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.

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.

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.