ARABIALINK Daily News – SAUDI ARABIA – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]
Cleric: Employ Only Muslim Maids in Saudi Arabia [Jul 27]
“A Saudi cleric said only Muslim housemaids should be allowed in the country and they should be kept segregated from men in the home, an online news site reported on Tuesday. ‘If there is a need to import workers as female domestics, they should be Muslims,’ Shaikh Yousuf Al Ahmad, a strong opponent of men and women mixing in the kingdom, told the sabq.org website. He also said female domestics should cover themselves in the home, and that, following Islamic requirements for Saudi women, they should also be required to have a male relative guardian, or mahram, with them in Saudi Arabia.. ..He gained notoriety earlier this year when he called for the Grand Mosque of Makkah to be torn down and rebuilt with separate entrances and areas for men and women. His latest comments are directed at the huge foreign labour pool in the country, accounting for an estimated 8 to 10 million of a population of about 25 million people..” [Complete Report]
Minnesota Promotes Saudi Arabia Export Opportunities [Jul 27]
“The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is highlighting export opportunities in Saudi Arabia for food and agricultural companies. The department and the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council are sponsoring a seminar in Minneapolis on Tuesday on exporting to Saudi Arabia, which imported almost $700 million dollars in U.S. agricultural products last year. David Callahan, vice president of the council, says the Saudi government is phasing out local production of water-intensive crops, thus limiting expansion of its agricultural sector. Minnesota agriculture exports have been outpacing total U.S. agricultural exports to Saudi Arabia for the last seven years. Top Minnesota products going there include sauces, condiments, vegetables and animal feed..” [Complete Report]
Saudi Arabia May Be Proper Forum for al-Sanea Suit, Judge Says [Jul 27]
“Saudi Arabia may be a more appropriate location for claims in a lawsuit filed in the Cayman Islands against Saudi billionaire Maan al-Sanea by members of the kingdom’s Algosaibi family, according to a court decision. In the lawsuit, the Algosaibi group alleged Al-Sanea misappropriated $9.2 billion from the group’s units in part to fund his Saad Group of Companies. Al-Sanea has denied any wrongdoing, saying Algosaibi was aware of the borrowing. Smellie stayed the litigation until a committee appointed by the Saudi government rules on related petitions made there by the Algosaibi family. Smellie’s decision couldn’t be immediately confirmed in Cayman Islands electronic records or by a clerk contacted at the courthouse. Units of the two Saudi family groups have borrowed at least $15.7 billion from more than 80 regional and international banks, including Paris-based BNP Paribas SA, New York-based Citigroup Inc. and Arab Bank Plc in Amman, Jordan, according to documents provided by lenders..” [Complete Report]
Food Security Focus of Saudi-Mauritius Talks [Jul 27]
“Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Mauritius discussed food security and ways of boosting bilateral trade in talks with senior officials during a three-day visit to the Indian Ocean country. Mohammed bin Ali Al-Ali, who is based in Pretoria, South Africa, also talked in general about the need to increase relations with the island nation in other key areas as well. ‘Trade relations are becoming more important than politics,’ Al-Ali said after a working session with Mauritius Minister of Industry and Commerce Showkutally Soodhun. ‘Regarding food security, we can see how Mauritius can help us in planting our crops and exporting them to Saudi Arabia,’ Al-Ali said. The meeting took place at the minister’s office in Port Louis in the presence of Malek Ghawas, the attaché at the Saudi Embassy, and Yasine Mohabuth, an adviser to the Mauritius minister..” [Complete Report]
