Middle East

Dubai, Aug 18: Nearly 470 mosques have been prepared for the Eid Al-Adha prayer, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Daawah and Guidance in Madinah announced Sheikh Fahad bin Sulaiman al-Tuwaijri, Director-General of the ministry in Madinah, said that 469 mosques and places of prayer had been equipped, both in Madinah and elsewhere. The Eid Al-Adha prayer will be at 6:13a.m., state news

Jeddah, Aug 18: Mansour al-Amer swipes a card to reveal a narrow sleep pod, reminiscent of Japan's famed capsule hotels. But this pod is in Saudi Arabia, where the Muslim Haj pilgrimage begins Sunday. The kingdom has plans to introduce capsule rooms in the western city of Mina in the coming days, as an estimated two million Muslim faithful gather for the six-day Haj, one of the five pillars of

Jerusalem, Aug 17: Israeli police are again questioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of their investigations into corruption allegations. Two police vehicles arrived on Friday at Netanyahu’s residence while protesters at the entrance waved a large banner reading "crime minister" and chanted slogans calling for justice. Media reported that Netanyahu is to be questioned over a

London, Aug 15: Countries across the Middle East are struggling to create diverse opportunities for their youth, according to the latest World Economic Forum (WEF) Arab World Competitiveness Report. However, a number of countries are innovating and creating new solutions to previously existing barriers to competitiveness, the report noted. Saudi Arabia has committed to significant changes to its

Abu Dhabi, Aug 13: President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued Emiri Decree No. 02 of 2018 amending the UAE Cybercrimes Law. According to the Decree, Article Nos. 26, 28 and 42 of Federal Decree-Law No. 05 of 2012 on Combatting Cybercrimes will be replaced with updated provisions. Article No. 26 stipulates an imprisonment period of at least ten years and not exceeding 25 years

Abu Dhabi, Aug 13: The President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has ordered the release of 704 prisoners on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha. The pardoned prisoners had been sentenced to jail terms for a variety of offenses. Sheikh Khalifa pledged to settle the financial obligations of the released prisoners. The move comes as part of Sheikh Khalifa's keenness to give the pardoned

Istanbul, Aug 13: Turkey’s central bank on Monday announced it was ready to take “all necessary measures” to ensure financial stability after the collapse of the lira, promising to provide banks with liquidity. “The central bank will closely monitor the market depth and price formations, and take all necessary measures to maintain financial stability, if deemed necessary,” the bank said in a

Riyadh/Dubai: Aug 12: The Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced the first of Eid ul Adha as August 21 after the Zul Hijjah moon was sighted on Saturday evening. The Day of Arafat will fall on Monday, August 20. According to a release issued by the Saudi Ministry of Civil Service, the holiday will begin on Thursday, August 16, the fifth day of Zul Hijjah. The Eid ul Adha

Al Bayan, Aug 11: A Saudi police officer, decided to give his shoes to an old pilgrim, after she lost hers, according to a video that went viral on social media. #شكرا_رجال_الامن #السعوديه_ترحب_بالعالم #الحج #القوه_الخاصه_لامن_المسجد_الحرام #المقطع_ليس_من_تصويري A post shared by باسم طلال (@basem.t.d) on Aug 10, 2018 at 11:14am PDT According to a report in Al Bayan, the officer, who was seen in

Gaza, Aug 9: A Palestinian official said on Thursday armed factions in Gaza were prepared to halt a round of rocket attacks on southern Israel if the Israeli military stopped its strikes after two days of cross-border violence. A pregnant Palestinian woman and her 18-month-old child, and a militant from the Islamist Hamas group that rules Gaza, were killed in the Israeli attacks, and at least five