Inverted Pyramid
This blog is meant to be used as an archive for this blogger's contributions to Saudi Gazette newspaper. Visitors can freely go through this blog and can also leave comments, if they desire. However, their posts should neither necessarily represent the blogger's interests nor should they mirror his opinion.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Hazm and Ahli share spoils
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Al-Hazm shared the points away at Al-Ahli after their postponed match in the Zain Saudi Professional League ended in a 1-1 draw Thursday.
The draw put Al-Ahli in the fifth place on the standings with 28 points, while left Al-Hazm stranded in the ninth place with 20 points.
Midfielder Ahmed Minawer put Hazm in the lead a minute before the break, but Brazilian midfielder Marcinho leveled the score for Ahli six minutes after the break.
Ahli missed the services of its suspended Brazilian coach, Sergio Farias. He watched the match as a spectator. Moreover, striker Malik Mo’adh was also absent after receiving a couple of yellow cards.
With two matches still in hand, Ahli has secured a place among the eight teams to play the King’s Cup. The team sits fifth in the league, which has already been won by Al-Hilal.
Al-Hazm, on the other hand, with 20 points and two matches in hand, will need to battle well against Najran and Al-Wehdah to find a place among the top eight teams which can compete in the season’s last domestic competition.
This is, however, conditional to the failure of Al-Fateh and Al-Ittifaq, who have 21 points each, in their coming matches.
The Zain Saudi Premier League action will now return on Sunday when Al-Nasr is scheduled to take on Al-Wehda.
Al-Ra’id will play Al-Ittifaq in the league on Monday.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Saudi team taking part in Tunisia road safety event
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – A Saudi delegation is taking part in the 6th International Festival for Road Safety Campaigns and International Forum for Young Drivers in Tunisia starting Thursday.
According to Dr. Intisar Felemban, a Saudi female participant, the three-day gathering aims to collect and exchange experiences and innovative ideas related to road safety.
“The gathering is a good chance for road safety associations members and experts to exchange thoughts about their experiments,” Dr. Felemban told Saudi Gazette.
She saw the meeting as an important opportunity to contribute to the development of multimedia materials related to road safety.
Different Saudi government institutes are participating in the forum in which 50 countries are taking part.
“The Saudi delegation consists of members from the Interior Ministry, the General Department of Traffic, the Road Security Force and a number of people interested in road safety. The delegation members are to meet with experts from different international traffic departments and the World Health Organization (WHO),” Dr. Felemban said.
In recognition of the care services that he has provided to road accident victims, Ehab Saifuddin Al-Samanoudi, Chairman of Sokoun Company, has been chosen by the forum organizers to be the Man of the Year 2010 for his International Center for Extended Care project.
Al-Samanoudi ‘s project provides services for 247 injured quadriplegics, who require permanent nursing care assistants to carry out daily humanitarian tasks.
The center provides integrated social care to develop the relationship between the victim and his family. Such care, according to Dr. Felemban, includes an instruction program to help the injured person adapt to his situation.
“The project also observes the patient’s psychological side and provides him with the civil rights protection he needs to reenter society,” she added.
JEDDAH – A Saudi delegation is taking part in the 6th International Festival for Road Safety Campaigns and International Forum for Young Drivers in Tunisia starting Thursday.
According to Dr. Intisar Felemban, a Saudi female participant, the three-day gathering aims to collect and exchange experiences and innovative ideas related to road safety.
“The gathering is a good chance for road safety associations members and experts to exchange thoughts about their experiments,” Dr. Felemban told Saudi Gazette.
She saw the meeting as an important opportunity to contribute to the development of multimedia materials related to road safety.
Different Saudi government institutes are participating in the forum in which 50 countries are taking part.
“The Saudi delegation consists of members from the Interior Ministry, the General Department of Traffic, the Road Security Force and a number of people interested in road safety. The delegation members are to meet with experts from different international traffic departments and the World Health Organization (WHO),” Dr. Felemban said.
In recognition of the care services that he has provided to road accident victims, Ehab Saifuddin Al-Samanoudi, Chairman of Sokoun Company, has been chosen by the forum organizers to be the Man of the Year 2010 for his International Center for Extended Care project.
Al-Samanoudi ‘s project provides services for 247 injured quadriplegics, who require permanent nursing care assistants to carry out daily humanitarian tasks.
The center provides integrated social care to develop the relationship between the victim and his family. Such care, according to Dr. Felemban, includes an instruction program to help the injured person adapt to his situation.
“The project also observes the patient’s psychological side and provides him with the civil rights protection he needs to reenter society,” she added.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Saudia carries half a million passengers in 10-day break
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – The Saudi national air carrier, Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA) said Sunday it transported some 509,713 passengers during the recent school holidays.
The airlines had earlier announced it would add 66 domestic and international flights to its operations schedule during the 10-day school spring break.
It also proclaimed it would increase the seating capacity on 56 international flights from the Kingdom to Dubai, Beirut, Doha, Cairo and Sharm El-Sheikh.
According to Abdullah Al-Ajhar, SAA’s Assistant Manager for Public Relations, some 3,775 flights carried these passengers.
He added that the school break witnessed an increase of about 105,252 passengers compared to the period a week before the break.
“SAA has succeeded in its operational plan during the spring break and has made necessary seats available to meet the travel demands during that short time,” Al-Ajhar said.
The official, who earlier said that SAA has no specific season, added that the national carrier prepares for the increasing demand on travel during holidays.
“Our offices and service centers are open to provide the best possible service that can reflect the high level of performance we have reached, and to mirror what care we offer to our customers” he said.
Al-Ajhar pointed out that 183,231 passengers were carried on 1,047 scheduled international flights while 316,952 passengers were transported on 2,639 scheduled domestic flights.
“Moreover, 47 additional international flights were operated. These carried some 3,484 travelers. On the other hand, there were 42 additional domestic flights that carried 6,046 passengers. We also increased the seating capacity of flight to Dubai, Beirut, Doha, Cairo and Sharm El-Sheikh,” Al-Ajhar said.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Nasr wins match, spot in 2011 ACL
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Al-Nasr defeated visiting side Al-Hazm 1-0 in a Zain Saudi Professional League match in Riyadh Thursday.
The result weakened Al-Hazm’s (19 points) chances to be among the eight teams to be playing the King’s Cup for Champions.
The team still has three more encounters - against Al-Ahli, Najran and Al-Wehdah. Wins in those matches can help Hazm appear in the event.
The win took Al-Nasr’s tally to 34 points and helped secure a spot in the 2011 AFC Champions League. Nasr also has three more matches in hand - against Al-Wehdah, Al-Fateh and Al-Ra’id. If it wins all three it would take Nasr to the second spot in the league, behind champion Hilal (50 points).
However, this is conditioned to the stumble of the current runner-up, Shabab and its follower, Ittihad.
The only goal in Thursday’s game came through Argentinean midfielder Victor Figueroa from the spot four minutes before time.
There are still three more weeks of action in the league. The next match is on March 5 when Hazm will take on Ahli, with the next one on March 7 when Nasr takes on Wehdah.
Al-Ra’id will then face Al-Ittifaq on March 8.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Hilal wins, Shabab holds Sepahan
By Mohammed Al-Kinani and agencies
JEDDAH – After a disappointing opening day of the AFC Champions League, Saudi Arabian clubs redeemed some lost prestige when national champion Al-
Hilal thumped hosts Al-Sadd of Qatar 3-0 in Group D and Al-Shabab shared two goals with Sepahan of Iran in Group C at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Al-Ittihad was routed 3-0 by big-spending Uzbek club Bunyodkor in an away match and Al-Ahli missed a penalty on way to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Iranian side Esteghlal in Jeddah.
With one point each, Shabab and Sepahan share the second position in Group C after Pakhtakor Tashkent of Uzbekistan collected three points through a 1-0 victory over Al-Ain of the UAE.
Yasser Al-Qahtani scored twice for Al-Hilal. He headed in a cross from Thiago Neves, and then volleyed in another one in the 66th. Neves’ last-minute goal made sure the trip home to Saudi Arabia was much more comfortable.
In the other Group D match, Iran’s Mes Kerman thrashed Emirates visitor Al-Ahli 4-2.
Defender Seyed Hosseini put Sepahan in the lead before striker Faisal Al-Sultan of Shabab leveled the score.
Sepahan started pressing on its hosts and succeeded to dominate the first half. The Iranians scored an early goal through Hosseini who took advantage of a ball that bounced from Shabab keeper Waleed Abdullah. Hosseini’s flying header landed in the net.
Ali Otaif of Shabab entered the box in the 30th minute and shot but the Iranian goalkeeper Rahmati was in the right place to avert danger. Rahmati again stood in the way of Flavio.
In the 41st minute, Shabab keeper Abdullah saved his goal from Emad Mohammed.
On resumption Shabab coach replaced left defender Abdullah Al-Astaa with striker Naji Majrashi.
This replacement helped the team improve and press on. The unmarked Al-Sultan received a cross outside the area in the 69th minute. The striker controlled the ball and fired into the right corner of the Iranian goalkeeper. The goal encouraged the host team to launch more attacks but the Iranian defenders stood firm.
Elsewhere, South Korea’s Pohang Steelers lost its first game as defending champion beaten 1-0 at Australia’s Adelaide United.
Breaking from the halfway line following a Pohang corner, Adelaide teenage striker Matthew Leckie pressured Park Hee-chul to stab the ball past the latter’s goalkeeper in first-half stoppage time. Leckie was credited with the goal by match officials, as the ball possibly deflected off him last.
The champ two years ago, Gamba Osaka packed the midfield to stifle host Suwon Bluewings in a goal-less draw. The other Group G match was also a goalless draw, as Henan Construction of China dominated Singapore Armed Forces without any luck.
Besides Adelaide in Group H, China’s Shandong Luneng also emerged a winner from a valuable 1-0 win at Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
Ittihad, Ahli stumble on first hurdle
By Mohamed Al-Kinani and agencies
JEDDAH – Saudi clubs Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli made disastrous starts to their Asian Champions League campaigns Tuesday.
While Al-Ittihad was routed 3-0 by big-spending Uzbek club Bunyodkor in an away match, Al-Ahli missed a penalty on way to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Iranian side Esteghlal at home here.
The Uzbek side, coached by former Brazil World Cup-winning manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, got off to a strong start in Group B with a home victory against the former two-time champion from Saudi Arabia.
Former Brazil international Rivaldo, who was part of the Brazil side that won the 2002 World Cup under Scolari, put Bunyodkor ahead in the fourth minute.
Midfielder Jasur Hasanov doubled the advantage in the 21st, and Brazilian striker Denilson completed the scoring in the 67th. Denilson – namesake of the player who formerly was the world’s most expensive player – was making his first appearance for Bunyodkor in the ACL after helping Pohang Steelers win the competition last year.
Mohammed Noor missed a penalty in injury time.
In the other Group B match, Iran’s Zob Ahan began its second stint in the league with a 1-0 win over Abu Dhabi’s Al-Wahda striker Igor Castro’s score on the hour.
Ahli went down fighting against Esteghlal of Iran in Group A. Skipper Farhad Majidi scored in the 12th and 76th minutes for the visitors. Substitute Hasan Al-Rahib scored for Al-Ahli in the 85th.
Esteghlal keeper Mohammed Mohammadi was the man of the match as he kept Ahli players at bay most of the time.
He committed one mistake during the match when he brought down Abdurraheem Al-Jaizawi inside the box in the 68th minute. He, however, corrected that by denying Marcinho da Silva spot kick.
The defeat must have come as a shock to Ahli coach Sergio Farias, who won the title last year with Korea’s Pohang Steelers.
Addressing the press after the match Farias asked the fans to show patience saying that he has been with the team only for a month and players need experience for such tournaments. “The championship is tough and any participating team should have enough experience,” he said.
Despite the loss he praised his players’ efforts and said they were unlucky to have missed so many chances. “Congratulations to Esteghlal, but still have the away encounter,” he said.
In the other Group A encounter Qatar’s Al-Gharafa won 2-1 at Al-Jazira of the UAE with a 17th-minute goal from Othman Al-Assas and another in the 53rd from Younis Mahmoud. Rafael Sobis pulled one back for the hosts in the 56th at Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium.
Japan’s Kashima Antlers, South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Seongnam Ilhwa and China’s Beijing Guoan were also winners on the opening day of the group stage.
Kashima had a 1-0 home win over China’s Changchun Yatai in Group F, with the winner coming via a 43rd-minute header from midfielder Koji Nakata, who was back with the Antlers after spells with Marseille and Basel.
Replacement Kruno Lovrek posted a hat trick as 2007 champion Jeonbuk cruised past Persipura Jayapura of Indonesia 4-1 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
Kim Seung-yong’s penalty started off Jeonbuk before Lovrek was sent in midway through the first half and scored two minutes later.
Lovrek notched his second in the 66th, and after Ian Kabes replied for Persipura a minute later, Lovrek hit home his third with nine minutes to go.
In South Korea, Seongnam was 2-0 winner over Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale.
In the other Group E game, Beijing Guoan was 1-0 home winner over Australia’s Melbourne Victory.
Al-Hilal retains Crown Prince Cup
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Al-Hilal claimed the Crown Prince Cup for the third successive time after edging Al-Ahli 2-1 at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh Friday.
Brazilian striker Victor Simoes put Ahli in the lead in the first half, but Swedish midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson scored the equalizer for the Blues. Brazilian midfielder Thiago Neves’s goal midway through the second half made the difference for the defending champion.
Gracing the event, Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, later handed the gold medals to Hilal players before awarding the cup to the team’s skipper, Mohammed Al-Deayea. He also gave away the silver medals to Al-Ahli players.
Hilal banked on players on its left wing Abdullah Al-Zouri, Mohammed Al-Shalhoub and Wilhelmsson to make moves. Wilhelmsson kept on moving from one side to the other to add pressure on Ahli. Ahli, however, remained focused, played solid defense and looked for counter-attacks.
Simoes received a pass in the box two minutes before the break. He controlled the ball and kicked it into the right corner of Hilal keeper Hasan Al-Otaibi.
Yasser Al-Qahtani had an opportunity to equalize for Hilal a minute later but his header went high.
Hilal players returned after the break rejuvinated. They started attacking the rival’s goal more often which resulted in an equalizer for Hilal.
Qahtani reached the opponent’s area, dodged a defender and before the ball could go over the goal-line sent a cross to Wilhelmsson, who tabbed it into the goal in the 65th minute.
After the goal, the two coaches made a couple of changes. Hilal’s Eric Gerets brought in Nawaf Al-Abed for midfielder Mohammed Al-Shalhoub, while Ahli’s Sergio Farias replaced striker Malik Mo’adh with Abdurraheem Al-Jaizawi and Mohammed Al-Sifri with another midfielder Waleed Ba-Khashwain.
The changes, however, failed to help Ahli as Hilal managed to score another goal in the 77th minute.
Wilhelmsson received a long pass, which he controlled and advanced into the box before hitting a cross to his teammates in the six-yard area. Ahli keeper Abdullah Al-Ma’ayouf, however, deflected it to the unmarked Neves, who kicked it into the left corner of the keeper.
Farias bolstered his frontline with a striker, replacing midfielder Alaa Raishani with striker Hasan Al-Rahib, but the change bore no fruit.
A 90th-minute Ahli kick could have spoiled Hilal’s day, but the Brazilian Ahli Marcinho’s kick from outside the box hit the bar.
While Hilal players’ experience played an important role in the team’s defending the title, the absence of three key players - Saifuddine Ghazal, Mo’ataz Al-Mousa and Tayseer Al-Jassim - affected Ahli’s performance.
After the ceremony Hilal’s Belgian coach Gerets offered his gold medal to one of the disabled fan attending the match.
The administration of King Fahd Stadium confiscated around 1,500 scanned copies of entry tickets. The case has been referred to the authorities concerned.
It’s Hilal vs. Ahli in Crown Prince Cup final
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – It is Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli in the final of the Crown Prince Cup after the title holder Hilal defeated Najran 2-1 at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium Monday.
Yasser Al-Qahtani of Al-Hilal put his team in the lead and Majed Abu Yabis leveled the score for Najran. However, Al-Qahtani doubled the score for
Hilal to put the Blues in the final against Al-Ahli which had qualified Sunday after defeating Shabab 3-1 in a shootout after the teams shared four goals during the regulation and extra time.
Although Najran players knew they were facing the league champion, they pressed on their opponents during the first 15 minutes. Hilal then took the lead through its striker Al-Qahtani who received a cross from Omar Al-Ghamdi in the area in the 18th minute. Qahtani immediately kicked into the far left corner of Najran goalkeeper Jabir Al-Ameri.
Al-Ameri foiled another attempt by Qahtani in the 31st minute when the Swedish midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson sent another cross into the same area. Five minutes later, Wilhelmsson faced the goalkeeper but Ameri did his best to foil him.
Najran fought hard to equalize but the Hilal defenders and goalkeeper Hasan Al-Otaibi were at their best.
In the second half, the fast game continued and it was again Al-Qahtani who struck in the 52nd minute when he received a cross inside the six-yard area to nudge the ball into the bottom right corner of Al-Ameri.
Hilal then looked relaxed. On the other hand, Najran did not lose hope and fought spiritedly. Its players tried their level best to shake Al-Otaibi net.
Two minutes after Hilal second goal, Majed Abu Yabis free kick from outside the box found its way to the left corner of Otaibi. A few minutes later, Abu Yabis headed towards the goal but the ball hit the bar and Hilal defender saved the situation. Turki Al-Thaqafi failed to clear a ball that bounced off Otaibi in three minutes before the end of the exciting match.
The stadium was almost full by supporters of Hilal who went to see their team enter the final.
Hilal will meet Al-Ahli in the championship match on Friday at King Fahd International Stadium.
Training program for former drug addicts
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – The Technical and Vocational Training Board TVTB in Makkah Region has announced the launch of the third training program for former drug addicts.
Consisting four courses: secretary, office works, computer and English language, the program is a joint cooperation between the TVTB, the General Department for Combating Narcotics and Al-Amal Hospital.
According to Dr. Rashid Al-Zahrani, head of the Makkah TVTB, the program started Saturday with the presence of 64 drug addicts who have been treated successfully.
“The program comes as part of the TVTB’s social responsibilities and it will be followed by efforts to find suitable jobs for the recovered people,” Al-Zahrani said.
He stressed the importance of supporting these people through training them and making them productive members of the society. Al-Zahrani pointed out that the TVTB has held two similar programs where some 160 recovered people had finished 120 training hours of office works, 165 training hours of computer maintenance and 120 training hours of computerized accountancy.
JEDDAH – The Technical and Vocational Training Board TVTB in Makkah Region has announced the launch of the third training program for former drug addicts.
Consisting four courses: secretary, office works, computer and English language, the program is a joint cooperation between the TVTB, the General Department for Combating Narcotics and Al-Amal Hospital.
According to Dr. Rashid Al-Zahrani, head of the Makkah TVTB, the program started Saturday with the presence of 64 drug addicts who have been treated successfully.
“The program comes as part of the TVTB’s social responsibilities and it will be followed by efforts to find suitable jobs for the recovered people,” Al-Zahrani said.
He stressed the importance of supporting these people through training them and making them productive members of the society. Al-Zahrani pointed out that the TVTB has held two similar programs where some 160 recovered people had finished 120 training hours of office works, 165 training hours of computer maintenance and 120 training hours of computerized accountancy.
Ahli in Crown Prince Cup final
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Al-Ahli qualified for the final of the Crown Prince Cup after defeating Al-Shabab 3-1 in a shootout after the teams shared four goals during the regulation and extra time at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium Sunday.
Mo’ataz Al-Mousa put Al-Ahli in the lead before Faisal Al-Sultan scored an equalizer for Shabab. Waleed Al-Jaizani doubled the score for Shabab before Abdurraheem Al-Jaizawi leveled the score for Ahli.
In the 27th minute, Ahli striker Malik Mo’adh controlled the ball outside the area and lobbed it to the advancing Al-Mousa who, with one touch, beat the advancing Shabab goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah.
In the second half, Shabab coach Pacheco replaced Abdul Aziz Al-Sa’aran with Faisal Al-Sultan in an attempt to strengthen his team’s frontline. Al-Sultan succeeded to level the score ten minutes after the break. The substitute received a long pass from Brazilian midfielder Camacho. He scored his team’s first goal when Ahli goalkeeper Abdullah Ma’youf left his goal to foil the attempt in vain. After this goal, Ahli coach Sergio
Farias proved that the name and fame do not matter much when it comes to deliver. He replaced two strikers. Farias replaced Hasan Al-Rahib with midfielder Abdurraheem Jaizawi and Malik Mo’adh with the 19-year-old striker Yasser Al-Fehmi.
A few minutes later, Ahli defenders failed to clear a cross pass in the area from Al-Sultan. The ball passed both Saifuddine Ghazal and Mohammed Musa’ad to find Waleed Al-Jaizani who effortlessly put it into the goal.
Pacheco replaced defender Abdullah Al-Ostta with midfielder Badr Al-Haqbani. In the 41st minute striker Abdurraheem Al-Jaizawi of Al-Ahli made a sole effort when he passed three defenders to face the goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah and kicked strongly into the goal.
In the shootout, Mohammed Al-Sifri, Mo’ataz Al-Mousa and the Omani midfielder Ahmed Kano scored for Al-Ahli while two kicks by the Brazilian Marcinho and Yasser Al-Fehmi were blocked by Shabab keeper Waleed Abdullah.
On the other hand, the kicks of Camacho and Ahmed Otaif of Al-Shabab went out while Ahli keeper Abdullah Ma’youf saved a kick by Badr Al-Haqbani.
However, Ali Otaif scored for Shabab.
On Monday, Al-Hilal and Najran will meet at the same venue to decide the second finalist which will meet Al-Ahli in the final Friday.
JEDDAH – Al-Ahli qualified for the final of the Crown Prince Cup after defeating Al-Shabab 3-1 in a shootout after the teams shared four goals during the regulation and extra time at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium Sunday.
Mo’ataz Al-Mousa put Al-Ahli in the lead before Faisal Al-Sultan scored an equalizer for Shabab. Waleed Al-Jaizani doubled the score for Shabab before Abdurraheem Al-Jaizawi leveled the score for Ahli.
In the 27th minute, Ahli striker Malik Mo’adh controlled the ball outside the area and lobbed it to the advancing Al-Mousa who, with one touch, beat the advancing Shabab goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah.
In the second half, Shabab coach Pacheco replaced Abdul Aziz Al-Sa’aran with Faisal Al-Sultan in an attempt to strengthen his team’s frontline. Al-Sultan succeeded to level the score ten minutes after the break. The substitute received a long pass from Brazilian midfielder Camacho. He scored his team’s first goal when Ahli goalkeeper Abdullah Ma’youf left his goal to foil the attempt in vain. After this goal, Ahli coach Sergio
Farias proved that the name and fame do not matter much when it comes to deliver. He replaced two strikers. Farias replaced Hasan Al-Rahib with midfielder Abdurraheem Jaizawi and Malik Mo’adh with the 19-year-old striker Yasser Al-Fehmi.
A few minutes later, Ahli defenders failed to clear a cross pass in the area from Al-Sultan. The ball passed both Saifuddine Ghazal and Mohammed Musa’ad to find Waleed Al-Jaizani who effortlessly put it into the goal.
Pacheco replaced defender Abdullah Al-Ostta with midfielder Badr Al-Haqbani. In the 41st minute striker Abdurraheem Al-Jaizawi of Al-Ahli made a sole effort when he passed three defenders to face the goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah and kicked strongly into the goal.
In the shootout, Mohammed Al-Sifri, Mo’ataz Al-Mousa and the Omani midfielder Ahmed Kano scored for Al-Ahli while two kicks by the Brazilian Marcinho and Yasser Al-Fehmi were blocked by Shabab keeper Waleed Abdullah.
On the other hand, the kicks of Camacho and Ahmed Otaif of Al-Shabab went out while Ahli keeper Abdullah Ma’youf saved a kick by Badr Al-Haqbani.
However, Ali Otaif scored for Shabab.
On Monday, Al-Hilal and Najran will meet at the same venue to decide the second finalist which will meet Al-Ahli in the final Friday.
Hilal to take on Najran in semis
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
DAMMAM – Al-Hilal and Najran qualified to the semifinals of the Crown Prince Cup after defeating Nasr and Al-Ansar, respectively Wednesday.
Al-Hilal won over its city rival Al-Nasr 2-1 at King Fahd International Stadium.
Although Nasr scored first through Guinean midfielder Pascal Feindouno ten minutes after the break, Hilal succeeded to level the score through
Brazilian midfielder Thiago Neves in the 61st minute. The Blues doubled the score through the Swedish midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson in the 22nd minute of the extra time.
The city rivals fought an interesting match that pleased their fans who filled almost all seats.
Hilal set up a perfect offside trap for its opponent. However, a cross by Victor Figueroa went inside the box to Pascal who headed into the right corner of Hilal keeper Hasan Al-Otaibi.
Neves made several attempts from outside the area, but Khalid Radhi, keeper of Nasr, saved the midfielder’s attempts. However, Radhi failed to block a strong kick by Neves from outside the box. The kick landed at the far right corner of Radhi.
The two teams unleashed several attacks and witnessed dangerous plays by players of both the teams.
Nasr skipper left the field with an injury in his right knee. The match was taken to extra time.
Eight minutes before the final whistle Wilhelmsson received a cross inside the box from Eissa Al-Muhayani. Nasr defenders thought Wilhelmsson was in an offside position. The Swedish midfielder nudged the ball into the goal to secure his team’s win.
In another match, Najran defeated its host Al-Ansar 3-1 at Prince Mohammed Bin Abdul Aziz Stadium.
Najran defender gave the opponents a goal when scored an own goal in the 19th minute. However, his midfielder teammate Majed Abu Yabes leveled the score five minutes before the break.
With the full time ended with the same result, the match was taken to extra-time. The Congolese striker of Najran, Depa, put his team in the
lead in the 109th minute before his teammate Mohsen Al-Najrani sealed the win.
Najran will meet Al-Hilal in the semifinals Monday at King Fahd International Stadium.
A day before, Al-Ahli and Shabab will meet at the same stadium to decide the first finalist.
DAMMAM – Al-Hilal and Najran qualified to the semifinals of the Crown Prince Cup after defeating Nasr and Al-Ansar, respectively Wednesday.
Al-Hilal won over its city rival Al-Nasr 2-1 at King Fahd International Stadium.
Although Nasr scored first through Guinean midfielder Pascal Feindouno ten minutes after the break, Hilal succeeded to level the score through
Brazilian midfielder Thiago Neves in the 61st minute. The Blues doubled the score through the Swedish midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson in the 22nd minute of the extra time.
The city rivals fought an interesting match that pleased their fans who filled almost all seats.
Hilal set up a perfect offside trap for its opponent. However, a cross by Victor Figueroa went inside the box to Pascal who headed into the right corner of Hilal keeper Hasan Al-Otaibi.
Neves made several attempts from outside the area, but Khalid Radhi, keeper of Nasr, saved the midfielder’s attempts. However, Radhi failed to block a strong kick by Neves from outside the box. The kick landed at the far right corner of Radhi.
The two teams unleashed several attacks and witnessed dangerous plays by players of both the teams.
Nasr skipper left the field with an injury in his right knee. The match was taken to extra time.
Eight minutes before the final whistle Wilhelmsson received a cross inside the box from Eissa Al-Muhayani. Nasr defenders thought Wilhelmsson was in an offside position. The Swedish midfielder nudged the ball into the goal to secure his team’s win.
In another match, Najran defeated its host Al-Ansar 3-1 at Prince Mohammed Bin Abdul Aziz Stadium.
Najran defender gave the opponents a goal when scored an own goal in the 19th minute. However, his midfielder teammate Majed Abu Yabes leveled the score five minutes before the break.
With the full time ended with the same result, the match was taken to extra-time. The Congolese striker of Najran, Depa, put his team in the
lead in the 109th minute before his teammate Mohsen Al-Najrani sealed the win.
Najran will meet Al-Hilal in the semifinals Monday at King Fahd International Stadium.
A day before, Al-Ahli and Shabab will meet at the same stadium to decide the first finalist.
Awareness campaign on tooth decay targets kids
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Targeting one million children, a national awareness campaign to fight tooth decay will soon kick off.
This was announced Wednesday at the conclusion of the the three-day Saudi International Dental Medicine Conference held in Riyadh at the King Fahd Cultural Center.
Dr. Hussan Halawani, General Secretary of the Saudi Dental Society (SDS) and Head of the Saudi national campaign to fight tooth decay, announced that King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has approved the launch of a national campaign to fight tooth decay in children.
“On behalf of the King, minister of health will patronize a five-year-long, national campaign which was planned to target a million children,” Dr. Halawani added.
He pointed out that King Saud University (KSU) will host the national program and will be supervised by the children’s tooth decay research chair at the university.
He pointed out that the campaign will focus on all schoolchildren in their primary level.
“Tooth decay in youngsters is a serious health concern in Saudi Arabia,” he said and added that the name of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques will surely give weight to the campaign that is expected to raise awareness about the health of our new generation.
Patronized by Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh, the three-day conference which was concluded Wednesday was organized by The Faculty of Medicine at KSU in collaboration with the SDS.
According to Dr. Halawani, the conferees discussed several issues related to oral and tooth health.
“The conference saw experts from both inside and outside the country,” Dr. Halawani said. He added that many seminars and workshops were also held on the sidelines of the gathering.
He thanked Prince Salman for patronizing the event which came as a fruitful addition to the development of Saudi health care services.
JEDDAH – Targeting one million children, a national awareness campaign to fight tooth decay will soon kick off.
This was announced Wednesday at the conclusion of the the three-day Saudi International Dental Medicine Conference held in Riyadh at the King Fahd Cultural Center.
Dr. Hussan Halawani, General Secretary of the Saudi Dental Society (SDS) and Head of the Saudi national campaign to fight tooth decay, announced that King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, has approved the launch of a national campaign to fight tooth decay in children.
“On behalf of the King, minister of health will patronize a five-year-long, national campaign which was planned to target a million children,” Dr. Halawani added.
He pointed out that King Saud University (KSU) will host the national program and will be supervised by the children’s tooth decay research chair at the university.
He pointed out that the campaign will focus on all schoolchildren in their primary level.
“Tooth decay in youngsters is a serious health concern in Saudi Arabia,” he said and added that the name of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques will surely give weight to the campaign that is expected to raise awareness about the health of our new generation.
Patronized by Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh, the three-day conference which was concluded Wednesday was organized by The Faculty of Medicine at KSU in collaboration with the SDS.
According to Dr. Halawani, the conferees discussed several issues related to oral and tooth health.
“The conference saw experts from both inside and outside the country,” Dr. Halawani said. He added that many seminars and workshops were also held on the sidelines of the gathering.
He thanked Prince Salman for patronizing the event which came as a fruitful addition to the development of Saudi health care services.
Ahli and Shabab set up semis clash
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Al-Ahli and Al-Shabab set up their Crown Prince Cup semifinal match after securing comfortable wins over Al-Fateh and Al-Ta’i respectively Tuesday.
While Ahli beat its host Al-Fateh 2-0 at Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium, Al-Shabab secured a 3-1 win over visitors Al-Ta’i at King Fahd International Stadium.
Brazilian striker Victor Simoes’ double was enough to secure the last four spot for Ahli. He scored his first in the 61st minute and needed only three more minutes to double the lead for his team.
Fateh players’ early attempts to penetrate the green defense went in vain.
Neither the host team nor the visitors could score in the first half of the match with each team’s defense keeping the rival strikers at bay.
In the other match Shabab took the lead in the 26th minute through Abdul Aziz Al-Yousuf, who scored again 10 minutes later to double the margin.
Fahd Fallata’s lone effort bore fruit for Al-Ta’i when he succeeded in pulling one back 10 minutes after the break.
Shabab’s Brazilian midfielder Marcelo Camacho, however, put the result beyond any doubt in the 77th minute.
Ahli and Shabab will meet in the semis Sunday.
Champion Al-Hilal will play its city rival Al-Nasr, while Al-Ansar will host Najran in the remaining quarterfinals Wednesday. - SG
JEDDAH – Al-Ahli and Al-Shabab set up their Crown Prince Cup semifinal match after securing comfortable wins over Al-Fateh and Al-Ta’i respectively Tuesday.
While Ahli beat its host Al-Fateh 2-0 at Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium, Al-Shabab secured a 3-1 win over visitors Al-Ta’i at King Fahd International Stadium.
Brazilian striker Victor Simoes’ double was enough to secure the last four spot for Ahli. He scored his first in the 61st minute and needed only three more minutes to double the lead for his team.
Fateh players’ early attempts to penetrate the green defense went in vain.
Neither the host team nor the visitors could score in the first half of the match with each team’s defense keeping the rival strikers at bay.
In the other match Shabab took the lead in the 26th minute through Abdul Aziz Al-Yousuf, who scored again 10 minutes later to double the margin.
Fahd Fallata’s lone effort bore fruit for Al-Ta’i when he succeeded in pulling one back 10 minutes after the break.
Shabab’s Brazilian midfielder Marcelo Camacho, however, put the result beyond any doubt in the 77th minute.
Ahli and Shabab will meet in the semis Sunday.
Champion Al-Hilal will play its city rival Al-Nasr, while Al-Ansar will host Najran in the remaining quarterfinals Wednesday. - SG
Friday, February 5, 2010
Saudi ref Ghamdi off to World Cup
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia’s Khalil Ibrahim Jalal Al-Ghamdi was named Friday among the 30 referees for the World Cup Finals in South Africa in June.
FIFA has appointed 30 referees representing 28 countries for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
Al-Ghamdi will appear in the World Cup for the second time. He also took part in the 2006 World Cup which took place in Germany.
Omar Al-Muhanna, the newly-appointed head of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s Referee Committee, expressed his joy over the selection of Al-Ghamdi for the top soccer competition. He wished Al-Ghamdi all the best.
Three other Saudi referees have participated in World Cups: Fallaj Al-Shanar in 1986 Mexico World Cup, Abdurrahman Al-Zaid in 1998 France; and Ali Al-Turaify in 2002 Korea-Japan Cup.
The selection of referees, however, did not go without a controversy. Swede Martin Hansson, who was at the center of France’s controversial World Cup qualification, was also among the referees selected for the Finals.
Hansson failed to spot Thierry Henry’s handball in the playoff second leg against Ireland in Paris in November and was widely criticized after the incident led to the goal which allowed France to qualify.
Ten referees from Europe, six from South America, four from the Asian, African and CONCACAF confederations and two from New Zealand were appointed for the World Cup after a meeting in Zurich of the refereeing committee of world soccer’s ruling body FIFA.
Najran knocks Ittihad out
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Najran knocked Al-Ittihad out of the Crown Prince Cup by securing a quarterfinals berth with a 2-1 win Friday.
The win was the first for Najran over the Jeddah club in a decade. In other matches Al-Ansar defeated visiting team Al-Hazm 4-2 in extra-time, while Al-Ta’ee needed a shoot-out to edge host Al-Wehdah 6-5.
Congolese striker Depa scored both the goals for Najran - one two minutes before the break and the other in the 65th minute from the spot. Skipper Mohammad Noor scored for Ittihad from the spot after Sultan Al-Numari was brought down in the box.
The win secures Najran a meeting against Al-Ansar in the quarterfinals Wednesday.
Ittihad is now out of the fourth championship this season - AFC champion, Zain Saudi Professional League, Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup and Crown Prince Cup.
At Prince Mohammed Bin Abdul Aziz Stadium, Ansar won 4-2 over Hazm after the match was taken into extra-time.
Al-Ta’ee will play Al-Shabab in the quarterfinals Tuesday.
JEDDAH – Najran knocked Al-Ittihad out of the Crown Prince Cup by securing a quarterfinals berth with a 2-1 win Friday.
The win was the first for Najran over the Jeddah club in a decade. In other matches Al-Ansar defeated visiting team Al-Hazm 4-2 in extra-time, while Al-Ta’ee needed a shoot-out to edge host Al-Wehdah 6-5.
Congolese striker Depa scored both the goals for Najran - one two minutes before the break and the other in the 65th minute from the spot. Skipper Mohammad Noor scored for Ittihad from the spot after Sultan Al-Numari was brought down in the box.
The win secures Najran a meeting against Al-Ansar in the quarterfinals Wednesday.
Ittihad is now out of the fourth championship this season - AFC champion, Zain Saudi Professional League, Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup and Crown Prince Cup.
At Prince Mohammed Bin Abdul Aziz Stadium, Ansar won 4-2 over Hazm after the match was taken into extra-time.
Al-Ta’ee will play Al-Shabab in the quarterfinals Tuesday.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Hilal and 3 others in quarters
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Al-Hilal, Al-Nasr, Al-Shabab and Al-Ahli booked their Crown Prince Cup quarterfinals berths Thursday.
Defending champion Al-Hilal beat visitors Al-Faisali 2-1; Al-Nasr beat host Al-Ra’id 2-0; Al-Shabab defeated its host Al-Qadisiyah 2-1; while Al-Ahli edged its host Hajr 3-2.
In Riyadh Christian Wilhelmsson put Hilal in front 11 minutes into the second half when the Swedish midfielder diverted a cross into the goal.
Hilal had its rival player Aqeel Bulghaith to thank for the winner when he scored an own goal in the 70th minute.
Abdul Aziz Fallata scored the guest team’s only goal two minutes from time.
In the Nasr-Ra’id match, Egyptian Nasr Hosam Ghali double was enough to secure a win for Nasr.
Nasr will meet Hilal in the quarterfinals Wednesday.
Al-Shabab edged its host Al-Qadisiyah 2-1. Peruvian midfielder Juan Elias Cominges put Qadisiyah in the lead in the 30th minute but goals from Waleed Al-Jaizani and Marcelo Camacho handed Shabab the win.
Shabab will meet the winner of Friday’s match between Al-Wehdah and Al-Ta’ee in the quarterfinal match on Tuesday.
In another match, Al-Ahli beat Hajr 3-2. Strong winds affected the result.
Husain Al-Rahib put Ahli in the lead seven minutes into the match. Mohammed Musa’ad added another in the 22nd minute, while Brazilian Victor Simoes sealed the win with a goal in the 38th minute.
The host’s goals came through Mubarak Al-Khudhari and Kamil Al-Mu’adhin.
Al-Ahli will meet Al-Fateh in the quarterfinals on Tuesday after the latter had won over Al-Ittifaq 3-1 Wednesday.
JEDDAH – Al-Hilal, Al-Nasr, Al-Shabab and Al-Ahli booked their Crown Prince Cup quarterfinals berths Thursday.
Defending champion Al-Hilal beat visitors Al-Faisali 2-1; Al-Nasr beat host Al-Ra’id 2-0; Al-Shabab defeated its host Al-Qadisiyah 2-1; while Al-Ahli edged its host Hajr 3-2.
In Riyadh Christian Wilhelmsson put Hilal in front 11 minutes into the second half when the Swedish midfielder diverted a cross into the goal.
Hilal had its rival player Aqeel Bulghaith to thank for the winner when he scored an own goal in the 70th minute.
Abdul Aziz Fallata scored the guest team’s only goal two minutes from time.
In the Nasr-Ra’id match, Egyptian Nasr Hosam Ghali double was enough to secure a win for Nasr.
Nasr will meet Hilal in the quarterfinals Wednesday.
Al-Shabab edged its host Al-Qadisiyah 2-1. Peruvian midfielder Juan Elias Cominges put Qadisiyah in the lead in the 30th minute but goals from Waleed Al-Jaizani and Marcelo Camacho handed Shabab the win.
Shabab will meet the winner of Friday’s match between Al-Wehdah and Al-Ta’ee in the quarterfinal match on Tuesday.
In another match, Al-Ahli beat Hajr 3-2. Strong winds affected the result.
Husain Al-Rahib put Ahli in the lead seven minutes into the match. Mohammed Musa’ad added another in the 22nd minute, while Brazilian Victor Simoes sealed the win with a goal in the 38th minute.
The host’s goals came through Mubarak Al-Khudhari and Kamil Al-Mu’adhin.
Al-Ahli will meet Al-Fateh in the quarterfinals on Tuesday after the latter had won over Al-Ittifaq 3-1 Wednesday.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Fateh enters quarters
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Al-Fateh qualified for the quarterfinals of the Crown Prince Cup after defeating Al-Ittifaq 3-1 in extra time at Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium Wednesday.
Yousof Al-Salem of Ittifaq put his team in the lead seven minutes before the break. However, Rabea Al-Sofiyani of Fateh succeeded to level the score in the 58th minute to force extra time.
Faisal Al-Jam’an of Fateh scored from the spot in three minutes after the restart before his Tunisian teammate Naeem Bettayeb sealed the win in the 100th minute. However, Abdurrahman Al-Qahtani of Ittifaq failed to score from the spot two minutes later.
On Thursday, title holder Al-Hilal will host Al-Faisali at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium in the round 16 of the championship while Al-Ra’id will play Al-Nasr at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. Al-Qadisiyah hosts Al-Shabab at Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium while Hajr host Al-Ahli at Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Sports Stadium.
Saudia adds 66 flights for coming school holidays
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA) will add 66 domestic and international flights to its operations schedule during the coming school spring break which starts Wednesday and lasts for ten days.
This was announced Tuesday by Abdullah Al-Ajhar, SAA’s Assistant Manager for Public Relations.
“We have added some 54 domestic flights and 12 international flights. We have also increased the seating capacity on 56 international flights from the Kingdom to Dubai, Beirut, Doha, Cairo and Sharm El-Sheikh,” Al-Ajhar said.
He pointed out that the additional domestic flights will include 18 flights from Riyadh to Jeddah and back, 20 round trip flights from Abha to Riyadh, four flights from Jeddah to Dammam and back, four round trip flights from Riyadh to Madina and the same number of flights from the capital city to Najran and back.
As for the extra international flights, Ajhar said that four additional flights will fly to Kuwait, four flights to Dubai and four other flights to Beirut and back.
Al-Ajhar said that SAA has no specific peak season, as its year includes the school spring holidays, as well as the Haj, Umrah and summer seasons.
According Al-Ajhar, SAA is careful to take social ties into account when planning its operational programs. “We not only consider business when planning for our flights, we also consider the social issues that form Saudi society,” he said.
He added that this is why SAA has made more flights available during school holidays so that families can visit relatives in different parts of the Kingdom.
During the recently ended Haj season, SAA carried nearly one million pilgrims on more than 2,000 flights. The airline carried 457,000 pilgrims from Asia with 308,000 international pilgrims being flown directly to Madina.
Apart from that, SAA provided crew members who spoke a variety of languages and served different dishes to suit the tastes of pilgrims traveling to the Kingdom.
JEDDAH – Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA) will add 66 domestic and international flights to its operations schedule during the coming school spring break which starts Wednesday and lasts for ten days.
This was announced Tuesday by Abdullah Al-Ajhar, SAA’s Assistant Manager for Public Relations.
“We have added some 54 domestic flights and 12 international flights. We have also increased the seating capacity on 56 international flights from the Kingdom to Dubai, Beirut, Doha, Cairo and Sharm El-Sheikh,” Al-Ajhar said.
He pointed out that the additional domestic flights will include 18 flights from Riyadh to Jeddah and back, 20 round trip flights from Abha to Riyadh, four flights from Jeddah to Dammam and back, four round trip flights from Riyadh to Madina and the same number of flights from the capital city to Najran and back.
As for the extra international flights, Ajhar said that four additional flights will fly to Kuwait, four flights to Dubai and four other flights to Beirut and back.
Al-Ajhar said that SAA has no specific peak season, as its year includes the school spring holidays, as well as the Haj, Umrah and summer seasons.
According Al-Ajhar, SAA is careful to take social ties into account when planning its operational programs. “We not only consider business when planning for our flights, we also consider the social issues that form Saudi society,” he said.
He added that this is why SAA has made more flights available during school holidays so that families can visit relatives in different parts of the Kingdom.
During the recently ended Haj season, SAA carried nearly one million pilgrims on more than 2,000 flights. The airline carried 457,000 pilgrims from Asia with 308,000 international pilgrims being flown directly to Madina.
Apart from that, SAA provided crew members who spoke a variety of languages and served different dishes to suit the tastes of pilgrims traveling to the Kingdom.
Prince Salman congratulates Al-Hilal
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh, received at his office Tuesday morning Prince Abdurrahman Bin Musa’ad, President of Al-Hilal Club, Prince Nawaf Bin Sa’ad, Deputy President of Al-Hilal and club’s players.
Al-Hilal was recently crowned the Zain Saudi Premier League champion after finishing on top of the standings. The delegation was accompanied by Abdurrahman Ghalib and Homoud Al-Ghubainy, representing the telecommunication company Mobily, the strategic partner of the league champion.
Prince Sultan Bin Fahd Bin Salman, honorary member of Al-Hilal graced the occasion. The Emir congratulated Al-Hilal administration and players for the achievement and wished them success. Prince Abdurrahman Bin Musa’ad offered a memorial shield to the Emir.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Warning against ‘dreadful’ spread of diabetes in Gulf
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – A researcher has warned against the “dreadful” spread of diabetes in the GCC states if countries fail to take immediate preventive measures.
According to Dr. Abdurrahman Al-Kuwari, head of the Gulf Group for the Study of Diabetes (GGSD), the GCC countries should urgently develop all the necessary programs and plans to impede what he called the “fastest spreading disease” in the region.
He pointed out that five GCC states are listed among the top ten countries in the world with the highest rate of diabetes.
He added that the risk factors in Gulf societies are high, especially in the pre-diabetes phase.
Identifying the reasons why the disease is increasing so rapidly in the world’s richest region, Dr. Al-Kuwari pointed to individual diet behavior.
He added that the modern lifestyle that has increasingly spread among Gulf citizens has also worsened the situation.
Additionally, Dr. Al-Kuwari pointed out that there are other factors that have exacerbated the problem. “The absence of national programs with clear visions and insufficient budgetary allocations are hindering plans for preventing the early detection of the disease,” he said.
He added that there is also an apparent shortage in the number of medical specialists to treat patients with diabetes. “Despite the fact that diabetes tops the strategies and priorities of the ministries of health in the Gulf states, it is marginalized when it comes to budget allocations,” he said.
Dr. Kuwari said statistics recorded in 2007 show that the disease affected 14 to 20 percent of the total Gulf population. “Despite the fact that diabetes is recognized as a major health problem in the GCC states, it is still on the rise, not only in adults but also in children and adolescents,” he said.
“Furthermore, type two diabetes is now appearing in younger age groups in which obesity is evident. All these factors demand improved measures to curb the human and economic burden of this chronic condition through prevention, proper care and effective management,” he added.
The GGSD, established in Qatar in 2000, is a nongovernmental group consisting of regional endocrinologists and physicians who are concerned about the increase in diabetic cases in the region. – SGFacts about diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes is usually first diagnosed in children, teenagers, or young adults.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease. People can develop it at any age, but it is often diagnosed in later life and is commonly found in people who are overweight and do little exercise.
Signs and Symptoms
If you find yourself with any of the following symptoms, it is important you visit your doctor to get tested for diabetes:
1. Feeling tired
2. Frequent urination (especially at night)
3. Being very thirsty
4. Weight loss
5. Blurry eyesight
6. Recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections
7. Sores that heal slowly
8. Dry, itchy skin, and
9. Loss of feeling or feet tingling
JEDDAH – A researcher has warned against the “dreadful” spread of diabetes in the GCC states if countries fail to take immediate preventive measures.
According to Dr. Abdurrahman Al-Kuwari, head of the Gulf Group for the Study of Diabetes (GGSD), the GCC countries should urgently develop all the necessary programs and plans to impede what he called the “fastest spreading disease” in the region.
He pointed out that five GCC states are listed among the top ten countries in the world with the highest rate of diabetes.
He added that the risk factors in Gulf societies are high, especially in the pre-diabetes phase.
Identifying the reasons why the disease is increasing so rapidly in the world’s richest region, Dr. Al-Kuwari pointed to individual diet behavior.
He added that the modern lifestyle that has increasingly spread among Gulf citizens has also worsened the situation.
Additionally, Dr. Al-Kuwari pointed out that there are other factors that have exacerbated the problem. “The absence of national programs with clear visions and insufficient budgetary allocations are hindering plans for preventing the early detection of the disease,” he said.
He added that there is also an apparent shortage in the number of medical specialists to treat patients with diabetes. “Despite the fact that diabetes tops the strategies and priorities of the ministries of health in the Gulf states, it is marginalized when it comes to budget allocations,” he said.
Dr. Kuwari said statistics recorded in 2007 show that the disease affected 14 to 20 percent of the total Gulf population. “Despite the fact that diabetes is recognized as a major health problem in the GCC states, it is still on the rise, not only in adults but also in children and adolescents,” he said.
“Furthermore, type two diabetes is now appearing in younger age groups in which obesity is evident. All these factors demand improved measures to curb the human and economic burden of this chronic condition through prevention, proper care and effective management,” he added.
The GGSD, established in Qatar in 2000, is a nongovernmental group consisting of regional endocrinologists and physicians who are concerned about the increase in diabetic cases in the region. – SGFacts about diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes is usually first diagnosed in children, teenagers, or young adults.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease. People can develop it at any age, but it is often diagnosed in later life and is commonly found in people who are overweight and do little exercise.
Signs and Symptoms
If you find yourself with any of the following symptoms, it is important you visit your doctor to get tested for diabetes:
1. Feeling tired
2. Frequent urination (especially at night)
3. Being very thirsty
4. Weight loss
5. Blurry eyesight
6. Recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections
7. Sores that heal slowly
8. Dry, itchy skin, and
9. Loss of feeling or feet tingling
Ittihad beats Wehdah 2-0
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Al-Ittihad won its delayed round-6 match against its guest Al-Wehdah 2-0 at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium Monday.
Moroccan striker Hicham Aboucherouane put the former league champion in the lead eight minutes before the break and midfielder Manaf Abu Shugair sealed the win eight minutes before the final whistle.
Muhanned Asseri of the guest team failed to score from the spot in the 58th minute after the Moroccan midfielder Rafiq Abdussamad was brought down in the box.
Ittihad performed better and succeeded to gain three points which marked the first participation of the team’s new Argentinean coach Enzo Hector, who set up a special camera in the stadium to help analyze his players’ performance.
Al-Ittihad is still third on the standings with 39 points while Makkah Knights are sixth with 26 points with one match in hand.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Nasr draws with Ahli
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Al-Nasr shared two goals with its guest Al-Ahli in round 20 of the Saudi Zain Professional League at King Fahd International Stadium Saturday.
After this draw, Nasr is fourth on the standings with 31 points and two delayed matches against Hazm and Wehdah. Al-Ahli is fifth with 27 points and a match in hand, against Hazm. Wehdah is sixth with 26 points and two matches in hand.
Nasr midfielder Ahmed Abbas put the host in the lead in the 24th minute before Ahli Brazilian striker Victor Simoes leveled the score six minutes after the break.
The two teams played an interesting match and threatened each others’ goal several times. In the 19th minute Ahli striker Malik Mo’adh hit the Nasr post.
However, Mohammed Al-Sahlawi and Figueroa of Nasr were no luckier than Mo’adh when two of their attempts hit the Greens’ post. The teams then exchanged counterattacks but the teams goalkeepers were performing well while strikers of both teams were not lucky enough
Friday, January 29, 2010
3 bottom clubs fight for survival
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – The three bottom clubs of the Saudi Zain Professional League continued their fight for survival. However, goal difference will seem to be decisive in the next rounds.
Two teams, Al-Ra’id and Al-Qadisiyah, are in the 10th and 11th positions on the standings with 14 points each after their wins in the 20th round of the competition.
Najran, which was 10th before the 20th round, is now 12th following its defeat by its guest Al-Ra’id 1-0 at Al-Okhdoud Club Stadium Friday.
Mohsen Al-Qarni scored his team’s only goal ten minutes before the break.
The host team failed to gain anything from this crucial encounter. Najran striker Al-Hasan Al-Yami, who played alone upfront, had not recovered fully from a previous injury and it affected his performance.
With one match still in hand, the winner is now tenth with 14 points with an eight-goal difference ahead of Al-Qadisiyah which has the same number of points.
On the other hand, Al-Qadisiyah defeated its guest Al-Hazm 3-1 at Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Stadium. The win moved the host from the bottom to the 11th place.
Qadisiyah goals came through the Brazilian striker Nelson Figueredo in the 7th minute, the Nigerian striker John Jampo in the 68th before Peruvian midfielder Juan Cominges sealed the win from the spot in the 90th. Hazm’s only goal was scored by midfielder Abdullah Al-Hayder, a minute before the break.
On Saturday, Al-Nasr will host Al-Ahli at King Fahd International Stadium. Nasr is fourth with 30 points and two matches in hand. On the other hand, Ahli is sixth with 26 points (eight goal difference) behind Al-Wehdah.
JEDDAH – The three bottom clubs of the Saudi Zain Professional League continued their fight for survival. However, goal difference will seem to be decisive in the next rounds.
Two teams, Al-Ra’id and Al-Qadisiyah, are in the 10th and 11th positions on the standings with 14 points each after their wins in the 20th round of the competition.
Najran, which was 10th before the 20th round, is now 12th following its defeat by its guest Al-Ra’id 1-0 at Al-Okhdoud Club Stadium Friday.
Mohsen Al-Qarni scored his team’s only goal ten minutes before the break.
The host team failed to gain anything from this crucial encounter. Najran striker Al-Hasan Al-Yami, who played alone upfront, had not recovered fully from a previous injury and it affected his performance.
With one match still in hand, the winner is now tenth with 14 points with an eight-goal difference ahead of Al-Qadisiyah which has the same number of points.
On the other hand, Al-Qadisiyah defeated its guest Al-Hazm 3-1 at Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Stadium. The win moved the host from the bottom to the 11th place.
Qadisiyah goals came through the Brazilian striker Nelson Figueredo in the 7th minute, the Nigerian striker John Jampo in the 68th before Peruvian midfielder Juan Cominges sealed the win from the spot in the 90th. Hazm’s only goal was scored by midfielder Abdullah Al-Hayder, a minute before the break.
On Saturday, Al-Nasr will host Al-Ahli at King Fahd International Stadium. Nasr is fourth with 30 points and two matches in hand. On the other hand, Ahli is sixth with 26 points (eight goal difference) behind Al-Wehdah.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Al-Hilal handed Saudi Professional League trophy
Photo caption: Al-Hilal players celebrate with the Saudi Zain Premier League Trophy after their win against Ittifaq at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh Thursday. - AP
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Prince Sultan Bin Fahd, Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and President of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare, awarded the Zain Saudi Professional League Trophy to Al-Hilal in Riyadh Thursday.
The awarding ceremony followed the Hilal vs. Al-Ittifaq match, which Hilal won 1-0 at the King Fahd International Stadium where most of the seats were occupied by the Hilal fans.
Al-Ittifaq defender and skipper Sayyaf Al-Bishi handed Hilal the lone goal of the game when he scored an own goal in the 75th minute.
Hilal skipper Yasser Al-Qahtani had earlier in the first half made several attempts at Ittifaq goal but was denied by keeper Mohammed Khoja. Another attempt by Hilal’s Majed Al-Marshadi hit the bar.
After the match Hilal players celebrated the victory with their fans who were granted free tickets by the team’s sponsor Mobily.
Although Hilal had clinched the title after the 19th round win, the Blues’ coach fielded a full-strength team to win the numbers’ game as well. After 20 matches Hilal has won 17, drew two and lost one (against city rival Al-Nasr).
Hilal midfielder Mohammed Al-Shalhoub is still the top scorer in the league with 12 goals, followed by Thiago Neves with 11.
The trophy, handed over to Hilal, is a silver hand-made item very much like the trophies handed to champion sides in Europe. It is made by the famous English company Asprey, which has a long history of designing sports awards. The winner’s name will be carved on the analogous cup, which is 90 percent the size of the original cup, to be handed over to the winning team.
In the other matches of the night Al-Shabab beat Al-Ittihad 2-1 and Al-Wehdah thrashed Al-Fateh 6-1. Moroccan striker Abdul-Karim Benhania scored a hat trick in Wehdah’s win.
Wehdah is fifth in the standings with 26 points, while Fateh is eighth with 21.
Shabab, meanwhile, stayed second with 40 points, 13 behind the champion Hilal while Ittihad is third on 36.
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Prince Sultan Bin Fahd, Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and President of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare, awarded the Zain Saudi Professional League Trophy to Al-Hilal in Riyadh Thursday.
The awarding ceremony followed the Hilal vs. Al-Ittifaq match, which Hilal won 1-0 at the King Fahd International Stadium where most of the seats were occupied by the Hilal fans.
Al-Ittifaq defender and skipper Sayyaf Al-Bishi handed Hilal the lone goal of the game when he scored an own goal in the 75th minute.
Hilal skipper Yasser Al-Qahtani had earlier in the first half made several attempts at Ittifaq goal but was denied by keeper Mohammed Khoja. Another attempt by Hilal’s Majed Al-Marshadi hit the bar.
After the match Hilal players celebrated the victory with their fans who were granted free tickets by the team’s sponsor Mobily.
Although Hilal had clinched the title after the 19th round win, the Blues’ coach fielded a full-strength team to win the numbers’ game as well. After 20 matches Hilal has won 17, drew two and lost one (against city rival Al-Nasr).
Hilal midfielder Mohammed Al-Shalhoub is still the top scorer in the league with 12 goals, followed by Thiago Neves with 11.
The trophy, handed over to Hilal, is a silver hand-made item very much like the trophies handed to champion sides in Europe. It is made by the famous English company Asprey, which has a long history of designing sports awards. The winner’s name will be carved on the analogous cup, which is 90 percent the size of the original cup, to be handed over to the winning team.
In the other matches of the night Al-Shabab beat Al-Ittihad 2-1 and Al-Wehdah thrashed Al-Fateh 6-1. Moroccan striker Abdul-Karim Benhania scored a hat trick in Wehdah’s win.
Wehdah is fifth in the standings with 26 points, while Fateh is eighth with 21.
Shabab, meanwhile, stayed second with 40 points, 13 behind the champion Hilal while Ittihad is third on 36.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Six-a-side football event in the offing
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Fitness Time is organizing the country’s biggest six-a-side football tournament to be held concurrently in nine cities of the Kingdom, it was announced here Saturday.
The tournament, under the theme “Footbal Revolution” aims to show the initiative to set up sporting events at a high level of organization and planning in order to involve the community in vital activities.
According to Abdul-Mohsen Al-Haqbani, Chairman of the Board of LJAM Sport Company, the tournament coincides with World Cup 2010, the time when football mania reaches its peak. He added that the competition gives a golden opportunity to local clubs to discover new football talents. “Football arouses enthusiasm of the larger segment of the world population of different age groups and cultures. Saudi Arabia is no exception,” he told a press conference.
A recent study, Haqbani said, has found out that nearly 82 percent of their patrons play football in addition to body-building, fitness regimes and aerobics.
“Some 78% of our visitors practice swimming as an additional activity while 53% play volleyball. Basketball came third at 38%. Handball is being played by only 19% of the visitors,” he said.
Haqbani also announced that their social responsibility has made them decide to introduce a specialized health magazine. “For this publication, we will hire health expert writers to target the community health concerns and shed light on the importance of preserving good health. We will also try to help fight the society’s most dangerous phenomenon; obesity,” Haqbani added.
Haqbani told Saudi Gazette that they are ready to host women in their centers whenever approved by the authorities.
The four-month competition will go through three stages; the registration stage which expires on March 23, and the playoffs stage in the period from March 25 until April 21. Registered teams will compete for representation of their city on a card at the final stage which extends from April 22 until the final match on May 6.
Mohamed Sabih, Marketing Manager at LJAM Sport Company, predicted that the registration stage will produce 5,500 participants. “Teams from Riyadh, Jeddah, Madina, Khamis Mushayt, Makkah, Tabuk, Hail and Dammam will compete in knockout matches,” Sabih said.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Al-Hilal clinches Saudi League title
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Al-Hilal secured the Zain Saudi Professional League title after beating its host Al-Hazm 2-0 at Al-Hazm Club Stadium Sunday.
With 50 points and three more matches to go, Hilal also secured a place in the AFC Champions League. The win hands Hilal 49 crowns, 12 of them league titles.
In other matches, Ittihad defeated its host Al-Nasr 1-0, while Al-Ra’id beat Al-Qadisiyah 2-0 at home.
Striker Eissa Al-Muhayani put Hilal in the lead five minutes before the break. Nawaf Al-Abed sealed the win in midway through the second half.
Hilal and Hazm put on a good performance from the start, but the latter could not resist the league leader’s stars for long.
Christian Wilhelmsson was at his usual best and it was on his cross that young striker Muhayani kicked with his heel to put Hilal up 1-0.
Al-Abed, a replacement for Wilhelmsson, put Hilal up 2-0 for good in the 72nd minute when he hit the ball which bounced off Hazm keeper on a shot by Brazilian midfielder Thiago Nevez.
Both the sides made a couple of replacements each but they did not do them any good.
Hazm dearly missed the services of the injured Salahuddin Eqal and Waleed Al-Jaizani, who has left for Al-Shabab.
The match again saw a breach in security when two teenagers entered the field but were arrested before they could reach Yasser Al-Qahtani, towards whom they seem to be running.
An early and the only goal at King Fahd International Stadium by striker Talal Al-Misha’al gave Al-Ittihad three points in its match against Al-Nasr.
The unmarked Al-Misha’al headed the ball into the right corner of Nasr keeper Khaled Radhi on a cross from Saud Kariri in the 3rd minute.
Ittihad is third in the standings with 36 points and has a match in hand, while Al-Nasr is fourth on 30 points and two matches in hand.
Ra’id, meanwhile, collected its three points with a 2-0 win over 10-man Al-Qadisiyah at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium.
Abdul-Majeed Al-Ruwali and Mousa Al-Shammari scored the goals.
The win puts Ra’id in the 11th spot with 11 points and a match in hand. Al-
Qadisiyah, however, is a spot behind with the same number of points but a nine-goal difference.
JEDDAH – Al-Hilal secured the Zain Saudi Professional League title after beating its host Al-Hazm 2-0 at Al-Hazm Club Stadium Sunday.
With 50 points and three more matches to go, Hilal also secured a place in the AFC Champions League. The win hands Hilal 49 crowns, 12 of them league titles.
In other matches, Ittihad defeated its host Al-Nasr 1-0, while Al-Ra’id beat Al-Qadisiyah 2-0 at home.
Striker Eissa Al-Muhayani put Hilal in the lead five minutes before the break. Nawaf Al-Abed sealed the win in midway through the second half.
Hilal and Hazm put on a good performance from the start, but the latter could not resist the league leader’s stars for long.
Christian Wilhelmsson was at his usual best and it was on his cross that young striker Muhayani kicked with his heel to put Hilal up 1-0.
Al-Abed, a replacement for Wilhelmsson, put Hilal up 2-0 for good in the 72nd minute when he hit the ball which bounced off Hazm keeper on a shot by Brazilian midfielder Thiago Nevez.
Both the sides made a couple of replacements each but they did not do them any good.
Hazm dearly missed the services of the injured Salahuddin Eqal and Waleed Al-Jaizani, who has left for Al-Shabab.
The match again saw a breach in security when two teenagers entered the field but were arrested before they could reach Yasser Al-Qahtani, towards whom they seem to be running.
An early and the only goal at King Fahd International Stadium by striker Talal Al-Misha’al gave Al-Ittihad three points in its match against Al-Nasr.
The unmarked Al-Misha’al headed the ball into the right corner of Nasr keeper Khaled Radhi on a cross from Saud Kariri in the 3rd minute.
Ittihad is third in the standings with 36 points and has a match in hand, while Al-Nasr is fourth on 30 points and two matches in hand.
Ra’id, meanwhile, collected its three points with a 2-0 win over 10-man Al-Qadisiyah at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium.
Abdul-Majeed Al-Ruwali and Mousa Al-Shammari scored the goals.
The win puts Ra’id in the 11th spot with 11 points and a match in hand. Al-
Qadisiyah, however, is a spot behind with the same number of points but a nine-goal difference.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Shabab held, loses hope of catching Hilal
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Al-Shabab lost hope of catching up with Zain Saudi Professional League leader Al-Hilal after playing out a goalless draw with Al-Ittifaq at the Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Stadium Saturday.
Shabab, runner-up with 37 points, trails Hilal by 10 points. Ittifaq is seventh with 21 points and a match in hand.
In other action on the night Al-Ahli beat Al-Wehdah 2-0 and Najran beat Al-Fateh 1-0.
Shabab and Ittifaq, meanwhile, played out a dour game, which was attended by a small number of spectators.
Shabab coach brought in Brazilian midfielder Marcelo Camacho for striker Abdul Aziz Al-Sa’aran, but the change failed to bring about a change on the scoresheet.
Ittifaq’s Bulgarian coach also made a couple of changes, however, they also failed to bring the desired result.
The last 20 minutes saw both teams create a number of chances but failed to finish them.
Shabab was in action 48 hours after lifting the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup.
Abdullah Al-Ostta almost gave Shabab the winning goal when his blazing shot two minutes from time hit the bar and landed in front of the goalline only to be cleared by the Ittifaq defenders.
At Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, Al-Ahli swapped positions with Al-Wehdah after the host, Ahli, blanked Al-Wehdah 2-0.
Ahli had Wehdah defender Sulaiman Ameedo to thank for the opening goal after he headed Ahli striker Mohammed Al-Sifri’s kick into his own goal instead of heading it over the post.
Ahli scored the second through midfielder Mohammed Musa’ad, who put the Malik Mo’adh pass into the right corner of Wehdah keeper Assaf Al-Qarni 15 minutes after the break.
With one match in hand, Ahli sits fifth in the standings with 26 points.
Wehdah is sixth with 23 points, with two matches in hand.
The third match saw Najran beat its host Al-Fateh 1-0 at the Prince Abdullah Bin Jalawi Sports City.
Nigerian midfielder Mousa Sulaiman scored the only goal of the match in the 68th minute for Najran.
The win puts Najran in the 10th spot with 13 points, while Al-Fateh is 8th with 21.
New chief, members for SAFF referee committee
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Prince Sultan Bin Fahd, President of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare and Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, reshuffled the federation’s General Referee Committee in Riyadh Friday.
Omar Al-Muhanna has been named as the chairman of the committee in place
of Abdullah Al-Nasser.
Ibrahim Al-Amr has been appointed as deputy chairman for referee affairs while Ali Al-Turaify has been given the post of deputy chairman for the referee supervision affairs. Muhanna Al-Shubaiky, Mohammed Al-Muqayteb,
Mohammed Al-Sharief and Mohammed Al-Suwayel have been named as members of the newly-shaped committee.
The changes, which aim to improve the performance of the referee committee, also included the appointment of Mohammed Sa’ad Bakhit as reporter of the committee and Mohammad Bin Awwad Fouda as the committee’s part-time consultant.
The GPYW president also thanked the former members of the committee for their efforts and wished them success in their future endeavors.
The changes came about after the former committee members were severely criticized for their handling of the referee Abdurrahman Al-Amri’s case.
Al-Amri had allowed a ‘goal’ to stand during the Shabab vs. Fateh Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup semifinals recently. The goal handed Shabab a 3-2 knockout win over Fateh. Shabab went on to claim the trophy beating Hilal 2-1 in the final in Riyadh Thursday.
The interesting goal four minutes into extra-time put Shabab in the final when Abdullah Al-Ostta hit the ball into Fateh’s goal after it bounced off the post on his spot kick.
The committee later claimed that the referee had heard the ball touching the keeper’s hand before Ostta put it into the goal.
JEDDAH – Prince Sultan Bin Fahd, President of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare and Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, reshuffled the federation’s General Referee Committee in Riyadh Friday.
Omar Al-Muhanna has been named as the chairman of the committee in place
of Abdullah Al-Nasser.
Ibrahim Al-Amr has been appointed as deputy chairman for referee affairs while Ali Al-Turaify has been given the post of deputy chairman for the referee supervision affairs. Muhanna Al-Shubaiky, Mohammed Al-Muqayteb,
Mohammed Al-Sharief and Mohammed Al-Suwayel have been named as members of the newly-shaped committee.
The changes, which aim to improve the performance of the referee committee, also included the appointment of Mohammed Sa’ad Bakhit as reporter of the committee and Mohammad Bin Awwad Fouda as the committee’s part-time consultant.
The GPYW president also thanked the former members of the committee for their efforts and wished them success in their future endeavors.
The changes came about after the former committee members were severely criticized for their handling of the referee Abdurrahman Al-Amri’s case.
Al-Amri had allowed a ‘goal’ to stand during the Shabab vs. Fateh Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup semifinals recently. The goal handed Shabab a 3-2 knockout win over Fateh. Shabab went on to claim the trophy beating Hilal 2-1 in the final in Riyadh Thursday.
The interesting goal four minutes into extra-time put Shabab in the final when Abdullah Al-Ostta hit the ball into Fateh’s goal after it bounced off the post on his spot kick.
The committee later claimed that the referee had heard the ball touching the keeper’s hand before Ostta put it into the goal.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Al-Shabab lifts Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Al-Shabab succeeded in retaining Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup beating Al-Hilal 2-1 at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh Thursday.
Eissa Al-Muhayani put Hilal in front five minutes before the break. However, Abdul-Malik Al-Khaibari of Shabab leveled the score in the second half before his teammate Ali Otaif sealed the win for the White Lions. The win also secured Shabab a spot in the GCC Club Championship.
Prince Nawaf Bin Faisal Bin Fahd, Deputy President of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare, handed over the trophy to Shabab skipper Naif Al-Qadhi before giving away the gold medals to the team players. Prince Faisal also gave the winning team a cash prize of SR1 million.
Hilal players won the silver medals for their effort along with a cash prize of SR500,000.
Shabab dominated the first 20 minutes of match after which Hilal took over and also succeeded in scoring a goal five minutes before the break.
Hilal midfielder Mohammed Al-Shalhoub hit a perfectly placed kick from the corner and Muhayani headed it into the far right corner of Shabab keeper Waleed Abdullah.
Shabab equalized on an error committed by Hilal keeper when he failed to grab a cross kick and Al-Khaibari made the most of it by heading it into the Hilal goal.
Hilal coach replaced Shalhoub with Salman Al-Mua’asher after the goal in an attempt to boost his front line. This change, however, paved the way for Shabab to put more pressure on Hilal and score the winning goal.
This time it was Ali Otaif who put the ball into Hilal goal as soon as he received it in the 68th minute. The move was so sudden that Hilal defender Sultan Al-Bishi could not even make an attempt to save the goal.
Hilal coach then brought in Yasser Al-Qahtani in place of Ahmed Al-Furaidy. Qahtani, however, could not help Hilal change the result.
Shabab keeper Abdullah, however, did well to save a Hasan Khairat scorcher from inside the area to keep his team ahead. The four extra minutes went peacefully securing the win for Shabab.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Unauthorized women gym shut
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – The Jeddah General Management of Health Affairs closed down a fitness club for women in one of the city’s health centers for violation of rules and for employing unqualified staff who were not under the owner’s sponsorship, said Director of Jeddah Health Affairs Dr. Sami Badawood.
Dr. Mahmoud Abdul Jawad, head of medical licenses department, said inspection of health centers will continue and violators will be punished.
Last year, some Shoura Council members had asked the General Presidency for Youth Welfare to expedite the process of establishing female-exclusive sports centers.
The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs recently closed down two unlicensed female gyms in Jeddah and one in Dammam.
At present, women gyms are allowed only inside hospitals as “health centers” supervised by the Ministry of Health. But these health centers are very expensive which only the affluent can afford. So budget health centers for women have sprung up under the guise of “beauty salons” or “studios.”
JEDDAH – The Jeddah General Management of Health Affairs closed down a fitness club for women in one of the city’s health centers for violation of rules and for employing unqualified staff who were not under the owner’s sponsorship, said Director of Jeddah Health Affairs Dr. Sami Badawood.
Dr. Mahmoud Abdul Jawad, head of medical licenses department, said inspection of health centers will continue and violators will be punished.
Last year, some Shoura Council members had asked the General Presidency for Youth Welfare to expedite the process of establishing female-exclusive sports centers.
The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs recently closed down two unlicensed female gyms in Jeddah and one in Dammam.
At present, women gyms are allowed only inside hospitals as “health centers” supervised by the Ministry of Health. But these health centers are very expensive which only the affluent can afford. So budget health centers for women have sprung up under the guise of “beauty salons” or “studios.”
Ittihad shares goals, points with Ittifaq
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – Al-Ittihad shared two goals with Al-Ittifaq in an 18th round match of the Saudi Zain Professional League at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium Tuesday.
The draw has almost ended the champion’s hope to keep the title. In other matches, Al-Nasr defeated Al-Wehdah 2-0 while league leader Al-Hilal won over Al-Ra’id 2-1.
The Romanian striker Cristian Danalache put Ittifaq in the lead two minutes after the kickoff when he scored from the spot. However, Talal Al-Misha’al of Ittihad leveled the score from the same spot in the 89th minute.
Ittihad defender Hamad Al-Montashiri brought down Yousof Al-Salem in the box. The former was yellow carded before Danalache succeeded to score.
Ittihad missed the services of a number of its key players –Tunisian striker Amine Al-Chermiti is participating in the African nations Cup, midfielder Mohammed Noor did not take part for unknown reasons and Osama Al-Muallad is suspended.
Ittihad is still third on the standings with 33 points and one match in hand. Ittifaq is 9th with 20 points and a suspended match.
At King Abdul Aziz Sports City Al-Nasr collected three points after defeating Al-Wehdah 2-0. Skipper Husain Abdul-Ghani put his team in the lead seven minutes before the break. Taking advantage of a defender’s mistake, the Argentinean midfielder Victor Alberto Figueroa sealed Nasr win four minutes before the break. Nasr is fourth (30) with two matches in hand while Wehdah is fifth (23).
Al-Hilal won over its guest Al-Ra’id 2-1 at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium. Striker Yasser Al-Qahtani put his team in the lead seconds before the break. Midfielder Mohammed Al-Shalhoub, league top scorer with 12 goals, succeeded to score from the spot. Ra’id striker Mousa Al-Shammari headed into the goal scoring his team’s only goal.
With the conclusion of this round, Hilal is on top with 47 points (11 points ahead of Shabab). Hilal will play against Al-Hazm in the next round. If the leader succeeds to get that match’s three points, it will become the winner of the competition irrespective of other results.
JEDDAH – Al-Ittihad shared two goals with Al-Ittifaq in an 18th round match of the Saudi Zain Professional League at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium Tuesday.
The draw has almost ended the champion’s hope to keep the title. In other matches, Al-Nasr defeated Al-Wehdah 2-0 while league leader Al-Hilal won over Al-Ra’id 2-1.
The Romanian striker Cristian Danalache put Ittifaq in the lead two minutes after the kickoff when he scored from the spot. However, Talal Al-Misha’al of Ittihad leveled the score from the same spot in the 89th minute.
Ittihad defender Hamad Al-Montashiri brought down Yousof Al-Salem in the box. The former was yellow carded before Danalache succeeded to score.
Ittihad missed the services of a number of its key players –Tunisian striker Amine Al-Chermiti is participating in the African nations Cup, midfielder Mohammed Noor did not take part for unknown reasons and Osama Al-Muallad is suspended.
Ittihad is still third on the standings with 33 points and one match in hand. Ittifaq is 9th with 20 points and a suspended match.
At King Abdul Aziz Sports City Al-Nasr collected three points after defeating Al-Wehdah 2-0. Skipper Husain Abdul-Ghani put his team in the lead seven minutes before the break. Taking advantage of a defender’s mistake, the Argentinean midfielder Victor Alberto Figueroa sealed Nasr win four minutes before the break. Nasr is fourth (30) with two matches in hand while Wehdah is fifth (23).
Al-Hilal won over its guest Al-Ra’id 2-1 at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium. Striker Yasser Al-Qahtani put his team in the lead seconds before the break. Midfielder Mohammed Al-Shalhoub, league top scorer with 12 goals, succeeded to score from the spot. Ra’id striker Mousa Al-Shammari headed into the goal scoring his team’s only goal.
With the conclusion of this round, Hilal is on top with 47 points (11 points ahead of Shabab). Hilal will play against Al-Hazm in the next round. If the leader succeeds to get that match’s three points, it will become the winner of the competition irrespective of other results.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Poor representation of Saudi women at leadership conference
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
MANAMA - A Bahraini minister caused a furor among some of women delegates at a conference in the city when he claimed that the reason for women not being able to become leaders is that other women refuse to work under them.
The statement was made by Dr. Majeed Al-Alawi, Bahraini Minister of Labor at the Second Annual Regional Conference held Sunday at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Manama, Bahrain.
The theme of the conference was “Women and leadership”. The conference’s panel included Najar Al-Baharna, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Mai Al-Khalifa, Minister of Culture and Information. The conference was organized by BNP Paribas.
“One of the main reasons for the lack of women in leadership positions is that most women cannot accept working under the leadership of another woman,” said Al-Alawi in his speech.
He said that religion had nothing to do with it.
“It is for cultural reasons; not due to any religious or political reasons. The government is keen to put women into the labor market. For that reason, it has decided that employing a single woman is equivalent to employing to two men in Bahrainization.”
However, Dr. Reem Badran, Vice President of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce and head of the investment committee at the Arab League, challenged the minister’s view.
“It was women who helped me in the elections for a position at the chamber,” she said.
“This meeting can help us take women to even more leadership positions, especially in the private sector. The problem is how to persuade men to give women a chance to prove themselves,” she added.
She said that Saudi women have made great strides in society.“Saudi women are highly educated and they can succeed when assigned to management positions. Many of them are running their own businesses,” she said.
However, there was poor representation of Saudi women at the event.
Amal Al-Zahrani, a member of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), who was perhaps the only Saudi female to attend the conference, told Saudi Gazette, she was shocked by the absence of Saudi women.
“Saudi women should have attended such an important event that discusses women’s issues,” she said.
She added that it was perhaps a norm for Saudi women to prefer to keep away from such meetings.
“We have held several meetings at the JCCI but their absence was noticeable. In fact, these forums and conferences are of great importance to Saudi women because of their knowledge of cultural and scientific fields,” she added.
Al-Zahrani said that she was told that a number of Saudi women would attend the conference, but she found herself alone.
“Their absence has really raised a big question mark over their demands and their contribution,” she added.
The conference was followed by various workshops that covered women in politics, education, media and business.
As for politics, participants concluded that women need to be exposed to political processes. However, lack of skills, knowledge and willingness among women to participate were all identified as obstacles.
Participants at the education workshop discussed the gap between the outcomes of universities and the labor market. They called for changes to the education system.
In another workshop that discussed women and business, the participants believed that the greatest obstacles facing women are family issues and time.
The participants at the media workshop said a committee should be formed, linked to the Gulf Cooperation Council to help women take leadership positions in various industries.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Campaign launched against dengue fever
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – The Jeddah Health Affairs Management has begun an intensive campaign to fight dengue fever and spread health awareness among people.
Some one million dengue fever awareness brochures have been printed for distribution in the city. The brochures contain information about the disease, its symptoms and methods of prevention.
According to Munira Balahmar, head of the health awareness committee, some 150 community health instructors have received three intensive courses on dengue fever.
“These instructors will soon pay visits to residents in their homes to educate them about the disease and the ways it can spread. They will also give information about where the disease-carrying mosquitoes may hide and breed,” Balahmar said.
She added that nearly all the pharmacists at Al-Nahdi pharmacies throughout the city have been trained to help her committee achieve its goals.
“We have also agreed with the pharmacies to place some 50 awareness posters on the front of their drugstores. The cooperation also includes the placement of other brochures about the role of the health instructors on the cash counters of Al-Nahdi pharmacies in both Jeddah and Makkah,” she said.
Hilal to meet Shabab in final
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – It will be Al-Hilal versus Al-Shabab in the final of the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup. In the second semifinal, which went into extra-time at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Sulaiman Al-Mua’asher clinched the winner for host in a 4-3 decision.
Ahmed Al-Furaidy put Al-Hilal in the lead in the second minute before Badr Al-Kharashi leveled the score three minutes before the break. However, Abdurraheem Al-Jizawi of Al-Ahli handed his team the lead nine minutes after the break. Eissa Al-Muhayani succeeded to level the score from the spot in the 73rd minute.
The match was taken to extra time after four minutes of injury time. Al-Jizawi put the guest team in the lead in the 104th minute, but Nawaf Al-Abed leveled from the spot nine minutes later.
Substitute Al-Mua’asher was brought in in the 110th minute. Three minutes later, he sealed Al-Hilal win after he beat Al-Ahli goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Ma’ayouf.
It was the first match for Ahli’s new coach, Brazilian Farias.
Al-Ahli striker Malik Mo’adh was shown the red card for protesting referee, Marea Awaji’s decision in the last minue of the match.
However, Waleed Abdurabou of Al-Ahli was also given the red card for the same reason but after the final whistle.
Shabab had earlier qualified after beating Al-Fateh 3-2 last Sunday in a match that was also taken to extra time.
JEDDAH – It will be Al-Hilal versus Al-Shabab in the final of the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Cup. In the second semifinal, which went into extra-time at Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Sulaiman Al-Mua’asher clinched the winner for host in a 4-3 decision.
Ahmed Al-Furaidy put Al-Hilal in the lead in the second minute before Badr Al-Kharashi leveled the score three minutes before the break. However, Abdurraheem Al-Jizawi of Al-Ahli handed his team the lead nine minutes after the break. Eissa Al-Muhayani succeeded to level the score from the spot in the 73rd minute.
The match was taken to extra time after four minutes of injury time. Al-Jizawi put the guest team in the lead in the 104th minute, but Nawaf Al-Abed leveled from the spot nine minutes later.
Substitute Al-Mua’asher was brought in in the 110th minute. Three minutes later, he sealed Al-Hilal win after he beat Al-Ahli goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Ma’ayouf.
It was the first match for Ahli’s new coach, Brazilian Farias.
Al-Ahli striker Malik Mo’adh was shown the red card for protesting referee, Marea Awaji’s decision in the last minue of the match.
However, Waleed Abdurabou of Al-Ahli was also given the red card for the same reason but after the final whistle.
Shabab had earlier qualified after beating Al-Fateh 3-2 last Sunday in a match that was also taken to extra time.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Medical e-archives underway
By Mohammed Al-Kinani
JEDDAH – The General Medical Committee here is busy working on electronically archiving more than 54,000 paper files, to construct a fully automated record system.
According to Dr. Sami Badawood, Director General of Jeddah Health Affairs Management, the move comes in response to the call by the Minister of Health to speed up the work of the committee.
Meanwhile, he pointed out that Health Affairs Management has entered into discussions with the city’s large government medical centers to expedite the admission of critical cases.
“We have urged the large local government medical centers to offer every possible help to patients suffering from serious medical conditions. These centers are King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, King Abdul Aziz University Hospital, the National Guard Hospital and the Armed Forces Hospital,” he said.
He added that the Minister of Health is keen on monitoring the performance of the committee and has always demanded that it provide the best service it can while respecting patients’ feelings and those of their relatives.
He summarized the role that the Committee plays within the framework of the services provided by Health Affairs Management.
“The committee is involved in providing special service to those suffering from chronic diseases and suffering from critical medical conditions,” Badawood said.
“Employees in this center look into the critical cases of patients who need to be transferred to advanced medical centers in the Kingdoms or abroad,” he explained.
“They search for suitable medical institutes that can provide the necessary treatment. If patients cannot be admitted to any of the Kingdom’s government or private hospitals, the committee coordinates with the General Directorate for Medical Committees which consult the health attaches in our embassies to look for specialized centers abroad,” he added.
Badawood, who spoke during his visit to the new headquarters of the General Medical Committee, assured the public that the expenses for the treatment of patients with critical medical conditions are paid for by the Ministry of Health.
He pointed out that the General Medical Committee has recently moved to a new location in the Al-Nuzhah District because of its increased workload.
The old location in the Mushrifah area suffered from a lack of parking places for those visiting the committee’s headquarters.
“It was necessary that we find a less crowded place for the convenience of visitors,” he said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)