Middle East

Abha, Jan 20: Fouziyah Al-Karri is fast developing a reputation as a trailblazer for being the first Saudi woman to get a commercial license to operate in the Eastern Province construction industry. Al-Karri now also operates as a property broker but complains bitterly about what she sees as a lack of support from the local Asharqia Chamber and other women in business. She said that participation

Dubai, Jan 19: Residents across the UAE are in for another 12 hours of stormy, wet weather that is expected to continue until Tuesday morning, with winds already reaching 65kmph. A marine warning is also in place, with the NCMS stating it has recorded waves peaking at 12 feet in the waters of the Arabian Gulf on Monday. A ‘freak hail storm’ in Abu Dhabi brought traffic to a standstill on Monday

Jeddah, Jan 19: Fingerprinting will be a must for all male and female expatriates for renewal and issuance of iqama from Rabi Al-Thani 1 (Jan. 21). Sources at the Passport Department said that the fingerprint of male and female expatriates will be necessary for the renewal of residence permits (iqama); the fingerprint will be recorded only once and kept in the automated central system (ACS) along

Jeddah, Jan 17: Jeddah police have been arresting about 1,000 expatriates a day for violating the country's work and residency regulations. This is despite the fact that a year has passed since the crackdown on illegal workers began, according to a recent report in a local newspaper. Some workers interviewed by the publication said they plan to remain in the country to seek employment

Jeddah, Jan 16: Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed, chairman of the Tourism Development Council, opened the second Historic Jeddah Festival here Wednesday, which will feature 89 heritage, recreational, cultural and marketing events. Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), was also present. After the opening ceremony, Prince Mishaal and

Jeddah, Jan 16: The General Authority of Civil Aviation will build three new airports in Jazan, Abha and Arar this year as part of efforts to meet the demand of growing passenger traffic. This has been revealed by Prince Fahd bin Abdullah, president of GACA. Speaking to reporters after inspecting progress of work at King Khaled International Airport (KKIA) in Riyadh, he said 50 percent of work on

Riyadh/Cairo, Jan 15: Iyad Madani, secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, has denounced the publication of sacrilegious cartoons by French magazine Charlie Hebdo Wednesday, calling the move “insolence, ignorance and foolishness.” He said: “Freedom of speech must not become a hate-speech and it must not offend others. No sane person, regardless of doctrine, religion or faith

Cairo, Jan 14: Egypt’s Grand Mufti warned the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo on Tuesday against publishing blasphemous material, saying it was a racist act that would incite hatred and upset Muslims around the world. Charlie Hebdo is due to publish a front page on Wednesday showing a sacrilegious caricature in its first edition since gunmen attacked the weekly’s offices in Paris last Wednesday.

Jeddah, Jan 11: Auctioneering has traditionally been the realm of cars and antiques, but lately a new fad has emerged, involving electronic airline tickets. One of the ploys used by airline carriers to lure brokers into dealing with overpriced tickets is to offer guarantees such as full refunds with commission if the travel date is not confirmed. Commissions can range between SR75 and SR200 per

Jeddah, Jan 10: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has started implementing a recent Cabinet decision to compel car agencies and showrooms to display all information on each model offered for sale, including prices, aimed at ensuring consumer protection. According to sources, the Council of Saudi Chambers received a directive from the ministry to instruct car agencies and distributors about the