Middle East

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

Dubai, Jul 8: A Saudi-based Indian businessman has secured the release of a compatriot serving a jail term in the Gulf Kingdom for killing a local resident in Jeddah by paying blood money to the family of the victim. Indian businessman Mohammed Alungal paid a sum of Rs 36,13,000 on behalf of Vinish Pappachan, who had been ordered to pay the money as diyah (blood money), it is said. Pappachan, who

Riyadh, Jul 8: The Directorate General of Passports will switch over to online passport services for firms with 100 or less employees from Sept. 7 (Dhul Qaada 1). Col. Khaled Al-Saikhan, Director of IT Department at the Directorate, said that all passport offices across the Kingdom will stop issuing or renewing residency permits (iqama) or issuing or canceling exit and re-entry visas directly from

Washington, Jul 7: U.S. national security advisor Susan E. Rice had told deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi’s team that the president would leave office an hour before his ouster by the military, a report says. An Arab foreign minister had called Morsi as an emissary of the United States to give him one final chance to make changes to his cabinet to end the standoff with the military, The