Middle East

Jeddah, Oct 6: Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has slammed the terrorists who gunned down seven people this week, for trying to destabilize and divide the country. “What happened in Al-Ahsa is an example of brutal aggression and a great injustice. This is carried out by sick minds seeking to incite fitna between people, God forbid,” he said. He said these acts were being carried out

Riyadh, Nov 5: The Ministry of Health will launch a Kingdom-wide vaccination campaign against the seasonal flu today. Health Ministry Spokesman Dr. Khalid Al-Mirghalani said the vaccination is suitable for people of all age groups including health officials, pregnant women, patients suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, renal problems, heart and thoracic diseases. The flu shots will be

Jeddah, Nov 4: More than 200 illegally operated stalls were raided and closed down in the Balad district in downtown Jeddah over the past month, Sami Al-Ghamdi, spokesman for Jeddah municipality, said Monday. ''Municipal officials have undertaken round-the-clock inspection of stalls in all districts in the city. Food items unfit for human consumption sold in such stalls have been destroyed while

Jeddah, Nov 3: Passengers departing from Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport have expressed shock and disappointment at the new rule limiting the amount of Zamzam water they can carry with them. Earlier, passengers could take a minimum of 10 liters of Zamzam water per person, but the new rule limits the amount to only five liters per passenger causing tensions with airport officials

Abu Dhabi, Oct 31: In one of the largest drug hauls in the country, anti-narcotic officers have busted a gang of four persons and seized 4.5 million narcotic pills worth more than Dh500 million from Al Ain and Dubai in a joint operation code-named ‘Wooden Doors’. Colonel Dr Rashid Mohammad Borshid, Head of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Abu Dhabi Police GHQ, said the suspects

Riyadh, Oct 30: Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who wrapped up a brief visit to Riyadh, met with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and senior government officials soon after his arrival at the Riyadh airbase on Tuesday night. Sheikh Sabah was welcomed on arrival by Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, Riyadh Gov. Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin

Jeddah, Oct 29: Ending days of speculation on the matter, the Labor Ministry on Tuesday announced that expatriate women teachers on dependent visas can work at private schools without transferring their sponsorship. In an exclusive statement to Arab News, Ahmed Al-Humaidan, undersecretary for labor policies at the ministry, said: “The decision is aimed at offsetting the shortage of teachers at

Jeddah, Oct 28: A senior official from the Labor Ministry in Jeddah has rejected media reports that a decision has been taken to allow teachers on dependent visas to work without transferring their sponsorship to their employers. Labor Office Director Sultan Al-Harbi said on Monday that the reports were not true. "No decision has been taken yet to allow women to work at private schools without

Riyadh, Oct 27: Saudi women are demanding harsher and more official regulations against sexual harassment as they enter into new work domains. Families, social institutions and mosques are being urged to join forces in the campaign against harassment. Women who frequent malls and shopping centers face all types of woes, especially ladies whose jobs involve direct interaction with men. While some

Jeddah, Oct 26: The Ministry of Labor will bar sponsorship transfers and new visas for companies in the lower end of the green (safe) zone of the Kingdom’s nationalization scheme in a bid to encourage these companies to further enhance Saudi-to-expat ratios. The decision was also taken to prioritize services and incentives provided to companies with a healthier margin within the green zone. One