Middle East

Madinah, Jan 6: Twenty-nine passengers were injured when a Saudia flight suffered a landing gear failure and was forced to make an emergency landing in Madinah early Sunday, aviation officials said. Flight SV2841, coming from the Iranian city of Mashhad, had 315 passengers on board, including 16 crew members. The captain alerted the air traffic control tower after being unable to open the rear

Jeddah, Jan 5: A joint meeting of Saudi and Indian labor officials will be held soon to finalize procedures for the recruitment of domestics to work in the Kingdom, said Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi. He said the recruitment process would begin within two weeks. Ravi, however, added that the decision to launch the recruitment initiative on the basis of the new agreement would be

Jeddah, Jan 3: Imams who politicize Friday sermons at mosques will not be allowed to continue in their positions, Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh said in comments published on Thursday. “We have set up a legal panel to advise such imams. If they respond positively and follow the guidelines they will be allowed to continue. If not, then we’ll tell them they are not fit for the pulpit,”

Dubai, Jan 3: Since its inception 19 years ago the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) continues to attract people to its array of shopping and entertainment activities.The glittering opening at Al Seef Street on Thursday drew regular fans and the spirit of the season was palpable. The lineup of performers was truly international. Some of the performers included Pele Pele dance group from Swaziland, the

Riyadh, Dec 2: Expatriates here said they would be more cautious when using social networking sites after learning that a Riyadh court convicted a Saudi for falsely accusing a Kuwaiti singer of immoral behavior on his Twitter and Facebook pages. Many have welcomed the ruling, saying it protects Internet users from online predators. The Riyadh Criminal Court sentenced the man to three months in

Jeddah, Jan 1: The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Haia) is considering shortening the time shops close for prayer, the Haia chief has said. The period would be limited to just enough time for ablution and the actual time needed to complete a prayer, said Sheikh Abdullateef Al-Asheikh in the interview broadcast on an Arabic channel on Monday. “We would need the

Alkhobar, Dec 31: The National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha) has assigned a representative to examine the reasons behind the increased traffic during rush hours and vacations at the King Fahd Causeway. Nazaha attributed the primary reason for the traffic bottlenecks to a lack of human resources required to operate the passport booths. The commission’s representative pointed out that each

Makkah, Dec 30: The Makkah Municipality has deployed all its resources to welcome Umrah visitors to the Grand Mosque and offer them the best services like healthy environment and amenities for a comfortable stay in the holy city, said Mayor Osama Al-Bar. A labor force of about 7,000 consisting of supervisors, drivers, sweepers and others has started sanitizing the city against any epidemic. A

Jeddah, Dec 29: Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, has cleared the way for the possible execution of a prince convicted of murdering a Saudi citizen. This follows the refusal by the victim’s father to pardon the killer. “Shariah shall be applied to all without exception,” said Prince Salman in a message to Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Naif. “There is no

Dammam, Dec 28: Three expatriate workers are missing after a mobile platform for maintenance services sank in Al-Safaniya offshore oilfield area on Friday. Two of the missing are Indians and the third is a Bangladeshi, said a statement issued by Saudi Aramco. The remaining 24 workers were rescued and taken to safety. Saudi Aramco’s response team has beefed up search operations for the missing