Middle East

Jeddah, Jun 10: Muslims should expect scorching temperatures of over 50 degrees Celsius and more than 15 hours a day of fasting in Ramadan this year. However, the hours will decrease slightly to 14 hours and 40 minutes toward the end of the holy month. Makkah, Madinah, Yanbu, Riyadh and Dammam, are expected to record the highest mercury levels. Hussain Al-Qahtani, spokesperson of the Presidency of

Jeddah, Jun 9: The Labor Ministry announced Sunday that it would allow firms in the high and medium green categories of Nitaqat to recruit foreign workers required for the expansion of their business activities. However, the same privilege will not be available for companies in the lower green, yellow and red categories. “We have clearly mentioned the categories of companies that would benefit

New Delhi, Jun 7: Bahrain's national carrier Gulf Air has been directed to pay compensation of 20 lakh to an Indian passenger by a District Consumer Forum here after he was denied the boarding pass at the airport here to travel to Qatar in 2008 despite having valid documents and lost his job. Terming it as a case for "punitive" compensation, New Delhi Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum directed the

Jeddah, Jun 7: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah telephoned newly elected Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi on Friday to pledge the Kingdom’s support for the country’s economic development. El-Sissi thanked King Abdullah for assisting Egypt and congratulating him on winning the elections. “This is the Kingdom’s duty based on our religion, ethics and the joint destiny of the

Riyadh, Jun 6: There has been an 80 percent decrease in the number of MERS coronavirus cases during the past six weeks due to the preventive measures, Acting Health Minister Adel Fakeih has told the Shoura Council. Fakeih enumerated the measures taken by the Ministry of Health in coordination with all local and global agencies and the ministry of agriculture. He said that the same efforts would be

Ras Al Khaimah, Jun 5: A four-year-old Egyptian boy emerged from a serious car crash in Ras Al Khaimah with slight leg injuries after he was protectively hugged by his father who was driving the vehicle, according to police in the northern emirate. The father was driving his car on Wikalat Road and his son was seated next to him when the vehicle swerved off the road because of high speed and hit

Riyadh, Jun 4: The Ministry of Health on Tuesday said the Kingdom’s death toll from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is actually 282, or 92 more than the tally recorded as of June 2. According to the Ministry of Health’s Command & Control Center, which was set up last week by Acting Health Minister Adel Fakeih, the new data came about following a thorough review by the center starting

Jeddah, June 3: The Cabinet has called on the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to assess whether it is playing an effective role in the promotion of security and stability in the world. The call was made at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Deputy Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Salman at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Monday. The Kingdom had stressed this view at the Ministerial Conference of the

Riyadh, June 2: Two people died and one person was infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 189 out of 571 cases since September 2012. The two latest victims were among previously reported patients. They were a 55-year-old man at a government hospital in Riyadh and 45-year-old woman at a government hospital in Jeddah, while the

Geneva, Jun 1: An international team of scientists say they have identified a compound that can fight coronaviruses, responsible for the SARS and MERS outbreaks, which currently have no cure. Coronaviruses affected the upper and lower respiratory tracts in humans. They are the reason for up to a third of common colds. A more severe strain of the virus, thought to have come from bats, triggered the