Middle East

Dubai, Aug 11: Joy and celebrations are sweeping across the UAE and the Muslim world as residents and visitors mark Eid Al Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, on Sunday. The annual Islamic festival, which this year begins on August 11 in the UAE, sees Muslims offer a sacrificial animal (typically a goat or sheep) in gratitude for Allah’s blessings. Eid Al Adha is named after the sacrificial ritual

Dubai, Aug 10: Mosques in Dubai will hold Eid Al Adha prayers at 6.07am on Sunday, August 11. In the capital, they will take place at 6:12am. Special prayers are offered on the first day of Eid Al Adha. Before Eid, Muslims observe the Day of Arafat -the culminating event of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, Haj and the most important day of the pilgrimage. Below are all the prayer timings for Eid Al

Makkah, Aug 10: Haj pilgrims began flocking to Arafat in a peaceful manner on Saturday morning, reported the Saudi Press Agency, SPA. Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Hajj Committee, and Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Advisor to the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, Governor of Makkah Region, and Chairman of the Central Haj Committee

Dubai, Aug 7: Saudi Arabia’s first female crane operators have received their operating permits at the King Abdul Aziz Port (KAP), state news agency SPA reported on Tuesday. The women will operate remote controlled cranes introduced as part of KAP’s push to introduce new technologies in all departments at its container terminals, which is also the first terminal to be operated by the International

Dubai, Aug 4: An Indian farmer, who returned home after failing to find a job in Dubai, on Saturday ended up winning over USD 4 million in a raffle, the tickets of which he bought with the money borrowed from his wife. Vilas Rikkala, who is presently in Hyderabad, was the winner of the Dh15 million (USD 4.08 million) Big Ticket raffle, the Gulf News reported. Rikkala left the UAE 45 days ago at

Riyadh, Aug 2: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would be enacting amendments which would grant its women the right to apply for passports and travel independently, said Reema Bandar Al-Saud, the country's Ambassador to the United States on Friday. "I am elated to confirm that KSA will be enacting amendments to its labour and civil laws that are designed to elevate the status of Saudi women within our

Riyadh, Jul 30: The kingdom is trying to reduce unemployment by replacing foreigners Saudi Arabia plans to restrict certain hospitality jobs to its own citizens by the end of the year, banning the recruitment of foreign workers for those positions. The decision, announced in a Labour Ministry statement on Friday, will apply to resorts, hotels rated three stars or higher, and hotel apartments rated

Riyadh, Jul 28: King Salman will host 2,000 family members of Yemeni army and Popular Resistance soldiers who died fighting to restore the legitimate government in Yemen during this year’s Hajj. The 2,000 pilgrims will perform the pilgrimage as part of the 'Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Guests Program for Hajj and Umrah' which is overseen by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance

Washington, Jul 25: President Donald Trump on Wednesday vetoed three congressional resolutions barring billions of dollars in weapons sales to countries including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The resolutions “would weaken America’s global competitiveness and damage the important relationships we share with our allies and partners,” Trump said in letters to the Senate justifying

Washington, Jul 23: Saudi Arabia’s reforms have started to yield results and the outlook for the economy is positive, the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Executive Board said. The board also commended the authorities for the progress in implementing their economic and social reform agenda. The continued commitment to macroeconomic policies and appropriate prioritization of reforms will be key