Cabinet approves law to curb money laundering

April 3, 2012

saudi

Riyadh, April 3: The Council of Ministers yesterday approved the law for combating money laundering, which will also be applied to fight funding terrorism and terror organizations.


The Cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, also approved the establishment of Makkah Techno Valley as a Saudi joint stock company.


“The new company is aimed at promoting a knowledge-based economy through partnership with educational and research institutions as well as the business and investment community,” said Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja.


Spelling out Makkah Techno Valley’s objectives, Khoja said it would invest in industries for the transfer of technology; prepare university students to work in the private sector; and create a suitable atmosphere for economically viable research projects.


The Cabinet statement indicated the Kingdom’s plan to issue a new law to combat crimes related to terror funding. “Rules related to the crimes of financing terrorism, terrorist acts and terror organizations specified in the anti-money laundering law will continue to be applied until the issuance of a new law to combat such crimes,” Khoja said.


During the Cabinet meeting, King Abdullah briefed the ministers on the outcome of his talks with Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Al-Hadi and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Riyadh.


The Cabinet commended the resolutions taken by the US-GCC Forum in Riyadh, which aims at setting out an official framework for promoting strategic political, military, security and economic cooperation between the two sides.


The Cabinet backed the call made by the forum to end the bloodbath in Syria immediately. It also reiterated its support for the UN envoy, Kofi Annan, for the success of his peace mission in Syria.


The forum called upon all countries that are related to the Syrian issue to support international efforts to solve the crisis quickly. The Cabinet insisted that the international efforts should give priority to immediately ending the killings in Syria.


The Cabinet commended various international efforts to contain the Syrian crisis, including the Friends of Syria conference in Istanbul that recognized the Syrian National Council as the legitimate representative of the Syrian people and an umbrella organization for opposition groups. The Cabinet praised Turkey’s honorable stand on the Syrian issue.


Referring to the nuclear security summit in Seoul, the Kingdom reiterated its desire to make Middle East free of nuclear weapons and make all possible efforts to avoid nuclear accidents and dangers.


Khoja said the Cabinet endorsed the security cooperation agreement with Malaysia, which was signed in Riyadh on April 18, 2011.


The Cabinet reappointed Prince Turki bin Saud bin Muhammad as vice president for research institutes at King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology, for four years; Suleiman bin Ahmed Al-Oqail, minister plenipotentiary at the Foreign Ministry; Muhammad bin Ali Al-Mundarij, deputy mayor for construction and projects in Qassim; Saad bin Muhammad Al-Jasser, petroleum adviser at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources; and Mansour bin Muhammad Al-Baziee, director general of legal department at the Transport Ministry.

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News Network
May 5,2020

Abu Dhabi, May 5: The overall real GDP (gross domestic product) of the United Arab Emirates is estimated to have grown by 1.7 percent in 2019, the country’s central bank said in a statement on Monday carried by WAM.

"The UAE hydrocarbon sector is estimated to have exhibited a growth of 3.4 percent in 2019. However, non-oil activities advanced at a softer pace growing by 1.0 percent. As a result, overall real GDP is estimated by FCSA (Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority) to have grown by 1.7 percent in 2019," said the financial regulator in its Annual Report 2019.

"The spread of COVID-19 is expected to impact trade and supply chain movements, coupled with travel restrictions which paves way for high volatility in capital markets and commodity prices. While the outbreak is expected to negatively affect the global and domestic economies, it is still early to gauge the scale of the economic fallout," the report added.

The report noted that the higher hydrocarbon output, as well as growth in non-hydrocarbon economic activity, supported the pace of the country's overall economic growth in 2019.

"Meanwhile, the fading effect of VAT, the appreciating Dirham, lower energy prices and decline in rents pushed inflation in negative territory. However, the employment rate registered a steady rebound. Looking ahead, the economic outlook for 2020 remains uncertain owing to the COVID-19 outbreak," the report elaborated.

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Agencies
July 23,2020

Abu Dhabi, Jul 23: Muslims in the United Arab Emirates have been asked to perform Eid Al-Adha prayers at home even as mosques will be allowed to operate at an increased capacity of 50 percent from Aug. 3.

Mosques in the UAE have been operating at 30 percent capacity after they reopened on July 1.

Announcing the move, Dr. Saif Al Dhaheri, the official spokesman for the National Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, stated that after assessing the situation and coordinating with the concerned authorities, it was decided that Eid Al-Adha prayers would be conducted in homes and takbeers broadcast through visual and audio means.

He also announced that the Emirates Fatwa Council has recommended that donations and sacrifices should be to official charitable causes in the country only.

Al Dhaheri advised the public to donate during this time to the official charitable bodies in the country with sacrifices and donations, through smart applications concerned with sacrifices or through slaughterhouses outlined by the local authorities that guarantee the application of precautionary and preventive measures and provide remote services without the need to enter livestock markets or slaughterhouses.

Al Dhaheri stressed the need to avoid family visits and gatherings, and replace them using electronic means of communication or phone contact, as well as refraining from distributing Eid gifts and money to children and individuals during this occasion recommending to instead use of electronic alternatives.

Al Dhaheri pointed out that it is necessary to avoid visiting pregnant women, children and those with chronic diseases who are most vulnerable to COVID-19 and not to allow them to leave the home and avoid going out to public places to preserve their health and safety.

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Agencies
July 26,2020

Jeddah, Jul 26: The city of Makkah is opening its arms again to welcome pilgrims for the annual Hajj — although only a handful compared with previous years.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event is limited to about 1,000 pilgrims, all from inside Saudi Arabia, about 700 of whom are expatriates.

Abdullah Al-Kathiri, an Emirati and a recovered COVID-19 patient, postponed his pilgrimage last year because it coincided with his wedding plans. “I’ve heard from many who’ve performed the pilgrimage in past years that it was always a smooth process, even with the massive numbers,” he said. “So you could imagine how it would be with the limited number of pilgrims this year. Surely it will be a great experience.”

Khadija, a Bulgarian expatriate, was overcome with tears when she heard she would be performing Hajj this year. “I didn’t expect they’d accept,” she said. “I’m sure this year’s Hajj will be an exceptional one in all respects.”

Dr. Haifa Yousef Hamdoon, a Tunisian physician in Qassim, is another who did not expect to be accepted because of the low numbers this year. “When I received confirmation of my request, I was overjoyed and couldn’t believe it,” she said.

Mu’taz Mohamed, a Sudanese pilgrim who also lives in Qassim region, praised the preventive and precautionary health measures taken in order to ensure his safety and that of other pilgrims, to enable them to perform the rituals safely.

After completing their arrival procedures, the pilgrims were taken to their accommodation in Makkah, supervised by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. They will stay there for four days before beginning their pilgrimage on July 30.

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