Middle East

Riyadh, Dec 2: A Saudi diplomat was found dead inside a swimming pool at an apartment complex in Colombo on Sunday. Abdulaziz Abdul Rahman Al-Jammaz, Saudi ambassador to Sri Lanka, told Arab News over the phone that the deceased was Abdullah Al-Heej, a 32-year-old diplomat who had been serving at the Saudi mission in Colombo over the past two-and-a-half years. Al-Heej was working as an accountant

Jeddah, Nov 30: Security forces arrested 20 Ethiopian rioters on the Makkah-Jeddah Expressway on Friday for throwing stones that damaged 14 cars and injured four Saudis. An eyewitness said police officers fired shots into the air to disperse the rioters and soon brought the situation under control. The Ethiopians were apparently rioting because they could not gain entry into the Shumaisi detention

Jeddah, Nov 29: A newly constructed structure at the Grand Mosque in Makkah collapsed on Thursday delaying work on the second phase of the mataf expansion project. No one was injured in the accident that took place south of the Umrah Gate. “The structure collapsed because of the amount of debris on scaffolds,” said Ahmed Al-Mansouri, spokesman of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques. “No one

Cairo, Nov 28: A court in Egypt has sentenced 21 female supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi to 11 years in prison. They were found guilty of multiple charges, including belonging to a terrorist group, obstructing traffic, sabotage and using force at a protest in the city of Alexandria last month. Seven are under 18 years of age and will be sent to a juvenile prison. Human rights groups

Dubai, Nov 28: Following a heated international competition over the course of two years, the United Arab Emirates was announced winner of the World Expo 2020 hosting bid. Accordingly, Dubai will be the host city of the world’s biggest and most prestigious fair as the world welcomes a new decade. The voting took place in Paris, France at the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development

Jeddah, Nov 26: Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, will inaugurate a world conference on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at the Islamic University of Madinah on Tuesday. President of the university Abdulrahman Al-Sanad thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman and Prince Muqrin for extending support to the university. He also

Jeddah, Nov 25: Saudi Arabia has exempted Palestinian and Burmese nationals who are found to be in violation of the new labor laws from deportation. Palestinian and Burmese nationals comprise the bulk of expatriates who are unable to return to their countries due to internal strife in their countries. Over half a million Palestinian expatriates currently live and work in the Kingdom, mainly in

Riyadh, Nov 24: The 21st conference of the Council of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) concluded with a unanimous call to stop Muslim bloodshed irrespective of sect. The resolution said that sectarian killing is strictly unlawful, as it violates the sanctity of Muslim blood. The resolution was read out by IIFA’s Secretary-General Ahmad Khaled Babakr. The event, which was launched in

Jeddah, Nov 22: The government has mobilized its security forces after six mortar bombs landed near a remote Saudi border post close to neighboring Iraq and Kuwait on Wednesday. Nobody was hurt in the bombardment. The mortar rounds hit a desert area on the far northwestern fringes of the Kingdom's oil-producing region and several hundred kilometers from the major fields operated by the world's

Jeddah/Riyadh, Nov 21: The principal of the Pakistan International School Jeddah English Section (PISJ-ES), who was sacked by the Pakistan ambassador earlier this week, has rejected allegations against her and refused to vacate her position. Sehar Kamran has instead accused Mohammad Naeem Khan, Pakistan’s ambassador, of playing politics because she is a member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)