Crescent in Jazan, Bishi Al-Sarkhi, said the operation room were informed of an accident involving a family car at 8:20 p.m. on Thursday. Four ambulances attended the scene. Six people were found dead, while the five injured were transferred to a nearby hospital.

Yahya Al-Qahtani, spokesman of the Civil Defense in Jazan, said its units attended the scene and pulled out the bodies and the injured from the wreckage. Six people were declared dead at the scene while the five injured were transferred in a Red Crescent ambulance to a nearby hospital. One woman died at the hospital, he added.

Jazan residents hit out at local traffic police after the accident, blaming the lack of year-long lighting on the highway, despite the fact that it is a route to many important cities. They said trucks were the common denominator in the tragedies that have occurred on this road.

They accuse truck drivers of failing to respect the designated schedules, lanes, safety and warning requirements. They said there was and thus led to the destruction of the road due to the excessive gross vehicle weights and overloading.

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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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News Network
May 6,2020

A massive fire engulfed a residential tower in UAE's Sharjah last night. The building has been identified as one Abbco Tower in Al Nahda.

According to the latest inputs, Sharjah Civil Defence teams rushed to the spot and evacuated all residents. 

Firefighters managed to douse the blaze after several hours. The building in question is reportedly a 48-storey structure. Officials are yet to reveal the cause of the fire.

All residents of the building were evacuated while seven incurred minor injuries during the evacuation and were treated at local hospitals, reported the United Arab Emirates' local media.

More details are awaited as this is a developing story.

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Agencies
July 5,2020

Iraq’s deputy parliament speaker Hassan Karim al-Kaabi on Saturday described the move as provocative and in violation of international law.

Kaabi also called on the Iraqi government to take swift measures to halt such actions.

The Embassy’s move to fire in a residential area in the heart of Baghdad is an unacceptable act and another challenge for the Arab country, adding to the mass of its provocations and illegal actions in Iraq, he noted.

According to Iraqi media, the US tested a patriot missile system inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone.

Anti-US sentiments have been running high in Iraq since Washington assassinated top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and the second-in-command of the Iraqi popular mobilization units, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in January.

Following the attack, Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill on January 5, demanding the withdrawal of all foreign troops.

Baghdad and Washington are currently in talks over the withdrawal of American troops. Iraqi resistance groups have vowed to take up arms against US forces if Washington fails to comply with the parliamentary order.

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