Middle East

Jeddah, May 16: The Saudi Cabinet has given formal approval to the Privileged Iqama residency scheme, widely known as the Saudi “green card.” The scheme will enable expatriates to permanently reside, own property and invest their assets in the Kingdom. A special committee has been given 90 days to determine regulations governing the scheme, including fees for applicants, conditions and procedures

Riyadh, May 15: Saudi Arabia’s cabinet approved the “Privileged Iqama” residency scheme on Tuesday, which allows expatriates to live and work in the Kingdom without the need of a local sponsor (Kafeel) for the first time. Plans for the scheme were discussed and rubber-stamped earlier this month by the Shoura Council. The new Privileged Iqama system offers benefits to highly skilled expatriates and

Riyadh, May 14: Two pumping stations on a major Saudi oil pipeline were attacked by drones on Tuesday, halting the flow of crude along it, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said. He said the attacks on the pipeline from the oil-rich Eastern Province to the Red Sea took place early on Tuesday. Yemen's Huthi rebels said on Tuesday that they had targeted several vital Saudi targets with drones.

Dubai, May 14: Four oil tankers anchored in the Mideast were damaged by what Gulf officials described as sabotage, though satellite images obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday showed no major visible damage to the vessels. Details of the alleged sabotage to two Saudi, one Norwegian and one Emirati oil tanker on Sunday remained unclear, and Gulf officials have declined to say who they

Tehran, May 13: Iran on Monday called attacks on ships in the Gulf "alarming" after the UAE and Saudi Arabia said several vessels including oil tankers were damaged in acts of sabotage off the Emirati coast. "The incidents in the Sea of Oman are alarming and regrettable," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in an English-language statement on the ministry's website, calling for a

Dubai, May 13: Saudi Arabia said Monday two of its oil tankers were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in attacks that caused "significant damage" to the vessels, one of them as it was en route to pick up Saudi oil to take to the US. Khalid al-Falih's comments came as the US issued a new warning to sailors and the UAE's regional allies condemned the reported sabotage Sunday of

Ramadan is a month of mercy. Its practical model was morefully materialized by a Saudi citizen & senior official of Interior Ministry, Saud bin Abdulaziz. He had been doing the mass "Ifthar" programs for Malayalis for 30 days during Ramadan in Exit 27 Suwaidi Tariq bin Ziyad Mosque in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the past five years. "Each year, the number of people has been increasing & people from

Tel Aviv, May 12: Israel on Saturday reopened its main border crossings with the Gaza Strip as part of a ceasefire agreement. The developments came after a week that saw violent clashes along the Israel-Gaza border which remained closed for the Memorial Day and Independence Day holidays from May 7 to 9, The Times of Israel reported. "Tomorrow (Sunday), the Erez and Kerem Shalom Crossings will be

Riyadh, May 12: Eight members of a "terrorist" cell were killed on Saturday in a police raid in Saudi Arabia's eastern Qatif region, a Shiite minority stronghold, state media reported. The recently-formed cell was preparing to carry out "terrorist" activities against the security of the country, the official Saudi Press Agency reported citing a state security spokesman. He said the men were killed

Sharjah, May 11: The Sharjah Baby Friendly Office, SBFO, has released a short film to celebrate the first anniversary of the emirate being named a 'Child Friendly City' by the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF. The film was released on several TV channels popular among UAE viewers, receiving an overwhelming response, with almost 200,000 views on YouTube alone within four days of its release. Through the