Middle East

Jeddah, Oct 22: Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh says that the enemies of Islam are using social networking sites such as Twitter to spread lies about the religion and attack Muslims. Al-Asheikh, who is also the president of the Council of Senior Scholars, made the remarks during a show on Saudi television. The mufti called on Saudis using Twitter to think carefully about

Jeddah, Oct 21: The Education Ministry in coordination with the Labor Ministry has moved to facilitate the legalizing of the statuses of expatriate teachers working in international schools. It will be done through registration with the “Ajeer Service” of the Labor Ministry. All international schools were sent a notice to the effect by Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Murshid, director general of

Riyadh, Oct 20: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has instructed the Ministry of Social Affairs to pay the treatment costs of people with disabilities at rehabilitation centers. Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Prince Salman Center for Disability Research (PSCDR), made the announcement in a media statement on the sidelines of the Fourth International

Riyadh, Oct 18: The Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) has created permanent jobs for 750,000 employees and increased the worth of the industry to SR72 billion, said Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the organization, here recently. Prince Sultan quoted the statistics in response to a person who hacked his Twitter account and asked 11 questions about the performance of the

Riyadh, Oct 16: In a major operation on Sunday, the police arrested 459 expatriates of various nationalities, including 36 women, who violated the country's labor regulations. Among those arrested were two Yemeni beggars, who were carrying fake Saudi identity cards. The police raids were conducted on the orders of Riyadh Gov. Prince Turki bin Abdullah. The authorities here also hope their actions

Dubai, Oct 15: The UAE is well renowned for its limit-pushing feats, and during a sneak preview of Burj Khalifa’s newest attraction on Tuesday, it’s clear even the sky isn’t the limit here. Ascending a knee-wobbling 555 metres above ground, ‘At The Top Burj Khalifa Sky’ opens to the public today and is the world’s highest observation deck — outgrowing its closest competitor in China by a

Jeddah, Oct 15: Police and US officials ruled out terrorism in the shooting of two US citizens in Riyadh on Tuesday, saying the gunman was a former co-worker of the victims who was fired by their employer for misconduct. Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said the attacker has been identified as Abdul Aziz al-Rashed, a former employee of defense contractor Vinnell

Jeddah, Oct 14: Pilgrims returning home after completing the Haj pilgrimage are becoming increasingly resentful of the five-liter cap on Zam Zam water imposed by the authorities. With the demand for the precious water surging as pilgrims return home, the authorities have moved to increase the supplies of Zam Zam in Jeddah and Madinah.While in Makkah, pilgrims have access to plentiful supplies of

Riyadh, Oct 14: Nearly half a million pilgrims made use of medical facilities that were available in Makkah and Madinah during Haj this year. Nineteen open heart surgeries were performed, Mansour Al-Hawasi, deputy health minister for Health Affairs, said here Sunday. Al-Hawasi was addressing health officials here during an Eid party hosted by the Ministry of Health to thank health officials who

Madinah, Oct 13: Some 95 properties and 126 mosques will be demolished to carry out the expansion work of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, said director general of the Madinah branch of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Endowments Dr. Muhammad Al-Amin Al-Khatri. Several of these buildings have been vacated while work is ongoing to vacate the others. He said specialist committees have been formed