Middle East

Jeddah/Geneva, May 15: The Ministry of Health reported five deaths and 16 new cases of the MERS coronavirus, which included a two-year old infant with congenital problems in Madinah, on Wednesday. However, the WHO said the spread of the puzzling virus doesn’t yet constitute a global health emergency. The decision was made after a meeting of WHO expert group. “Calling a global emergency in a world

Riyadh, May 13: Five people died and eight were infected with the MERS coronavirus on Monday, bringing the death toll to 147 since September 2012. The new cases included five women, according to the Health Ministry. Four patients, all women, were diagnosed in Riyadh, while two were reported in Jeddah and two in Madinah. Patients in Riyadh were aged 31, 60, 74 and 80, one of whom died at a private

Jeddah, May 12: The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) has agreed to discuss the issue of Israel’s transgressions against Palestinian sports, said Prince Nawaf bin Faisal, head of the Youth Welfare Presidency. “Israel will be either expelled or suspended from FIFA if it did not apologize for its action against Palestinians and provide guarantees,” he said. “Being the chairman

Riyadh, May11: Saudi Arabia has announced 13 more deaths from the Mers coronavirus, as the World Health Organisation prepared for an emergency meeting over worries about the spread of the disease. The Middle East Respiratory System coronavirus has now killed 139 people and infected 480 in the kingdom since it first appeared in 2012, accounting for the bulk of cases registered across the globe. In

Jeddah/Riyadh, May 11: The Ministry of Health has issued an advisory stating that face masks should be worn by patients who have been diagnosed with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), as well as people who come into regular contact with patients, such as family members and medical staff. The advisory, issued via SMS to residents, followed a meeting held between local and international

Jeddah, May 10: Saudi Arabia's grand mufti has condemned Nigeria's Boko Haram as a group "set up to smear the image of Islam" and condemned its kidnapping of over 200 schoolgirls. Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh said the group was "misguided" and should be "shown their wrong path and be made to reject it." His remarks came as religious leaders in the Muslim world denounced Boko Haram leader Abubakar

Riyadh, May 9: Saudi Arabia's death toll from MERS has risen by five to 126 fatalities since the mystery respiratory virus first appeared in the kingdom in 2012, the health ministry said today. Two men, aged 47 and 60, died in the western city of Medina on Wednesday, an 84-year-old man died in Mecca and a fourth died in the Red Sea port of Jeddah. All three cities are closely associated with the

Jeddah, May 9: A prominent labor expert has suggested that the Kingdom will require expatriate manpower in various sectors over the next 40 years. Abdullah Dahlan, former Saudi representative to the International Labor Organization (ILO) and chairman of the board of trustees of the University of Business and Technology, also reiterated the need for more Saudi men and women to match their

Riyadh, May 9: The Ministry of Labor plans to shift all its services online soon, including the paperwork for domestic workers, and early warnings for companies it decides to move into the Red Zone of the Nitaqat System, a ministry official has said. “We are trying our best to improve the performance level of our services with ease of access ... that satisfies both customers and the ministry,”

Jeddah, May 7: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah reiterated the role of the media in promoting peace and stability across the world during the three-day Asia Media Summit 2014, which was inaugurated here on Tuesday. “We hope this summit will strengthen media cooperation between Asian countries,” said the king in his keynote speech, which was read out by Culture and Information