Middle East

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

Riyadh, Apr 8: The number of runaway housemaids seeking refuge at the Sri Lankan mission has doubled following the government’s enforcement of the Nitaqat program in recent weeks, a senior official from the Sri Lankan Embassy has said. The Lankan mission in Riyadh receives around 10 runaway maids a day from the central province. “We have witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of runaway

Riyadh, Apr 6: With top level talks planned between India and Saudi Arabia over the fallout of the Kingdom’s Nitaqat program, the Indian government is reportedly planning to provide free air tickets for thousands of “deserving workers” to go back home. Oommen Chandy, chief minister of the southern Indian state of Kerala from where the majority of Indian workers in the Kingdom come, told reporters

Jeddah, Apr 4: The Ministry of Labor’s surprise checks of shops, institutions and businesses have wreaked havoc on the lives of many expatriates. Expat workers told Arab News of the closures of their employers’ grocery shops, beauty parlors, salons, cafeterias, electric and plumbing stores and private schools. The expatriates asked for a legal solution to this problem. Workers said that while they

Riyadh, Apr 1: Saudis across the Kingdom have welcomed the new Shoura Council proposal to increase end of service benefits (ESB) of civil servants, saying it would encourage public servants to work hard and improve the living conditions of retirees. A Shoura meeting, chaired by Vice President Muhammad Al-Jafri, approved the proposal made by a former member Ehsan Abdul Jawad and instructed the