Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH – The Council of Ministers on Monday approved the regulations to run women's beauty parlors in the Kingdom. According to the new regulations, only Saudi women will be granted licenses to run such businesses. The license can be obtained from the municipality after coordination with the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) and the Civil Defense. Following the Cabinet session, Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja told the Saudi Press Agency that the activities of beauty parlors will be restricted to those pertaining to women's beautification and the practices will be strictly in conformity with the Islamic Shariah and legal rules and regulations. Only women above the age of 25 years will be eligible to apply for the license. However, those holding diploma in beauty treatment from girls' technical colleges will be exempted from the age criterion. The licensed woman will have to manage the shop by herself or appoint a full-time Saudi director for the same. The Cabinet also approved the procedures for the Makkah public transport project, endorsed by a royal order in 2012. According to the procedures, Makkah Mass Rail Transit Company (MMRT) will manage the implementation of the public transport project in the holy city. The company will present its annual budget to the project's supervisory committee for approval in accordance with the statutory procedures. The project's executive committee will oversee the implementation of the items in the budget. Dr. Khoja said the project will be exempted from the conditions of advertising and public tender. Competition will be limited to the companies which will be invited and qualified initially. Models of FIDIC (International Federation of Consulting Engineers) contracts will be adopted in the project implementation.
