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Showing posts with label Middle East. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Middle East. Show all posts

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Breaking News from The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

King Abdullah bin AbdulAziz Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, died at 1:00 am (local time) on Friday, January 23rd, in Riyadh at age 90 following hospitalization December 31st for pneumonia according to official Saudi media. He ruled Saudi Arabia, as its sixth king, since 2005 upon the death of King Fahd but Abdullah had served as regent since his half brother Fahd’s medical incapacitation in 1996.

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King Abdullah (1924-2015)

King Abdullah is also Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers and Commander of the National Guard.

King Abdullah was born in Riyadh in 1924, and received his early education at the royal court. Influenced by his father, founder of the modern Kingdom King Abdulaziz Al Saud, he developed a profound respect for religion, history and the Arab heritage.

King Abdullah’s notable achievements in this area include the launch of four mega economic cities, the creation of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University for Girls, projects to expand the two Holy Mosques and major welfare projects. He also approved a historic reorganization of Saudi Arabia’s judicial system and enacted laws to formalize the royal succession.

May Allah be pleased with him.

Source


Thursday, January 15, 2015

Journey to ten different cities in Saudi Arabia.



Continuing its tour of Saudi Arabia, having visited major cities like Dammam, Riyadh, Dharan. Khobar, and Jubail, Travel Army continued its exploration by visiting ten more cities in Saudi Arabia. Although the destination was Mecca and Medinah, there was transit through Taif, Jeddah, Al-Butain, Al-Khaamis, Al-Majmaah, Al- Qasim, Buraydah and Al- Duwadimi.

It was an interesting family road trip that started on a very cold day.

We set off in the morning at 9a.m., filled the car's fuel tank with just 25 SAR that's like $7.
You do not have to spend much money to have an enthralling vacation. You can make a road trip to cities within the kingdom with little expenses.

Driving on a smooth/free road across vast expanse of desert was captivating. The road signs and the GPS came in very useful. The fascinating cities and people of Saudi Arabia have been intriguing travelers with their peaceful road and delightful landscape. There are police checkpoints at the entrance of most towns. While every town looked similar in outlook, each had its unique and landmark features.
The long stretch of open road provided the first scare of the journey as the fuel indicator pointed empty with no petrol station in sight. All excitement turned to apprehension as I prayed for a filling station.

10 mins later, what appeared like a filling station appeared ahead, it was the opposite of the flashy filling stations typical of Saudi with drive-ins, stores, rest room, mosques, car service all in one. It happened to be a saving grace from an awkward and mortifying situation in the heart of the desert as we were not to come across another one for the next 3 hour drive.

I was just imagine what would have happened if the fuel tank got totally empty. Questions filled my head, like; Are we going to sleep in the desert? or leave the car on the highway? I've come to term this scenario, 'Favor in the Arabian Desert'.

We came across Taif, a city of hills and mountains with winding roads meandering through the rocks. The rest of the journey up to Mecca was effortless, uneventful and fluid. Here we were to experience the next little challenge - locating our hotel, which we had already reserved online.

If you are familiar with Mecca, you will agree that it is a city largely structured around mountains, especially the Haram area where the holy site is located. Houses and hotels are built on the edges of hills and rocks are blasted to create roads through them. We drove on slopes, ascending and descending from one street to the other. The mountains had scrambled GPS signals which was taking us around in circles and against traffic. Driving within this hour was more tedious than the whole journey itself. Giving up the search, we walked into one of the closer hotel. and just lodged there.

The Mecca police have a duty to ensure free flow of traffic in order to prevent congestion, so parking our car was difficult. Cars parked lamely on the roads are promptly towed away. It takes 50 SAR to recover towed vehicles.









I love the hotel apartment, everything was neat and beautiful. We took a short nap before going to the Haram.


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Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program in USA for International Students:

Hubert H. Humphrey  Fellowship Program in USA for International Students:

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, a Fulbright exchange activity sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, brings accomplished professionals from selected developing and emerging countries to the United States for ten months of non-degree study and professional development. Nominated by U.S. Embassies or Fulbright Commissions at a mid-point in their careers, Fellows are selected through competitive review based on their potential for leadership, commitment to public service and professional expertise.
 The Humphrey Program was initiated in 1978 to honor the memory and accomplishments of the late Senator and Vice President, Hubert H. Humphrey.

Areas of Selection:
Fellows are selected based on their potential for national leadership and commitment to public service, in either the public or private sector in the following Humphrey fields: Agriculture & rural development; Communication/Journalism; Substance abuse education, treatment & prevention; Economic development; Finance & Banking; Educational administration, planning & policy; HIV/AIDS policy & prevention; Human resource management; Law & human rights; Natural resources, environment policy, & climate change; Public health policy management; Public policy analysis & public administration; Teaching of English as a foreign language; Technology policy & management; Trafficking in persons, policy & prevention; and Urban & regional planning.


Basic Eligibility Criteria
An undergraduate (first university or Bachelor's) degree
A minimum of five years of full-time, professional experience
Limited or no prior experience in the United States
Demonstrated leadership qualities
A record of public service in the community
English language ability
Please contact the U.S. Embassy, Public Affairs Section or Binational Fulbright Commission in your country of residence to learn about possible specific program requirements.


In 26 countries, the Humphrey Fellowship Program is administered by a Binational Fulbright Commission. In all other participating countries, the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy is charged with the operation of the Program.

To find out if citizens of your country/region are eligible to participate in the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, click on your region. If your country/region appears on the list, you are eligible to apply click here:
https://www.humphreyfellowship.org/sub-saharan-africa



What does the Fellowship provides?

Payment of tuition and fees at the assigned host university;
Pre-academic English language training, if required;
A maintenance (living) allowance, including a one-time settling-in allowance;
Accident and sickness coverage;
A book allowance;
A one-time computer subsidy;
Air travel (international travel to and from the U.S. for the Program and domestic travel to required program events);
A Professional Development allowance for professional activities, such as field trips, professional visits and conferences.


The Program provides a basis for establishing long-lasting productive partnerships and relationships between citizens of the United States and their counterparts in other countries, fostering an exchange of knowledge and mutual understanding throughout the world.

Hosting universities:
Fellows are placed at one of the participating USA universities.  Fellows are not able to choose which university they will attend. Rather, they are assigned  to the most appropriate host institution based on their area of interest and professional field..Click here

In addition, the program is annually and the deadline for applications submission varies in different countries.

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For more information click here