Middle East

Riyadh, Nov 12: A camel from a Jeddah farm has tested positive for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the first case of an animal infected with the coronavirus that has killed 64 people worldwide, the Ministry of Health said Monday. A ministry statement carried by Saudi Press Agency said the camel “tested positive in preliminary laboratory checks.” The ministry said it was working with

Riyadh, Nov 12: Nearly 17,000 illegal foreigners, including women and children, have surrendered to Riyadh police until Monday evening. Riyadh police spokesman Brig. Gen. Nasser bin Saeed Al-Qahtani said: “Arrangements will be made to deport them immediately after going through their documents.” On Saturday, the police asked violators to surrender to the authorities to facilitate their deportation

Jeddah, Nov 11: One police officer and four Ethiopian illegals were killed at noon Sunday when the vehicle transporting the expats to the Shumaisy deportation center overturned. Another policeman and three Ethiopians were injured in the accident, which took place near Al-Jaizah police station in Al-Laith Governorate. The vehicle rolled over several times as a result of a flat tire. The officer who

Jeddah, Nov 10: Security forces were called in to maintain peace and order in Riyadh’s southern district of Manfouha on Saturday night after a group of men went on a rampage in anger at the Kingdom’s ongoing campaign against illegal foreign workers. At least one local resident was reported dead of injuries from a hail of stones thrown by the rioters, who also smashed crs and shops. Armed with

Riyadh, Nov 9: Saudis have begun complaining of surging labour costs following the exodus of a million foreign workers, although economists insist there will be long-term planning benefits from fully regulating the market. Professionals in the kingdom, both Saudi and expatriate, say the freelance tradesmen who used to queue for odd jobs in public squares have virtually disappeared since police

Jeddah, Nov 8: Jeddah residents have called on the government to move hundreds of illegals from under a bridge at the intersection of Palestine and Prince Majed streets. About 400 workers have been squatting at the location for days waiting for buses to transport them to the Shumaisi deportation center. Many were sitting on the ground, outside restaurants and moving in-between the traffic. There

Dubai, Nov 7: Three Indians have been accused of confining 19 Filipinas hotel workers inside a villa for over a month, not allowing them to go out even during their free time or holidays. The three men - 41-year-old electrician SS, 61-year-old supervisor KM and 54-year-old cook KA - who were identified with their initials only, were said to have unlawfully locked up the Filipinas from sunset to

Jeddah, Nov 7: The Kingdom’s commercial districts and farm areas have taken a beating as businesses continued to struggle to staff shops, supply vendor operations and produce farms in the wake of the Labor Ministry’s relentless crackdown on illegal workers. Jeddah’s central vegetable market (Halaga), a key commercial hub that supplies the city’s markets with fresh produce, was hit Wednesday by two

Jeddah, Nov 5: Labor inspectors on Monday swept up thousands of illegal workers in a series of raids across the Kingdom as the amnesty period for expatriates to legalize work status expired on Sunday. According to Jeddah police spokesman, Nawaf Al-Bouq, 3,918 undocumented expats were arrested in and around Jeddah on Monday. In Madinah, police raids netted 300 illegals. Anticipating the sweeps

Jeddah, Nov 4: The revamped national curriculum in the Saudi public education system has rattled schools, with significant changes taking place over the past few years. These reforms are the biggest in education since the establishment of modern Saudi Arabia. The changes have affected over five million students across the country. The re-written national curriculum addresses the long-held