Middle East

Ramallah, Jun 25: Israeli authorities on Monday began new excavations near Al-Aqsa Mosque Complex in occupied Jerusalem, a Palestinian foundation said. The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage said that the Israeli authorities began the excavations in the southern part of Al-Magharebah Gate, the eastern part of the Umayyad palaces and at the entrance of the Wadi Hilweh neighborhood. The

Doha, Jun 24: The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, is expected to meet members of the royal family on Monday, with Qatari officials and diplomats saying a transfer of power to his son, Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, is imminent. The sheikh "will meet today with the royal family and advisors," the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television news channel reported yesterday

Jeddah, Jun 22: There is a possibility that the July 3 amnesty deadline for undocumented and illegal workers to correct their status will be extended, Deputy Chairman of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) Mazen Batterjee said here on Friday. Speaking as chief guest at the 3rd Job Fair organized by the Consulate General of Pakistan, Batterjee said the JCCI was in contact with consulates

Jeddah, Jun 20: A call for extension of the July 3 amnesty deadline got the backing of businesspeople yesterday during their meeting with Labor Ministry officials. Muhammad Al-Subhi, a businessman, said that the mechanisms used for normalization are incorrect and disorganized. “The mechanisms were only announced six weeks after the start of the grace period. We therefore ask that the period be

Jeddah, Jun 20: Saudi banking experts here say that the Kingdom has the safest banking system in the Arab world. This comes in response to CNBC Arabia reporting earlier this week that the Kingdom recorded 5,000 fraud cases out of 1.3 million ATM cash withdrawals recently. The experts say that the security of the Saudi banking system and its top ranking in the Arab world has been confirmed by the

Jeddah, Jun 16: In an unprecedented move aimed at preventing congestion and stampedes and ensuring safety of the guests of God, Saudi authorities have urged domestic and foreign pilgrims to postpone their Haj plans for this year if possible due to ongoing expansion work at Makkah’s Grand Mosque. The call follows the government’s decision to reduce the number of foreign pilgrims by 20 percent and

Jeddah, Jun 16: Remittances from Saudi Arabia by expatriate workers to their home countries are likely to decline due to the new labor laws, according to Fadhel Albuainain, economist and banking expert. “The launch of the new, accurate labor system and the implementation of the salary protection program in the future will help reduce the amount of transferred money out of the Kingdom by

Tehran, Jun 15: Partial results from Iran’s presidential election are giving reformist Hassan Rohani a major lead with principlist candidate, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, trailing in the second place. Iran's Interior Ministry says according to the latest vote tally, out of 31,106,865 valid votes from 32,189,621 total votes counted so far in the country's 11th presidential election, reformist candidate

Makkah, Jun 15: Thousands of laborers will be working around the clock to keep the holy city of Makkah clean during the month of fasting that commences July 9. The Makkah Municipality has approved a comprehensive plan to clean, collect garbage and monitor shops to ensure they adhere to food and safety standards. The workers will be deployed along roads and tunnels and ensure that streetlights and

Makkah, Jun 14: Riots broke out late Wednesday in the residential compound of a company carrying out development projects in the city's Central Area. Indian workers, who mistakenly believed the death of their colleague who died from an unspecified work-related injury, was reported as a non-work-related injury by the company, gathered in large numbers and went on a rampage in their residential