Middle East

Jeddah, May 29: Ninety six percent of the Haramain High Speed Rail Project in Jeddah and Makkah has been completed. The contractors would by the end of this year complete bridges along the railway line in Jeddah, including those removed three years ago in preparation for the project, such as the Briman, Palestine and King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Road bridges, sources said. All work, including

Jeddah, May 27: Saudi Arabia will confront those who try to undermine its security and stability with an iron fist, said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior. Addressing citizens in Qatif, he said security forces have arrested most of the culprits behind Friday’s terror attack on the Imam Ali bin Abi Taleb Mosque in Al-Qadeeh village, in which 21 Saudis were

Jeddah, May 26: Saudi Gulf Airlines said Monday that it would start operating flights on Nov. 1 from Dammam to Jeddah, Riyadh and one international destination, with more destinations added next year as its fleet expands. The statement follows a meeting between Sulaiman Al-Hamadan, president of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, and Tariq bin Abdel Hadi Al-Qahtani, chairman of the airline’s

Jeddah, May 25: The Interior Ministry has confirmed the hand of Islamic State in Qatif suicide bombing. Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, Interior Ministry spokesman, said latest investigations have revealed that IS was behind the bombing of Ali bin Abi Taleb Mosque. Last month, a cell was busted, and security forces revealed that one of the arrested members, Essam Al-Daoud, had provided shelter to Al

Abu Dhabi, May 16: Musapah Al Ketbi, a member of the Federal National Council (FNC) from Sharjah had called for issuing a decision to consider the last 10 days of Ramadan as holiday for government sector employees. Hussain Al Hamadi, the UAE Minister of Education and the head of The Federal Authority For Government Human Resources will respond to Musapah Al Ketbi's request during the next session

Washington, May 12: The White House and Saudi Arabia scrambled to quell talk of a diplomatic rift on Monday, after King Salman pulled out of a summit with President Barack Obama at the eleventh hour. Senior US and Saudi officials appeared in public to insist the Gulf royal's decision was not a snub nor part of a deeper crisis in never-easy ties that date back decades. Obama had invited six Gulf

Jeddah, May 7: Five men including an officer were killed and 12 injured by mortar shells launched from the Yemeni side of the border on Wednesday, the Civil Defense announced. Captain of a jail patrol Cpl. Hyyan Al-Wadie was killed when a shell hit him in King Salman Street at 1:30 p.m., said a spokesman of the Civil Defense in Najran. His companion was wounded and rushed to a nearby hospital. The

Jeddah, May 6: Mortar shells and Katyusha missiles fired by Houthi rebels across the Yemeni border have hit a field hospital, school, cars and houses in the town of Najran, the Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday. Brig. Gen. Ahmed Assiri, coalition spokesman, said there were no casualties in the town. However, there were injuries reported at the field hospital. Saudi Airlines has now suspended its

Jeddah, May 5: The Interior Ministry has said it has the right to revoke the visa of any expatriate and deport him without giving a reason. The ministry made it clear that it intends to cancel the visas of expatriates seen affiliated with the Hezbollah terror group. In March 2014, the ministry published a list of organizations classified as terrorists. Hezbollah, however, was not on the list. Gulf

Jeddah, May 4: Watermelons being sold in Taif by street vendors have caused alarm. There is a widespread fear that the product is genetically modified and chemically nourished to speed up ripening and increase its size. The fears have been aggravated following the circulation on social networking sites of a video clip, which shows how the watermelons are upsized with the help of unknown chemicals