by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Buzz, News
Jamia Hamdard
New Delhi : With growing cooperation between Saudi Arabia and India in the fields of education and health, Saudi Arabia has donated $5 million to the Jamia Hamdard University in New Delhi as a contribution towards the cost of building the medical college and expanding the existing Majeedia Hospital.
The new building of the hospital will be named after the late custodian of the two holy mosques in Makkah and Medina, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, an announcement by the Saudi Embassy here said.
A memorandum of understanding was signed between Al-Imam Mohammad bin Saud Islamic University and the Jamia Hamdard University in March 2014 envisaging implementation of an exchange programme that will include exchange of staff, students, curricula and research collaborations as well as joint organization of seminars and conferences.
Saudi Ambassador Saud bin Mohammed Al-Sati hailed the agreement between the two universities, terming it as “an excellent initiative that comes in the context of promoting cultural and scientific cooperation between the two friendly countries”.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Riyadh : Saudi Arabia announced that it was expelling the Ambassador of Canada and froze new trade deals with the country after Ottawas criticism of human-rights violations in the Islamic Kingdom.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Sunday that it it was recalling its ambassador in Canada for consultation and simultaneously declared the Canadian Ambassador Dennis Horak persona non-grata, giving him 24 hours to leave, reports the Saudi Gazette.
The move comes after Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland last week called on Saudi Arabia to release arrested civil-rights activists and signalled concern at a new crackdown in the Middle Eastern country
Saudi Arabia took this firm stance following Canada’s statement about “civil society activists” that was negative and baseless, according to the Ministry.
It deemed Freeland’s remarks as false allegations.
The ministry considers the Canadian statements as a “blatant interference in the Kingdom’s internal affairs that violates simple international norms” that governs relations between countries.
A spokeswoman for Freeland said late Sunday night that the Canadian government was trying to make contact with Saudi Arabia, reports Canadian daily The Globe and Mail.
“We are seriously concerned by these media reports and are seeking greater clarity on the recent statement from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the spokeswoman said.
“Canada will always stand up for the protection of human rights, including women’s rights, and freedom of expression around the world. Our government will never hesitate to promote these values and believes that this dialogue is critical to international diplomacy.”
The detained activists include Samar Badawi, sister of writer Raif Badawi who is already imprisoned in Saudi Arabia and sentenced to 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam.
Saudi Arabia is one of Canada’s biggest export markets in the Gulf region and more than 15,000 Saudi students attend Canadian schools and universities.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News
Srinagar : The first batch of 820 pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir will be leaving for Saudi Arabia on Saturday to perform this year’s Haj pilgrimage.
Special buses from the Srinagar Haj House in Bemina area took the pilgrims to the Srinagar International airport early on Saturday.
Authorities said four Air India flights will be carrying them to the West Asian nation.
The last flight of Haj pilgrims will leave on July 25.
After an additional quota of 250 seats was allowed to the state by the All India Haj Committee, over 10,000 pilgrims from the state were able to perform this year’s pilgrimage.
The first flight carrying the pilgrims will return here on August 25 and the last on September 7.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Washington : US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz, has agreed to increase the Arab kingdom’s oil production significantly in order to stop the price of crude from rising.
“Just spoke to King Salman of Saudi Arabia and explained to him that, because of the turmoil and disfunction in Iran and Venezuela, I am asking that Saudi Arabia increase oil production, maybe up to 2,000,000 barrels, to make up the difference,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
“Prices to high! He has agreed!” Trump added in reference to the Saudi king.
Last week, Trump urged members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to boost their crude production “substantially” to keep the price down, Efe reported.
OPEC and its allies decided last June 22 to raise crude production by a million barrels a day, a volume that, in the medium term, could be more like 600,000 barrels, as a way to control prices that are at their highest since 2014.
It’s not yet clear if the increase with which, according to Trump, Saudi Arabia has agreed is in addition to the amount agreed with OPEC, though as Bloomberg reported this week, the state-run oil company Saudi Aramco plans to increase production starting in July to some 10.8 million barrels per day under pressure from the US.
Trump is concerned about the hike in gasoline prices in the United States, where a gallon costs an average of $2.85, which is 63 cents more than last year, according to estimates of the American Automobile Association (AAA).
The Democratic opposition has blamed part of that increase on Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, while Republicans fear that rising gasoline prices will dull Americans’ enthusiasm for the US economy as they approach next November’s legislative elections.
The US government has threatened with sanctions all the companies in the world that starting next November 5 continue doing business with Iran, which includes oil purchases.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : The year 2018 that began with the end of Haj subsidy has been marked by a record 175,025 Indians heading for Saudi Arabia and is also distinct for a record 47 per cent women among the pilgrims including 1,308 without their ‘mehram’ (male companion).
“For the first time after the Independence, record 1,75,025 Muslims from India are going to Haj this year. These include record more than 47 per cent female pilgrims,” Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said addressing an orientation cum training camp here.
Despite removal of Haj subsidy and various new taxes imposed in Saudi Arabia, a lot of Muslims from India are going to Haj this year that too without any additional financial burden, he said. In fact, the airlines will be getting Rs 57 crore less this year from the passengers.
“Even after ending the Haj subsidy, airlines will be paid Rs 57 crore less … Last year Rs 1,030 crore was paid to airlines as air fare for 1,24,852 Haj pilgrims and this year Rs 973 crore will be paid for 1,28,702 Haj pilgrims going through Haj Committee of India,” Naqvi said.
For the first time, choice of embarkation points has been given to Haj pilgrims which has received overwhelming response. The minister said a total of 3,55,604 applications was received for Haj 2018 which included 1,89,217 male and 1,66,387 female applicants.
“For the first time a total of 1,308 women Muslim women from India are going to Haj without ‘mehram’,” he told the Haj Coordinators, Assistant Haj Officers, Haj Assistants and medical personnel including 98 women staff who are deployed to assist the pilgrims.
Representatives from Minority Affairs Ministry, Health Ministry and Urban Development Ministry informed in detail, various issues concerned to Haj, pilgrims, their health, safety and accommodation during the camp, the ministry said in a statement.
Flights for Haj will start from July 14, when pilgrims from Delhi, Gaya, Guwahati, Lucknow and Srinagar will embark on pilgrimage. On July 17 pilgrims from Kolkata, July 20 from Varanasi, July 21 from Mangalore, July 26 from Goa and on July 29 pilgrims from Aurangabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Nagpur will embark on Haj, he added.
Pilgrims from Ranchi will leave for Haj on July 30, from Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Cochin, Hyderabad and Jaipur on August 1, and from Bhopal on August 3.
—IANS
