Riyadh-Scary Sand Storm engulfs the whole capital
Region: Saudi Arabia
Last week the residents of Riyadh city saw one of the wildest side of nature when in minutes the whole city was engulfed by a scary sand storm. It wasn't one of the ordinary sand storms that are characteristic of Saudi dry weather tolerated quite easily by the locals. This yellow orange sand storm suddenly marked its presence in the afternoon out of nowhere.&n... more
Views: 1322Joy Belmonte Soars to EPBL Stardom
Region: Saudi Arabia
Dammam, Saudi Arabia - “I had a simple dream when I was still a child. I didn’t even dream of going to another country. My first priority in life is to provide a comfortable life for my family.” He came and conquered both fans and players in the Eastern Province Basketball League’s (EPBL) on-going tournament with his unorthodox but effective moves. Watching him play on the hard court is like wa... more
Views: 1412Philippine Government Deploys a Police Attache in Saudi Arabia
Region: Saudi ArabiaAl-Khobar, Saudi Arabia - P/SSupt. Jimmy L. Manabat is the new Police Attaché deployed by the Philippine Government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He arrived on 24 February 2009 and paid a courtesy call to Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor the following day together with SPO4 Wendel D. Vergara who will serve as his Administrative Assistant. They will hold office at the Philippine Embassy Riyadh premises. P/SSupt ... more
Views: 2303Saudi Arabia's Mutawwa’in Crack Down On Valentine's Day
Region: Saudi ArabiaAcross the world, Valentine’s Day is observed and celebrated in many parts of the world. However, it is not celebrated in Saudi Arabia. Well, it was before 2008. On 2008, Saudi Arabia’s religious police banned Valentine’s Day. They considered Valentine’s Day to be an un-Islamic holiday. The government can be considered far-right. There is no freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia. Practicing no... more
Views: 1806Married Saudi Girls Can't Divorce Until Puberty: Judge
Region: Saudi Arabia
by Anne Szustek An eight-year-old Saudi girl betrothed to a man 50 years her elder has not been granted a divorce on the grounds that she has not reached puberty. Divorce Plea of Girl with Dowry Betrothed to Middle-Aged Man Rejected An eight-year-old girl in Saudi Arabia was essentially sold off by her father to a 58-year-old man for a dowry of 30,000 riyals (about $8,000). The father of t... more
Views: 3544Over 2m head for Arafat
Region: Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has mobilised a force of 100,000 men to protect an estimated two million Muslim pilgrims starting hajj yesterday, amid fears of attack or deadly stampedes. The interior ministry said that in addition to many thousands of Saudis, an estimated 1.7 million of the faithful have descended on the kingdom from abroad to perform the annual rites. Local press reports spoke of a throng that could reach three m... more
Views: 981Bushehr n-plant to cross key milestone
Region: Saudi ArabiaDUBAI: A senior Russian official has given details about the status of Iran’s atomic power plant in Bushehr and said the project would become “irreversible” within the next five months. “Between December 2008 and February 2009, various technical measures will be carried out... that will make the physical start-up process of the first Bushehr reactor irreversible,” Iran’s Press TV qu... more
Views: 1418Whither Saudi Blogging?
Region: Saudi Arabia
Posted by Ayesha Saldanha to Global Voices Online Saudi Arabia has a large and active blogosphere, in which all kinds of voices and opinions can be heard, including opinions that cannot be expressed in the country's media. But can blogging play a bigger role in changing Saudi society? One blogger poses the question. Abu Lara believes that blogging should be a force for change in Saudi Arabia: أتساءل ... more
Views: 1512Migrant Workers Protest 'Modern-Day Slavery' in Saudi Arabia
Region: Saudi ArabiaPosted by Ayesha Saldanha to Global Voices Online Two weeks ago there were strikes and violent demonstrations by Bangladeshi workers in Kuwait, protesting low pay and poor working conditions. Following the demonstrations, more than 200 workers were deported. In this post, two Saudi bloggers tell us what they think of modern-day ‘slavery’ in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf. Ahmed Baaboud begins by ... more
Views: 1755Saudi Leaders Hope To Boost Religious Tolerance
Region: Saudi Arabia
Posted by Cara McDonough to FindingDulcinea King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has planned a multireligion meeting in Madrid to improve Islam’s world image and increase respect for different religious values. Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, is home to an extreme version of the faith, sometimes known as Wahhabism, which bans the practice of other religions in the kingdom. But it’s an image the country... more
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