Middle East

Jeddah, Jul 23: Reducing the number of working hours confuses markets’ needs in Ramadan, according to business experts. Despite the fact that consumption and purchasing power increase in Ramadan, many workers seek fewer working hours. People staying awake until dawn results in lower productivity throughout the day. Such a lifestyle is negatively affecting the Saudi market. So businesses and

Jeddah, Jul 22: Saudi authorities arrested a local airport officer after social networks published a picture of the man showing him in a “rude sitting position” while checking the passports of passengers, a newspaper reported on Sunday. The picture, which was captured by a Saudi passenger at the airport in Jeddah, showed the uniformed officer giving his back to the passengers as he sat on the desk

Cairo, Jul 16: Egyptian police and protesters clashed in central Cairo early on Tuesday after fights broke out between supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and locals angered when they tried to block major thoroughfares crossing the River Nile. The MENA state news agency said at least 22 people were injured in the violence, which began just after 9pm (1900 GMT) on Monday and

Dubai, Jul 15: Muslims around the world are not mostly well aware that the Holy Quran, with its diverse and incredible verses and teachings, is the real miracle of the nation at all times, said Saudi scholar Dr Sheikh Ibrahim Al Duwaish in a lecture on the ‘Prophet’s deep thinking of the Quran’ on Saturday night. The lecture saw the presence of Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Riyadh, Jul 14: The Labor Ministry is taking new measures to prevent illegal visa trade. Officials said the ministry had amended the Labor Law to block fake firms from recruiting foreigners. Work permits issued by fake companies, commonly described as ‘free visas’, are being blamed for various malpractices in the Kingdom’s labor market. Labor Minister Adel Fakeih has approved amendments to Article

Jeddah, Jul 13: Around 86 percent of foreign workers in the Kingdom are earning less than SR 2,000, says a study conducted by the Ministry of Labor. The study estimates the number of foreign workers in the Kingdom at around 9.2 million. The findings came as authorities stepped up their campaign to regularize the status of undocumented migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. Custodian of the Two Holy

Dubai, Jul 12: Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), known for good ethics, has shown mercy not only on Muslims but the mankind and all creatures. This was affirmed by Saudi scholar Dr Sheikh Nasir Al Zahrani in his lecture ‘Peace be upon you Prophet Muhammad’, on Wednesday night. The preaching, the first in a series of 22 lectures, is part of the 17th session of the Dubai International Holy Quran

Jeddah, Jul 11: A total of 4.8 million pilgrims performed Umrah up until Tuesday, the last day of Shabaan, according to a senior government official. Hatem Al-Qadi, deputy minister of Haj and spokesman for the ministry, said 4.5 million pilgrims have already left the Kingdom. “We now have only 300,000 people who have not left so far.” He said the recent extension of applications for Umrah until

Makkah, Jul 10: Three floors of the newly constructed annex of the Grand Mosque have been opened to accommodate 400,000 more worshippers this Ramadan. The opening comes upon directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who initiated the new expansion project to increase the mosque’s capacity to more than two million. Apart from the basement, first and mezzanine floors, the mosque

Cairo, Jul 8: Egyptian soldiers and police guarding a military building opened fire on supporters of the ousted president on Monday in bloodshed that claimed over 50 lives, officials and witnesses said, and plunged the divided country deeper into crisis with calls by Islamists for all-out struggle against the army. The carnage outside the Republican Guard building in Cairo — where toppled