RIYADH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman emphasized that Saudi Arabia is always keen on maintaining the Arab and Islamic unity and it won't allow any hidden hand to undermine it. Chairing the weekly session of the Council of Ministers at Al-Yamama Palace here on Monday, the King said the irresponsible statements aimed at political exploitation of the Mina stampede and causing dissension and division in the Muslim world will not affect the Kingdom's role and its duty to serve pilgrims. "The Kingdom, which is honored by Allah to serve the two holy mosques and pilgrims visiting them, is exerting all efforts and capabilities to ensure the safety of pilgrims and enable them to perform their rituals in ease and comfort," the king said. Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Adel Al-Turaifi, minister of culture and information, said the King thanked the leaders of brotherly and friendly countries as well as all others who offered condolences to the Kingdom on the death of pilgrims in the stampede. Al-Turaifi said the Cabinet thanked King Salman for ordering financial assistance to the families of the deceased and those injured in the crane crash at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, as well as to host two family members of each deceased to perform Haj next year as his guests. While briefing the Cabinet on his recent meeting with Yemen's President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi, King Salman renewed the Kingdom's full support to Yemen and its legitimate government. Al-Turaifi said the Cabinet denounced violations and continuous attacks by Israeli occupation authorities and settlers on Al-Aqsa Mosque, the city of Al-Quds, the West Bank and the Palestinian people. The Cabinet, while condemning the recent terrorist bombings at a peace rally in Ankara, re-emphasized the Kingdom's solidarity with the brotherly Republic of Turkey in combatting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Authority for job creation approved The Council of Ministers on Monday approved the regulation for the General Authority for Job Creation and Combatting Unemployment. Under the regulation, the authority, which will be linked at organizational level to the chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, will deal with the creation of jobs and combatting unemployment in the Kingdom through coordination of all government and private agencies. It will also work for the development of sectors that are engaged in creating jobs and competitive investment opportunities across the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported. According to the regulation, the authority will have a board chairman appointed by the King, and a governor, to be appointed by the board, in addition to representatives of the concerned government and private bodies and agencies as members. The Cabinet also authorized the Crown Prince or one whom he authorizes to hold talks with the Philippines government to draft an agreement for extradition of wanted criminals between the two countries and sign it before handing the document to the Cabinet to complete the procedures. The Cabinet also approved the inclusion of all students with health and physical disability as beneficiaries of remuneration for the disabled children enrolled for private education. There has been an increase in the monthly remuneration: SR600 (elementary), SR750 (intermediate), and SR900 (secondary) if students are not availing hostel facilities within the school campus. As far as those students who avail the hostel facilities, the remuneration has been fixed at SR180, SR270 and SR360 respectively. The Cabinet endorsed a proposal to change the name of the Agency for Consumers' Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to the Agency for Consumer Protection at the Ministry. It was also decided to create a permanent committee at the ministry for consumer protection under the chairmanship of the minister.
