Middle East

United Nations (United States), Oct 18: Saudi Arabia's angry rejection of a Security Council seat one day after winning it is a United Nations first that stunned members of the body on Friday. But diplomats said there had been no official notice from Riyadh of its refusal to take up the seat on January 1. It was possible the conservative kingdom could change its mind, they added. "This is totally

Dubai, Oct 16: Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance; Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai; Shaikh Majed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority; Shaikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and a

Jeddah, Oct 15: The impact of the Nitaqat campaign on the sheep and goat markets is perceptible this year, as residents across the Kingdom prepare for the ritual of sacrifice on Eid Al-Adha. Sudanese expatriates, who used to dominate the sheep markets in the Kingdom, are conspicuous by their absence this year following the amnesty. Prices of sheep and lamb usually soar with the high demand at this

Jeddah, Oct 15: Many Saudi families have already left the country looking for a fun vacation away from home, and their preferred destinations, according to Jeddah-based travel and tourism offices, are Dubai, Bahrain, Istanbul, Malaysia, London and other European countries. “It’s that time of the year when Jeddawis do not like to stay in the city because of the huge inflow of pilgrims and tourists

Makkah, Oct 14: As per the yearly custom, the Kiswa, the black cloth with golden embroidery covering the Holy Kaaba, will be changed on Monday (Dhul Hijja 9), an official of the General Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques announced here on Sunday. Director General of Kiswa Factory in Makkah Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Pajudeh said more than 240 workers and employees are working in the

Jeddah, Oct 7: Four Saudi women were granted licenses on Sunday by the Ministry of Justice to practice law in the Kingdom’s courts. Up until the implementation of this decision, Saudi women who graduated from law school were previously employed as legal consultants, but were banned from practicing law in the courtroom and were not given attorney status. They also could not own and operate law

Jeddah, Oct 6: Saudi Arabia will continue to slash the number of domestic and foreign pilgrims for two more years until the ongoing mataf (circumambulation area around the Holy Kaaba) expansion project is completed to ensure the safety of pilgrims, a senior official said. “The Kingdom decided to reduce foreign pilgrims by 20 percent and domestic pilgrims by 50 percent this year because of the

Doha, Oct 5: Fifa has launched a consultation process to decide whether to stage the 2022 World Cup in Qatar outside the traditional June-July slot and will not make a decision until next year, president Sepp Blatter said on Friday. “The executive committee decided to launch a consultation process among main stakeholders for Qatar 2022 dates,” Blatter said on Twitter. “No decision will be taken

Madina, Oct 2: A metro station and a public bus station will be established at the newly constructed Prince Muhammad International Airport (PMIA) in Madinah, Mamdouh Tarabishi, CEO of the airport, has said.The SR4.5 billion expansion project will be completed by 2015.He said the metro and rapid bus transport system would facilitate the transport of pilgrims from the airport to the Prophet’s Mosque

Makkah, Oct 1: The General Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques has announced that the lock of the Kaaba was changed after officials washing the Kaaba noticed it was rusty. The lock was made 30 years ago. The new lock was handed to the senior “sadin,” the Kaaba’s key keeper, Shiekh Abdulqader Al-Shaibi. The statement clarified the controversy over having the lock changed, which came at the request