Middle East

Manila/Philippines, Sep 20: Philippine airport officials say a Saudi Arabian Airlines plane from Jeddah is "under threat" and has been put in isolation at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Airport (NAIA). NAIA officials said in a statement Tuesday that it had received information of the threat, which it did not describe, when Flight SV872 was 30 miles (48 kilometers) away from landing.It said

Riyadh, Sep 20: Foreign ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) slammed Iran’s plots to politicize Haj, and called on Tehran to refrain from meddling in the affairs of the Arab countries. The GCC foreign minister strongly advised “Iran to abide by the principles of good neighborliness, stop inciting sectarian strife and respect sovereignty of the Arab nations.” The foreign

Jeddah, Sep 19: The Gulf Cooperation Council states import nearly 90 percent of their food items from abroad, according to the findings of a study titled “Food gap in the GCC.” The study, conducted by researcher Faisal Al-Otaibi of Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, recommended stronger Arab Gulf integration in order for the GCC states to reach self-sufficiency by boosting agriculture

Dammam, Sep 18: Two Saudi policemen have been martyred in the Eastern Province city of Dammam after their vehicle came under gunfire, according to the interior ministry. The shooting, which resulted in the martyrdom of Chief Sergeant Musa Ali Mohamed Alqbi and fellow soldier Nawaf Mahmas Al-Otaibi, happened late on Saturday night during a routine police patrol. The assailants are unknown and an

Makkah, Sep 17: Hundreds of pilgrims held back tears on Thursday as they left the holy city in buses for King Abdul Aziz international Airport and Jeddah Islamic Port after performing Haj. Pilgrims are beginning to return to their home countries after completing the Haj rituals easily, safely and conveniently by the grace of God and the support of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and

Jeddah, Sep 16: Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques chief Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais said this year’s Haj was a success and “the presidency was able to implement its plans and measures for the Haj season this year, which contributed to making the performance of the Haj rituals easy and comfortable.” He said the presidency had come up with a package of measures and procedures in preparation for the Haj

Mina, Sep 15: Among the 19,000 British pilgrims performing Haj this year was British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Simon Paul Collis and his wife Huda Mujarkech. It was known to some diplomats and journalists that he had embraced Islam but there had been no official word. The confirmation came on last week in the form of a tweet from Saudi writer and academic Fawziah Al-Bakr (@fawziah1). She posted

Jeddah, Sep 15: The Ministry of Haj and Umrah returned nearly SR500 million to 48,400 people who had fallen prey to unscrupulous companies that falsely claimed that they could organize Haj for those desiring to perform the pilgrimage. About 45 such fraudulent companies were identified. Ministry sources described the move as a significant “achievement,” not for the ministry alone, but for all

Jeddah, Sep 5: Saudi Arabia has been ranked among the top three safest places in the world, thanks to fewer natural disasters and constant efforts by the government in terms of health, security and infrastructure. The Institute for Environment and Human Security at the UN University has, in its recent report, placed the Kingdom as the third most safe and secure country after Malta and Qatar. The

Jeddah, Aug 23: Experts feel imposition of income tax on expatriates and linking their remittances to their income levels will boost Saudization and eliminate violations and irregularities in the labor market, including limiting run-away workers. Ahmed Al-Amoudi, former vice president at the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC), said some workers violate regulations, but the income tax and fees on