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Women driving advocates drop demonstration plans

October 26, 2013

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Jeddah, Oct 26: Organizers of the women’s “Oct. 26 Driving Campaign” abandoned their plans late Friday by canceling Saturday’s driving demonstration throughout Saudi Arabia following intense pressure from the Ministry of Interior that said it will arrest participants. “Out of caution and respect for the Interior Ministry’s warnings ... we are asking women not to drive tomorrow and to change the initiative from an Oct. 26 campaign to an open driving campaign,” activist Najla Al-Hariri told Agence France Presse on Friday.

The wire service reported that several women said they had received telephone calls from the ministry, which issued a statement on Thursday warning online activists Friday that it may apply cyber-laws that ban political dissent to individuals supporting the women’s driving campaign scheduled today. Cyber-law violations could result in a five-year prison sentence. Interior Ministry spokesman Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said the Kingdom’s traffic laws will be enforced.

“It is known that women in Saudi Arabia are banned from driving, and laws will be applied against violators and those who demonstrate in support of this cause,” Al-Turki said. There have been several government warnings this week about the driving campaign, coinciding with Saudi women posting social videos of them driving on Saudi streets usually with a mahram in the passenger seat. Yet the warnings signal a tough crackdown on traffic law violators.

Organizers have been careful about the campaign, urging women to drive separately and not engage in mass driving exhibitions or demonstrations. Dozens of women this week also applied for driver’s licenses at Dallah Driving School in Jeddah and had three women at a time approach the counter and ask for an application. Even early Friday, organizers and participants vowed to drive today despite the mounting pressure from the Ministry of Interior and anti-driving proponents, which are mostly men commenting on social media websites. Fatima Saleh, who had planned to participate in the action, said women do not want to cause problems.

“In fact, women driving will help reduce traffic congestion. My dream is to drive legally here by 2014,” she said. Maryam Al-Rubian, a Saudi woman who was participating in the campaign, said: “I hope that the Saudi authorities realize that women also have basic rights such as the right to drive, and are as good as men at driving cars. We are not comfortable hiring taxis. Taxi drivers harass us on a daily basis.”

Saudi Arabia does not have legislation barring women from driving. Many Saudi women have posted footage of them driving on social media websites including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. They have called on women with foreign driver’s licenses to join the campaign. Abdullah Al-Saidi, a Riyadh-based

engineer, said: “Women should be allowed to drive in the Kingdom because they also have roles to play in society. In fact, many are running their own companies and need this mobility.” Earlier, three women Shoura Council members called for an end to the ban; while 200 scholars visited the royal court in Jeddah to make a case against women driving.

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News Network
May 21,2020

May 21: Mosques across the UAE will remain closed during Eid Al Fitr, a top official has said. The Takbeer, which is chanted before the special prayers performed on Eid, will be broadcast from mosques 10 minutes before the prayer time.

During the virtual press briefing held on Wednesday, Dr Farida Al Hosani, official spokesperson of the UAE health sector, reminded citizens and expats about the importance of adhering to the safety measures as laid out by the authorities.

Contact tracing process

"Before we began to use Al Hosn app to trace the contacts of Covid-19 cases, the tracking process used to take more than 48 hours. It also depended on the memory and honesty of people. The app is an AI-enabled methodological way to trace individuals who came in contact with Covid-19 cases so that they are isolated. It has proven to be an efficient way to stop the spread of the coronavirus," Dr Farida said.

Install the app

She called on all the public to install the app on their smart phones. "The success of the tracing system via Al Hosn app relies on its use. We hope 50 to 70 per cent of people in the UAE instal and use the app in an effective way."

No sermon

Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al Shamsi, Spokesperson for the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments, said there will be no sermon for the Eid prayers.

He called on everyone to welcome Eid with joy and positivity and to stay connected with their loved ones via social media.

Mass testing

Dr Amna Al Dahhak Al Shamsi, the official spokesperson of the UAE Government, said mass testing continues across the country.

She stressed on the importance of adhering to precautionary measures and cooperating with the authorities.

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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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News Network
April 5,2020

Ajman, Apr 5: A bakery worker in Ajman has been detained for spitting in the bread dough as he prepared bread at the bakery, police said.

The General Command of Ajman Police arrested the Asian worker in coordination with Ajman Municipality after investigators suggested that he intentionally spat in the dough while preparing bread at a bakery which is located in Ajman.

Lt. Col. Muhammad Mubarak Al-Ghafli, Director of Al-Jarf Al-Shamel Police Station, said a team from police had immediately gone to arrest the worker after receiving a report from the municipality confirming that the man spat in the bread dough.

Officials said a customer had filmed the Asian as he spat in the dough while preparing the bread at the bakery during the evening.

The customer then filed a complaint to the municipality with the supporting evidence of a video as the worker was doing the buzzer act.

Police said the man was taken for for psychological examination as he's being prepared to be referred to the public prosecution.

Meanwhile, the bakery has been shut down by the municipality for violating food hygiene and public health rules.

Lt. Col. Al-Ghafli has appealed to the public to report persons or any acts that could harm the health and safety of the public.

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