Middle East

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

Seoul, Sep 12: The global oil market is well balanced and top exporter Saudi Arabia ready to supply whatever volume of crude is needed to meet demand, Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Al-Naimi said. Saudi Arabia produced record high volumes of crude in August as it boosted output for the second time in two years to cushion the global oil market from supply disruptions. Al-Naimi’s

Riyadh, Sep 12: Saudi Arabia is deploying local and international resources to contain the spread of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), says a top health official. His remarks came as the Ministry of Health confirmed the 100th MERS case in the Kingdom. The ministry has pledged to double its efforts to control the spread of the disease through continuous surveillance across the Kingdom

Jeddah, Sep 11: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal announced plans to develop Souk Okaz, located in the summer resort of Taif, into a full-fledged tourist center on Tuesday, opening its doors throughout the year and not only during the holiday seasons. He emphasized the role of Souk Okaz in promoting creativity among Saudis. “It’s a venue for people to present their creativity and exchange their

Jeddah, Sep 10: Foreign mothers of Saudi children will be given permanent residence in the Kingdom without sponsors, the Council of Ministers said on Monday. They will also receive educational and health services like other Saudis. The Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, made this important decision upon the recommendation of Foreign Minister Prince

Makkah, Sep 9: Work on the demolition of two minarets close to Al-Umrah Gate of the Grand Mosque started on Sunday so as to facilitate the ongoing expansion of the mataf (circumambulation area around the Holy Ka’aba). Electricity to the minarets has been disconnected. Engineers and technicians from the company, which is implementing the expansion of the Grand Mosque and the mataf, have started

Jeddah, Sep 8: The first group of 235 Indian pilgrims arrived on an Air India flight in Madinah on Saturday from Goa. According to Irshad Ahmad, consul for press and information at the Indian Consulate in Jeddah, Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao and Consul General Faiz Ahmad Kidwai welcomed the pilgrims. The oldest pilgrim is an 82-year-old woman named Aisamma, and the youngest a 24-year-old man named

Jeddah, Sep 8: Saudi Post will provide three labor-related services for expats next week. These include transferring sponsorships, issuing or renewing work permits and changing professions, said Sami Al-Owaidhi, its vice president. “We’ll also provide services such as updating information related to a private firm’s address at the Labor Ministry and registration of its national address,” he said