King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, praised the celebration of the Kingdom's 78th National Day today. The King stressed that celebrating the Saudi National Day means safeguarding the accomplishments of the nation and working towards helping the country grow and prosper. He also said that this means consolidating the Kingdom's contributions in the unity of the nation and its cohesion and stability. It also means deepening its role in world peace and stability and working toward coexistence and cooperation with the nations of the world. This came during the cabinet session which the King presided over at Al-Safa Palace in Makkah last night. In his statement following the session, Iyad Amin Madani, Minister of Culture and Information, said the Council of Ministers expressed its condemnation of the explosions in Sana'a on Wednesday. The Council also expressed its condolences to the Yemeni people and the families of the innocent victims harmed or killed in the incident. The Council stressed that terrorism is a menace which everyone must work to eliminate it from the very roots it emanates from. The Council expressed its support for Pakistan following the attack which targeted its national unity and claiming innocent lives without any religious, moral or political deterrent. The Cabinet praised the royal decisions to help the poor in the Kingdom with SR 150 million allocated for families cared for by social insurance as well as a 100 percent increase in the aid provided to the handicapped and all other categories registered with the Ministry of Social Affairs. The Council also approved several amendements to legislation dealing with the transportation of pilgrims both to and from the Kingdom including, Section 3 of Article 2, Article 17, Article 18 and Section 1 of Article 19. It also approved amendments to Articles 4 and 6 for military and civil retirement as well as the social insurance regulation.
