Middle East

Jeddah, May 6: Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen, secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has called for more awareness of the increasing dangers of Islamophobia, through the dissemination of principles of peace and harmony between communities. He was speaking at the recently held 4th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Baku, Azerbaijan. He confirmed the continuous

Washington, May 5: Promoting an agenda of “tolerance,” “burden sharing” and “countering both Iran and Daesh,” senior US officials announced that Saudi Arabia will be the first stop for US President Donald Trump on his debut foreign visit since taking office in January. This is the first time ever that a US president has made Saudi Arabia a first stop on a maiden foreign trip after taking office

Jeddah, May 4: Prince Mishal bin Abdulaziz, chairman of the Allegiance Council died Wednesday, the royal court announced, adding that funeral prayer will be performed after Isha prayer at the Grand Mosque in Makkah on Thursday, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. Prince Mishal was 90. Prince Mishal was born on Sept. 5, 1926, and was the 14th son of King Abdulaziz. He was in charge of the

Jeddah, May 3: During the fifth meeting of the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council on Tuesday council members said they will use discretion in dealing with the various developments in Arab and Muslim countries to ensure the preservation of the safety and stability of these countries, and the prosperity of their peoples. The meeting was chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, deputy prime minister

Riyadh, May 2: The Ideological War Center (IWC), a subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense, is launching extensive plans to fight extremism and terrorism, the ministry announced on its social media accounts. In a series of messages released in several languages via social media, the IWC will focus on exposing mistakes, allegations, suspicions and deceptive techniques promoted by

Riyadh, May 1: German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Saudi Arabia without a headscarf for talks with the oil-rich kingdom's monarch. Ms Merkel was greeted by King Salman and other top officials upon her arrival at the western city of Jiddah. Like other recent female Western visitors, the German Chancellor did not cover her hair upon arrival in the conservative Islamic kingdom. Prime Minister

Jeddah, May 1: Interior Ministry officers have arrested 46 alleged militants belonging to a terrorist cell in the neighborhood of Al-Harazat in Jeddah, ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said on Sunday. The charges included intent to target worshipers at the Prophet’s Mosque, carrying out a deadly attack near a mosque close to the US Consulate in Jeddah, and the murder of a cell member

Dubai, Apr 30: Work staff will no longer be able to present predated sick leave certificates to employers. The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced on Saturday that predated sick leave for three consecutive days or more will no longer be issued. This means sick leaves can only be given on the same day the patient visits the medical facilities and not for previous days. The DHA urged physicians

Jerusalem, Apr 29: Israel intends to build 15,000 new settlement homes in East Jerusalem, the Housing Ministry said on Friday despite US President Donald Trump’s request to “hold back” on settlements as part of a possible new push for Israeli-Palestinian peace. A formal announcement of the settlement plan, quickly condemned by the chief Palestinian negotiator, could come around the time Trump is

Istanbul, Apr 28: Global energy markets are heading to a rebalancing in the next few years after oil prices fell to historic lows due to oversupply, Qatar’s Energy and Industry Minister Mohammed Saleh Abdullah Al-Sada said on Thursday, praising members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for their adherence to a “successful” November deal to cut production. He told the