SUSRIS Daily News – Excerpts from International Media Reports
[Links to full articles were active on the date posted here]
Row Suspends Air Traffic in Madinah-Cairo Sector [Apr 5]
“Passenger flights in the Madinah-Cairo sector have been suspended following a dispute between the Saudi General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) and its Egyptian counterpart when the latter refused to allow two Saudi-based private airlines to land at Cairo International Airport. In spite of an existing agreement to remove all restrictions in the air space between the two countries, the NAS and SAMA planes were recently denied clearance to carry passengers to Cairo. As a result of the dispute, Saudi Arabian Airlines was also disallowed from transporting Egyptian Umrah pilgrims from Cairo to Madinah’s Prince Muhammad Airport last week. GACA reacted instantly by denying permission to EgyptAir to land in Madinah, Al-Eqtisadiah daily reported on Sunday.. ..The number of air passengers between the Kingdom and Egypt stood at 3.2 million in 2009, which is considered the highest among Arab countries..” [Complete Report]
Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi State Suppliers Raise Crude Oil Prices [Apr 5]
” Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest state-owned oil company, raised official selling prices for light crude grades for customers in the U.S. and Asia for May. Abu Dhabi raised its retroactive March prices on all grades. The state-owned Saudi Arabian producer increased the formula price of its Arab Super Light crude to Asia the most, by $1 a barrel to $2.10 more than the Persian Gulf benchmark, according to an e-mailed statement late yesterday. Aramco set the price for its Extra Light crude oil for May loadings for U.S. buyers at a premium of $1.35 a barrel over the Argus Sour Crude Index, 40 cents higher than for April. The discount for shipments of Light crude to the U.S. narrowed 20 cents to 40 cents less than ASCI a barrel. Aramco cut prices on heavy and medium grades to the U.S. and Asia and lowered all crudes to Europe..” [Complete Report]
New Moves to Resolve Expat Issues: NSHR [Apr 5]
“The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has said that the organization has handled since its inception some 20,000 cases concerning foreign workers, but that it expects new legal moves to resolve ‘all their issues’. ‘Most of the cases have concerned sponsors failing to pay wages, particularly concerning house workers,’ said NSHR chief Muflih Al-Qahtani. Of moves to address worker grievances, Al-Qahtani said the NSHR had signed a ‘memorandum of understanding with the Chamber of Commerce in Riyadh and the Recruitment Committee for Foreign Worker Welfare to address their issues’, and added that the House Employee Law would ‘resolve all their problems’ by ‘defining the relationship between employer and employee’..” [Complete Report]
Fort Leavenworth to Honor Foreign Officers [Apr 5]
“Two more names are being added to the list of distinguished international graduates of the Army’s Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. Two generals – one from Saudi Arabia, the other from Belize – have qualified for the International Hall of Fame as the top commanders of their nation’s military. An induction ceremony is scheduled Thursday at Fort Leavenworth’s Lewis and Clark Center. Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Bin Abdullah Bin Hammad Al-Marshed is commander of Saudi Arabia’s land forces. He graduated from the Command and General Staff College in 1984..” [Complete Report]
