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Driver given 20 days to raise SR 150,000 in blood money

April 28, 2013

Blood_money

Jeddah, Apr 28: The family of a Pakistani driver living in a slum on the outskirts of Jeddah is trying to help him avoid an indefinite prison term for failing to pay blood money for a two-year-old Egyptian boy he had run over with his car.

Aziz Mohammed Jaan works as a family driver for SR 1,200 per month and lives with his wife and five children, aged between one and 14. All are legal residents holding valid residency permits.

With a menial salary, Jaan is barely able to maintain the family of seven living in a remote area surrounded by valleys and mountains known as Wadi Mareq.

Speaking to Arab News at his home, Jaan said he had parked his pick-up truck in front of a Saudi restaurant in Sharafiya. When the vehicle in front of him made way, he drove forward only to hear a woman scream and learn that he had hit a 2-year-old child that he hadn’t seen due to the blind spot of the bumper.

The Egyptian boy, Ali Ahmed Adil, was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

A court in Jeddah, chaired by Judge Abdulaziz Ali Sharai, found that both parties were at fault and ordered Jaan to pay SR 150,000 in blood money to the parents of the toddlers he had accidentally killed.

Jaan appealed to the court and the parents, saying that if he was kept behind bars, he would not be able to acquire the blood money he had been ordered to pay nor would his children be left with means for survival.

The court granted him 20 days to raise the money with the help of Hizbullah Mohammed Amin, president of Shah Faisal welfare group, a Pakistani charity association. If Jaan fails to pay by the end of the grace period, he will be held in custody until he comes up with the amount.

Jaan’s family cannot afford education and has no access to health care. His children are illiterate and appealed for help when reporters from Arab News visited the family home.

Jaan said he is facing grave difficulty acquiring the sum, being stopped by security guards whenever he tries to enter business organizations with philanthropic wings.

Jaan has also approached the Pakistan Consulate with the same request.

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News Network
April 10,2020

Dubai, Apr 10: Saudi Arabia reported 364 new coronavirus cases and three new virus-related deaths, the Ministry of Health announced on Friday.

The total number of confirmed cases in the Kingdom is 3,651, out of which 2,919 are currently active, the ministry added.

Out of the new cases, 90 were recorded in Mecca, 78 in Medina, 69 in Riyadh, and 54 in Jeddah, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the number of fatalities rose to 47, while th number of recoveries reached 685.

The daily number of confirmed cases in Saudi Arabia has not peaked yet, and has been rapidly accelerating.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Health had said earlier this week that four different studies showed that the number of coronavirus cases in the Kingdom could reach between 10,000 to 200,000 within weeks.

The ministry spokesman emphasized the urgent need for citizens and residents to remain at home and maintain social distancing practices to ensure that the virus does not spread further.

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coastaldigest.com web desk
July 6,2020

Dubai, July 6: In an attempt to make a comeback in the tourism sector amidst managing covid-19 crisis, Dubai is all set to welcome holiday-makers from foreign countries from July 7.

It said those entering would have to present certificates to show they had recently tested negative for the coronavirus or would undergo tests on arrival at Dubai airports.

Reassuring tourists of several comprehensive measures to prevent the transmission of the pandemic, Dubai Tourism urged global travellers to make the city that boasts world class health and safety standards "a must-visit destination."

Dubai Tourism hosted a virtual forum for stakeholders and partners to share its industry outlook ahead of the city's reopening to international tourists.

The forum, which was attended by nearly 2,000 key executives from the aviation, travel and hospitality sectors and across tourism touch-points, provided a first-hand insight into current and post-pandemic strategies that will help accelerate tourism momentum and position Dubai as a safe global destination.

Helal Saeed Almarri, director general, Dubai Tourism, said that the city has put in place a robust strategy to manage the pandemic with the key priority being to safeguard the health and well-being of citizens, residents and guests.

Dubai, which saw a 5.1 per cent in tourist traffic to 16.73 million in 2019, remains top of mind for travellers and ranks high in global Internet search rankings for tourist destinations.

Dubai Tourism has launched marketing activities designed to convey positive messages about travel in today's environment, Dubai's preparedness, high standards of quality and safety, unique experiences that await visitors and also address traveller concerns across every touch-point in their journey.

The forum highlighted the preventive measures taken so far against Covid-19 that have further elevated the UAE's standing as one of the world's safest countries. The UAE is globally ranked No.3 in testing per million of population. It was also ranked No.3 in an international survey that assessed satisfaction with governments' response to the pandemic.

Over 350 influencers were also deployed to take the Dubai story in 14 different languages to a global audience spanning 18 markets, which yielded over 21 million engagements across multiple social media platforms.

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Agencies
August 4,2020

Beirut, Aug 4: A massive explosion has shaken the Lebanese capital of Beirut, with a very high number of casualties expected.

A warehouse at the Beirut Port caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a huge explosion, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Several smaller explosions were heard before the bigger one occurred.

Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s General Security, said that “highly explosive materials” confiscated earlier had been stored at the site.

Footage shared on social media captured the moment of the bigger explosion, with a colossal shock wave seen traveling fast across several hundreds of meters and shrouding the area in thick smoke.

The blast left enormous material damage to the surrounding buildings and structures. But it was not immediately known how big an area was affected.

There was also no immediate casualty count. Graphic amateur video from the scene showed bodies strewn on the ground, with their clothes blown off.

The NNA said rescue operations were underway. Ambulances were seen heading toward the scene in central Beirut.

Lebanese LBC television channel quoted Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hasan as saying that the blast had caused a “very high number of injuries” and “extensive damage.”

Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud said an unspecified number of firefighters dispatched to extinguish the initial fire had been killed in the explosion.

“As they were putting out the fire, the explosion took place and we’ve [lost them],” he said, breaking down on live TV.

The explosion comes at a time when the Arab country is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades, and amid rising tensions with Israel.

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