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Support for Palestinian refugees religious duty, says Riyadh

November 15, 2016

Riyadh, Nov 16: The Cabinet, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace, on Monday reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s continued support for Palestinian refugees out of the Kingdom’s belief that it is a religious and humanitarian duty.

RiyadhThe Cabinet reviewed a number of issues and the latest developments at regional and international levels, including Saudi Arabia’s affirmation at the UN of its continued support for Palestinian refugees and for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to achieve their humanitarian objectives.

The Cabinet reiterated that Saudi Arabia will continue to provide care to more than five million Palestinians; the Kingdom tops the list of main donors to their cause.

The Cabinet also discussed the speech delivered at the UN by the Kingdom’s representative on behalf of the Arab group on Article 50 on the report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people, during which it expressed its deep concern about the escalation of violence, acts of provocation and aggression by Israeli occupation forces and terrorist settlers against Palestinians.

The Cabinet deplored Israel’s persistence in challenging UN resolutions, and reiterated that the Kingdom welcomes the French initiative calling for an international peace conference, according to the terms of reference of the peace process, particularly the Arab Peace Initiative.

The Cabinet also expressed appreciation for the measures taken by the first meeting of the Commission of Economic and Development Affairs of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), established upon the directive by King Salman with the aim of enhancing joint Gulf action.

Acting Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Essam bin Saad bin Saeed said that the Cabinet fully supports the view of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, second deputy premier, minister of defense and chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, that the GCC countries should unite to become a strong bloc. The Cabinet endorsed the views of the deputy crown prince, who said that the GCC has the opportunity to be the sixth biggest economy in the world if its members work properly in the coming years and take advantage of opportunities in this era of economic fluctuations.

The Cabinet commended the Council of Economic Development Affairs for having decided, during its meeting, to have the public treasury settle the debts owed to the private sector before the end of the current fiscal year.

The King briefed the Cabinet on the phone call he made to US President-elect Donald Trump upon winning the presidential election, during which he said that the Kingdom is looking forward to enhancing historical and strategic relations with the US and working together to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East and the world.

He also briefed the Cabinet about his talks with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, with whom he discussed bilateral cooperation and recent developments in the region.

Earlier, at the start of the meeting, the members of Cabinet presented condolences to King Salman and the royal family on the death of Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz. The king thanked and expressed appreciation to the leaders, envoys, princes, scholars, senior officials and citizens who offered their condolences.

The Cabinet also condemned the attacks that targeted the French Embassy in Athens, the German Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan and the bombing in the Hab area of Balochistan, Pakistan.

It approved an agreement between the Kingdom and Gabon doing away with double taxation on income and preventing tax evasion, agreements of cooperation between the Kingdom, and Mexico and Mozambique, and an agreement on the recruitment of domestic helpers from Bangladesh.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

Muscat, Jan 11: Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said has died, Aljazeera reported citing state television on Friday.

Qaboos was 79-year-old and was ill for a long time. He has served as the ruler of Oman since 1970 when he ousted his father in a bloodless coup.

Qaboos had no children and has not publicly named his successor.

Sultan Qaboos travelled to Belgium for a week in December for what was described then as "medical checks." He returned to Oman but speculations of his deteriorating health were rife.

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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.

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News Network
April 18,2020

Dubai, Apr 18: Saudi Arabia has reported 1,132 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of confirmed COVID-19 patients to 8,274, the Ministry of Health revealed on Saturday.

The ministry has also announced five more deaths from the virus, taking to 92 the Kingdom’s death toll.

Recoveries
As for recoveries, 280 new recoveries were reported, pushing the total number of patients recovered to 1,329.

The ministry revealed that 79 per cent of today’s cases are expatriates and that 65 per cent of the cases were detected through intensified and active COVID-19 screening in densely-populated areas.

A total of 201 patients of Saturday’s cases have contracted the disease due to being in contact with existing cases, the ministry added.

The new infected cases have been placed under complete isolation and they are receiving necessary medical care, an official from the ministry said.

He affirmed that medical teams are intensifying efforts and screening tests in workers' neighbourhoods and accommodations in order to limit the spread of the disease.

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