Middle East

Riyadh, Apr 24: There is a need for a more severe form of punishment for those who mislead young people, said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. King Abdullah made the statement while hosting Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh, president of the Council of Senior Ulema, and other scholars accompanying the sheikh at his palace in Riyadh yesterday, the Saudi Press Agency reported

Dubai, Apr 23: An Indian woman suffered severe burn injuries during a firebomb attack in Bahrain and is said to be in stable condition, according to a media report today. Priya D'Souza suffered 60 per cent burn injuries when she was caught in the middle of clashes between police and thugs on the Shaikh Isa Al Kabeer Avenue on Friday. "Thugs hurled Molotov cocktails at policemen as Ms D'Souza was

Jeddah, Apr 22: Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar yesterday imposed heavy penalties on 68 Haj and Umrah service companies for not providing adequate services to the Guests of God. The minister was acting on complaints filed by a number of pilgrims to the Haj Services Committee, which is a nodal agency looking into such problems. The committee was set up under Law 58 (servicing local pilgrims) of the

Jeddah, Apr 21: The development and expansion projects in Makkah have not wiped out the holy city's identity and history, said Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal yesterday. He said the government is protecting the city's heritage. “Of all the countries that have ruled Makkah, Saudi Arabia has undertaken the greatest reforms in the city. The expansion projects are conducted in a modern and

Tehran, Apr 21: A political analyst tells Press TV Americans are becoming more aware that Leader of the Islamic Revolution Seyyed Ali Khamenei is more trustworthy than their own leaders. “I think that more and more Americans are actually going to be coming around to accepting that what the Supreme Leader of Iran is saying is a lot more honest and truthful and realistic than what they are hearing

Riyadh, Apr 20: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah will open the 500-bed Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Hospital in Riyadh on April 28, Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah announced here yesterday. The hospital cost SR 455 million to build and is located on 120,000 square meters. The minister thanked King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, for

Riyadh, Apr 18: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and US President Barack Obama discussed the Syrian crisis and other regional and international issues during a meeting at the White House in Washington yesterday. They also discussed ways to strengthen further the bilateral relations between the US and the Kingdom. During the meeting, the prince conveyed the greetings of Custodian of the

Riyadh, Apr 16: Private clinics should be owned and supervised by Saudi citizens, according to a decision taken by the Cabinet in its weekly meeting held at the Yamamah Palace yesterday. The meeting was presided over by Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense. The Cabinet took this decision about private medical establishments, excepting hospitals, after making necessary

Jeddah, Apr 16: A number of Saudi sponsors have taken advantage of the need of the foreign workers to rectify their status before the grace period of three months is over to ask for huge sums of money so as not to issue them a final exit visa. This scenario has caused over-crowdedness by workers and domestics in front of their respective consulates to find a solution for their problem or at least

Riyadh, Apr 15: The GCC yesterday expressed deep concerns over the possible radiation leaks following an earthquake in the area and called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to rush inspectors to check the vulnerability of the Bushehr nuclear plant. “The GCC has asked the IAEA to send a special technical team to inspect the plant and investigate potential damage,” GCC chief Abdullatif Al