Middle East

Riyadh, May 5: Three Filipino workers were detained by Riyadh police yesterday for protesting outside the Philippine Embassy. Later they were released. The three workers were among a group of about 150 workers who gathered in front of the Philippine Embassy yesterday morning to protest against the alleged inability of the Filipino diplomatic missions to help illegal workers go home. "The police

Jeddah, May 3: Saudi banks are considering limiting the amount of money expatriates send home, a bank official told Arab News. This is to comply with Ministry of Labor regulations being phased in as part of the Nitaqat program. These regulations would see banks prevent expatriate workers from transferring sums more than their monthly income and freezing the accounts of workers who have not

Riyadh, May 2: Torrential rains and flash floods in different provinces have left 16 dead and three missing. The casualties include four members of a family in Baha, two people in Al-Kharj, three in Aflaj, one in Hariq and four in Taif, the Civil Defense said yesterday. The missing are three expats in Baha. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has directed the Civil Defense Council to

Dubai, May 1: An Indian national became the proud owner of a 100,000-dirham car after being selected as an ideal driver by the Dubai traffic police.Jayaseelan's name was shortlisted from 700 drivers who had gathered the maximum number of white points in one year, during which the drivers did not commit any traffic offence or were not involved in any accident, the Emirates 24/7 website reported

Riyadh, Apr 30: Schools at all levels in the capital city, as well as the province of Riyadh and surrounding areas, were told not to open on Tuesday due to inclement weather. In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the director general of education in Riyadh, Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdullah, said the suspension of classes was a precautionary measure as the region was witnessing a high density

Riaydh, Apr 29: The Ministry of Haj has warned hotels and other accommodation facilities against seizing passports of pilgrims under any circumstances, cautioning that punitive action will be taken if irregularities are detected. Muhammad Al-Bijawi, director of the ministry’s Madinah branch, said that no party in the Kingdom is entitled to withhold passports, explaining that this decree has been

Jeddah, Apr 28: The family of a Pakistani driver living in a slum on the outskirts of Jeddah is trying to help him avoid an indefinite prison term for failing to pay blood money for a two-year-old Egyptian boy he had run over with his car. Aziz Mohammed Jaan works as a family driver for SR 1,200 per month and lives with his wife and five children, aged between one and 14. All are legal residents

Riyadh, Apr 27: While slippery snow and glassy ice may force schools to shut in more wintry countries, Saudi Arabia’s rainy downpour on Saturday has been enough reason for classes to be suspended. Schools in five different Saudi provinces will be shut, the Ministry of Education said on Saturday, due to rainy weather conditions. Ministry of Education Spokesman Mohammed Al-Dakheeni said the

Sharjah, Apr 27:The Pink Caravan, the breast cancer awareness initiative by the Friends of Cancer Patients charitable organisation (FOCP), has released a report detailing the results of their early detection breast cancer screening programme for the period 2011 to 2013. The report reveals that during the period of the 2013 Pink Caravan Ride, the campaign’s mobile clinics provided free early

Jeddah, Apr 25: All government agencies are on alert for an expected cold front and heavy rain over several areas in the Kingdom from tomorrow until Wednesday. Citizens and residents have been warned to take every precaution over the next few days. Prince Mohammad bin Naif, minister of interior, ordered all government departments to prepare resources, personnel and equipment for the expected