Middle East

Jeddah, May 29: The imam and preacher of the Quba Mosque in Madinah has said that music is not haram or forbidden. Sheikh Saleh Al-Maghamsi clarified that he was referring to music, not singing, which he said is haram. “The nation is in bad need of novelty and modernization, and I strongly believe in this, whether people accept my views or not,” he said during a talk show on MBC channel hosted by

Dubai, May 24: Dubai is all set to woo tourists with the world's first Bollywood-themed amusement park where visitors will be able to enjoy immersive 3-D and 4-D rides and stunts from movies such as 'Krrish' and 'RA.One' and savour a "Mughal-e-Azam" style banquet. Dubai Parks and Resorts complex, a Dh 10.5 billion (about USD 2.75 billion) venture, will have 16 cinematic rides, six themed

Riyadh, May 19: Despite the many regulations put in place by the government with the aim of protecting expats, many continue to suffer at the hands of their Saudi sponsors and employers. For Ahmed Mahsoub, an Egyptian driver, the trouble started when he asked his sponsor, which happened to be an educational institute, for a salary certificate in order to buy a new car. As soon as he got the small

Jeddah, May 13: Five members of an expat family were found dead in their house in Khamis Mushayt on Thursday. According to Asir police spokesman Zaid Al-Qahtani, the bodies of the three children and their father and mother were in a decomposed state. Foul smell emanating from the house alerted the neighbors who then called in the police. According to the police, the doors to the house were locked

Riyadh, Apr 26: Following is the full text of the Saudi Vision 2030 document unveiled in Riyadh on Monday by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: Our Vision “Saudi Arabia: the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, the investment powerhouse, and the hub connecting three continents” Introduction The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is blessed with many rich assets. Our geographic, cultural, social

Riyadh, Apr 25: Prince Sultan Bin Salman, President of Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), launched here Sunday the post-umrah program, an initiative which allows umrah pilgrims to convert their visas into tourist visas. This is a key channel of “The Kingdom is Muslims’ Destination” initiative, which was proposed by the commission several years ago. In a press statement

Dubai, Apr 25: A soldier lured a 22-year-old woman to ride with him and then drove to the desert, where he allegedly raped her, a Dubai court heard on Sunday. The Emirati defendant's compatriot friend, 20, who was hiding in the backseat when the woman - an Ethiopian - rode in the car, allegedly tried to rape her too. The 22-year-old soldier faced a rape charge in the Dubai Court of First Instance

Riyadh, Apr 17: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif ordered a cash reward on Friday for the Pakistani expatriate who saved the life of a citizen who was drowning in a valley in the Asir region. Shaukat Amin saw Fahd Al-Qahtani in danger of drowning in the Tathleeth Valley in Asir. Al-Qahtani’s vehicle was sinking in the floodwaters following heavy rains in the southwestern part of the Kingdom. Al

Riyadh, Apr 7: Saudi Arabia’s plan to issue permanent residence or “green cards” to foreign workers has been warmly welcomed by the expatriate community. In an interview with Bloomberg, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman disclosed plans for issuing such cards similar to the US green card system that allows hiring more foreign workers for a fee. The plan will abolish the existing sponsorship

Jeddah, Mar 22: The General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) has revealed that it plans to suspend all services to expatriates if they are abroad for over a month, with reinstatement occurring only once they return. The organization had not yet worked out the manner in which this would occur, but talks were taking place with the Ministry of Interior, said Abdul Aziz Al-Habdan, GOSI’s