MINA: A downpour that swept Mina disrupted the retreat of pilgrims as Haj 2010 drew to a close on Thursday.Rains started belting down across the arid valley around 3 p.m. as many of the Hajis began streaming out of the tent city after performing the stoning ritual for the third consecutive day.Righ

MAKKAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal said billions of riyals needed for conducting Haj pilgrimage annually is solely met by the Saudi government. He also warned illegal pilgrim and fake Haj service providing companies would be dealt with sternly."The amount of money the Kingdom's government s

MINA: An operation to separate a pair of Cameroonian conjoined twins, conducted by Health Minister Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, has eventually led to the conversion of an entire Cameroonian village to Islam.This was revealed by a dignitary from the African state, Sultan Omar, during a visi

MINA - An operation to separate a pair of Cameroonian conjoined twins, conducted by Health Minister Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, has eventually led to the conversion of an entire Cameroonian village to Islam. This was revealed by a dignitary from the African state, Sultan Omar, during a v

ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia - An estimated two million Muslims descended from Mount Arafat on Monday, concluding the highlight of the Haj and beginning their trip back to Mecca to finish the annual pilgrimage. White-robed pilgrims struggled after sunset to track back from Arafat, site of the Prophet Moham

Eid-al-Adha will be celebrated in UAE on Tuesday, November 16. Prayer timings for different emirates are Abu Dhabi - 06.55 AM Dubai - 07.00 AM Sharjah - 06.56 AM Al Dhaid - 06.54 AM Ras Al Khaimah - 06.52 AM Fujairah - 06.52 AM Umm Al Quwain - 06.51 AM Ajman - 06.55 AM Submitted By : Syed Fazeel Ay

Makkah Metro will transport some of the 2.5m gathered for the ritualsMakkah: At least 2.5 million Muslims began the annual Haj yesterday, heading to an encampment near the holy city of Makkah to retrace the route taken by the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) 14 centuries ago.Travelling on foot, by public tra

Pratibha Patil to meet Khalifa, open workers' centre.Abu Dhabi: Indian President Pratibha Patil is coming to the UAE on November 21 on an official visit.She is expected to meet President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on November 22, M.K. Lokesh, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE tol

Pilgrims from around the world are expected to spend 630 million to 700 million Saudi riyals each day during the Haj, according to the Saudi-based daily Al Riyadh.Dubai: The Haj is a priceless spiritual experience, but the entire trip can cost UAE pilgrims from Dh16,000 to Dh150,000 for a 14-day pa

Clean-energy project will be completed on time without cutting budget , says CEO Abu Dhabi : Masdar, Abu Dhabi's government-backed renewable energy company, is on track to develop a clean-energy city on time and intends to maintain its current level of spending, its chief executive officer said. "We

The Mashair Railway, also known as Makkah Metro, rolls out on Sunday to serve pilgrims beginning the annual Haj thereby bringing a new solution to crowding. The dual-track light railway, with its initial number of nine stations, connects the three holy sites of Mina, Muzdalifah and Mount Arafat - a

Muscat - The potential of Karnataka as an ideal investment state was put forth by captain Ganesh Karnik, Deputy Chairman of the Government appointed NRI Forum Karnataka, who visited Oman from Tuesday to Friday. He appealed to Oman NRIs to take advantage of the good industrial climate of the state an

MAKKAH: About two million pilgrims listened with rapt attention to Imam Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais' soul-stirring 40-minute sermon on Friday from the Grand Mosque in Makkah. The sermon was carried live on state television and many Arab, African and Asian television stations. On many occasions during the

JEDDAH: Citizens and residents will now be able to get exit/re-entry visas for their dependents through their mobile phones via SMS. The service, which costs SR20 per visa after initial registration, is aimed at reducing lines at Passport Department offices.Raid Mohammad Al-Hussain, spokesperson for

Qatar is considering ending the oft-criticised sponsorship system, under which employers sponsor foreign workers and have a great deal of control over them. Qatar's prime minister Sheikh Hamad said on Thursday, "Changes have been made to the sponsorship system in Qatar," and the council of minister

MAKKAH: There are only 72 hours to go before pilgrims head to the nearby tent city of Mina on the first leg of their five-day journey of a lifetime. All roads across the Kingdom are leading into the holy city where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) received the first verses of the Holy Qur'an

JEDDAH: Pilgrims will be able to take advantage of the recently completed Jamrat Bridge's fifth floor this Haj season, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday. Pilgrims can reach the top floor of the SR4.2 billion ($1.12 billion) multilevel structure with the help of escalators and stairs. The 9

Abu Dhabi: The Labour Ministry will soon issue a decision allowing workers, whose contracts have ended, to join new jobs if the market is in real need of them, a senior official told the Federal national Council (FNC) on Tuesday. Saqr Gobash Saeed Gobash, Minister of Labour, said in a statement sub