Middle East

Jeddah, Jul 1: Philanthropists will distribute more than 7.5 million packets of iftar meals among worshippers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah throughout Ramadan. “Everyday they supply 250,000 iftar meals, of which 80,000 meals are distributed in the northern courtyard and 70,000 in the southern courtyard,” said an official in charge of distributing the meals. “We also distribute 90,000 to 120,000

Riyadh, Jun 30: The Riyadh Municipality clarified the image of the three workers preparing a large quantity of shawarma (grilled chicken meat on large vertical skewers) in unsanitary conditions is that of a restaurant in Turkey and not in the Kingdom. The image went viral on social media networks raising a lot of concern about the hygiene and sanitation levels in the Kingdom. The questions however

Makkah, Jun 29: The head of the Doors Department at the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques said 150 doors of Masjid-ul-Haram in Makkah will remain open to receive Umrah pilgrims and visitors during the holy month of Ramadan. Abdullah Al-Temaih said 19 doors are designated for special needs visitors. In addition, 10 escalators around the Grand Mosque will help ensure the smooth flow of worshipers

Manama, Jun 29: Three Indian expatriates, severely injured here in a terror blast two days ago, are recuperating in a hospital in Bahrain's capital Manama, a media report said on Saturday. Binoy Baby, 30, Jayabalan Markose, 47, and Anil Ebraham, 33, were injured when a homemade bomb made out of a gas cylinder exploded in Segaiya area in Manama Thursday night, Gulf Daily News reported. Markose

Jeddah, Jun 29: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah emphasized Saturday that Saudi Arabia is determined to root out terrorism, adding that Riyadh would adopt all measures to protect citizens and residents from the menace. In a message to the nation on the advent of Ramadan, King Abdullah expressed hope that militants who instigate terror in different parts of the world would return to

Riyadh, Jun 28: Imams in mosques throughout the Kingdom, including those in Makkah and Madinah, welcomed on Friday the holy month of Ramadan with an immense sense of piety and requested their respective congregation to strictly follow the teachings of the Holy Qur’an during the fasting period. The Supreme Court in Riyadh called on all Muslims in the Kingdom to sight the crescent of the lunar month

Jeddah, Jun 27: The second phase of the massive ongoing expansion project inside Makkah’s Grand Mosque is almost complete, with the first floor area for circumambulation around the House of God, known as the “mataf,” expected to be open for pilgrims during the month of Ramadan. The worksite was inspected by Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency of the Grand Mosque and Prophet’s

Jeddah, Jun 26: The new King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah will open in the middle of 2015 with an increased capacity, a leading official said here on Tuesday. Abdul Hamid Abul Ora, director of the airport said: “The new airport will have a capacity of 30 million passengers in the first phase, 45 million in the second phase, and up to 80 million in the final phase.” The airport

Abu Dhabi, Jun 25: The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced the timings for services during the holy month of Ramadan covering customer service centres, car parks, public buses, Dubai Metro, marine transit modes, driving institutes, and vehicles testing and registration centres. “The customer service centres will deliver services at different times from Sunday to Thursday where Umm Al

Jeddah, Jun 23: Saudi authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle 526 kg of cocaine into the Kingdom through the Jeddah Islamic Port. The cocaine consignment came from a South American country, said Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman of the Interior Ministry. He said the police had taken necessary measures to foil the attempt to bring a huge amount of high-quality cocaine into the Kingdom