Dubai:  Qatar and UAE are the two richest nations in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, with the average adult owning more than half a million dirhams, according to a new report. The Credit Suisse Research Institute released on Sunday its sixth annual Global Wealth Report, which look

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai wants to know if you are happy in Dubai or not. Residents were sent SMS on Monday asking them if they thought Dubai was a happy city. They were given a choice to vote through an app

JEDDAH: Eyewitnesses to the attack in Saihat on Friday recalled the chaos that ensued after the lone gunman opened fire on worshippers killing five and injuring 9 others. “Everybody was inside the meeting hall around 7 in the afternoon; we heard the shooting and chaos prevailed as the hall was full

ISLAMABAD: A Saudi cadet was found dead in mysterious circumstances at a guest house in the capital city of Islamabad on Saturday, police said. The 26-year-old deceased, identified as Saudi national Fawad al-Mishan, was studying at Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul, Abbottabad. He came to Islama

JEDDAH: Labor law amendments that come into force today (Sunday) will help fight unemployment among citizens, said Labor Minister Mufrej Al-Haqabani. The minister thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman for granting approval to the new amendments. “The new rules are in the interest o

RIYADH: The Indian housemaid whose hand was amputated had not been tortured by her employer but had sustained her injuries after falling from a third floor window while trying to escape, according to the police here. Riyadh Police spokesman Fawaz Al-Maiman said Friday that preliminary investigation

JEDDAH: The Ministry of Labor has stopped issuing visas for expatriate men to work as dressmakers. The decision was taken to ensure that jobs are made available for Saudi women, said Abdelmoneim Al-Shihri, undersecretary at the ministry and assistant for special programs. Inspectors would arrest t

The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday announced labour reforms to be enforced from January 1 aimed at curbing abuse and protecting the rights of millions of foreign workers. The UAE and other Arab states in the oil-rich Gulf, notably Qatar, where a construction frenzy to host the 2022 football Worl

RIYADH: The Ministry of Social Affairs is to soon pay out SR858 million for 5,721 people with disabilities to buy special cars. The amount would allow for the purchase of 6,300 cars, according to Abdullah Al-Muaiqil, the undersecretary for social and family affairs, a local publication reported. E

RIYADH: Deals worth $11.4 billion between Riyadh and Paris were signed on the sidelines of the 2nd Saudi-French Business Opportunities Forum, which concluded in Riyadh on Tuesday, underscoring the shared foreign policy stances that have helped deepen the two countries' ties. Four agreements and a l

RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has lambasted Iran for trying to politicize the recent tragedies in Makkah and Mina, saying it was an attempt to create dissension and division in the Muslim world. This would not affect the Kingdom’s role and its duty and responsibilities towar

JEDDAH: Exchanging the Muqeem card with the iqama is not required for those who still have valid iqamas, and is only needed for those whose iqamas have expired and have to be renewed, said the General Directorate of Passports. The directorate is ready to launch the Muqeem card from the beginning of

JEDDAH: Talented American student of Sudanese origin Ahmed Mohammed Al-Hassan arrived in Jeddah on Friday morning to perform Umrah and visit his relatives. The Kingdom last week invited Al-Hassan to visit the country for Umrah. On his arrival at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, 14

JEDDAH: The Passports Department has announced that it would start issuing new resident permits with a five-year lifespan for expatriates from next week, Oct. 15, the first day of the Islamic new year. Companies and expatriates would have to renew them yearly online, with no need to visit the off

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Oman have completed the construction of a mega road project linking the two countries. “The new road, which will cut the distance between Saudi Arabia and Oman by about 800 km, will be opened soon for public,” said Ahmad Hilal Al-Busaidi, Omani ambassador, Wednesday. Al-Bu

JEDDAH: The Kingdom is hosting for Umrah the American student who was recently wrongfully arrested after a teacher at his school in Texas mistook his homemade clock for a bomb. Ahmed Mohammed Al-Hassan, who is of Sudanese origin, would also visit relatives in Jeddah during his trip, according to

JEDDAH: Every Saudi family is entitled under certain conditions to a maximum of five visas for household workers through the Musaned website, while expatriate families and citizens married to foreigners are entitled to two each. Saudi families can recruit a woman household worker, man household wor

JEDDAH: Faisal bin Hassan Trad, the permanent representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations Office in Geneva, said the Kingdom has been the most generous country in the world in the field of development and humanitarian aid over the past four decades. “Saudi Arabia donated, during this perio