Middle East

Riyadh, Jun 23: With the call of the Supreme Court to sight the Shawwal crescent on Saturday, mosques are making arrangements to accommodate congregations for Eid Al-Fitr prayers. In an announcement on Thursday, the Supreme Court said that whoever sees the Shawwal crescent moon by the naked eye or binoculars should report to the nearest court and register his testimony, or to the nearest center to

Abu Dhabi, Jun 22: Shaikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, has paid tribute to His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on the issuance of Law No. 9 of 2017 on the establishment of the International Institute for Tolerance (IIT) and on his Decree No. 23 of 2017, appointing its Board of

Riyadh, Jun 22: World leaders have sent their congratulations to King Salman and newly appointed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The newly announced Crown Prince Mohammed, who also serves as defense minister and oversees a vast economic portfolio, had previously been second in line to the throne. BRITAIN: Prime Minister Theresa May said: “I am pleased to welcome the appointment of Prince

Dubai, Jun 21: Qatar’s 2008 bailout of Barclays has come back to haunt the British banking giant, with the leveling of fraud charges against it and four former senior executives over multibillion-pound deals nine years ago. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the UK’s top financial prosecutor, announced charges as Qatar’s financial sector showed signs of further strain under the weight of sanctions

Doha, Jun 20: Qatar's foreign minister today called on neighbouring states to lift their "blockade" of his country before Doha takes part in any negotiations on ending the Gulf diplomatic crisis. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani called measures to isolate Qatar imposed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and others "an act of aggression", adding that lifting them was a "pre

Madinah, Jun 18: The Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques announced the number of mutakifeen — those who seclude themselves in the Prophet’s Mosque for the last 10 days of Ramadan — numbered 13,575. Of this number, 11,432 are men and 2,143 are women, according to an undersecretariat official, Saud Al-Saedi, who was quoted by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Three areas have been designated for men and

Beirut, Jun 17: The diplomatic crisis pitting Saudi Arabia against Qatar has put Syrian rebels in a difficult position, analysts say, after rivalries between Gulf backers had already weakened the opposition. Both Sunni-ruled monarchies sided with the protesters in March 2011, when the war started with the brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations. They continued supporting the mostly

London, Jun 17: A list of grievances involving Qatar is being drawn up and will be made public soon, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said Friday. Al-Jubeir said Qatar should respond to demands to halt its support for “extremism and terrorism” which, he said, were being made by the whole world and not just Gulf states. Speaking to journalists in London, Al-Jubeir said: “I would not call them

Moscow, Jun 16: Russia on Thursday accused the US-led coalition of deploying missiles against Syrian troops at a garrison in the east of the country, where opposition fighters battling Daesh are being trained. In a statement, the Defense Ministry said the “United States has moved two HIMARS multiple rocket launchers from Jordan to Al-Tanf US special forces base.” That suggested that the equipment

Doha, Jun 15: The sanctions imposed by Saudi Arabia and other Arab states on Qatar have been a blessing for Mohammed Kuwari and his al-Rawa brand of yoghurt. With competing Saudi products off the shelves, his business is booming. “Our sales doubled! There's lots of production as you can see and we have a big share in the market now,” said the 30-year-old dairy factory owner. Previously he