Middle East

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

Jeddah, Sep 15: The Haj pilgrim transportation sector is in a dilemma. In a bid to provide employment to Saudi youth, the Ministry of Labor has made it mandatory for transport companies to hire only Saudis as bus drivers during the Haj season. However, there is an acute shortage of Saudi applications for the vacant positions despite the incentives and attractive packages offered by transport

Abu Dhabi, Sep 14: UAE football enters a new era with a rebranded League — the Arabian Gulf League (AGL), which kick-off on Saturday. And if early pointers are anything to go by, this may yet be the most open football season in the UAE top flight. There are the usual suspects to the throne, but expect a few surprises along the way. Dubai’s Al Ahli, Abu Dhabi’s Al Jazira, Bani Yas may be looking to

Jeddah, Sep 13: A new electronic crowd management system adopted by the Ministry of Haj has been instrumental in drastically reducing the number of pilgrims overstaying their Umrah visas this year, Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar has said. “Most of the 5.13 million pilgrims who came for Umrah this year have left the Kingdom. Only 11,000 of them now remain in the country and we hope they leave before