15 January 2016 SAACUUDIGA WAXA INAGA DHEXEEYA DAN MA GUURTO AH

U naxariista khalqiga Alle si Alle idiinku naxariisto. Waxa la yidhi sadaqaddu xataa qadar Alle wey baajisaa Insha Allah. Xanuunka, dhibta adduunyo iyo aakhiraba waa ka daawo. Waxay xataa ay baraakeysa cimriga...Waxaan halkan ku soo jeedinayaa inaynu jeebka gacanta galino oo aynu si deeqsinimo ah ugu gurmano dadkeena aabaruhu ku dhaceen. Aan ugu horeeyee waxaan bixinayaa bil mushaharkeed, waxaanan soo jeedinayaa in qof kasta oo digriito Madaxweyne lagu magacaabay oo  Golaha Wasiiradu kow ka yihiin, La-taliyaasha, Agaasimayaasha Guud, Maareeyaasha, Badhasaabada, Ambaasadoorada, Guddoomiyaasha Hayadaha iyo  Komishinada iyo cid kasta oo digriito lagu magacaabay, iyo dabcan Madaxweynaha iyo KU xigeenka, iyo seddexda Gole ee Shacbiga matala: Golaha Guurtida, Golaha Wakiilada iyo golayaasha Degmooyinka ee dhammaan ku tabarucaan bil mushaharkeed. Kolka intaynaasi oo ah hormoodka bulshadu taas yeelno waxa furmi doonta in bulshaweynta ooy kow ka yihiin ganacsatadu ay iyana gacanta fidin doonaan...Talooyin kale iyo faahfaahin ka dhegeyso videoga.

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

This 2,000-year-old city in Yemen is known as Manhattan of the desert...

ral Hadhramaut district, Shibam has roots in the pre-Islamic period, and evidence of construction dating from the 9th century.

Shibam is known as the first city on earth with a vertical masterplan.

A protected UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982, the city is home to densely packed buildings ranging from four to eight storeys, beginning in 300 AD but now mostly built after 1532.

Thanks to a fortified ring wall, the city has survived nearly two thousand years despite its precarious position adjacent to the wadi floodplain.

Wikimedia Commons/Aiman titi

As an important stop on the spice and incense trade route,Shibam emerged as a beacon of wealth in the Southern Arabian plateau. The city began as an enclave for rival families seeking prestige, political power, and protection from Bedouin thieves.

The notion of stacked housing quickly became the architecturalmodus operandi, and thus began the construction of hundreds of mud brick buildings. The solution the contiguous tower-houses eliminated vulnerabilities from attack, while simultaneously exhibiting the wealth of the residents.

Wikimedia Commons/Jialiang Gao

Shibam was built atop the pre-Islamic capital of Shabwa after its destruction in 300 AD, largely levelling the former community.

A few fragments remain from the earliest construction in Shibam, including a mosque built in 904 and a castle built in 1220, however the city was largely rebuilt after 1532 when a devastating flood swept the region, crippling the foundations of the city's ancient towers. Despite its strategic location on the highest point of the wadi floodplain, Shibam has frequently been the subject of flooding, prompting the fortification of its outer walls.

Flickr/ Najeeb Musallam

The city is surrounded by fertile land employed for agriculture, using an integrated urban system for the simultaneous generation of food and building materials. After crops are harvested from the surrounding land, soil is collected for construction inside the walled city - and construction is a continuous process, with the towers requiring regular maintenance with fresh coats of mud.

Shibam is historically revered for its ingenious urban planning methods, particularly with architecture that harmonizes with a population deeply devoted to traditional Muslim culture. Early incarnations of Islamic architecture can be noted in the fenestration on the higher levels of the structures while the ground levels were dictated by security, creating a fortress-like defense system to protect the affluent residents inside.

Flickr/maartenF

"Sometimes called the 'Chicago of the desert' or the 'Manhattan of the desert', the old city of Shibam presents to historians and urbanists one of the earliest and most perfect examples of rigorous planning based on the principle of vertical construction," reads the UNESCO brief on Shibam. Credited as the home of the first highrise apartment buildings, Shibam has become a symbol for the rise and resilience of middle eastern culture in the desolation of the surrounding desert.

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

Photo of ‘Saudi’ car in Israel raises storm

Photo of ‘Saudi’ car in Israel raises storm



JEDDAH: A Mercedes car with a Saudi number plate was spotted in Israel. The discovery led to intense discussion on social media websites on Tuesday.
According to reports, the car was spotted last week in Jaffa’s Clock Tower Square by Jacky Hugi, the Middle East editor for Israel’s Army Radio, who posted the picture on Twitter.
Makkah newspaper reported that the car belonged to an American national. The newspaper identified him as Phillip Allen, “who works in the construction sector.”
The newspaper claimed that it called Allen and he seemed unaware of the controversy.
“I don’t have Twitter and I have not seen the photo of my car,” he was quoted as saying in the newspaper.
He admitted that he was on holidays in Israel and that his papers were checked four times by the Israeli police during his trip because of the (Saudi) registration number.
Later on Tuesday, Sabq.org said the car owner was British and identified him as Phillip Christopher. He works as a manager at an elevator company in Riyadh, said the online publication.
Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatic ties with Israel. In May, Saudi Arabian Airlines canceled a contract with a Portuguese company for taking an off-duty airliner with Saudi Arabian Airlines branding for maintenance at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel.

Arabnews.com 

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

Gaza power plant to shut down due to lack of fuel

File photo of people queing up for fuel due to fuel shortage

The Energy and Natural Resources Authority in Gaza has warned that the enclave's sole power plant will be forced to shut down after the Palestinian Petroleum Authority in Ramallah reduced the station's fuel share.

In a statement, the Energy Authority criticised the General Petroleum Corporation's decision to reduce Gaza's fuel share and its reluctance to provide the necessary amount to operate the station without "taking into account professional, national and humanitarian considerations, especially in this critical period of the year with the beginning of the summer season".

"The current amount of fuel allows the plant to operate for a limited number of hours only. It also threatens the power plant's operations from Friday evening unless the needed amount of fuel is transferred," the statement said.

The authority added that it "makes every effort to save fuel but feels paralysed by the General Petroleum Corporation's reluctance."

It appealed to the Palestinian Energy Authority in Ramallah and all stakeholders to overcome any obstacles and supply it with enough fuel to operate the plant and avoid intensifying the Palestinian people's humanitarian suffering in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza has been suffering from an electricity crisis where electricity is supplied for only eight hours per day following last summer's Israeli offensive.


http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

Warka Berbera Ee qaxoontiga yimidekeda berbera

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

Warka hay'ada khaliifa foundation Hargeisa

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

WHAT MAKES A PERSIAN SHEEP SPECIAL---SOMALI SHEEP PART OF PERSIAN VARIETY.

WHAT MAKES A PERSIAN SHEEP SPECIAL

Many people when seeing Persian sheep for the first time mistake them for goats.  They are however a handsome breed of sheep.  The outstanding feature of Persian sheep is their colour and pattern.  Persian sheep come in two basic varieties:-

1. Coloured head(kleur kop in Afrikaans)– in this variety the entire sheep is white except for the head which can be either black, brown, red, tri-colour or blue.

Black headed, red headed and tri-colour headed ewes

2. Harlequin or Speckled – these sheep have solid coloured heads, legs and tails, while the body is covered with spots and patches on a white background.  The pattern on each  individualsheep is unique.   Harlequin Persians are called ‘Skilder Sheep’ in Afrikaans which literally means painted sheep . This term describes these beautiful animals well.  These sheep are extremely attractive and can also either be black, brown, red, tri-colour or blue

Brown speckled ewe with her lamb

Black Speckled Ewe with her Red Speckled Lamb

Tri-colour speckled, Red speckled and Black Speckled ewes

Black Speckled, Red Speckled and Tri- colour Speckled Rams

Black Speckled ewe with her Red Speckled lamb

A rare Blue Persian ewe lamb born at Coolibah in August 2013, one of only a handful of blue Persians in Australia

A flock of speckled Persians of mixed colours

Both varieties can be routinely inter-bred and the resultant lambs always have the distinct pattern of one variety or the other. Genetically the ‘coloured head’ pattern is recessive to the harlequin pattern. This means that to breed a ‘coloured head’ lamb either both parents must have coloured heads or be carrying the ‘coloured head’ gene.

Tri- colour headed ewe with her Black speckled and Red headed twin ewe lambs

In both varieties the hooves are coloured and match the coat colour. The ewes do not have horns. The rams  also generally do not have horns but approximately  one in fifty rams having small horns that sit flat against the head.

Persian sheep  also have a number of distinctive structural features. They have a large flap of skin called the ‘dewlap’ which extends below their throat and  also a prominent anterior breast bone called the ‘manubrium’.  When in good condition they store fat naturally in an area around the tail base.  This fat can be used as an energy source and is a characteristic shared by some other African breeds of sheep.  Because of this characteristic this group has sometimes been referred to as ‘fat bottomed’ sheep.

All Persians have a large skin flap below their jaw called the dewlap

The dewlap of a Tri-colour headed ewe

Persian sheep have a unique tail which is about the size of a human finger and sits at a somewhat quirky angle on top of the tail fat pad.  The first part of the tail is attached to the rump while the second part is pushed upwards and ends in the tassel or ‘sambokkie’ which hangs down perpendicularly.  The overall appearance is that of an attractive, exotic animal.

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

Qaxoontigii Ugu badnaa ee Yemen oo Berbera soo Gaadhay 2015

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

At least 7,000 Somalia refugees return home from Yemen

The refugees are joining a group of three million Somalis who face food shortages

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - About 7,000 refugees have fled to Somalia from war-torn Yemen since a Saudi-led bombing campaign was launched, compounding the dire humanitarian situation in Somalia, a UN envoy said Wednesday.

Nicholas Kay, the special representative for Somalia, also warned the Security Council that vigilance was required to prevent Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab militants from getting fresh support from extremists in Yemen.

"We need to monitor closely and be able to respond to any sign that Al Shebab is benefitting from their links to extremist groups in Yemen," Kay told the 15-member council.

Somalia has received 7,000 arrivals from Yemen since late March when the Saudi-led coalition launched the air war. The vast majority of them are Somali refugees who have returned home, said Kay.

The refugees are joining a group of three million Somalis who face food shortages, of whom 730,000 are unable to meet their basic daily food needs.

"The humanitarian situation in Somalia remains alarming," said Kay.

Somalia s Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmake warned in late April that Al-Qaeda operatives from Yemen could use the cover of fleeing refugees to infiltrate Somalia and called for stringent screening of new arrivals as well as a renewed regional effort to defeat Shebab.

In the south of Somalia, Al-Qaeda-aligned Shebab militants still hold sway in much of the countryside, despite being pushed out of most towns by a coalition of African Union and Somali troops.

Several Shebab leaders have been killed in US drone strikes.

Kay called for regional cooperation to address the threat from the Shebab.

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

Somalis return home to escape Yemen's war

Thousands of Somalis are returning to their war-torn home as fighting rages in Yemen.Many are still believed to be trapped in the country and can't afford to pay for the journey back to Somalia.Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow reports from Berbera.

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

King Salman names Mohammed bin Naif as new Crown Prince

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. (SPA)

ARAB NEWS


Riyadh-Wellington trade, security ties see new zeal

Qassim toll rises to 9
US dispatches destroyer after Iran seizes ship
Warning: Critical shortage of cybercrime experts
Jets wreck runway as Tehran defies blockade
More


Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman named Mohammed bin Naif as Crown Prince on Wednesday in a Royal Decree.
King Salman made a number of major changes across a number of government positions including that of Crown Prince Muqrin who was relieved of his position, upon his request.
The Royal Decree also named Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman as the Deputy Crown Prince, second in line to the Saudi throne.
Other changes saw veteran Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal stepping down from his post for health reasons but continuing as a cabinet minister as well as becoming a special adviser to the king.

Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel Al-Jubeir will assume the role of Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister.
Saudi Aramco Chief Executive and President Khalid al-Falih takes over the reins at the Ministry of Health after the previous minister was sacked earlier this month.
Adel Fakeih, who was tasked with increasing the number of Saudis in the Kingdom's workforce, leaves his position as Labor Minister to become the Economy Minister. Fakeih will be replaced by Mofarrej Al-Haqbani.
The Saudi Royal Court's new chief has been named as Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Suweilem.

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

Saudis have concerns about Egyptian foreign policies Bilal Al-Khalidi

Image from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi's meeting with Saudi Arabia's King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, in Riyadh todayAs Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi concluded his first official visit to Saudi Arabia since King Salman Abd Al-Aziz came to the throne, arguments about the results of the visit continued. Some commentators have focused on the fact that it only lasted a few hours and newspapers close to the coup authorities in Cairo have restricted their coverage of the visit to routine official communiques. They spoke about bilateral relations without discussing the tangible results of the visit and its impact on the current reality of life in Egypt.



A Gulf source told Arabi 21 that Riyadh raised the issue of the fate of the aid given by the Gulf States to Egypt since the 2013 coup. This was prompted by the leaked tapes in which Al-Sisi spoke about $30 billion of such aid going straight to the army immediately prior to the presidential election. Egypt's Al-Watan newspaper appeared to confirm this topic of discussion in its quotes attributed to the president. "What has been repeated by the enemies of the Gulf and Egypt about the use of the Gulf aid for the benefit of the military establishment is not precise," said Al-Sisi. "It is an attempt to say that they [the military establishment] are not helping the poor but only the army."

According to the anonymous source, Saudi Arabia wants to know where the aid has been spent, not least because of the lack of any real improvement in the economic conditions of the average Egyptian. Most are still suffering in desperate circumstances despite all the aid given to Cairo from the Gulf.

Riyadh is also increasingly concerned about certain aspects of Egyptian foreign policy, which the new Saudi government regard as detrimental to the security of the Gulf. In an interview with the London-based Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Al-Sisi said that Egypt's national security is linked very closely to that of the Gulf. However, the same source told Arabi 21 said that such statements, which have been repeated continuously since the coup, do not match Egyptian policies on the ground.

The Sisi regime has been making moves, for example, to bring Bashar Al-Assad in from the cold as part of the solution in Syria. However, Saudi Arabia believes that Assad has no place in the Syria of the future. Iraq also represents an area of major disagreement between Riyadh and Cairo. This has been caused by Al-Sisi opening up to the Iraq government without much attention to its sectarian policies that are denounced and rejected by Saudi Arabia.

Arabi 21 was also told that Riyadh is not pleased with Al-Sisi's hesitant position on the Houthis in Yemen. This follows visits made to Cairo by Houthi officials and the announcement made by Hussein Al-Alawi, Head of the Houthi Foreign Political Relations Department, that a high level delegation will visit Egypt in the next few days.

With regard to the future of Turkey-Egypt relations, the Gulf source told Arabi 21 that he ruled out the possibility of any progress in the near future. He pointed out that any progress in the relationship is dependent upon a change in Egypt's policy towards its domestic opposition and the Gaza Strip.

Last week, a number of Egyptian newspapers close to the regime published reports about Saudi mediation to repair the damage in relations between Cairo and Ankara. Al-Tahrir andAl-Watan claimed that mediation will take place between Turkey's President Erdogan and Al-Sisi. This was denied by Turkish sources and the president himself.

The conclusion of Al-Sisi's brief visit to Saudi Arabia without any official hints about a reconciliation effort between Egypt and Turkey confirms that Ankara is not ready to take such a step. Egypt is keen to put an end to the activities of exiled political and media groups in Turkey opposed to the coup regime; Turkey has become the most important country as a base for anti-coup Egyptians since Gulf Cooperation Council agreements which restrict their freedom to operate in Qatar.

Middle East Monitor
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

Saudi Arabia and the Muslim Brotherhood: a conditional return

Saudi Arabia and the Muslim Brotherhood: a conditional return
Muhammad Al-Sadiq



Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal



The recent statements made by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal in which he said, "Our problem is not with the Muslim Brotherhood per se but with a small faction of the group and our concern that they will not pledge allegiance to a higher power", gave the Brotherhood renewed hopes that they might be able to return to the kingdom and the neighbouring Emirates after a campaign was launched against them to ensure that they do not gain a seat in power where possible.

Over the course of the last week, there have been many media leaks regarding the kingdom's decision on how to classify the Muslim Brotherhood and these statements have given the movement a renewed sense of hope after it was leaked that Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi had described the Gulf states as a group of "half-states". Sisi went on to lament that the Gulf states had so much money that their wealth was "as abundant as rice" and went on to emphasise that his relationship with them was a "give and take" relationship.

With Saud Al-Faisal's new statements, the question that everyone seems to be asking is what will the renewed relationship between Saudi Arabia and the Muslim Brotherhood look like and what are the Kingdom's terms for the group's rehabilitation. We must keep in mind that the Gulf states have already placed the Muslim Brotherhood on their list of terrorist groups and that the group's dynamic in the Arab world has largely changed post Arab Spring. Yet, it is important to note that the relationship between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one that has its own long-standing history.

The history of the relationship between the Muslim Brotherhood and Saudi Arabia dates back to the group's establishment with Sheikh Hassan Al-Banna, who had developed a strong relationship with the kingdom in order to take advantage of the Hajj season, which Al-Banna was keen to attend every year. However, the relationship changed in the middle of the 1950s when the group clashed with the common opponent, Gamal Abdel-Nasser. After members of the group attempted to assassinate Abdel-Nasser, the Egyptian government forced many of the Brotherhood's members into jail while others fled to the Saudi Arabia, which provided them with a safe haven. In fact, the kingdom at the time, allowed Brotherhood members to control some of the state's institutions, such as religious and educational affairs, and provided them with the opportunity to strengthen their economic ties, create their own companies and even granted some of the group's leaders Saudi citizenship.

But the pure nature of this relationship was negatively affected by a series of regional circumstances, among them being the Muslim Brotherhood's decision to support the Iranian Revolution under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini. Soon after came the Gulf War to add more fuel to the fire. The then Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and set his sights on the country's borders with the kingdom and it was at this point that the Muslim Brotherhood announced its allegiance to Saddam Hussein on the basis that it rejected King Fahad's decision to allow American and foreign troops to enter the country. This marked the first moment in history where the Muslim Brotherhood had visibly mobilised against the kingdom and in response to this declaration, Saudi Arabia considered the Muslim Brotherhood to be a group that was not thankful for the many favours that had been done for them.

Certainly, the nature of the relationship was a "give and take relationship" for just as Saudi Arabia allowed the Muslim Brotherhood to operate within its territory through its official and semi-official institutions, the group also crystallised a political religious ideology that it was able to use as a steel arm against the kingdom's and its own political opponents both at home and abroad. There is nothing preventing the Muslim Brotherhood from returning to the heart of the kingdom so long as it agrees to abide by certain terms of a political re-positioning.

We must bear in mind the greater regional circumstances that are occupying the minds of the Saudi Arabia as many of the country's leaders are concerned with fighting ISIS, and with the growing Iranian presence as well as US-Iranian rapprochement. There is also the issue of the increasing chaos in Yemen. In light of all these situations, it is impossible for us to expect that the kingdom will re-consider its foreign policy; however, the Muslim Brotherhood will have to meet certain conditions if it wants to make a comeback in the kingdom and if they want to survive in the Gulf at large.

This article was first published in Arabic by alaraby.co.uk







http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

Houthi Leader Threatens to Harm Western Interests in Yemen

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

Saudi Gazette | Fuel-efficiency stickers a must for 2015 model cars

Fuel-efficiency stickers a must for 2015 model cars
Wed, 11 Feb 2015 15:56:48 AST
Saudi Gazette | Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has made a fuel-saving sticker mandatory on all 2015 model light vehicles offered for sale, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Officials from the ministry will begin inspecting car showrooms in the Kingdom in the next few days, according to an official.

Naif Al-Humaidi, member of the transportation team at the Saudi Center for Energy Efficiency (SCEE), said on Tuesday that action will be taken against those who violate the ministry's regulations in this regard.

"Inspectors will check whether vehicle showrooms meet the required terms and conditions, such as placing the sticker on the designated spot on the vehicle, in addition to verifying the authenticity of the information furnished on the sticker.

"If any violations are found, including supplying false information, the owners of showrooms will be fined," he said, adding that importers and automobile agents will not be given clearance at the Kingdom's entry points for those vehicles that do not have the required stickers.

Addressing a workshop on "Fuel-saving stickers for light vehicles and their requirements," organized by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry here, Al-Humaidi said that the stickers are aimed at enhancing consumers' awareness of the advantages of the energy efficiency of vehicles with a weight of 3,500 kg.

The fuel-saving sticker was prepared by SCEE in cooperation with the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO).

The sticker must contain information about the extent of fuel efficiency for all models and brands of vehicles, which are classified into six levels of efficiency standards.

The transport sector consumes nearly 23 percent of all fuel in the Kingdom.

SR150,000 for pieces of debris from Holy Mosques

JEDDAH — Pieces of debris from the Two Holy Mosques as a result of ongoing expansion projects are being smuggled into black markets and sold for up to SR150,000 to historians, collectors, and enthusiasts, Al-Eqtisadiyah reported on Sunday.

The General Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques reported that it had uploaded the data of all of mosque artifacts in its systems to preserve their historical locations despite current and future expansion and renovation plans.

The general presidency's spokesman Ahmad Al-Mansouri said the data of all of the mosques' artifacts including the pillars were recorded. He said: "We began uploading the data since the expansion project of 2006. The general presidency opened an exhibition in 1999 called the Exhibition of the Two Holy Mosques Architecture next to the Kaaba Kiswa Factory (that manufactures the black cloth covering the Kaaba). We are now finalizing expansion plans so the new artifacts can be included."

Sources revealed expatriates working on the expansion projects were responsible for the black market. One source said: "They sell the pieces to accomplices for cheap prices and then the buyers resell the pieces to collectors and Islamic history and art enthusiasts. They do it with such discretion that the missing pieces are unnoticed."

A seller in the black market revealed that he gets his pieces from the mosques' storage facilities.

He said: "Every piece has a different value. For example, a piece from the Zamzam water well that was built in 1954 by King Saud Bin Abdulaziz can reach up to SR6,000.

"Another example is the copper piece that is believed to be the cover over Prophet Ibrahim's footprint and is valued at SR150,000."

He added that his buyers are usually historians, collectors and Islamic culture, history and art enthusiasts. "These ruins date back to the Ottoman Empire and have the history of the Saudi Arabian Kingdom. To many, these ruins are historical records representing the eras the Holy Mosques went through."

Saudi warns of MERS surge linked to baby camels

Saudi authorities warned Tuesday of a possible spike soon in cases of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) because of the risk posed from newborn camels.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has cited the preliminary results of studies indicating that people working with camels are at increased risk of infection from MERS-CoV, and young camels are particularly susceptible. 

Doctor Abdul Aziz bin Saeed, who heads the health ministry centre coordinating the response to MERS, told AFP a surge typically occurs around this time of year and "could be very likely" again without proper health education efforts.
"By this time they are two months, three months (old).... They are vulnerable to the infection and so you have more camels at risk of getting the infection. So you have more infected camels right now circulating," he said. 

The kingdom has been hardest hit by the virus, which was first identified three years ago. A total of 857 people have been infected there, 366 of whom have died, according to health ministry data.
A public awareness campaign is ongoing, with the WHO urging people working with camels to pay particular attention to personal hygiene.
The ministry recommends proper hand-washing, and coughing and sneezing into a tissue, as among the steps to reduce the risk of infection.
Symptoms of MERS can include fever, a cough and difficulty breathing.
More than 20 countries have been affected by MERS since 2012.

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

Jordan pilot hostage Moaz al-Kasasbeh 'burned alive'

A video published online by Islamic State militants claims to show Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh being burned alive.

The video, which could not immediately be verified, showed a man standing in a cage and engulfed in flames.

Lt Moaz al-Kasasbeh was captured when his plane came down in December on a mission to support the US-led, anti-IS military coalition.

Jordan has been attempting to secure his release as part of a prisoner swap.

http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

Egypt court upholds Muslim Brotherhood death sentences

Egypt transition
Revolution map
Mubarak cases
Sisi's first 100 days
Mystery man

A court in Egypt has upheld death sentences on 183 Muslim Brotherhood supporters over a 2013 attack on a police station near Cairo.

The men were convicted over the deaths of at least 11 officers in Kerdasa.

The attack took place after Egyptian military forces cracked down on Islamist supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi that July.

Hundreds of death sentences have been passed on Mr Morsi's supporters but none has been carried out.

Human rights group Amnesty International says the death sentences follow grossly unfair trials and highlight Egypt's disregard for national and international law.
Egyptian security forces have often clashed with Muslim Brotherhood supporters in their stronghold of Kerdasa

Mr Morsi will face a new espionage trial on 15 February, Egypt's official Mena news agency says.

He and 10 others will be charged with leaking "classified documents" to Qatar and Qatari-based broadcaster al-Jazeera.

Mr Morsi is already facing three other trials, including another case of espionage. He too could be given the death penalty if found guilty.

Appeal still possible

More than 140 of the 188 defendants in the Kerdasa case are already in custody, while the rest have been sentenced in absentia.

The court also sentenced a minor to 10 years in prison in the case, and two other defendants were acquitted.

The verdict follows a recommendation by Egypt's top religious authority, the Grand Mufti, but it can be appealed against.
Hundreds of death sentences have been handed down against members of the Muslim Brotherhood

Last month, the death sentences of 37 people were overturned on appeal.

The defendants had been convicted of attacking a police station in Minya, south of Cairo, on the same day as the Kerdasa attack.

The violence came after security forces killed hundreds of people when they cleared protest camps set up in the capital by supporters of the ousted Islamist president, Mohammad Morsi.

The original trial also saw some 377 people sentenced to life in prison in absentia.

"[The] death sentences are yet another example of the bias of the Egyptian criminal justice system," Amnesty's Deputy Middle East and North Africa Programme Director, Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, said in astatement in response to Monday's verdict.

"These verdicts and sentences must be quashed and all of those convicted should be given a trial that meets international standards of fairness and excludes the death penalty."

Mr Sahraoui said it would be wrong to impose capital punishment "when there are serious doubts hanging over the fairness of the trial" which "outrageously flouted" international law.

The United Nations has called the mass trials "unprecedented".

Mr Morsi was succeeded by President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, a former military chief who has been heavily criticised for his crackdown on Islamists.

Hundreds of people, mostly Islamists, have been killed since the army deposed Mr Morsi.







http://samotalis.blogspot.com/

Royal magnanimity: bonuses and other incentives announced

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman


JEDDAH: ARAB NEWS

Royal magnanimity: bonuses and other incentives announced

65 husbands jailed for contempt of court
Cases of sandfly disease are ‘on the rise’ in KSA
Over 38,000 Somali children facing starvation: UN
Saudi, US position on Iran N-crisis unchanged
More


Generous bonuses and payouts will be given out to Saudi government employees, government scholars, retirees and other citizens under a package approved on Thursday by newly enthroned King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.
The King ordered the payment of two basic salaries to all Saudi state employees, including civilians and military officers, and two-month stipend to all government students inside and outside the Kingdom, and two-month pension for Saudi retirees.
By issuing 37 royal decrees, he also announced two-month remuneration for social insurance beneficiaries, two-month assistance to the handicapped, and SR2 billion for charities registered with the Social Affairs Ministry.

Cooperative Societies Council will get SR200 million while SR10 million aid was granted to professional societies. Literary clubs will get SR10 million each while excellent sports clubs SR10 million each, first class sports clubs SR5 million each and other sports clubs SR2 million each.
King Salman ordered additional payment of SR20 billion to support electricity and water services, including SR14 billion to provide electricity connections and SR6 billion for water connections.
King Salman also ordered to set free all prisoners of public rights, writing off their debts and fines up to SR500,000. “All non-Saudi prisoners will be deported after release and will not be allowed to enter the Kingdom,” one royal decree issued by the king said. Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Naif has been authorized to set out the conditions for releasing public right prisoners.
Late Thursday night, King Salman tweeted: “Dear citizens: You deserve more. Whatever I do is not enough. I ask God to help me extend my full service to the religion and the nation. Do not forget to include me in your prayers.”

Saudis all over the Kingdom were overjoyed with the king’s decision to pay two-month salary bonus. They have also welcomed the king’s new appointments and decisions, saying it would strengthen the government.



Arab News



http://samotalis.blogspot.com/