Middle East

Thumbay Hospital, the leading network of academic hospitals operated by the healthcare division of Thumbay Group UAE, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with global medical technologies provider Hill-Rom, for the purchase of 500 beds to support Thumbay Group’s upcoming healthcare projects in the Middle East and India, over the next 4 years. The MoU was signed at the ‘Arab Health 2017’

Jeddah, Feb 3: More than 1.4 million people have registered for Saudi Arabia’s Citizens Account Program in the first two days since the application portal opened. The Ministry of Labor and Social Development’s communication center started receiving beneficiaries’ inquiries on Feb. 1, with more than 365 supervisors and communication officers working round the clock. The center received 25,000 calls

Abu Dhabi, Feb 2: The UAE’s top diplomat on Wednesday came out in defense of President Donald Trump’s order temporarily barring citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, UAE foreign minister, said the US was within its rights to take what he said was a “sovereign decision” concerning immigration. Sheikh Abdullah also voiced faith in

Riyadh, Feb 1: On behalf of Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, honorary president of the Saudi Alzheimer’s Disease Association (SADA), Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar inaugurated the third International Alzheimer’s Conference at the headquarters of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) in Riyadh on Monday. Following the inauguration, Prince Saud bin Khalid bin Abdullah bin

Jeddah, Jan 31: The Palestinian Authority has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to speed up rulings on key issues including Israeli settlements, an official has said. The authority asked ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to expedite rulings on three Palestinian files in order to open a judicial inquiry into the Israeli government’s violations of international law, said Saeb Erekat

Riyadh, Jan 30: King Salman on Sunday received a phone call from US President Donald Trump, during which the two leaders discussed international and regional developments as well as means to boost economic, security and military ties. Among the issues discussed were the efforts to combat terrorism and extremism and means to finance those efforts, a Saudi Press Agency statement said. The two

Abu Dhabi, Jan 29: Arab Coalition Forces with the help of UAE Air Force in Yemen have destroyed an Iranian military drone in north Mokha port city in Yemen, a Yemeni military source has said. The aircraft was at a mobile launching platform, intended to target Yemeni forces participating in the liberation of Mokha city and Port. General Ahmed Saif Al Yafei, Deputy Chief of General Staff of Yemeni

Jeddah, Jan 29: Several Saudi personalities and journalists gathered Thursday at the Arab Tourism Media Awards announcement ceremony 2017 at Casablanca Grand Hotel Jeddah. Among the attendees of the program were Hussain Al-Mannai, chairman of the Arab Center for Tourism Media; Ahmed Al-Juaed, board member of Saudi Tour Guides Association; Fahad A. Al-Ghamdi, executive chairman of Al Mada

Jeddah, Jan 28: Despite challenges, with a return on assets of 1.9 percent as of year-end 2016 (versus 2 percent in 2015), Saudi banks’ profitability are expected to continue to outperform other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) banking systems, said a report issued by Moody’s Investor Service. In 2016, Saudi banks reported a 5.4 percent year-on-year decrease in net profits, mainly because of rising

Jeddah, Jan 27: Makkah Criminal Court issued on Thursday said it was dropping the case of the crane that collapsed in Makkah in September 2015 due to lack of jurisdiction over the case. The accident resulted in 110 deaths and 209 injuries. The court issued its ruling in the presence of the defendants on trial and the prosecutor; it came after several sessions of deliberations. The prosecutor had