Middle East

Jeddah, Mar 23: A large number of Umrah pilgrims arriving from Asian countries this week are about to set a new record. The Ministry of Haj has indicated that more than 6 million pilgrims are likely to come for Umrah this year, up from 5.5 million last year. The season opened on Dec. 14 last year, and will close on Aug. 22. Airlines operating flights to Jeddah are reportedly fully booked for Umrah

Kuwait City, Mar 21: Kuwait, where expats make up 68 percent of the population, plans to reduce the number of foreigners living in the Gulf state by 1 million over the next decade, a minister said. “The ministry will take decisions and measures... aimed at reducing the number of expatriate workers by 100,000 every year for 10 years to reach one million,” Social Affairs and Labour Minister Thekra

Riyadh, Mar 20: Saudi Arabia has arrested 16 Saudis, an Iranian and a Lebanese for espionage. “The men were arrested in Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh and Eastern Province,” said Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman of the Interior Ministry. The arrests took place after the ministry received information about spying by a number of Saudis and expatriates in the country for the benefit of a particular country.

Riyadh, Mar 19: Saudi Arabia has announced new measures at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Crown Prince Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense. The Council of Ministers yesterday adopted a series of decisions to drive out illegal foreign workers who violate the Kingdom’s residency and labor regulations. The move also targets illegal coverup businesses. "The amendments to the

Jeddah, Mar 18: Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman yesterday commended the Labor Ministry’s efforts to create more job opportunities for Saudis and eradicate the country’s unemployment problem. He received Labor Minister Adel Fakeih who gave the governor a presentation on the ministry’s present and future programs, especially for the Madinah region. “There is a clear instruction from the Saudi

Tehran, Mar 17: Iran launches the indigenously-manufactured Jamaran 2 destroyer in the Caspian Sea near the northern port city of Bandar Anzali in the presence of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Jamaran 2, a Wave-class warship, has been designed and built by the experts at Iran’s Defense Ministry and has state-of-the-art navigation equipment and complex defensive systems. The production line of the

Jeddah, Mar 15: Inspired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s interfaith dialogue initiative, the Kochi-based International Interfaith Dialogue India (IIDI) recently organized a seminar that stressed the unity of God and the need to spread moral values promulgated by all religions. “It was a successful seminar as it brought together leaders of different religious faiths in India

Jeddah, Mar 14: The holy city of Madinah will have a major facelift shortly as a large number of development projects are being implemented there at a cost of more than SR 100 billion. Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, yesterday visited an exhibition of Madinah projects organized by the Madinah Development Authority. The exhibition showcased the new expansion ordered by

Riyadh, Mar 12: The Council of Ministers yesterday condemned Israeli attempts to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque and its aggressive practices against worshippers, students and the Holy Qur’an, calling on the international community to take a firm stand against such provocative acts. “Such aggressive actions represent a violation of the international conventions and treaties as well as a violation of the

Jeddah, Mar 11: More than 550,000 young Saudi men and women are expected to participate in the third edition of Makkah Youth Forum 2013, which was launched here yesterday by Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal. “Youths are makers of the future and it is our duty to prepare them to carry out this mission properly,” the governor said while highlighting the annual forum’s importance. Students from