Middle East

Dubai, Sept 25: On behalf of King Salman, the governor of Makkah province, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal oversaw the washing of the holy Kaaba on Tuesday. On his arrival at the Grand Mosque, he was received by Imam of the Grand Mosque Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais and the commander of Special Emergency Forces and commander of the Hajj Security Forces. The Kaaba was washing from the inside with Zamzam water

Riyadh/Jeddah/Dubai, Sept 24: It was a day that captured the heightened spirit of a nation. In a year of remarkable changes, Saudi National Day on Sunday took on an exuberance like no other celebration before it, with enough fireworks to break a world record, people celebrating together outdoors across the land and landmarks around the world illuminated with the flag. In a speech marking the

Riyadh, Sept 23: A woman from Saudi Arabia has created history by becoming the first female to deliver an evening news bulletin on television. Weam Al Dakheel, appearing alongside anchor Omar Al Nashwan, presented the news bulletin on the state-owned Saudi TV Channel 1, Khaleej Times reported. "Jumanah AlShami was the first women to present morning newscasts in 2016. Today history repeats itself

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has released a speech on the occasion of the Saudi Arabia's 88th national day. Crown Prince Mohammed affirmed that the occasion of the 88th anniversary of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an occasion to recall the achievements of the country's founder the late King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud and his sons after him. The Crown Prince praised the Kingdom's growth

Dubai, Sept 22: US President Donald Trump will fail in his confrontation with Iran, just like Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday, referring to the war between the two Middle Eastern powers and vowing that Tehran will not abandon its missiles. Tensions have ramped up between Iran and the United States after Trump withdrew from a landmark multilateral nuclear

Tehran, Sept 22: Militants shot dead at least 11 people at a military parade in southwestern Iran on Saturday, state media reported, in a rare attack the government blamed on a US ally in the region. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting rampage dubbed a "terrorist" attack by the authorities, in which at least 30 people were also wounded. But Foreign Minister Mohammad

Jeddah, Sept 22: The Crown Prince Camel Festival in Taif was named the largest in the world on Friday by Guinness World Records. The festival included 11,186 camels, the largest number of camels in a race, and almost 800 races held between Aug. 11 until Saturday, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Musaed, President of the Saudi Federation of Camels, received the

Dubai, Sept 20: Emirates and Etihad, two state-owned airlines in the United Arab Emirates, denied on Thursday a Bloomberg report which quoted unnamed sources as saying Emirates was seeking to take over Etihad to create the world's largest airline. "There is no truth to this rumour," an Emirates spokeswoman said. Etihad made a similar statement.

Dubai, Sept 18: Archaeologists in Saudi Arabia have uncovered a 100,000-year-old site in the mountain range south of Riyadh dating back to the Paleolithic period. The joint Saudi-French mission was carried out at archaeological sites under the supervision of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, which included field surveys at the hills surrounding the Al Kharj Mountains, part of

Expats in the UAE will be allowed to stay back in the country for a "longer period of time" after retirement, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has announced. 5-year residence visa announced in UAE: Terms and conditions The visa will be provided to expat retirees over the age of 55 years for a period of five years