Middle East

Riyadh, Feb 24: Saudi Arabia on Saturday named a princess as its first woman ambassador to the United States, a key appointment as the fallout over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder tests relations between the allies. Princess Rima bint Bandar replaced Prince Khalid bin Salman, the younger brother of the powerful crown prince who was appointed vice defence minister in a flurry of late-night

Abu Dhabi, Feb 22: The UAE on Thursday issued a statement clarifying news reports regarding export and import of goods to and from Qatar at ports in the emirates. The UAE Federal Transport Authority - Land & Maritime has stressed in a circular that there is no change in its policy regarding access to Qatar at UAE ports and border crossings. The circular is one of the periodic ones issued from time

Jeddah, Feb 21: The changing dynamics of terror financing and money laundering posed a growing problem for countries and organizations seeking to halt their spread, a regional conference in Cairo was warned. Saudi Arabia's Attorney General Sheikh Saud bin Abdullah Al-Mua’jab told the first Middle East and North Africa conference on countering terrorism that new forms of transnational terror

Riyadh: "Quran is not just for recitation; we should read, understand and practise it so that we can overcome all the conflicts and confusions in our daily lives; unfortunately, most of our people confine it to only for reading without actually grasping its spirit...,"Justice Kemal Pasha, Rtd Justice of Kerala High Court, opined. He was addressing the audience on the topic "The Role of Quran in

New Delhi, Feb 19: India officially announced the programme for the visit of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, starting today. "At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Saudi

Dubai, Feb 17: Iran is ready to work with all of its neighbors to secure peace in the Middle East in the face of US and Israeli aggression, President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday. But pressure is building on Tehran after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of a 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers and re-imposed sanctions. Saudi Arabia welcomed the move. “Iran is ready to work

Dubai, Feb 16: The Holy Month of Ramadan is expected to start on May 6, 2019 this year, while fasting hours are to go below 15 hours for the first time in four years, according to an expert in Dubai. Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Astronomy and Metrology Researcher, said that the new moon of the holy month is to be 'born' on Sunday, May 5, 2019 at 2:46am UAE time, and disappear 30 minutes after sunset

Riyadh, Feb 15: A mother was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for murder, Spa reported on Monday. The Saudi new agency reported that the Saudi woman, identified as Aida bint Shaman Al Rashidy, was sentenced to death after she was convicted of murdering her husband's daughter. SPA added that the perpetrator killed the 6-year-old girl, identified as Reem bint Farag Abdullah Al Rashidy, after she

Riyadh, Feb 15: The first state visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to India later this month will be a historic event, India’s ambassador to the Kingdom said Thursday. Ahmed Javed told media the two countries would sign agreements across different sectors including energy, infrastructure, housing, tourism and information technology. The deals would attract potential infrastructure

Jeddah, Feb 14: Saudi Arabia has expressed its regret about the decision by the European Commission to place the Kingdom on a blacklist of 23 non-EU countries and territories accused of posing a high risk of money laundering and financing terrorism. In response, Saudi authorities highlighted the efforts being made by the Kingdom to combat such crimes. “The Kingdom finds it it regrettable that it