Middle East

Jeddah, May 30: The Indian rupee dropped to its lowest level in 10 months and one Saudi riyal was fetching almost Rs. 15 yesterday. "My remittance fetches more rupees now." This is how the average Indian expatriate is reacting to the situation. However, some Indian expatriates felt the falling trend of the rupee will have an adverse impact on their national economy in the long term. "Yes, in the

Jeddah, May 30: Eight new tunnels, including two for pedestrians, are under construction in the holy city of Makkah to ensure free flow of pilgrims and vehicles, press reports said yesterday. “The tunnels are constructed as part of King Abdullah Project for Expansion of Makkah and holy sites,” one source said, adding that they would be ready for use shortly. The project includes construction of

Jeddah, May 27: More than 600,000 jobs have been nationalized under Nitaqat initiative. This was revealed yesterday by Labor Minister Adel Fakeih at a Jeddah social dialogue workshop on policies and wage levels in the private sector. Deputy Labor Minister Ahmad Al-Humaidan said the ministry is disappointed with the wage level of Saudi workers in the private sector. He said the ministry is working

Geneva, May 25: The World Health Organization said yesterday it would help Saudi Arabia dig deeper into deadly outbreaks of a new SARS-like virus to draw up advice ahead of the annual Haj. The UN agency, which is not currently recommending any restrictions on travel to the Kingdom or screening of passengers at airports or entry points, will send a second team of experts in the coming weeks, WHO

Jeddah, May 24: A labor shortage caused by the departure of thousands of illegal foreign workers, along with increasing commercial activity in the Kingdom, is likely to see a rise in the salaries of expatriates, according to analysts and business leaders.Housemaids and drivers who have corrected their residential status are already demanding monthly salaries of SR 2,000 instead of SR 800, to the

Riyadh, May 22: Twenty percent of private sector companies in Saudi Arabia are not meeting quotas for the employment of nationals, despite a program aimed at boosting recruitment that launched two years ago, a labor official was quoted as saying on Monday. Nitaqat, a government-led Saudization program, was launched with the aim of increasing the number of nationals employed in private sector

Jeddah, May 21: Chaos prevailed yesterday across deportation centers in Jeddah as expatriates rush to register for repatriation. Thousands returned unsuccessfully after waiting the entire day to scan their fingerprints. Existing resources cannot match the huge crowd of expatriates. According to sources, only three counters with a capacity of 200 people were operating. Officials are currently able

Jeddah, May 20: Thirteen Saudi women have been trained to assemble trucks for Mercedes-Benz and its Jeddah partner, marking a breakthrough in having women work in a male-dominated job in the Kingdom. Khaled Juffali, chairman of the Juffali Automotive Company, made the announcement during a visit by Commerce & Industry Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah. The company produces 5,000 trucks annually in Jeddah

Dubai, May 19: Financial crime that was detected in Dubai topped Dh200 million during last year and the first quarter of this year, according to Dubai Police’s General Department of Anti-Economic crime. Department Director Major Salah Bu Osaiba said the police had arrested 371 suspects for involvement in those crimes — which relate to selling thousands of fake electronics and counterfeit products

Jeddah, May 17: Prisons are experiencing overcrowding due to an increase in the number of inmates and a delay in releasing inmates who have completed their sentences, the Kingdom’s prisons department chief has said. The number of prisoners in central jails in Riyadh, Makkah and Jeddah is now nearly three times their capacity, local media reported quoting Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Harthi. “The problem has