Middle East

Riyadh, Apr 3: Flights were disrupted, ships weighed anchor and schools were closed Thursday as a major sandstorm blew through Saudi Arabia and neighboring Gulf states. In the UAE, several flights were diverted and delayed, a Dubai Airports spokesperson said, as the skies over the city turned yellow. King Abdul Aziz Port in Dammam suspended the arrival and departure of all vessels from 1730 GMT on

Doha, Apr 2: Citing “extreme weather conditions,” Qatar’s Supreme Education Council has decided that private and public schools should remain shut today. Several universities are also closed today, including Northwestern University in Qatar, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Georgetown University in Qatar and Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. The College of the North Atlantic Qatar has

Riyadh, Apr 2: All schools in the Riyadh region, including the ones run by expat communities, will remain closed Thursday. The Education Department announced the suspension of schools on April 2 because of a major sandstorm that hit Riyadh on Wednesday. King Saud University’s Badran Al-Omar announced the suspension of classes at the university in Riyadh and its branch in Al-Mazahmiya area. The

Cairo, Apr 1: Yemeni Foreign Minister Riad Yassine has called for an Arab ground intervention in the country “as soon as possible.” Asked by an interviewer on Al-Arabiya Al-Hadath whether he sought an Arab ground intervention, Yassine responded: “Yes, we are asking for that, and as soon as possible, in order to save our infrastructure and save Yemenis under siege in many cities.” Saudi officials

Damascus, Mar 30: It's known to all that wars taking place across the globe claim innocent lives and cause mass destruction. However, none of us might have ever given a serious thought to the impact it has on the minds of innocent children. The photo tweeted by Gaza-based photojournalist Nadia Abu Shaban This image of a Syrian kid in a surrendering position reveals the painful impact of wars on a

Washington, Mar 26: Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday night that it had begun military operations in Yemen, launching airstrikes in coordination with a coalition of 10 nations. The strikes came as Yemen was hurtling closer to civil war after months of turmoil, as fighters and army units allied with the Houthi movement threatened to overrun the southern port of Aden, where the besieged president

Jeddah, Mar 24: Five Indian Grade 12 students are in a critical condition in hospital after the car they were driving in spun out of control and crashed into a tree on Friday morning. Four are studying at the International Indian School-Jeddah (IISJ) and the fifth student is at Delhi Public School. All five students had taken their Central Board of Secondary Education exams on Friday morning at

Riyadh, Mar 23: Recent statistics released by the Ministry of Interior have revealed that nearly 300,000 violators of the Kingdom’s labor and residency regulations have been deported during the past five months. “An average of 2,000 illegal expats are sent out of the Kingdom every day,” the ministry said as Saudi authorities continued their campaign throughout the country to flush out violators

Riyadh, Mar 20: Heavy rains lashed Riyadh on Thursday morning causing congestions on main traffic arteries. Rainwater flooded the new Al-Kharj road. Industrial areas were inundated. Traffic police diverted traffic on the new Al-Kharj road to the old Al-Kharj road to enable workers to make their way to their offices. Motorists using the airport highway to the city center were caught up in traffic

Riyadh, Mar 19: The whole world must understand that Saudi Arabia will never succumb to any pressure to change the way its judiciary and other organs of state function. This is because Islamic law underpins all these separate and autonomous bodies and entities. The judicial system is independent of the country’s executive, which means there is no interference in the decision of judges. In the