Source : Saudi Gazette /13 Mar 2014

A total of 525,301 expatriate workers out of 7,243,000 escaped from their workplaces and employers in 2013, according to statistics issued by the Ministry of Labor. The ministry based the statistics on information provided by labor offices all over kingdom, al-Watan daily reported.

By Sharif Taha / 12 Mar 2014

Riyadh has been ranked one of the most polluted cities in the world, according a report released by a United Nations organization.

The World Health Organization (WHO) report named Ahvaz, the capital of the Khuzestan Province in Iran, to be suffering the worst levels of air pollution, followed by Ulan Bator in Mongolia.

Source : SG / 10 Mar 2014

The Saudi capital and the Bride of the Red Sea are among the top 10 cheapest cities in the world to live in, according to a study.

Price controls on staples in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are continuing to guarantee low prices for many goods, said the Worldwide Cost of Living 2014 report issued by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

By Abdul Hannan Tago / Arab news / 08 Mar 2014

Traffic accidents are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries (SCI) in Saudi Arabia and a study predicts that medical costs to treat 50,000 cases of undiagnosed patients may reach SR25 billion by 2020.

The national study conducted by Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) was submitted at the International Conference for Detecting Spinal Cord Injuries.

Source : Arab news / 05 Mar 2014

The Ministry of Health warned more than three million people with diabetes in Saudis from contact with camels. The warning applies to those receiving immunity-decreasing medicine such as cortisone, those undergoing cancer treatment or organ implants surgeries.

By Rashid Hassan / Arab news / 03 Mar 2014 

The tourism sector is set to create about 1.3 million jobs by 2015 and about 1.8 million by 2020, offering direct employment opportunities in its sub-sectors and indirect jobs in areas induced by tourism-related activity, according to the annual report of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) for 2012-13.

Source : Saudi Gazette / 03 Mar 2014

A private healthcare group has announced plans to establish a medical city in Riyadh to cater to the needs of special needs patients.

Chairman of al-Hanouf Group Dr. Mohammad al-Mehaizei was quoted as saying in a section of the Arabic press on Saturday that the medical city will be called al-Hanouf-Mount Sinai Medical City for Medical Rehabilitation.

Source : Arab news / 28 Feb 2014

India is increasingly pursuing an unannounced policy of Looking Mid-West — a region comprising the Gulf and WANA (West Asia-North Africa), spanning Iran to Syria. As much as 60 percent of India’s oil and gas requirement is sourced from this region, Arab News reports.

Saudi Arabia is one of the most important countries when one talks about New Delhi’s unstated policy of Looking Mid-West.

Source : Arab news / 22 Feb 2014

Around 57 percent of road accident fatalities involve teachers and students, according to a latest study.

Conducted by a local daily, the study said male and female teachers accounted for 35 percent of these fatalities and students 22 percent.

Source : Arab news / 20 Feb 2014

Seventy-three percent of citizens do not have houses of their own, a Shoura Council member said on Wednesday.

Saudis have called on the Real Estate Development Fund (REDF) to speed up the disbursement of loans in order to help them build homes before it becomes more expensive.