Madinah hosts anti-smoking event to preserve city's cleanliness

Updated 22 December 2017
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Madinah hosts anti-smoking event to preserve city's cleanliness

MADINAH: The Under Presidency for the Affairs of the Prophet’s Mosque organized an awareness event titled “Together to Make the Haram Area Smoking-Free.”
The event included two lectures by Dr. Mohammed bin Jaber Al-Yamani, head of the pharmacology department at King Saud University, at Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al-Faleh hall.
Al-Yamani stressed the importance of making Madinah smoke-free, especially around the Prophet’s Mosque.
He recalled some of the actions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to preserve the city’s cleanliness, palm trees and birds.
He also reviewed anti-smoking efforts in the Kingdom, including a royal decree prohibiting smoking in public places and government offices, and around places of worship. Al-Yamani discussed the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke.

 

Direct KSA to Iraq flight routes announced

Updated 5 sec ago
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Direct KSA to Iraq flight routes announced

  • These flights, along with flights to Baghdad and Irbil, will commence from June 1.

RIYADH: The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation announced the launch of direct flights from Dammam to Najaf, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.
The decision is in line with the Kingdom’s national aviation sector strategy, aimed at doubling capacity to accommodate over 330 million passengers annually, and extending services to more than 250 global destinations.
These flights, along with flights to Baghdad and Irbil, will commence from June 1.


Ministry of Hajj and Umrah praises Iraqi authorities for arresting fraudsters touting fake Hajj trips

Updated 14 min 30 sec ago
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Ministry of Hajj and Umrah praises Iraqi authorities for arresting fraudsters touting fake Hajj trips

  • A ministry source in the statement also warned prospective pilgrims to beware of unauthorized Hajj offers being promoted this year
  • The ministry made it clear that visas for Umrah, tourism, work, family visits, transit, and other categories do not grant eligibility to perform Hajj

RIYADH: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah expressed its gratitude for actions taken by the Supreme Commission for Hajj and Umrah in the Republic of Iraq that resulted in the prosecution of more than 25 companies fraudulently engaged in commercial Hajj operations.
A ministry source in the statement also warned prospective pilgrims to beware of unauthorized Hajj offers being promoted this year, primarily through social media.
Participation in Hajj requires pilgrims to obtain a legitimate Hajj visa issued by the authorities in the Kingdom in coordination with Hajj affairs offices in their respective countries, or via the Nusuk Hajj platform for those countries that do not have an official Hajj office.
The source said that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is monitoring advertisements from companies and campaigns, as well as identifying fake accounts on social networks allegedly offering Hajj packages at enticing prices.
The ministry made it clear that visas for Umrah, tourism, work, family visits, transit, and other categories do not grant eligibility to perform Hajj. It urged pilgrims to be careful not to fall victim to companies and others claiming to offer commercial Hajj campaigns or other misleading initiatives.
“Regulations must be followed and legally documented permits, as represented by the official Hajj visa, must be issued, so a safe, secure, well-managed Hajj program and fair representation to all nationalities is provided,” Mohsen Tutla, head of the World Hajj and Umrah Convention, told Arab News.
“Hajj is a mega event with more than 2 million worshippers. Can one imagine, if order was not imposed and (the event) not regulated, chaos would ensue,” he added.
In the statement, the ministry calls for everyone’s cooperation to help combat and report fraudulent companies and campaigns, and to seek information only by visiting its official website and engaging with its channels on social networks.


World’s largest Arabic opera opens in Riyadh

Updated 43 min 17 sec ago
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World’s largest Arabic opera opens in Riyadh

  • The opera was produced by the Saudi Theater and Performing Arts Commission

RIYADH: “Zarqa Al-Yamama,” the world’s first and largest grand opera in Arabic, made its debut at the King Fahad Cultural Center in Riyadh, taking the audience on a lyrical journey through one of the best-known folkloric tales in the Arabian Peninsula.
The opera was produced by the Saudi Theater and Performing Arts Commission, and will run until May 4, telling the story of the central character’s attempts to warn her Jadis tribe of an imminent invasion.


Saudi chemistry duo add to KSA medal haul

Updated 26 April 2024
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Saudi chemistry duo add to KSA medal haul

  • Team members were selected by Mawhiba

RIYADH: Two Saudi students have added to the Kingdom’s medal haul at the 2024 Mendeleev International Chemistry Olympiad being held in China from April 20-27.
Hassan Abdul Jalil Al-Khalifa, a third-grade secondary student from the Provincial Department of Education, Eastern Province, and fellow student Ali Salah Al-Moussa claimed bronze medals at the competition, lifting the Kingdom’s overall tally to three silver and 20 bronze.
More than 150 students from 27 countries are competing at the 58th session of the Olympiad.
Saudi Arabia is represented by a team of six students from several educational institutions.
Team members were selected by the King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, also known as Mawhiba.
Students were chosen after attending a series of forums over the course of two years, and were trained by Mawhiba, in partnership with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.


Saudi deputy minister of interior heads delegation at first conference to combat drug trafficking

Updated 26 April 2024
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Saudi deputy minister of interior heads delegation at first conference to combat drug trafficking

  • Kingdom’s participation in the conference was an extension of its efforts in the war on drugs

MAUTIRIUS: Dr. Nasser bin Abdul Aziz Al-Dawood, Saudi deputy minister of interior, headed the Kingdom’s delegation participating in the first conference to combat drug trafficking and substance abuse, held in Mauritius, which concluded on Thursday.
Al-Dawood said that the Kingdom’s participation in the conference was an extension of its efforts in the war on drugs, monitoring and diagnosing their effects and harms, and strengthening international cooperation procedures and information exchange to combat the activities of organized crime networks in general, and drug crime in particular.