RIYADH: Hundreds of Saudi passport control students are being given special language training as part of efforts to improve communication with pilgrims traveling to the Kingdom.
The Saudi General Directorate of Passports currently has 500 trainees on learning schemes covering more than 10 languages, said Brig. Gen. Dr. Saleh bin Saad Al-Merbaa, director of general administration for training in the passport department.
“This program is not the first, it began two years ago, but each year it is developing, updating and setting more precise criteria for selecting the best applicants from the students and subjecting them to the required training programs in order to contribute to the development of their skills,” he added.
The students who are well versed in English, Spanish, Indonesian, Japanese, Persian, Urdu, Turkish and other languages, have been appointed at Hajj terminals in Jeddah and in Madinah to assist international pilgrims.
Saudi authorities have also taken other steps to help pilgrims perform Hajj rituals with maximum comfort and ease.
If pilgrims are lost, in need of help, have a medical emergency or faced with any other issue during Hajj this
year, they can just dial 911 and a team of competent young Saudis will be ready to help.
The National Center for Security Operations at the Saudi Interior Ministry launched its 911 call center five years ago in Makkah, with three additional centers in Riyadh, Shargiyah and Madinah.
Workers at the centers also speak various languages, including Urdu, English, French, German and Indonesian, in addition to being adept at English, Spanish, Japanese, Persian, Turkish and other tongues.
Besides, a 24-hour, seven days a week call center has also been set up, which sends out SMS-es with the following message: “Dear pilgrims, your service is an honor and your security is our duty. Policemen are ready to fulfill your urgent needs on 911.”
The center is also active on Twitter, updating pilgrims with the latest news on weather, and other information pertaining to their travel.
Saudi Arabia trains 500 officers to greet pilgrims
Saudi Arabia trains 500 officers to greet pilgrims
- Trainees on learning schemes cover more than 10 languages including Urdu
- Special language training is part of efforts to improve communication with pilgrims traveling to the Kingdom
Bangladesh approves new rice imports from Pakistan amid price pressures
- The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year for the first time since independence in 1971
- Diplomatic ties between the two nations have improved since the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina after mass protests last year
DHAKA: Bangladesh has approved the import of 50,000 metric tons of white rice from Pakistan under a government-to-government deal as part of efforts to stabilize domestic prices, officials said on Tuesday.
The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase cleared the deal at $395 per ton, reinforcing Dhaka’s renewed trade engagement with Islamabad.
Rice prices in Bangladesh have jumped by between 15 percent and 20 percent over the past year, with medium-quality rice selling at about 80 taka ($0.66) per kilogram. Despite increased imports and the removal of duties to ease supply constraints, prices for the staple grain remain stubbornly high.
The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year for the first time since independence in 1971. In February, it imported 50,000 tons of rice from Pakistan at $499 per ton under a similar agreement.
Diplomatic ties between the two South Asian nations have improved since an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took office after mass protests forced then prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to neighboring India last year.
Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh gained independence after a nine-month war in 1971, and relations with Pakistan have remained fraught in the decades since the conflict.
Separately, the government approved another 50,000 tons of parboiled rice through an international tender, part of a series of recent purchases aimed at cooling local prices. India’s Pattabhi Agro Foods secured the contract with the lowest bid of $355.77 per ton.
