Middle East

Jeddah, Sep 29: The move to shift government departments from Mina to a new administration complex in Muzdalifah would create 23 percent extra space in the tent city to accommodate 185,000 more pilgrims this year, said Sultan Al-Dossary, spokesman of the Makkah governorate. The first phase of the complex has been completed on an area of 1 million square meters. Most of the non-essential government

Washington, Sep 28: President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke by phone on Friday, the highest-level contact between the two countries since the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and a sign that both sides are serious about reaching a pact on Iran's nuclear programme. Obama had hoped to meet with Rouhani earlier this week while both men were in New York for the United Nations

Baghdad, Sep 23: A suicide bomber struck a Sunni funeral in Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least 12 people, Iraqi officials said, a day after blasts targeting Shia mourners killed more than 70. Major attacks have alternatively hit Sunnis, Shias, and then Sunnis again over the past three days. Iraq was ravaged by bloody Sunni-Shia violence that peaked in 2006-2007 and killed thousands of people, and

Jeddah, Sep 22: The Jeddah Islamic Port (JIP) has installed 40 state-of-the-art fingerprint and other devices to detect fake Haj permits and other false documents. However, Sahir Tahlawi, director general of JIP, told Arab News that no case of bogus Haj document has yet been uncovered. "The arrival of pilgrims has been going according to plan. There is full coordination around the clock with the

Jeddah, Sep 21: Jubilation is around the corner for Saudi society, which will be celebrating the country’s National Day on Monday. A myriad of cultural and recreational activities will be held to express their patriotic fervor for the nation. Riyadh, considered the foundation for the modern Kingdom, is at the forefront of celebrations, but people in various regions are also getting ready to

Moscow, Sep 18: Syria has turned over materials to Russia which aim to show that a chemical weapons attack last month was carried out by the rebels, a top Russian diplomat visiting Damascus says. The August 21 attack precipitated the current high tensions over Syria's chemical weapons and sparked a plan under which Syria is to abandon the weapons. A report by UN investigators confirmed that

Dubai, Sep 18: The futuristic Dubai World Central Al Maktoum International Airport, envisioned to be the world’s largest airport complex when fully completed, is set to open for passenger flights next month following the certification for operation of its new passenger terminal. The General Civil Aviation Authority, or GCAA, the sole regulator of all licenced airfields within the UAE, has

Riyadh, Sep 17: Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh condemned violence against non-Muslims living in Islamic countries as well as attacks on Muslims after labeling them as infidels. In a statement carried on Monday by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Grand Mufti warned against dangers of takfeeri ideology (the practice of one Muslim declaring another as an unbeliever). “Given the dangerous

Riyadh, Sep 16: Saudi Arabia ranks fourth in hosting the largest number of foreign manpower worldwide, according to a study published by the Population Division of the United Nations. There are 9.1 million foreign workers in the Kingdom. The report pointed out that most of the expat workers have been living outside their home countries for an extended period of time. The United States ranked first

Jeddah, Sep 15: In a major initiative to prevent floods and loss of life during Haj, a Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) team has urged the authorities to ensure all rainwater drainage systems are in good working order and not blocked by pilgrims and Haj operators in Mina. The team presented an action plan on flood safety recently to Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who is also chairman of the