Middle East

Riyadh, Sep 23: Today is a proud moment for all the people residing in Saudi Arabia, which is celebrating its 84th National Day, the anniversary of the glorious unification by great visionary King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, the founder of the modern Kingdom in 1932. Declared as a national holiday, the occasion is very special to the citizens as well as to the huge number of expatriates residing in this

Dammam, Sep 22: Two Civil Defense officers died and six people were injured in a massive fire that gutted the Al-Bilad Mall (Nesto Supermarket) in Dammam. “We found the bodies of the two Civil Defense officers inside the mall this morning,” said Col. Mansour Al-Dossari, department spokesman. He identified the two officers as Mohammed Al-Qahtani and Mubarak Al-Khalifa. Al-Dossari said the fire hit

Riyadh, Sep 22: Pilgrims arriving at the King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) are being screened, tested and given preventive medication against the Ebola virus. Fahd Al-Ghazwi, supervisor of the preventive center at the airport, told a local newspaper that a medical team wearing protective clothing “examines pilgrims who have flown in for Haj, especially pilgrims coming from West Africa.”

Jeddah, Sep 21: The Ministry of Labor has warned it would punish companies hiring "ghost" women workers to boost their Saudization quotas, including heavy financial penalties, cutting off all services from the Human Resources Development Fund, and banning them from hiring new staff. The move comes as the ministry prepares to launch the third phase of its feminization campaign. This starts on Oct

Jeddah, Sep 19: Saudi Arabia has pledged $500 million to help rebuild Gaza, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah said on Thursday, with the full cost of post-war reconstruction expected to be around $4 billion over three years. Saudi Arabia’s commitment comes ahead of a conference in Cairo on Oct. 12 when Palestinian leaders hope other donors, including Turkey, Qatar, the European Union

Riyadh, Sep 17: Delegates at a conference here have slammed the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group for its violent actions in the Middle East, and lambasted Israel for continuing to oppress the Palestinians. Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah, deputy foreign minister, opened the two-day conference on “Arabian Gulf and Regional Challenges” in Riyadh on Tuesday. Prince Abdulaziz denounced IS terrorism in

Jeddah, Sep 17: Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) will carry nearly 818,000 pilgrims coming for Haj this year from different parts of the world, said Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, director general of the Kingdom’s flag carrier. Saudia will carry 785,984 pilgrims from 72 international airports including 470,770 from Asia, 118,951 from the Middle East and Gulf, 105,462 from Europe and America, 90,801

Jeddah, Sep 16: The Council of Ministers has prioritized housing, jobs and an increased standard of living for citizens in its 10th Five-Year Development Plan from 2015 to 2020. The 24-point plan approved at its meeting on Monday, includes efforts to preserve Islamic values and teachings, promote national unity and consolidate the Kingdom’s identity, said Culture and Information Minister Abdul

Riyadh, Sep 15: Pilgrims can borrow money from the government and banks to perform Haj, said Sheikh Abdullah Al-Mutlaq, a member of the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars. “Debt that will be paid back in monthly installments through salary deductions does not hinder pilgrims from performing Haj,” he said. “Only debt owed to other people must be paid back before embarking on the spiritual journey.”

Cairo, Sep 14: Qatar has asked seven senior figures from Egypt’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood to leave the country, the movement said on Saturday, following months of pressure on the Gulf Arab state from its neighbors to stop backing the Islamists. Ibrahim Munir, a senior Brotherhood official based in London, told Reuters the departures did not mean a rupture in ties between Qatar and the