Middle East

Riyadh, May 1: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah held wide-ranging talks with US Sen. Joseph Lieberman, chairman of the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, here at Al-Yamamah Palace yesterday. The talks between King Abdullah and the visiting US senator focused "on key bilateral and regional issues" with a keen desire to strengthen ties and forge common

Dubai, April 30: In a worrying sign, an Indian living in Oman has been found to commit suicide every sixth day, owing to financial stress or personal issues, official data shows. 23 Indians had committed suicide in different parts of the Sultanate till mid-April this year. In January and February, eight Indians committed suicide in each month, while four ended their life in March. Three people had

Jeddah, April 30: Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed highlighted the role of parents and family members in encouraging their children to memorize the Holy Qur’an as well as in conducting Qur’an competition among themselves in front of family members. “Memorization of the holy book would enable kids to develop their intellectual capacities and enhance their grasping power to a great extent. This

Dubai, April 30: Plumes of thick black smoke covered Dubai as a cargo dhow, the same vessel which caught fire in February and was under repair, gutted on Deira Creek around 3.30pm on Sunday. The cause of the fire is not yet known. According to Afnan Aqeel, an eyewitness, the fire spread rapidly because of the windy weather, making it difficult to bring the fire under control quickly. The fire was

Riyadh, April 29: India Islamic Culture Center (IICC), an apex Islamic center with a mandate to provide a unified platform for promoting Islamic heritage and interfaith harmony, is planning to open regional chapters across India to give greater wingspan to its activities. “A total of five chapters including one in the eastern Indian state of Bihar have been proposed,” announced Sirajuddin Qureshi

Riyadh, April 29: Minister of Defense and Chairman of King Abdulaziz Research Center (KARC) Prince Salman received a delegation from the Al-Abu Milha family on Saturday. The delegation delivered a series of historic documents including letters addressed by Kings Abdulaziz, Saud and Faisal and other princes and officials to their family leader Abdulwahab Abu Milha. The documents covered the period

Makkah, April 29: The government has announced new Haj policy for 2012 raising expenses and placing a restriction on performing Haj only once in five years. Religious Affairs Minister Khurshid Shah while spelling out details, said Haj expenses have been increased by Rs21,000 for economy and Rs47,000 for green category. Exchange rate rise on Saudi Rial has led to the increase, Shah said. There will

Sharjah, April 28: A massive fire broke out at around 2:30 am on Saturday morning on the north side of Al Tayer buliding in the Al Nahda area of Sharjah. Panic spread among the residents living in the building when fire broke out but they managed to escape unhurt. But residents fear many pets left behind by them in the 34 floor residential building may not survive the fire. The reason for the

Riyadh, April 28: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah received Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at his palace in Riyadh yesterday. The king and the Qatari crown prince discussed the current Islamic, Arab and international developments and reviewed ways to further boost bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Sheikh Tamim also conveyed the greetings of the

Dubai, Apr 27: A 35-year-old Indian driver was sentenced to death here for brutally murdering his former boss, also an Indian, by bludgeoning him with a hammer and stabbing him 30 times following a dispute over salary. The Dubai Court of First Instance on Wednesday sentenced the driver, identified only as N K, to death. The verdict remains subject to appeal within 15 days. The victim allegedly