660 Chinese workers embrace Islam in KSA

MAKKAH: Six hundred and sixty Chinese nationals working on the Haramain train construction project have embraced Islam in a ceremony in Makkah.
Abdul Aziz Al-Khudhairi, Makkah Governorate Undersecretary, who witnessed the declaration of the shahada described the event as a “direct response to critics of the government for contracting Chinese company.”

“We received hundreds of letters opposing the signing of a contract with the Chinese company and demanding that Muslims be contracted,” Al-Khudhairi said. “Six hundred and sixty of them have now embraced Islam.

Now those who were calling for them to be dismissed are happy at their embracing Islam.

The numbers will also go up, as this is only the beginning, and represents around ten percent of the 5,000 working on the Haramain train.”

Al-Khudhairi demanded that “our conduct reflect the teachings of our religion and our words should match our deeds to have an effect on people”. “We must also respect human rights,” he added.

Meanwhile, as many as 2,722 people have embraced Islam at the Cooperative Office for Call, Guidance and Awareness of Communities in Al-Taif Governorate.
The Office’s Director General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Ibrahim Al-Sawat pointed out that the office has also distributed during that period 1,247,694 copies of the Holy Qur’an, religious books and pamphlets as well as 225, 901 religious cassettes.

Saudi Arabia best place to do business

RIYADH: The World Bank has ranked the Kingdom as the best place to do business in the entire Middle East and Arab world. The Kingdom is thus ahead of Bahrain (20th), the UAE (33rd) and Qatar (39th), according to the bank’s Annual “Doing Business” report released on Tuesday at a press conference held at the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) headquarters.
According to the report, Saudi Arabia is the 13th most competitive country in the world and is set to become one of the top 10 most competitive countries by 2010.
“Our economic reforms aim at making the Kingdom the most attractive destination for investment in the world,” Dr. Awwad Al-Awwad, deputy governor for Investment Affairs at SAGIA and president of the National Competitiveness Center (NCC), told newsmen. He invited foreign investors to learn more about the business environment in the Kingdom and to join the growing business community in Saudi Arabia.
“Saudi Arabia has shown significant improvements in the ‘Doing Business’ rankings over the past five years, leaping from 67th position in 2004 to 38th in 2006, 16th in 2007 and to the 13th this year,” Al-Awwad said.
He added that the Kingdom’s exceptional performance was the result of the vision of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah whose aim is to modernize the Saudi business environment and attract foreign investors.
The World Bank also ranked Saudi Arabia ahead of advanced economies such as Japan, Germany, France and Switzerland. While Saudi Arabia holds the lead position, improvements in the region generally indicate it is a global hot spot for major investors. The bank praised the Kingdom’s recent reforms which have resulted in the country achieving the higher rank. “These reforms made it easier to do business in Saudi Arabia by simplifying the process, reducing the time and the cost to start a business and obtain permits,” the report stated.
Explaining the steps taken for the development of the Kingdom’s economy, Al-Awwad said the NCC and the “10 x 10” initiative was due to the leadership of King Abdullah.
“Under the king’s leadership, Saudi Arabia aims to become one of the top 10 most competitive countries in the world by 2010,” he said and appreciated the cooperation extended by the members of the private and public sectors and Saudi investors toward the achievement of Kingdom’s economic goals. “Competitiveness drives economic growth and contributes to sustained prosperity, encouraging entrepreneurship and the creation of new jobs.”
Al-Awwad said that the World Bank report was a vital reference for governments, international development agencies, and the private sector to assess the regulatory framework and competitiveness of nations.
“Saudi Arabia’s increased competitiveness signals the ongoing development of a dynamic and diversified economy in the Kingdom.”
He said that measures were being taken with the help of the Supreme Judicial Council to accelerate the establishment of commercial courts in the Kingdom. “We hope that this will become a reality by the end of 2010.” He said that such courts would boost investors’ confidence and bring more investments to the Kingdom.

New malaria 'poses human threat'

An emerging new form of malaria poses a deadly threat to humans, research has shown.
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It had been thought the parasite Plasmodium knowlesi infected only monkeys.
But it has recently been found to be widespread in humans in Malaysia, and the latest study confirms that it can kill if not treated quickly.
The work, by an international team, appears in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Although the new form of the disease has so far been concentrated in South East Asia, the researchers warn that tourism to the region could soon see cases appearing in Western countries too.
than a million people each year.
It is caused by malaria parasites, which are injected into the bloodstream by infected mosquitoes.
Of the four species of malaria parasite that often cause disease in humans, P. falciparum, found most commonly in Africa, is the most deadly.
Another parasite, P. malariae, found in tropical and sub-tropical regions across the globe, has symptoms that are usually less serious.
P. knowlesi had been thought only to infect monkeys, in particular long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques found in the rainforests of South East Asia.
But following work by a team at the University Malaysia Sarawak it has now been recognised as a significant cause of disease in humans.
The latest study shows that P. knowlesi can easily be confused with P. malariae under the microscope.
Speedy reproduction
However, unlike its cousin, P. knowlesi has the ability to reproduce every 24 hours in the blood - meaning infection is potentially deadly.
Researcher Professor Balbir Singh said this meant early diagnosis and treatment were crucial.
The researchers carried out tests on over 150 patients admitted to hospital in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, between July 2006 and January 2008 with malaria infection.
They found that P. knowlesi accounted for more than two-thirds of the infections, resulting in a wide spectrum of disease.
Most cases of infection were uncomplicated and easily treated with drugs, including chloroquine and primaquine.
However, around one in ten patients had developed complications, such as breathing difficulties and kidney problems, and two died.
Although the fatality rate was just under 2%, that made P. knowlesi as deadly as P. falciparum malaria.
And the researchers stress it is hard to determine an accurate fatality rate given the small number of cases so far studied.
Low platelet count
All of the P. knowlesi patients had a low blood platelet count, significantly lower than that usually found for other types of malaria.
However, even though blood platelets are essential for blood clotting, no cases of excessive bleeding or problems with clotting were identified.
The researchers believe the low blood platelet count could be used as a potential way to diagnose P. knowlesi infections.
Professor Singh said: "The increase in tourism in South East Asia may mean that more cases are detected in the future, including in Western countries.
"Clinicians assessing a patient who has visited an area with known or possible P. knowlesi transmission should be aware of the diagnosis, clinical manifestations, and rapid and potentially serious course of P. knowlesi malaria."