Egyptian official commends Kingdom MAKKAH – Egyptian Assistant Minister of Interior for Administrative Affairs and Supervisor of Haj Missions Major General Dr. Salah Hashem has commended the Kingdom for the great works and efforts exerted to provide the best services and facilities to pilgrims, Umrah performers and visitors to the Prophet's Mosque which enables them to perform their rituals in ease and safety. In a statement following his meeting on Tuesday with the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Foundation for the Haj Services of Arab Countries Faiq bin Mohammed Biayari, Dr. Hashem praised the important mega projects executed by the Kingdom in Makkah, Madinah and the Holy Places. – SPA Islamic University organizes dialogue on education MADINA – The Islamic University of Madina will organize on Nov. 15 an open dialogue with Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed, the Minister of Education, on the future vision for education in the era of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. Dr. Mohammed bin Ali Al-Akla, the director of the university, said Prince Abdulaziz bin Majed, the Governor of Madinah region, will attend the open dialogue. He further highlighted the great attention given to the university by Prince Abdulaziz. – SPA Anti- Biological weapons workshop opens RIYADH – Prince Dr. Turki bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Kabeer, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Relations, inaugurated here on Tuesday the International Workshop for the Definition of the Treaty Banning Biological Weapons organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh under the auspices of the United Nations. In a press statement, he said that the Kingdom's stand is obvious in making the Middle East free from all weapons of mass destruction whether nuclear, biological or chemical. – SPA First Saudi relief plane arrives in Niger RIYADH – In implementation of the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to provide humanitarian aid to Niger to alleviate the suffering of the people affected by the torrential rains that fell on the city of Agadez causing enormous flooding, the first Saudi relief plane arrived in Niamey Airport in Niger on Tuesday. The plane carried 114 tons of blankets, foodstuffs and medical supplies. The Saudi Ambassador to Niger Ibrahim bin Ali Abdulhaq who received the plane said that Saudi Arabia under the leadership of the King of Humanity, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, has been in the forefront of assisting people in need all over the world. He noted that Niger had already received 198 tons of dates provided by the King as a gift to the people of that country.
