4 days ago
The Jeddah Mayoralty has started on Monday serving notices to owners of 351 dilapidated buildings in Jeddah’s Faisaliah and Rabwa districts. The mayoralty called on the owners of the concerned buildings to quickly visit its headquarters to complete the required procedures. The mayoralty started implementing the measures, in cooperation with the relevant authorities, as part of its ongoing efforts to protect lives and property of residents and enhance public safety in the city. The mayoralty stated that it has begun listing dilapidated buildings in the two neighborhoods. The inspection teams have detected a total of 263 dilapidated buildings in Faisaliah and 88 buildings in Rabwa neighborhoods. “Notices were placed on the buildings, asking their owners to contact the mayoralty urgently to complete the necessary regulatory procedures,” it said. The mayoralty pointed out that it has beefed up efforts of inspecting the buildings within an ongoing plan to monitor the conditions of buildings that are threatened to collapse in various neighborhoods of the city. This is aimed at reducing potential risks to residents and surrounding areas, while taking all preventive measures to ensure public safety. The mayoralty’s new measures come within a campaign implemented by the General Department of Emergencies and […]
4 days ago
The second phase of a project to expand Riyadh’s road network and improve traffic congestion has been announced. The eight new projects, costing around SR8 billion ($2.13 billion), are the second phase of the Road Development Program for the capital, announced by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. As part of the works, a 20km road network surrounding King Abdullah Financial District will be developed to include three intersections and 19 bridges. Two major intersections will be constructed on Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz I Road in the northern part of Riyadh, as well as three bridges and a tunnel, increasing road capacity to 200,000 vehicles per day. In the center of Riyadh, five intersections will be upgraded on the Thumamah Road axis, and 11 bridges and five tunnels will be constructed, also increasing road capacity to 200,000 vehicles per day. Imam Abdullah bin Saud Road will have four main intersections, three bridges and two tunnels, increasing capacity to 200,000 vehicles daily. Dirab Road, where there will be two main intersections and nine bridges, will see an increased vehicle capacity of 340,000 vehicles per day. Imam Muslim Road will serve as the future southern extension of the Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz […]
4 days ago
Many WhatsApp users in Saudi Arabia reported on Saturday that voice and video calling features had been activated after years of restrictions. However, there has been no official confirmation on whether this is a permanent change or a temporary test. The sudden activation has raised questions, particularly in the absence of an announcement from authorities. Technology expert Abdullah Al Subaie noted that this move aligns with Saudi Arabia’s efforts to enhance telecommunications and digital infrastructure, potentially improving communication for users. WhatsApp, one of the world’s most widely used messaging apps, introduced voice calls in 2015 and video calls in 2016. However, these features have been blocked in Saudi Arabia due to regulatory policies. While there have been occasional reports of brief activations, they were typically linked to technical updates rather than policy shifts. In March 2024, speculation arose that the ban had been lifted, but Saudi Arabia’s Communications, Space and Technology Commission denied the claims, reaffirming that WhatsApp calls remained inaccessible. If the current activation proves permanent, it would mark a significant improvement in connectivity within the kingdom.
4 days ago
After sparking controversy for riding a horse inside a pharmacy, Saudi female equestrian Shahd Al Shammari is back in the spotlight. A new video shows her inside a garment store, this time seemingly as part of a promotional campaign. Wearing an elaborately decorated dress, she walks alongside a horse inside a clothing hypermarket in Sabya, Jazan region, promoting the store’s affordable selections for men, women, and children. Last week, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health announced legal action against a pharmacy after it shared promotional videos featuring horse-riding influencers inside. The ministry emphasized the importance of professionalism in the health sector, warning that violations would not be tolerated. The controversy began when a viral video showed Shahd casually riding a horse through a pharmacy, browsing shelves, and collecting items as a man filmed her. The footage ignited debate on social media over ethical marketing practices in the health industry. Nicknamed “The Saudi Equestrian Shahd”, the young rider is among Saudi Arabia’s most prominent female equestrians. Admired for her skill and confidence, she has built a large following on social media, where she regularly shares videos showcasing her talents. Many fans see her as a role model for Saudi women breaking barriers […]
5 days ago
An unspecified number of maintenance workers died in a fire at the boiler of Marafiq Company’s steam turbine unit in the Yanbu Industrial City. In a statement on Tadawul site on Sunday, Marafiq Company disclosed about the outbreak of a fire on Thursday evening in one of the support units for the boiler of the sixth unit, within the steam turbine unit of the company. The company said that the unit was completely out of service for the annual periodic maintenance work at the time of the accident. The fire was completely contained and controlled, but the accident resulted in the deaths of a number of workers hired by the maintenance contractor. It added that the services provided to consumers were not affected by the fire. “The company is currently working, in coordination with the relevant authorities, to investigate the causes of its occurrence, and the company is currently conducting a comprehensive assessment of the resulting damages,” the statement added.
5 days ago
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah revealed that residents of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries can perform Umrah rituals through easy options including transit visa and tourist visa, apart from Umrah visa. The ministry stated that this is aimed to facilitate the GCC residents with comfortable ways to perform the rituals of Umrah. It noted that visiting Al-Rawdah Al-Sharif at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah is required advance booking through the Nusuk application.
5 days ago
Trump at Davos: “I’m going to ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to bring down the cost of oil (…) If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately. Right now, the price is high enough that that war will continue (…) With oil prices going down, I’ll demand that interest rates drop immediately. And, likewise, they should be dropping all over the world. Interest rates should follow us.” Quite predictably, OPEC+ – basically run by Saudi Arabia and Russia – said Nyet. Apart from the fact they don’t care much about interest rates, on the energy front they’ll keep doing what they have planned to do, including soon decreasing production, but at acceptable levels. Standard Chartered, a major player, noted that OPEC has limited power to end the war immediately by reducing the oil price, with OPEC ministers considering this attempt at “strategy” as very inefficient and costly. So much for imperial diktats. The Chihuahua Strategic Victory Plan As highlighted before, the U.S. – via fracking – has enough gas for domestic consumption, but not enough to export en masse to the EU, because of liquification problems. That explains why even buying more American energy for exorbitant prices, the EU de facto remains largely dependent on […]
5 days ago
Starting from this month, Saudi Arabia will increase maternity leave for working women to 12 weeks instead of 10 weeks as part of a set of substantial changes to the labour system aimed at preserving contractual rights and boosting the work environment. The amendments, announced by the kingdom’s Ministry of Human Resources, stipulate that a worker in Saudi Arabia has the right to a five-day paid leave in the event of the spouse’s death to consolidate family ties. Likewise, the worker is entitled to a five-day paid leave upon marriage to encourage family stability. Moreover, a notice for terminating an employment contract with non-specific duration is now put at 30 days if the notice comes from the worker, and 60 days on the employer’s side. Additionally, the latest changes specify overtime hours so that all work done on holidays and Eid (Muslim festivals) are considered overtime hours, ensuring that workers are compensated for their efforts on these occasions, reported Okaz newspaper. Another amendment puts the duration of work on a trial basis at a maximum of 180 days. The changes also obligate the employer to shun acts of discrimination in employment based on race, colour, sex, disability or social status […]
5 days ago
The Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) officials have arrested 158 employees of various ministries over corruption charges during the last month of January. Some of the arrested employees were released on bail. Those who were arrested included employees of the Ministries of Interior, Defense, National Guard, Justice, Health, Education, Commerce, and Municipalities and Housing. They were accused of charges including bribery and abuse of office. The Nazaha said that it has carried out 1076 inspection tours during the last month and that resulted in carrying out investigations against 396 suspects. The authority initiated a number of administrative and criminal cases following the inspection raids.
5 days ago
The Saudi security forces have arrested a total of 21,564 illegal residents from various regions of the Kingdom during the last week. The arrests were made during the joint field security campaigns that were carried out in collaboration with the relevant government agencies during the period between Jan. 23 and 29, the Ministry of Interior revealed on Saturday. Those who were arrested included 13,883 violators of the Residency Law, 4,668 violators of the Border Security Law, and 3,013 violators of the Labor Law. A total of 27,127 violators were referred to their diplomatic missions to obtain travel documents while 2317 violators were referred to complete their travel reservations whereas 10,295 violators were deported. The total number of people who were arrested while trying to cross the border into the Kingdom accounted for 1,477, of whom 41 percent were Yemeni nationals, 52 percent Ethiopian nationals, and four percent belonged to other nationalities. A total of 90 people were arrested while attempting to leave the Kingdom illegally. Eighteen people, who were involved in transporting, sheltering, and employing violators, were also arrested. A total of 34,680 illegal residents, including 31,546 men and 3,134 women, are currently undergoing various phases of legal procedures as […]