MAKKAH: Chief Keeper of the Kaaba Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Shaibi passed away Sunday morning. Funeral prayers were observed after the noon prayer. The sheikh's family will decide who will be the next senior chief of Kaaba. The death of Sheikh Al-Shaibi will not delay the ritual of the changing of the K

Dubai: Seddiqi & Sons Investment, the real estate arm of the UAE's leading timepiece retailer, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, Sunday launched the Rolex Tower on Shaikh Zayed Road near the DIFC, the first of its kind in the Middle East and the only branded Rolex Tower globally not owned and managed b

Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Interior has denied rumours that it has stopped issuing visas to the immediate relatives of expatriate residents. Major General Nasser Al Awadi Al Menhali, Director-General of the Naturalisation and Residency Department, told Gulf News that visas are still being issued to

Abu Dhabi: Residents will soon be able to register for ID cards at selected Empost mail offices all over the country, apart from the registration centres of Emirates Identity Authority (Eida), a senior official told Gulf News on Saturday. The new initiative in partnership with Empost will begin in

Dubai:A top police official has warned the public to be on the lookout for counterfeit currency, which has been confiscated in several instances this year. "The three most counterfeited [currencies] we receive are the UAE dirham, the US dollar and the euro," said Aqeel Al Najjar, head of the Questi

The UAE and Saudi Arabia announced that Sunday will be the first day of Dhu Al Hijja. Dubai: The UAE and Saudi Arabia announced that Sunday will be the first day of Dhu Al Hijja. Accordingly, Monday (November 15) will be Arafat and Tuesday (November 16) will be the first day of Eid Al Adha. GulfNew

The transportation service will only carry worshippers between Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa Riyadh: A Saudi official at the Central Haj Committee (CHC) has disclosed that pilgrims from the UAE, Qatar and Oman will not benefit from the train services to be launched for the first time during the coming

Move over Gregorian calendar. It's time to keep time the Hegirian - or the Islamic Hijri - way. A Swiss company has created the world's first mechanical clock based on the Islamic lunar calendar. Parmigiani that takes pride in being 'haute horlogerie authentique' (authentic luxury watchmakers) call

Indian President Pratibha Patil to visit Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah Abu Dhabi: Indian President Pratibha Patil will arrive in the UAE on November 21 for a five-day official visit. The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi said the date of the president's visit was being finalised. But the UAE National Medi

Saudi Arabia's top clerics have challenged the government's policy to expand jobs for women with a fatwa ruling that they should not work as cashiers in markets. In the statement obtained by AFP the official fatwa issuing body said that "it is not permissible for a woman to work in a place where th

JEDDAH: Haj Minister Fouad Al-Farsy said Saturday that about 1.75 million foreign pilgrims would perform Haj this year, adding that they would be joined by some 250,000 faithful from within the Kingdom. Speaking to reporters after opening a workshop on crowd management at Jamrat in Mina, the minist

RAS AL KHAIMAH - President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent his condolences after His Highness Shaikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah died at dawn today in Ras Al Khaimah. The Dubai, Ajman, Sharjah, Fujairah and Umm Al Qaiwain

Top oil exporter Saudi Arabia will hold talks with Russia over a potential draft nuclear agreement, Saudi state media said on Monday. The Gulf Arab state has said it is looking at various energy sources to satisfy rising domestic demand and has set up a nuclear research centre at the King Abdullah

Muscat -The hike in visa fees has been announced by the government following the amendment of the expatriate residence law. The fee hike, effective from October 19, does not include change in the employment visa charges. The fee for express visa, which is valid for three weeks from the date of entry

The case of Beebi Lumada, the Indian housemaid who died at Muscat International Airport, seems to be a closed issue for both Qatar Airways and the Indian authorities Muscat: The case of Beebi Lumada, the Indian housemaid who died after being stranded for five days at Muscat International Airport, s

The previous record in prestige-conscious Kuwait City was KD116, 500 for the number 90000000, sold by mobile operator Zain Manama: The craze for vanity mobile phone numbers in Kuwait has reached a new level after the easy-to-remember number 55555555 was sold for KD210, 000 (Dh2.7 million). The publ

Abu Dhabi: Over 7000 poets from 30 countries including India took part in a competition for classical Arabic poetry organised by Abu Dhabi authorities. Sultan Al Amimi, director of the Poetry Academy and member of the organising committee for the "Prince of Poets", announced that all works entered

Abu Dhabi: Police have advised drivers to take the necessary precautions when faced with glare from the sun while driving. Motorists in turn urged traffic authorities to consider the effect of the sun's glare when analysing accidents that occur on east-bound roads in the morning. Data compiled by t