Middle East

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

Riyadh, Apr 14: The General Authority for Civil Aviaton (GACA) plans to increase the capacity of the King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh to 35.5 million passengers annually by the end of 2015. The existing lounges will be expanded and an additional lounge will be built. This was stated in a meeting of the Riyadh Tourism Development Council chaired by Riyadh Gov. Prince Khaled bin Bandar

Riyadh, Apr 13: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has appointed new chiefs for the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) and the Saudi Railways Organization (SRO), among a number of top government appointments announced Friday. Abdullah bin Fahd Al-Hussain is the new SPA head, according to the royal order. SPA was established in 1971 as the Kingdom’s official news agency. Last year the Council of

Dubai, Apr 12: His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has posted the photo of Shaikh Zayed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum through his Instagram account, marking his son’s debut in the media. Shaikh Mohammed has chosen his official page on the online photo-sharing and social networking service, to post the very first

Dubai, Apr 12: His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice -President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, accompanied by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and VIPs, today viewed the concept for the implementation of the project named “Our Dubai: Our Life” which formulates a future vision for the emirate. His Highness Shaikh Mohammed

Riyadh/Jeddah, Apr 12: The overseas absentee voting among Overseas Filipino Workers starting tomorrow in Riyadh and the Eastern Province has been delayed in Jeddah because the ballot boxes and other election documents are yet to arrive. The voting in Riyadh and the Eastern Province will continue until May 13. Consul Leo Tito L. Ausan Jr., in charge of the electoral process at the Philippines

Taif , Apr 10: Taif airport may soon become a key disembarkation point for pilgrims coming in from the neighboring states. The airport has seen a 250 percent jump in air traffic in 2012, according to Khalid Al-Khaibary, spokesperson and general manager of public relations at General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). The idea behind developing Taif as a major hub for international Haj and Umrah