Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia Records Increase in the Recruitment Contracts of Domestic Workers in 2021
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recorded an increase in the total recruitment contracts of domestic workers during the fourth quarter of the year 2021, where the rate of increase between October and December reached more than 15%, according to "Musaned" platform of the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, which is specialized in the recruitment of domestic workers.
Saudi Arabia is utilizing "Musaned" platform to add several new countries to the recruitment of workers in the current year 2022. The Kingdom is also keen to have the domestic workers exported from the new countries fit the Saudi family, based on several studies and criteria, including: epidemics, crime rate, language, educational level, expected recruitment cost, salaries, and other criteria. The platform indicated that the recruitment contracts of the domestic workers recorded an increase during the fourth quarter of the last year by amounting to 65,000 contracts in October, rising in November to more than 69,000 contracts, while in December they exceeded the ceiling of 76,000 contracts, thus recording a steady increase in the number of recruitment contracts at the end of 2021.
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"Musaned" platform indicated that Bangladesh topped the list of countries with the highest domestic workers recruitment contracts during the month of December of the year 2021 with more than 12 thousand contracts, while Pakistan came second with more than 11 thousand contracts, followed by the India with about 11 thousand contracts. The latter recorded in December a higher turnout in issuing contracts compared to the months of October and November.
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Based on the November records, Philippines recorded 13,000 recruitment contracts, followed by the Bangladesh with 13,000 contracts, and Egypt with more than 9,000 contracts. Philippines recorded the same figure of 13,000 contracts in October, while the number from Bangladesh rose to more than 11,000 contracts, and Uganda ranked third with about 10,000 contracts. It is worth noting that "Musaned" platform aims to govern, automate and facilitate the procedures of the recruitment of domestic workers and increase the level of protection of the rights of all parties by managing the contracting process between individuals and the recruitment offices, in addition to the management of the relationship between the Saudi recruitment offices and the domestic workers offices in the workers exporting countries.
Source: ALSON World
Saudi restores full ties with Thailand after diamond dispute
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday ordered the restoration of full diplomatic ties with Thailand and said the countries agreed to trade ambassadors, closing the chapter on three decades of mistrust and hostility between the nations that stemmed from a sensational jewelry heist.
The rapprochement came during Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s official visit to the kingdom, which marked the highest-level meeting between the countries since relations soured over the 1989 political scandal. Saudi Arabia downgraded its diplomatic relations with Thailand over the theft that led to a string of mysterious killings and became known as the Blue Diamond affair.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto leader, agreed to bury the hatchet with Prayuth and boost the nations’ economic, security and political ties, said a statement published on the official Saudi Press Agency, SPA, late Tuesday after talks at the royal palace.
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The countries will explore joint investment in fields ranging from energy and petrochemicals to tourism and hospitality, the statement added. Tourism is a key element of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s economic reform plan meant to wean the kingdom off oil.
Saudi Arabian Airlines, meanwhile, said it would start direct flights from Riyadh to Bangkok in May, promoting Thailand in a Twitter post as “the land of culture.”
Prince Mohammed has ventured into diplomatic territory where previously the government refused to go. In 1989, priceless 50-carat blue diamond was among an estimated $20 million worth of gems and jewelry pilfered by a Thai janitor from a Saudi prince’s palace in the heist that wrecked relations between the countries.
The kingdom stopped issuing and renewing visas for hundreds of thousands of Thai workers, suspended permits for thousands of Thai Muslims hoping to make the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and warned its citizens not to travel to Thailand.
Three Saudi diplomats seeking the valuables’ return were shot dead in Bangkok. A Bangkok-based Saudi businessman believed to have been hunting for the missing jewels also disappeared, and was presumed killed. No one was convicted for the killings.
The Thai government on Tuesday expressed “regret over the tragic incidents that occurred to Saudi citizens in Thailand between 1989 and 1990” and stressed “its keenness to resolve issues related to these events,” the joint statement said.
The Thai police claimed to have solved the case, but many of the jewels they sent back to Riyadh were fake. Thai media crackled with reports that the wives of top officials had been spotted wearing diamond necklaces that bore an uncanny resemblance to the stolen jewels. The fabled blue diamond was never recovered.
Thailand promised that it would raise cases with competent authorities if any “new and relevant evidence” related to the killings emerged, SPA added.
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The saga exposed the graft and abuse of power that runs rampant in Thailand’s police forces as speculation mounted that senior officers and members of the elite had kept the stones and ordered a cover-up.
Thailand, deprived by the dispute of billions of dollars in badly needed tourism revenues and workers’ remittances, long has wanted to patch up relations with oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
The young, ambitious Prince Mohammed has increasingly focused on winning allies abroad and mending rifts with regional rivals, including Iran, Qatar, Turkey and Pakistan.
Saudi Arabia, in a push to modernize and diversify its oil-dependent economy, is trying to draw foreign tourists and investors and overhaul its reputation as one of the world’s most closed countries with a bleak human rights record.
Bangladesh condemns Houthi attack on southern Saudi Arabia
Bangladesh has condemned the recent use of explosive-laden drones, launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels, against the southern part of Saudi Arabia.
This attack was launched on January 17, with an escalation of hostility and aggression of the Houthi militias, adding to further tension in the region, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Wednesday.
Read: Bangladesh condemns Houthi militias’ explosive-laden drones attack in Abu Dhabi
The recent sporadic drone attacks targeting innocent civilians and civilian establishments both in Saudi Arabia and the UAE constitute an unlawful and cowardly act of terrorism, it added.
Bangladesh denounced that such "deliberate and insensible acts are a flagrant violation of international law and norms of civilised behaviour."
"The country remains steadfastly committed towards all efforts for maintenance of peace and stability in the region," said the MoFA.
Bangladeshi youth dies in tragic Saudi road crash
A Bangladeshi youth has been killed in a road accident in Jeddah of Saudi Arabia on Friday afternoon.
The deceased was identified as Mojammel Hossain, 27, elder son of Shafiqul Islam of Bhuiara village in Kachua upazila of the district.
Mojammel' went to Saudi Arabia around three years ago, according to his brother Russell. He had been in touch with his family even just two hours before tragedy struck. He was planning to come home next Eid, Russel added.
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Confirming the matter, Chairman Habib Majumder Joy said they are ready to provide any assistance necessary to repatriate the body.
It is the second incident of a Bangladeshi youth, really in the prime of life, dying in a road accident in a major Saudi Arabian city, in less than a week. Md. Noor Nabi Shakil, 25, son of Kuwait expatriate Md. Dulal Chhoiyal, also died in a road accident in Saudi Arabia, last January 9 in Abha, the capital of Aseer province.
Yemeni rebel attack on southern Saudi Arabia kills 2 people
A Yemeni rebel attack on Saudi Arabia's southern border town of Jizan killed two people and wounded seven more late Friday, Saudi state-run media reported.
Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a projectile that killed a Saudi citizen and Yemeni resident in the southwestern Saudi province of Jizan, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. Six of the wounded were Saudis anattacks d one was a Bangladeshi national, Saudi media said.
Shrapnel also smashed into nearby cars and shops.
The cross-border attack is just the latest in Yemen's long-running civil war by the Shiite Houthi rebels following an escalation of Saudi-led military coalition airstrikes on the rebel-held capital of Sanaa. Saudi airstrikes rocked Sanaa earlier Friday, hitting a military camp near the city center, Houthi and Saudi media reported.
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Yemen's war erupted in 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the country's north. Months later, the U.S.-backed Saudi-led coalition intervened to oust the Houthis and restore the internationally recognized government. The war has settled into a bloody stalemate and spawned the world's worst humanitarian disaster.
Intermittently throughout the conflict, Iran-backed Houthis have staged drone attacks and fired missiles across the border at airports, oil facilities and military installations within Saudi Arabia.
Those assaults have rarely caused substantial damage, but over the years have wounded dozens and rattled global oil markets. Within Yemen, the Saudi-led bombing campaign has drawn international criticism for hitting non-military targets like hospitals and wedding parties and devastating infrastructure in the Arab world’s most impoverished nation.
Yemen's civil war has killed some 130,000 people, including thousands of civilians.
Earlier this week the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, reported that attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia have more than doubled this year from last year. Based on an analysis of thousands of Houthi attacks between 2016 and 2021, it said Houthi attacks on the kingdom averaged 78 a month this year, compared to 38 a month last year.
READ: Attack on Iran ship off Yemen escalates shadow war
The cross-border assaults provide a broader view of the regional proxy war between Tehran and Riyadh. Although the regional powerhouses recently have engaged in Bagdad-brokered talks to cool down tensions, peace in Yemen remains elusive as diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting intensify.
France to donate 2mn doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Bangladesh: FM
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday said France declared 2 million doses Covid-19 for Bangladesh as donation.
The announcement came after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and French Prime Minister Jean Castex, Dr Momen said.
Bangladesh will get around 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from Saudi Arabia.
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"Our Ambassador in Riyadh has informed me that 1499270 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine will come from the King Salman Relief Fund," he said in a message from Paris.
The vaccine doses will arrive in Dhaka over the next two to three days, Dr Momen said.
Meanwhile, he said, Poland will provide 3.3 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses free of cost to Bangladesh.
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These are expected to be shipped any day, Dr Momen said.
Poland donated these vaccine doses through the European Union (EU).
AFC U-23 Asian Cup: Bangladesh concede 0-3 goal defeat against Saudi Arabia
Bangladesh U-23 Football team completed their Group D engagement of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup’ 2022 Qualifiers with a frustrating note losing all the three matches to back home empty handed.
In a do or die last match to decide group runners-up, Bangladesh suffered 0-3 goal defeat against Saudi Arabia at the JAR Stadium in Tashkent on Tuesday.
Read: AFC U-23 Asian Cup: Bangladesh to face Saudi Arabia on Tuesday
Captain cum defender Soud Abdullah put Saudi Arabia ahead in the 16th minute (1-0) while medio Ziyad Mubarak doubled the margin in the following minute to lead the first half by 2-0 goal.
Another midfielder Aiman Yahya sealed the fate of the match scoring the 3rd goal in the 70th minute for Saudi Arabia (3-0).
In the day’s battle of two winless teams, Saudi Arabia outplayed Bangladesh to keep their hope alive for the 16-team final round as one of the four best runners up team.
Eleven group champions, four best group runners-up and hosts Uzbekistan will play in the 16-team final round.
Earlier, Kuwait smartly clinched the Group D title to qualify for the final round beating Bangladesh by 1-0 goal and Saudi Arabia by 2-1 goal.
Read:AFC U-23 Asian Cup: Bangladesh suffer 0-6 defeat against Uzbekistan
In the last Saturday, Bangladesh suffered a humiliating 0-6 gaal defeat against hosts Uzbekistan in a Group D international friendly match, results of which not made any impact in the Group D standings as the hosts Uzbekistan have already qualified for the final round as the hosts.
Uzbekistan played to a 2-2 draw with Saudi Arabia in another international friendly match in Tashkent last week.
AFC U-23 Asian Cup: Bangladesh to face Saudi Arabia on Tuesday
Bangladesh U-23 Football team to play Saudi Arabia in their last Group D match of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup’2022 Qualifiers in a hope to assure group runners-up position at the JAR Stadium in Tashkent on Tuesday.
Two winless teams—Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh—will lock horns on Tuesday at 4 pm Bangladesh time in a battle of group runners-up to reach the 16-team final round of the meet as one of the four best runners up team.
Eleven group champions, four best group runners-up and hosts Uzbekistan will play in the final round.
Kuwait smartly clinched the Group D title to qualify for the final round beating Bangladesh by 1-0 goal and Saudi Arabia by 2-1 goals earlier.
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Earlier on last Saturday, Bangladesh suffered a humiliating 0-6 goals defeat against hosts Uzbekistan in a Group D friendly match, results of which will not make any impact in the Group D standings as hosts Uzbekistan already qualified for the final round as the hosts.
Uzbekistan played to a 2-2 draw with Saudi Arabia in another international friendly match in Tashkent last week.
READ: AFC U-23 Asian Cup: Bangladesh suffer 0-6 defeat against Uzbekistan
Bangladesh team held a 90-minute practice session in Tashkent today ahead of the match.
Bangladesh condemns bomb-laden drone attack in Saudi Arabia
Bangladesh has strongly condemned the recent Houthi bomb-laden drone attack targeting Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Airport that wounded civilians, including few Bangladeshis, working at the airport.
Such attacks are a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, moral values and completely unacceptable, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday.
Bangladesh expressed its grave concerns over the growing number of Houthi militia attacks on Saudi Arabia which undermines the ongoing peace initiatives.
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While urging a peaceful resolution to Yemen conflict, Bangladesh expressed its solidarity with the government of Saudi Arabia and its brotherly people in condemning such irresponsible activities.
The Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh has been asked to look after Bangladeshi citizens injured in latest Houthi attack and provide necessary support.
Salman invites Saudi cos to invest in Bangladesh
Prime Minister's private industry and investment affairs adviser Salman F Rahman has invited Saudi firms to invest in Bangladesh, promising to set up a special economic zone (SEZ) for investors from the Kingdom.
During a discussion on Saudi-Bangladesh trade and investment, organised by the Bangladesh Embassy at Marriott Hotel in Riyadh on Monday night, Salman spelt out the steps taken by the Sheikh Hasina government to attract foreign investment.
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He also offered to set up the SEZ for Saudi investors, as promised by the PM. "All facilities have been ensured for foreign investors," he said.
"Bangladesh is moving forward under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The government is working to make Bangladesh a high-income country by 2041 with the aim of building Bangabandhu's ‘Shonar Bangla’," Salman added.
Highlighting the friendly relations between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh's Ambassador in Riyadh Md Jabed Patwari BPM said that the economic ties between the two countries would be further enhanced in the days to come.
Read:Mediation, arbitration for commercial disputes not being used widely: Salman F Rahman
Executive chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Sirajul Islam, executive chairman of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) Sheikh Yusuf Harun, and CEO of the Bangladesh Public-Private Partnership Authority (PPPA) Sultana Afroz also spoke about the economic development and investment facilities in Bangladesh.
The meeting was also attended by various renowned businessmen, chamber representatives, investors and local Bangladeshi businessmen from Saudi Arabia.