Middle East

London, Jan 28: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman condemned the Kabul bombing that left at least 95 killed and 158 wounded on Saturday. King Salman shared his condolences in a cable to Afghanistan’s President Mohammed Ashraf Ghani on the victims of a blast in the Afghan capital. “We denounce and disapprove such a sinful criminal act,” King Salman said as cited by the state-owned Saudi press agency, SPA

Dubai, Jan 27: Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has been released from detention, family sources said on Saturday, more than two months after he was taken into custody in the kingdom’s sweeping crackdown on corruption. His release came hours after he told Reuters in an exclusive interview at the opulent Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh that he expected to be cleared of any

A mother has been left devastated after she lost all her children on a single tragic night at Rol Didana area in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Salima Al Suraidi’s seven children aged between five and 13 years suffocated to death in the wee hours of last Monday (January 22) as a fire broke out at their villa. In response to a call from the Ras Al Khaimah Sports and Cultural Club, mothers

Nouf Marwaai, a 38-year-old Saudi Arabian who was the first certified yoga instructor in the Gulf nation, has bagged Padma Sri for 2018 among others. Described as the face of Yoga revolution in Saudi Arabia, she played an instrumental role in legalising yoga there. She taught over 3,000 students and has certified over 70 yoga teachers in Saudi Arabia since 2009. Born with auto-immune disease, she

Davos, Jan 26: Princess Reema bint Bandar made an eloquent plea for gender equality as a driving force for economic change in the Kingdom during her address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Thursday. Saudi Arabia was advancing the cause of women “because it’s necessary for our nation from an economic point of view, and also from the holistic nature of how you want a family to actually

The Kuwait government has granted a general amnesty to expatriates living in that country without valid visas. The amnesty from January 29 to February 22 was granted through a decree issued by the Ministry of Interior of Kuwait on Tuesday, a release here said. The amnesty envisaged that illegal residents or overstaying immigrants could leave the country during the above period through any port

Jeddah, Jan 24: By the end of the first quarter of the current fiscal, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) is expected to announce details about new tourist visas. It requires the approval by the commission’s board of directors. The SCTH pointed out that the news about details, requirements, and nationality specifications mentioned in the media are inaccurate and

Littering cigarette butts can now invite a fine of Dh 500 in Dubai. According to the Dubai Municipality, based on Local Order No.11 of 2003, fine shall be imposed on the person throwing cigarette butts on Dubai roads, streets, parks or other locations. The fine has been imposed as a part of the Dubai Municipality's efforts to keep the city clean. The residents are required to stay away from

Riyadh, Jan 18: King Salman bin Abdul Aziz on Wednesday issued a royal decree in coordination with the Ministry of Justice that requires all government bodies and authorities to limit the requirements for issuing case closers in the courts. According to a statement released today by the Ministry of Justice, the royal decree directed that a mechanism be developed to replace submitting applications

The international community has condemned the US government’s ruthless decision to cut more than half of its planned funding to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. The Arab League on Wednesday warned of the devastating consequences of a US decision to freeze $65 million of Palestinian refugee funding. On the other hand Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said in