Middle East

Riaydh, Feb 19: Dr. Muhsen Al-Hazimi, chairman of the Health Commission at the Shoura Council, said that the 12-year-old girl who receive an HIV-tainted blood transfusion has yet to be declared HIV-positive and there is a good possibility that her sickle cell anemia is hindering the progress of the virus. Dr. Al-Hazimi said that girl is carrying half a liter of contaminated blood, while the total

Jeddah, Feb 16: Over six million Umrah pilgrims are expected in Saudi Arabia this year, one million more than last year, said Minister of Haj Bandar bin Mohammed Al-Hajjar, in a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency yesterday. “The number of Umrah pilgrims is expected to cross the one million mark in the month of Ramadan alone. An average of 400,000 pilgrims are arriving every month this

Jeddah, Feb 15: The Ministry of the Interior has ordered provincial governorates to record the actual jobs held by expats in their iqamas, according to an official at the Ministry of Labor. The order was issued to rectify violations committed by a number of expats when they work at jobs other than that mentioned on their residence permits, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Labor Abdullah Abu

Riyadh, Feb 14: King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Wednesday received condolences on the demise of Prince Sattam Bin Abdul Aziz, Emir of Riyadh region. The condolences were received following Prince Sattam’s funeral prayers at Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Mosque here. Besides King Abdullah, also joining the prayer, led by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Abdullah Aal Al-Sheikh, were Crown

Dubai, Feb 12: A Syrian mother, Ranim Amir Borak, has given birth to quintuplets – three boys and two girls – via caesarean section at a hospital in Dubai. The children, born prematurely, are currently at the hospital’s neonatal unit and are in a stable condition. The children were conceived naturally after five years of marriage. Dr. Khaled Kouteich, Consultant OB-Gynecologist – Saudi German

Jeddah, Feb 10: The Ministry of Labor has stepped up its efforts to contain the menace of illegal visa trading in the Kingdom with the help of foreign consultancy companies. “The ministry is currently seeking the cooperation of international consultancy companies to conduct field studies on the labor contracting systems in seven major labor supplying countries,” Minister of Labor Adel Al-Fakeih

Jeddah, Feb 9: Investors may have to pay a whopping SR 2 million for a square meter of land in the central zone around Makkah by the end of 2013, said chairman of the real estate committee at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mansour Abu Rayash. Prices ranged between SR 500,000 and SR 1.5 million in 2012. A square meter in a strategic area in Japan is about $ 100,000, seven times cheaper

Abu Dhabi, Feb 7: Around 62,000 illegal immigrants have sought permits to leave the country under the two-month amnesty period that ended on February 4. Over half of them have already departed for their home countries. Ruling out the extension of the general pardon, Major-General Nasser Al Awadhi Al Minhali, Acting Undersecretary of Naturalisation, Residency and Ports Affairs at the Ministry of

Jeddah, Feb 6: About 60,000 Saudis are unable to pay off their loans, said Abdullah Marei bin Mahfouz, chairman of the Jeddah branch of the national committee for the care of prisoners and their families. Bin Mahfouz said that currently about 300 Saudis are imprisoned in the Kingdom who are unable to settle their bank debts. In addition, about 500 prisoners are unable to pay off credit card debts

Riyadh, Feb 4: About 13 private schools in Jeddah laid off staff and students after experiencing significant financial hardships following the decision by the Ministry of Labor to raise minimum wage for Saudis teachers, school officials said. The closure of private schools will increase public education costs on the government. “Private schools save the government SR12 billion annually, given the