Day: April 5, 2023

Thursday’s weather is expected to be partly cloudy with no significant change in coastal temperatures, which will rise in the inlands and the highlands, according to the Beirut airport-based meteorology department. Coastal temperatures: 14 to 21 degrees Celsius Mountainous temperatures: 8 to 15 degrees Celsius Inland temperatures: 8 to 24 degrees Celsius Surface wind: Southwesterly, with speeds gusting between 15 and 45 km/hr Visibility: Good along the coastline, worsens at high altitude due to fog Coastline humidity: 60 to 80% Sea: Medium waves, with surface water temperature at 18 degrees Celsius Sunrise: 6:21 Sunset: 19:01

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

The judicial assistants at the Justice Palace of Saida announced a one-week work stoppage as of Monday, April 10, demanding better pay.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

The Sultanate of Oman has expressed strong denunciation and condemnation of the Israeli occupation forces’ storming Al Aqsa Mosque, attacking worshipers and arresting many of them.

In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry today, Oman said that such Israeli practices constitute a flagrant violation of the International Law and human law—which provokes the feelings of Muslims around the world.

Oman urged the international community to assume its responsibilities in deterring Israel’s persistent, illegal and provocative practices that contradict international principles and go against norms of respect for religious sanctities.

Oman also called for enabling the Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate rights, notably by ending the occupation and establishing a fair and comprehensive peace.

Source: Oman News Agency

The Tender Board today held its 2nd meeting for 2023. It awarded projects and additional works to the tune of RO 25,600,733.

The awarded projects included:

1- Maintenance of asphalt roads in the Governorate of South Al Batinah for a period of five years, at a value of RO 8,157,955.

2- Maintenance of asphalt roads in the Governorate of South A’Sharqiyah for a period of five years, at a value of RO 7,191,972.

3- Provision of technicians to operate and maintain devices and equipment for health units at Khoula Hospital, at a value of RO 810,828.

4- Provision of periodic maintenance services for x-ray machines in various health institutions, at a value of RO 652,356.

5- Project management of the Sultanate of Oman’s pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka (Japan) at a value of RO 635,774.

6- Replacing and updating Oman’s numerical prediction devices, at a value of RO 565,367.

7- Provision of technicians to operate and maintain devices and equipment for health units at Sohar Hospital, and health units affiliated to the Ministry of Health in the Governorate of North Al Batinah, at a value of RO 441,187.

8- Management and maintenance of facilities in Oman Botanic Garden project at a value of RO 322,858.

9- Provision of news services to the Ministry of Information at a value of RO 313,241.

10- Provision of support and consultancy services for the participation of the Sultanate of Oman in the G20 summit’s meetings in the Republic of India, at a value of RO 206,878.

11- Provision of periodic maintenance services for medical devices at the Royal Hospital, at a cost of RO 163,293.

12- Provision of maintenance services for medical devices at Khoula Hospital, at a cost of RO 145,402.

13- Additional works related to the practice of the project to rehabilitate the southern runway and air corridors at Muscat International Airport, at a value of RO 3,286,626.

14- Additional works for the project of connecting air communication devices and reconnaissance devices for the Omani airspace on the ground and through satellites, at a value of RO 1,332,000.

15- Complementary works related to consultancy services for the design and supervision of the Al Batinah Expressway Project (Part Three), at a value of RO 433,705.

16- Additional works related to the preventive maintenance and technical support for the National Data Center and the Disaster Precautionary Center, at a value of RO 397,248.

17- Additional works related to the tender for the annual maintenance of desert dirt roads in the the Governorate of Dhofar, at a value of RO 300,400.

18- Additional works related to a contract for renting cooling units for the Innovation Park Muscat, at a value of RO 105,778.

19- Additional works related to consultancy services for the feasibility study, preparation of designs and supervision of the implementation of groundwater recharge dams, at a cost of RO 96,838.

20- Improvement works related to the consultancy services to design the update for the documents of the rehabilitation project of (Sinaw – Mahout – Duqm) road, at a cost of RO 21,060.

21- Complementary works related to the provision of consultancy services to supervise a project to design and upgrade Seih Qatanna road in the Wilayat of Al Jabal Al Akhdar in the Governorate of A’Dakhiliyah, at a value of RO 19,965.

Source: Oman News Agency

Minister of Public Works and Housing, Suhail Abdullatif, discussed with Dr. Irfan Ali, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Executive Director of UN-Habitat and the accompanying delegation prospects of the standing cooperation between the two sides in the housing sector, which is considered the base of the housing development process, and the possibility of developing and expanding this cooperation.

During the meeting held on Wednesday, Minister Abdullatif stressed the importance of this mutual cooperation, particularly following the disaster of the earthquake, struck Syria on February 6, hailing the quick response provided by the UN program in the emergency stage after the disaster, in addition to providing the technical expertise, along with the Ministry and the Engineers Syndicate’s cadres, to assess the damages affected the buildings.

Abdullatif called for the necessity of lifting the unjust unilateral coercive measures and unfair blockade imposed on Syria.

For his part, Dr. Ali stressed that the meeting aims at enhancing the work in the programs and projects related to the Housing Ministry and to continue in the recovery projects.

The two sides stressed the importance of the partnership between the two sides to carry out various integrated projects.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

Detachments of the Anti-Crime Directorate arrested two persons accused of defrauding citizens of foreign currency that has no value.

A statement by the Directorate stated, “The detachments of the Green Office for Combating Crime were able to arrest two suspects for fraudulent operations with sums of money against citizens by selling them foreign currency, “Belarusian”, which has no value in Baghdad.”

The statement indicated that the arrest process took place upon the recurrence of several similar cases of fraud, and the formation of a work team for research and investigation, and after collecting information, the perpetrators were reached and arrested, as they explicitly admitted through the investigation that they had carried out 6 similar fraud operations by selling this foreign currency that it has no value within the areas of Hay al-Jamaa, al-Ghazalia, al-Tubji, and Abu Dashir within the capital, Baghdad. Their statements were recorded and the confession was judicially certified, and they were arrested in accordance with the provisions of Article 456 of the Penal Code.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Federal Police forces arrested a suspect wanted in terrorist cases in Baghdad.

A statement of the Federal Police Command stated: According to intelligence information, a force from the Eighth Brigade, the Second Division, Federal Police, backed by intelligence effort and by implementing a security exercise, was able to arrest a wanted suspect in accordance with the provisions of Article 4 (of terrorism) in (Al-Kadhimiya) area in Baghdad.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The Prime Minister, Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, announced the commencement of the implementation of the first three projects concerned with easing traffic congestion in Baghdad.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani and First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mohsen Al-Mandalawi discussed a number of files related to political, economic and security developments, and the importance of expediting the legislation of the budget law.

Al-Mandalawi media office said in a statement, “First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mohsen Al-Mandalawi met with Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani.”

He added that “during the meeting, a number of files related to political, economic and security developments were discussed,” stressing “the importance of expediting the legislation of the federal budget law as soon as possible, due to its great importance in the conduct of state affairs and the interests of citizens.”

Al-Mandalawi indicated, according to the statement, “there is high cooperation and coordination between the legislative and executive authorities to expedite the approval of laws, especially those related to citizens’ services.”

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

A joint security detachment from the Diyala police seized quantities of copper alloys and wires intended for smuggling.

The media Spokesman for the Diyala Police Command, Brigadier Nihad al-Mahdawi, told the correspondent of the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA) that a joint security detachment, at a security checkpoint southwest of Baquba, seized a truck loaded with quantities of ingots and copper wire intended for smuggling to the northern regions.

He added that legal measures were taken against the driver of the truck, which was delivered with the seized materials to the competent authority.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ flagrant incursion into Al-Aqsa Mosque, the brutal attack on worshippers within its courtyards and the arrest of several worshippers. OIC considers this grave escalation an attack on the sanctity of holy sites and on the freedom of worship, in flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions and relevant UN resolutions.

OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha said he holds Israel, the occupying power, fully responsible for the repercussions of these attacks, which he rejected and condemned and which, he said, will fuel tension, violence and instability in the region. He also stressed that Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif compound is a place of worship for Muslims alone.

The secretary-general called on the international community to act seriously to put an end to such repeated Israeli violations and to compel Israel, the occupying power, to respect the sanctity of the holy sites and to preserve the legal and historical status of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The Haramain High-Speed Railway is one of the Kingdom’s projects that targets the welfare of Umrah and Hajj performers and is convenient for travellers in the regions of Madinah, Makkah, Jeddah, and Rabigh.

The high-speed train transports thousands of passengers daily to various destinations, especially between the Two Holy Mosques, providing a rapid transport system that enables Umrah performers to reach directly the Grand Mosque or the Prophet’s Mosque in a short time, through regular trips.

At the Haramain High-Speed Railway station in Madinah, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) visited the bustling station and witnessed the field services in place to receive visitors and follow up on the regularity of their trips to Makkah and Jeddah, at fixed schedules.

There are multiple options for booking passenger tickets on the Haramain high-speed train. Tickets are sold at stations, there are self-service kiosks for ticket reservation and issuance, they could be purchased through smartphone applications or by phoning the Haramain High-Speed Railway services

Source: Saudi Press Agency