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Showing posts with label Arab News. Show all posts

Monday, November 20, 2017

330,000+ Expat in Saudi, Still Working Beyond 60 Years Old!

They said a worker should retire at the age of 60 or maybe 65 and live the rest of his life living a good life and taking good care of his grandchildren.

But this is not always the happening especially for Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs. Initially, if an OFW works abroad, everyone has a plan on how long he would work in other countries to provide the needs of the family.

No OFWs wants to work abroad for the rest of their lives living away from their family.

Read: Iqama Number, No Longer Needed in Reloading Your Sim Card in Saudi Arabia.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Watch: Riyadh Police Arrest Abusive Saudi Prince on King Salman's Order

Riyadh Police have arrested a member of the Saudi royal family who abused citizens verbally and physically in a widely spread video that went viral over the past few days.

Many Saudis celebrated the news on social media as they shared leaked videos (as seen above) of what seems to be the arrest of Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Others are praising the monarch for his strict and apparent equal treatment, regardless of birthright.

One tweet shows the prince being "booked" at the local police station. It has been shared more than a hundred times.

#سلمان_الحزم_يسجن_الامير

هذا وجه الخسيس بعد مامسكوه في عهد ابوفهد ماعنده فرق بين امير ومواطن كلهم سواسيه الله يقويه 🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/vl2gJnjeew
— Bdor⁸⁹ (@Bd0or5) July 19, 2017

The tweet translates ""#Salman_TheStrict_Jails_ThePrince That's the face of the villain after he was arrested. Abu Fahd (King Salman's nickname) does not discriminate between a prince and a citizen, they are all equal. God give him strength."

The arrest came at the orders of Saudi King Salman who issued an immediate warrant for Prince Saud and the imprisonment of all those involved in abusive behavior towards citizens.

The arrest order may have been brought about by disturbing footage showing abusive actions committed by Prince Saud and a number of associates that were widely spread and have triggered angry reactions. That video is believed to be the one below.

GRAPHIC WARNING:
The video is violent, and shows people being verbally and physically abused. Do not watch the video below if you get upset by the sight of violence or blood.

The Saudi king's order instructs that all of the accused must be held in prison until the testimonies of all the victims as well as the accused men are heard. A court ruling must also be issued swiftly. The king's orders pointed out that the law must apply to everyone, and that equal protection of the law is granted to all, regardless of their status.

This is not the first time that a legal proceeding and verdict is swiftly and publicly taken against a member of the Saudi royal family.

Last October, Prince Turki bin Saud bin Turki bin Saud Al-Kabeer was beheaded in Riyadh for the murder of Adel bin Suleiman bin Abdulkareem Al-Muhaimeed, a fellow Saudi citizen.

Source : ArabNews

These Expats Are Exempted From Paying Dependent's Fees

It's been three weeks since the Dependent Fee has been implemented for Saudi Arabia Expatriate workers who brought their families to live with them. Now it is becoming clearer on who are supposed to pay, and who are exempted from paying the dependent fee. Remember that the fees amount to SR100 per family member per month, but the payment must be done annually and in full. Once paid, it cannot be refunded as well, in case your family members go out of the country. Finally, the amount increases by SR 100 every year, up to 2020 where it will be SR 400 per dependent member per month. This has caused many expats sending their families back home. But hope emerges for a certain few expats as more details emerge. A tweet in arabic has shown a list of expats exempted from paying the dependent fees. See it below. Here are the confirmed lists of expatriates exempted from paying dependent fees: An expatriate who is married to a Saudi Citizen: A citizen's wife and children are exempted from the dependent fee. Widows and divorced women who were married to a Saudi Citizen are also exempted. However, it is not clear if this remains true if the woman married an expat after her Saudi husband dies or is divorced. In case where the Saudi citizen is the mother, the child is still exempted. Long-term Residents Expatriate dependents who have stayed in Saudi Arabia for most of their lives are also listed as exempted from the dependent fees. The requirement is that they must not have traveled to any country outside the kingdom for the last 40 years! Foreign Students Foreign students who are currently studying in Saudi Arabia are exempted from paying dependent fees. To clarify, these are students whose visa states that they are in the kingdom as students. These do not include children sponsored by their parents and are merely studying as well. Expatriates Working in the Government Sector Expats whose sponsors are a part of government are not required to pay the dependent fees. This is most welcome news for many OFWs since many Filipinos are working in the different Saudi government hospitals, schools and offices. To further verify the news, we asked some OFWs to check their banking information - if it indeed shows no requirements for dependent fees. See the screenshots after the video. Also, employees who are working in the government sector, but were supplied through a private contractor are not exempted. While the Saudi Government has full rights to craft and implement their own policy, the effects of these policies cannot be easily controlled. The dependent levy is expected to enrich the kingdom's coffers, but what about the effect to the local market. Some economists argue that the gross outcome of the move will not be beneficial at all for the national economy because in the first year after the imposition of the new tax at least 1 million expats, 75 percent of them dependents, are likely to leave the Kingdom. These 1 million foreigners used to spend their money inside the Kingdom to purchase goods and services, pay rent as well as some ministry fees like exit/reentry visas. Now, they will send 50-80% of their salaries back home, reducing liquidity in the local market. Whatever the policy may be, both Saudi nationals and expats hope for a brighter future for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Kuwait Newspaper Insults Duterte Many Times, Depicts President As Butcher, Insane and a Terrorist

A Kuwait-based newspaper is taking flak from netizens when pictures of its editorial cartoons featuring the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made rounds in the internet. The Kuwaiti Times editorials paint the highly popular leader in bad light. He was depicted in various personas such as a butcher, an insane person, a murderous villain and a moronic terrorist. The images below are arranged in chronological order. The dates when the images were published are shown so you can check Kuwait Times' website to see for yourself. May 7, 2016 The editorial cartoons begin innocently enough showing President Duterte as a fighter casting his ballot for the Presidential Elections of 2016. May 10, 2016 - Election Day Upon winning the elections, President Duterte makes it again in the editorial cartoon section. This time, the Kuwait Times' shows the President pointing a gun and trash-talking some "punk," while what seems to be blood is seen in the bottom left corner. August 29, 2016 Things get malicious with Kuwait Times as they portrayed a leader of an independent nation as a butcher, about to hack the Philippines in the form of a bloody piece of hanging meat. September 27, 2016 The President is depicted wearing slippers, with his mouth, both hands and a foot "holding" a gun. A text bubble implies that Duterte is frustrated for not being able to kill all drug dealers, a statement so far from reality. October 11, 2016 The Kuwait Times mocks President Duterte again, this time along with US President-Elect Donald Trump. The paper depicts the two world leaders as a pimple on the face of a globe. The Kuwait Times editor seems to disagree about the populist views that helped elect both Duterte and Trump into office. October 24, 2016 Misinterpreting the President's statements on addicts, the Kuwait Times editors insulted the still popular leader, depicting him as an insane person in an asylum, complete with a straitjacket. President Duterte has since apologized to the Jewish community regarding the misunderstood statement. February 01, 2017 While not directly attacking the President, the newspaper wrongly depicts the Philippine Government's war on drugs as war on the poor. The image shows a member of the Philippine National Police shooting a stray dog dead. The editorial also insults Filipinos, depicting them as dogs. Clearly, the editors of this newspaper are not conducting enough research before publishing their work. March 04, 2017 As the Philippine lawmakers are debating the reinstatement of death penalty, the Kuwait Times editors cannot help but poke fun at the Philippine President. It depicted Duterte trash-talking the bullet-riddled body of what could only be assumed as a criminal. Around the guys neck is a noose, as the paper's editors wanted to lay all extra-judicial deaths to the President. It is ironic that a paper from Kuwait will criticize the leader of an independent country regarding death penalty, when their own country of Kuwait executes more people than most other countries except for a few. April-30-2017 Not happy with depicting the Philippine leader as an insane person, the Kuwait paper repeats the insult, this time pairing Duterte with Trump. The editorial mischievously draws Duterte and Trump as two crazy blabbermouths who have so much in common. The two are shown wearing straitjackets. May 30, 2017 At the height of the Marawi Crisis, while other countries were offering their support to the Philippines, the Kuwait-based newspaper ups its malicious depiction as it publishes a malevolent piece of editorial cartoon likening the Philippine President with other Islamic militants, and making the insult one step higher by labeling Mr. Duterte as a moron. What do you think of the Kuwait Times? Do you agree with their assessment? Do you think the editor-in-chief should make a public apology? What about the "artist" who's supposedly done the drawings, should he lose his job? Tell us what you think! Please comment and share this article! DISCLAIMER: All editorials were taken from Kuwait Times website, they own the rights to it, but they DO NOT have the right to insult our President! If you agree with me, drop them a message here >>> Kuwait Times Facebook Page.

Qatar's Riyal In Trouble? Qatar Central Bank is Trying To Keep Its Value Up

Reports are coming in that numerous banks and currency exchanges outside Qatar are refusing to deal in Qatari riyals amid the ongoing diplomatic spat in the Gulf. Several Qatari nationals and residents traveling in Europe, the US and Asia have contacted news agencies saying they have been unable to exchange Qatari currency in the countries they were visiting. However, not all banks in all countries are affected. Exchanges in Jordan and Lebanon, for example, are still operating normally. Many exchange houses in the Gulf reportedly stopped accepting riyals early on in the crisis, and just last week, global institutions have followed. Among countries confirmed as having orders to avoid the currency include the United States, UK, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and the Philippines - the last four having a significant number of expat workers in Qatar. The governments of some of these countries deny that there is an official order to refuse trade in Qatari riyals, however, there is also no memo to say that the banks and exchanges cannot refuse either. In early June, Qatar's Gulf neighbours Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt ceased air, sea and land links with the country, which has been accused of funding terrorism. Qatar denies the claim. One effect of the diplomatic crisis in the gulf region is that the Qatari riyals is now unprofitable for many banks. This is because the currency recently depreciated against the US dollar, which it has been pegged to since July 2001. The Qatar Central Bank (QCB) attempts to keep the riyal fixed at around 3.64 per dollar. But it recently reached 3.76 – its weakest level on record. The Post Office, one of the UK’s main operators of currency-exchange services, said it took the decision to “temporarily” stop trading in riyals on June 5. Other UK foreign exchange services ceased trading Qatar riyals from 21 June. The currency is no longer available for sale or buy-back across branches of Barclays, RBS, Lloyds Banking Group and Tesco Bank. However, currency supplier Travelex said trading in riyals had only been suspended in some markets due to "business challenges" and that it announced it has resumed purchasing Qatar riyal globally. Western Union and UAE Exchange have issued responses that they will continue to trade in Qatari riyals. For the millions of foreign workers in Qatar, transferring money back home is also taking longer because new routes are being found. The increasing volatility of the currency outside the country also means that the income of foreign workers are becoming smaller as the value of the riyal falls. But the The world's biggest liquefied natural gas exporter has huge dollar reserves with which it could use to defend its currency against devaluation. The Qatari central bank declared in the early hours of June 10 that it would guarantee all dealings for customers inside and outside Qatar. However, expat workers are still affected. An an example, two exchange houses in Dubai said they would buy 1,000 Qatari riyals for only 710 or 720 UAE dirhams – far below the 970 dirhams which they offered before the crisis. That is a 25% loss in value. Are you an expat working or living in Qatar? Have you had similar experience in dealing with banks or exchange rates. Please comment and let others know.

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Tuesday, February 21, 2017

SAUDI COMIC CON: An Event Where Men and Women Mingled in Public

Saudi Arabia. A country where men and women are typically separated in public places.

But last week, more than 20,000 men, women, and families co-mingled at Saudi Comic Con, a global comics expo held in Jeddah that gave them a chance to mingle with others who share their passion for comics, movies, video games and other pop culture.

Comic book video game and anime fans celebrate the event together even they don't share the same gender.

The three-day event is a part of Vision 2030 of Saudi General Entertainment Authority with a goal to issue a wave of cultural reforms that will diversify the kingdom's economy further into entertainment and away from oil dependency.

This is another way of the Saudi government to bring more entertainment to the country where public cinemas and theater are not allowed.

Fatima Mohammed Hussein, dressed as Bat Girl in the event said, she could not believe that the event is happing in Saudi Arabia.

"When you enter into the tent, you forget that you are in Saudi Arabia," Abdul Rahman Bakhsh, 25, an engineer and an avid YouTuber, who came to the event dressed in rustic armor over a black faux suede pullover and armed with a spear, told CNN.

(WATCH:Crowds flock to Saudi Arabia's first Comic Con)

With his friend, Ameer, he documented the Comic Con experience on YouTube video, starting with their search for costumes.

In the event you can see a remarkable scene when young men and women crowded into a tent, mingling near stands for comics and video games.

(WATCH: ARAB NEWS: Saudi Comic Con gets enthusiastic response from public)

There's a long queue in front of the booth of a group of talented female artists who -- with make-up -- created scars, injuries, and anime-inspired faces.

A separate female-only tent was set up for women who wanted to take off their traditional abayas and show off their costumes.

(Watch: Saudi Comic Con 2017)

However indecent symbols and logos that went against Islamic teachings were prohibited and at Comic Con. Also, cross-dress is not allowed.

Earlier, Saudi Arabian fans of Comic-Con had to go outside the country to attend the same event that originated in San Diego in 1970.

Saudi Gazette reported that the three-day event has a diverse and huge turnout from the public.

SEE MORE:

PICTURES AND VIDEOS: Flood ravaged Saudi Arabia, heavy rainful to continue

SAUDI ARABIA WILL HAVE MOVIE THEATERS AND CINEMA'S SOON?

A PUBLIC CONCERT WAS HELD IN SAUDI ARABIA, IS THIS THE START THAT THEY WILL BE OPEN?

19 jobs and 4 sectors that are off-limits to expats in Saudi Arabia

SAUDI EXPATS DEATH COMPENSATION

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