Middle East

Jeddah, Apr 2: Women can solemnize marriages, according to a fatwa by Sheikh Abdullah Al-Manea, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars. He told Okaz daily that the job is basically the documentation of marriage contracts, and “if the Ministry of Justice approves that, then there is no legal obstacle.” To qualify for a license, among other things, the applicant should have good conduct and no

Tehran, Apr 1: Iran has banned some of its women players from billiard sports competitions for a year for violating the Islamic codes of conduct at a tournament in China, sporting authorities announced. The Disciplinary Committee of Bowling, Billiard and Boxing Federation did not reveal the nature of the alleged offenses, saying it would name the transgressors later. “Women sent to China Open

Jeddah, Mar 31: Jeddah Gov. Prince Misha’al bin Majed kicked off the 10-day Jeddah Heritage festival Wednesday at Balad with the start of school spring break. Prince Misha’al said Jeddah is an important historical place, which has strong relationship with Saudi culture and architecture. He said Balad is developing not only as a venue to shop, but also a place for entertainment and showcase of

Jordan, Mar 30: Arab leaders on Wednesday adopted the Amman Declaration, issued at the conclusion of the Arab Summit in Jordan, reiterating their readiness to have a historic reconciliation with Israel in return for its withdrawal from land it has occupied since the 1967 war. The declaration, read by Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said Arab states would back Palestinian-Israeli

Geneva, Mar 29: A political deal to end the Syrian conflict is not possible without a strong US role, the opposition’s chief negotiator said, warning that Washington’s absence was threatening ongoing peace talks. Lead negotiator for the main opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC), Mohammed Sabra, said the UN-backed talks in Geneva remained “stalled.” “There can be no real and viable

Ajman, Mar 28: Thumbay Hospital, the leading network of academic hospitals owned and operated by the Dubai-based diversified international business conglomerate Thumbay Group, has signed an agreement with Sharjah Charity International, to provide healthcare services to the employees of Sharjah Charity International and their dependents. An MoU to this effect was signed on Tuesday, 28th March 2017

Jeddah, Mar 28: Saudi Arabia approved Monday a new tax regime for oil and natural gas producers in the Kingdom, which will boost Saudi Aramco’s valuation as it plans to sell shares in its initial public offering (IPO) next year. Under the new regime, hydrocarbon companies in Saudi Arabia will be taxed depending on their capital, according to a royal decree issued Monday and posted on the website

Riyadh, Mar 27: The Ministry of Justice has announced initiatives to support the National Transformation Program 2020 to shorten litigation procedures, reduce flow of cases to the courts and boost the national economy. The initiatives also include achieving institutional excellence, according to the ministry. The first initiative focuses on mobile notaries, which are destined for people with

Riyadh, Mar 26: The Ministry of Labor and Social Development has unveiled a plan to provide 60,000 jobs for local youths in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) accross the Kingdom. The proposal, made under the National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020, would see the ministry provide training for youths to prepare them for work in NGOs. Salem Al-Deeni, undersecretary at the Ministry of Labor and

Worried about bringing your gadgets the next time you fly from the UAE to the US? Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways says you don't need to worry about it too much. After news of the ban, the Abu Dhabi-based airline is introducing a new method that will allow passengers to still bring their gadgets on flights to US. Etihad Airways is reassuring passengers of its highest level of service to minimise