Saudi Arabia moves ahead with Salwa canal plan
This canal will turn Qatar into an island
Manama: Saudi Arabia’s deadline for accepting tenders to dig a 60-kilometre canal that will turn Qatar into an island will be June 25. Five international companies with expertise in digging canals have so far submitted their tenders for the Salwa canal inside the territories of Saudi Arabia and alongside the Saudi-Qatari borders. The name of the winner will be announced within 90 days and the company will have one year to complete the task, Saudi daily Makkah has reported.
The planned canal, expected to cost SR2.8 billion (Dh2.74 billion), will stretch from Salwa to Khor Al Adeed, and will be 200 metres wide and 15 to 20 metres deep, allowing ships up to 295 metres long and 33 metres wide to navigate it.
Several resorts with private beaches in Salwa, Sakak, Khor Al Adeed and two in Ras Abu Qamees are also being planned. Seaports will be built in Salwa and in Aqlat Al Zawayed and will complement the one in Ras Abu Qamees.
Marinas for yachts and water sports will be built on the two banks of the canal, making it one of the most attractive in the Gulf region.
The canal will be inside Saudi territory, making it fully Saudi, and will be about one kilometre from the official border with Qatar. The plan will be presented to relevant entities, including the Ministry of Defence and the Border Police.
The project will be reportedly funded fully by Saudi and UAE private investors and that Egyptian companies with expertise in digging would help with the construction of the canal.
A Saudi military base will be established in the one kilometre separating the Salwa waterway from Qatar, while the remainder will be converted into a waste dump for the Saudi nuclear reactor, which Riyadh plans to build according to best practices and global environmental requirements.
In April, Saudi border guards took control of the Salwa crossing, effectively cutting off Qatar’s only terrestrial link with the outside world.
The customs and passports departments evacuated the crossing and handed over its control to the Border Guards, shortly after orders had been given to station them along the borders.
The move was understood to signify that work on the ambitious project to dig the waterway would start earlier than predicted.
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt on June 5 last year severed their diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting extremists and funding terrorism.
The Quartet issued a list of 13 demands and asked Qatar to comply with them in order to restore ties.
However, Doha rejected the points. Mediation efforts led by fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member Kuwait have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough or any incremental progress.
The GCC, set up in Abu Dhabi in 1981, comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
courtesy : gulfnews.com
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
