Gulf news

Queen Elizabeth to arrive in Muscat on Thursday

Queen Elizabeth II will pay a four-day visit to Oman, starting November 25, according to a statement issued by Oman's Diwan of the Royal Court here on Saturday. Muscat: Queen Elizabeth II will pay a four-day visit to Oman, starting November 25, according to a statement issued by Oman's Diwan of the

Indian President Pratibha Patil arrives today on five-day visit to UAE

Senior UAE officials along with the Indian ambassador, will welcome the president at the airportAbu Dhabi: In a major boost to the centuries-old India-UAE relations, Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil is scheduled to arrive in Abu Dhabi today at 8pm on a five-day official visit, the Indian Am

No problems caused by showers: Makkah mayor

MAKKAH: Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Barr said on Friday that the heavy showers on Thursday did not cause any accidents or significant flooding."All rainwater collected at various places in the holy sites has been pumped out and currently no stagnant water is found anywhere," Al-Barr said.The municipality

Hajis start leaving Kingdom

JEDDAH: Domestic and Gulf pilgrims started taking flights back to their homes by regional carriers on Friday while most foreign pilgrims will start their return journeys on Saturday, spokesman of General Authority of Civil Aviation Khaled Khaibari told Arab News.Pilgrims will start leaving in six f

Downpour disrupts retreat of pilgrims from Mina

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

Illegal pilgrims to be dealt with sternly

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

Cameroon village converts to Islam

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

Cameroon village converts to Islam, thanks to king's humanitarian gesture

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

Haj reaches its peak at Arafat

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 prayers Timing in Emirates

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

Pilgrims pour into Mina camp as Haj begins

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

Indian President Pratibha Patil headed for UAE

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

Pilgrimage can be a costly affair

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

Masdar City plans on track

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

New Saudi train ready to shuttle Haj pilgrims

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

Karnataka want investments from Gulf

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

Friday sermon stirs millions in Makkah

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

Exit/re-entry visa now an SMS away

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