Middle East

Jeddah, Aug 15: Prices for local Haj packages are expected to drop between 30 and 40 percent this year, according to an official at the Ministry of Haj. Most local Haj operators have begun to change their packages after the ministry announced the launch of the online portal for local pilgrims. According to the source, the portal will help curb the incidence of fake Haj campaigns, ensure the

Alkhobar, Aug 13: The Eastern Province municipality is planning a model city comprising a residential, economic and tourism center in Half Moon Bay, Al-Aziziyah district. The city would contribute significantly to expected growth in accordance with the master plan for the province, said EP Deputy Mayor Jamal bin Nasser Al-Mulhim. “The city will be established as per international standards with

Riyadh, Aug 2: Saudi Arabia has denounced the horrendous terror attack by Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Duma in Palestine that killed a toddler. Reports said that Israeli settlers threw a Molotov cocktail into a West Bank home, killing the 18-month-old boy Ali Saad Dawabsheh. His four-year-old brother and parents, who were wounded in the attack, were battling for lives in hospital

London, Aug 1: A private jet crashed in southern England on Friday, killing four people on board, a spokesman for Britain's Hampshire police service said, and Saudi and British media said the passengers were relatives of deceased al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. "There were no survivors, unfortunately. There were four people onboard including the pilot," a spokeswoman for the British police told a

Jeddah, Jul 29: A Mercedes car with a Saudi number plate was spotted in Israel. The discovery led to intense discussion on social media websites on Tuesday. According to reports, the car was spotted last week in Jaffa’s Clock Tower Square by Jacky Hugi, the Middle East editor for Israel’s Army Radio, who posted the picture on Twitter. Makkah newspaper reported that the car belonged to an American

Jeddah, Jul 27: The Ministry of Labor confirmed on its labor guide that it will punish employers who make false huroob reports against expatriate workers. The ministry stated that it will stop its services for 5 years to employers who play with the future of expatriate workers by manipulating huroob reports against them, according to a local media. Many expatriate workers have suffered from false

Riyadh, Jul 16: A new moon has been sighted in Saudi Arabia, heralding the start of Eid Al-Fitr holiday in the region. Muslims in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and the UK will celebrate Eid al-Fitr on Friday, while Muslims in other nations such as Iraq, India and Bangladesh will observe the holiday on Saturday. Even though the holy month of Ramadan had commenced in most of the

Dubai, Jul 14: The Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) team successfully contained a fire that erupted on two boats at Deira Creek on Monday afternoon. An official said the fire was brought under control within two-and-a-half hours by the DCD teams, which worked in conjunction with the Dubai Marine Rescue Unit. According to the chief coordinator of operations from Civil Defence, teams arrived within minutes

Abu Dhabi, Jul 14: The UAE government has officially announced Eid Al Fitr holidays for the public and private sectors. Public sector will enjoy holidays from Thursday, July 16 (29th Ramadan) until Shawwal 3, while the private sector will get paid holidays on the first and second day of Shawwal. Based on these dates, if Ramadan has 29 days and Eid begins on Friday, then public sector will have

Makkah, Jul 12: The funeral prayer for former Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal was held at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, in the presence of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, on Saturday night. Representatives from a number of countries and high-ranking royals attended the prayer, held after Isha. King Salman received Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and