RIYADH: Following the arrest of 63 illegal domestic aides, Madinah Police on Friday warned people not to hire domestic aides through illegal channels.
Major Hussein Al-Qahtani, a spokesman for Madinah Police, said those arrested were men and women of African origin and were working illegally in Saudi households.
The suspects, who were apprehended during raids made by police in Madinah, were handed to the competent authorities for necessary action.
Madinah district police chief Maj. Gen. Abdul Hadi Al-Shahrani advised citizens and expatriates not to deal with such offenders to preserve the health, safety and security of their family members.
“Don’t get attracted toward the runaway domestic aides who come to your doorstep for employment,” he said.
Those arrested recently included workers without resident permits, persons who do not hold the right professions, those who work for different sponsors, people who had run away from their respective sponsors, and illegal vendors hawking at public market places.
Police said the raids were conducted with the cooperation of the other relevant government agencies who were involved in maintaining the local regulations.
Those arrested have been kept in prisons and will be deported after a formal inquiry to ascertain the degree of their respective offenses.
According to officials, most of the crimes in the Kingdom are committed by illegal residents who have overstayed their visas.
Al-Shahrani asserted that the campaign will be continued to flush out illegal workers from the region. The security authorities conduct regular inspections to apprehend such workers to curb crimes like theft, sorcery and brewing liquor.
Some employers prefer to hire domestic aides locally to cut down on recruitment costs. A Saudi sponsor has to pay a minimum of SR15,000 to recruit a maid from abroad.
During the amnesty period offered by the late King Abdullah, iIlegal residents were allowed to leave the Kingdom without any penalties during the grace period.
The Ministry of Interior had earlier advised all illegal expatriates in the Kingdom to correct their work and residency status following the end of the amnesty period on Nov. 1, 2013 or leave the country.
Saudi families reminded against hiring maids illegally after dozens arrested in crackdown
Saudi families reminded against hiring maids illegally after dozens arrested in crackdown
Saudi nature reserve becomes Kingdom’s ‘first major biodiversity site’
- Accreditation follows evaluation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve by the international organization Key Biodiversity Areas
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve has been granted accreditation as “the first major biodiversity site in the Kingdom.”
The organization Key Biodiversity Areas confirmed the accreditation, after an evaluation based on international standards, on its website on Wednesday. It said the reserve meets three global standards, including the presence of endangered species, and so qualifies for inclusion. The announcement coincided with International Day for Biological Diversity, which takes place on May 22 each year.
KBA works to monitor and preserve approved sites of great importance as part of its efforts to sustain biological diversity on a global level, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Saudi reserve is managed by the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve Development Authority with the aim of protecting endangered species, developing natural habitats, raising environmental awareness among the public, and reducing natural and human threats to the area. It is considered the largest nature reserve in the Middle East, covering a total area of 130,700 square kilometers.
Saudi Arabia participates in UN tourism body meeting
Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb headed the Kingdom’s delegation at the UN World Tourism Organization’s 50th meeting of the regional committee for the Middle East, on Wednesday in Muscat.
During his speech, the Saudi minister stressed the Kingdom’s openness to cooperate with member states to adopt joint regional tourism projects to attract international visitors to the region.
Al-Khateeb thanked the Omani Minister of Heritage and Tourism Salem Al-Mahrouqi for the hospitality and extended his appreciation to the UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili and other officials for their efforts to advance the tourism sector globally.
Saudi ginseng reappears in Northern Borders region after 20 years
- Khonaysser Wadi Al-Anazi, a vegetation cover enthusiast, mentioned that he saw the Saudi ginseng plant on the outskirts of the city of Arar
RIYADH: Saudi ginseng, an evergreen shrub with yellow flowers, has reappeared after a 20-year absence in the deserts of the Northern Border region, Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
Nasser Rashid Al-Majlad, president of Amana Environmental Association in the region, said the plant has several names: Al-Abab, Saudi ginseng, or ashwagandha, and has reappeared again in the region after more than 20 years, similar to many other wild plants.
Al-Majlad pointed out that the region is rich in wild plants with high economic value, as it has a distinctive natural vegetation cover, which can be invested as a natural plant resource to increase biodiversity, combat desertification, expand green areas, and enhance tourism and human development, following the green economy system that balances economic and environmental needs, benefiting humanity and the planet.
Khonaysser Wadi Al-Anazi, a vegetation cover enthusiast, mentioned that he saw the Saudi ginseng plant on the outskirts of the city of Arar. He attributed this to the recent increase in rainfall and expansion of green areas in the region.
He also noted that with the reappearance of the plant, it could be used for various purposes.
Saudi crown prince and French president discuss bilateral relations during phone call
- Saudi crown prince and French president exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues including the latest developments in Gaza
RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed relations between their countries and ways to develop existing cooperation during a phone call on Wednesday.
The leaders congratulated each other on a deal between the Saudia Group, represented by Saudia and flyadeal, and Airbus for 105 confirmed aircraft, Saudi Press Agency reported.
France is one of Airbus’ four founding countries, as well as home to the company’s headquarters facility – which is located in Toulouse.
The crown prince and Macron also discussed topics of common interest. They exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues including the latest developments in the situation in Gaza, the need to intensify efforts and international communication to reach an immediate end to the war there, and the necessity of delivering adequate humanitarian aid to the territory.
Sync Summit returns with digital call to action
- US activist urges children’s online safety regulations in sobering discussion
- Well-known Emirati interviewer and entrepreneur Anas Bukhash moderated a talk titled “Turning Tides: Recalling Humanity in a Digital World”
DHAHRAN: “We have become more concerned with burnt toast than frying our brains,” Abdullah Al-Rashid, director of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, or Ithra, told the attentive crowd at the opening of the Sync Summit, the two-day event which opened on Wednesday.
Sync Summit, first held in 2022, returned to Ithra with more sobering reminders of why now, more than ever, we need to reset our relationship with the digital world.
Well-known Emirati interviewer and entrepreneur Anas Bukhash returned to the Sync stage where he moderated a talk titled “Turning Tides: Recalling Humanity in a Digital World.” He offered insights as someone who owes his career to the power of the Internet but also recognizes many of its negative aspects.
“A knife can slice bread or stab someone,” Bukhash said, noting technology’s ability to be a tool to build or injure, depending on how one uses it.
His panel included Kristin Bride from the US, an activist focused on children’s safety regulations on social media, and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
“Four years ago was the worst day of my life,” Bride told the stunned crowd. Her son, who was in high school, was seemingly thriving, having just landed a summer job at a pizza parlor.
Bride recalled telling her son how proud she was. Her son described how much he was looking forward to the future, but just hours later, he died by suicide during the night.
The activist later found out that her son had been severely bullied on Snapchat by anonymous users. The hundreds of messages she saw when she opened her late son’s account were every mother’s worst nightmare.
Bride fears that young people today lack the tools or the coping mechanisms to deal with online bullying. For the last three years, she has worked tirelessly to advocate for stronger regulations for young users, seeking stricter rules against anonymous users and asking for accountability from Snapchat and Meta.
“I feel sorry for my role,” said Wozniak, mentioning how he holds some guilt in building what has become a tangled World Wide Web.
Social media algorithms track a user’s activity to tailor content, which can sometimes limit the human or organic aspect of social interactions online.
“It’s not just a ‘like’ … you trigger a hundred advertisers,” Wozniak said.
Meanwhile, in a fireside chat, Arab News reporter Lama Alhamawi spoke to legendary football manager Jose Mourinho, who offered his philosophy on the social media usage of football players, describing the role that technology plays in the world of sport.
The summit also included a panel on utilizing technological advancements and finding ways to enhance the accuracy of fake news detection, along with other sessions dedicated to AI and wellness in the digital realm.
Ithra offered other events in the main plaza as well as programs curated for diverse audiences at the Ithra Theater and Ithra Cinema.
The Sync Summit is livestreamed and can be accessed on the Ithra website and social media channels.
