Middle East

Jeddah, Jul 30: The festive fireworks that mark the beginning of Eid ended in tragedy for a Riyadh family when a 14-year-old boy died on Monday evening trying to burst a firecracker. The latest incident comes among several other firework-related casualties during the Eid holidays. Firecrackers are still widely available on the streets of Jeddah, Makkah, Taif, Riyadh and other cities despite strict

Jeddah/Riyadh, Jul 29: Crown Prince Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense, performed Eid Al-Fitr prayer at the Grand Mosque in Makkah in the presence of a massive congregation. He was joined by Prince Bandar bin Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Education Minister Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz, Prince Khaled bin Fahd bin Khalid and Deputy Crown Prince Muqrin. Custodian of

Jeddah, Jul 29: Eight people were killed and 17 injured in two separate road accidents in the Madinah region on the first day of Eid on Monday. “Seven people were killed in a road accident when three cars collided on Safina road near the Bayzan valley in Madinah on Monday,” Col. Khalid Al Juhani, Civil Defense spokesman, said in a statement on Monday. “All seven victims — four Pakistanis and three

Dammam, Jul 28: The Eastern Province will witness the largest fireworks show in the Kingdom to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr, in which 10,000 rounds of fireworks will be launched. The Asharqia Chamber will launch seven new and different firework types to mark the beginning of the festivities, which will be held under the patronage of Eastern Province Gov. Prince Saud bin Naif, under a new celebrations

Abu Dhabi, Jul 27: Mosques: Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque; Al Zubair bin Al Awam Mosque, Ahmed Khalfan Mosque, Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Mosque, Thani bin Mohammed Mosque, Ahmed Juma Mosque, Shaikh Hazaa bin Sultan Mosque, Al Sahaba Mosque, Bilal bin Rabah Mosque, Gurair Al Awjan Mosque, Quba Mosque, Mohammed Abdulla Al Gimzi Mosque, Afra bint Mohammed Mosque, Mohammed Darwish Mosque, Mohammed bin

Jeddah, Jul 27: Various charitable organizations have made zakat high-tech by deploying their booths across the city and collecting funds from donors through magnetic cards. All debit and credit card transactions are linked to these organizations’ accounts and the person fulfilling zakat receives a receipt for his payment. Intended to take deposits for charity, this new mode allows people to save

Jeddah, Jul 26: Gen. Misfar Al-Sawat, director general of Makkah prisons, paid a visit to the historic district of Balad in downtown Jeddah recently. Jamaan Al-Zahrani, chairman of the festival committee, welcomed Al-Sawat and his delegation of officers and gave them a tour of the recently declared UNESCO world heritage site. Al-Sawat said he was impressed with the level of organization and the

Jeddah, Jul 23: Authorities at Makkah and Madinah have reported a lower-than-expected turnout of worshippers who have registered for “itikaf” (total seclusion) at the Grand Mosque and Prophet’s Mosque. Thousands of Muslims confine themselves to mosques across the Kingdom during the last ten days of Ramadan. “A total of 5,400 people have registered for itikaf at the Grand Mosque and Prophet’s

Gaza, Jul 22: Palestinian resistance fighters have killed over 40 Israeli soldiers since Tel Aviv started its offensive on the besieged Gaza Strip. Al-Qassam Brigades, which is the military wing of Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, said that its forces killed 15 more Israeli forces in eastern Gaza City on Monday alone. The Palestinian fighters also targeted an Israeli Merkava-4 tank in the

Beirut, Jul 21: Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah has vowed that his resistance party will stand by the resistance in Gaza. “ Hezbollah and the Lebanese resistance will stand by the Palestinian people’s uprising and resistance in our heart, willpower, hope and destiny,” Nasrallah said in a late-night telephone call to Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal, a Hezbollah statement said Monday. Nasrallah