Middle East

Jeddah, Mar 3: Legal experts have called for a law that would penalize owners of camels that cause road accidents. “Until now there is no law in Saudi Arabia that would penalize the owner of a stray camel for causing a fatal road accident,” said Ahmed Al-Ashwan, a Saudi lawyer. Currently, the traffic law considers leaving animals along roadside and highways a sinful act. There is no criminal

Jeddah, Mar 1: Intensive security measures are in force to seize foreigners who violate the Kingdom’s labor laws, said a Jeddah police source. Security checkpoints on roads are also focused on ensuring the success of Saudi Arabia’s campaign against undocumented workers. “The highway security patrol enforces the regulations and directions of the Ministry of Interior,” said Maj. Gen. Khaled Al

Riyadh, Feb 21: Deaths from the MERS virus have surged in the Kingdom, the Health Ministry figures showed on Friday. The ministry recorded five MERS deaths on Thursday alone, bringing to 16 the number since Feb. 11. The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus also infected two more people, the ministry said. The five victims were four Saudis from Alkhobar, Riyadh and Buraidah, while the fifth

Riyadh, Feb 19: Military chiefs from more than 22 countries battling the Islamic State (IS) group began talks here Wednesday to assess the coalition’s current strategy and map out a plan to tackle other terrorist groups operating in the Middle East. A formal reception was hosted for the military chiefs of the foreign countries at a local hotel on Wednesday night, a diplomatic source, who requested

Dubai, Feb 18: A woman is seeking to divorce her husband because he cannot satisy her sexual needs. The woman lodged her lawsuit before the Dubai Sharia Court claiming divorce against the damages that she claims to have incurred because her husband cannot have sex with her two to three times per day. “The wife claims that her husband can only have sex with her three to four times a week… but she

Jeddah, Feb 17: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, deputy commander of the UAE armed forces, held talks in Riyadh on Monday, opening a new era in Saudi-UAE strategic ties. “King Salman and Sheikh Mohammed explored prospects of expanding cooperation between the two countries and discussed major regional and international

Jeddah, Feb 16: The Nitaqat nationalization program was successful in bringing down the Kingdom’s unemployment rate to 11.7 percent — 5.9 percent among men and 32.5 percent among women, said the Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI). In a statement issued on Sunday, the department put the total number of unemployed Saudis at 650,000, including 258,000 men and 392,000 women. The

Riyadh, Feb 14: Saudi Arabia, Italy and Germany shut down their embassies in Yemen on Friday amid growing political uncertainty as Yemen’s top UN envoy warned that the Arab world's poorest nation is at a crossroads between civil war and disintegration. “Due to the deteriorating security and political situation in the Yemeni capital, the Saudi government has suspended all embassy operations in

Jeddah, Feb 13: Two pilgrims — an Egyptian woman and a Filipino child — died and 37 others injured when their bus collided with a huge truck in Dhalam near Taif on Thursday, said Siraj Al-Humaidan, spokesman of the head department in Taif. The early morning accident occurred while the bus carrying pilgrims belong to different nationalities including Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis was heading

Riyadh, Feb 12: Saudi Arabia plans to deport 27,000 Indonesian workers, who overstayed their work permits, over the next few weeks. Government agencies are working with the Indonesian diplomatic missions in Riyadh and Jeddah to deport the workers in groups. “Most of the workers awaiting deportation are in Jeddah,” said Ahrul Tsani Fathurrahman, spokesman for the Indonesian Embassy, here Tuesday