JEDDAH: The UAE’s decision to lift fuel subsidies beginning in August has raised the possibility of other Gulf states following suit. Economists suggest a wide disparity of prices of gasoline in the Gulf countries will lead to more petrol smuggling operations that will harm the interests of all. T

Riyadh: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has expressed support for Turkey after it launched airstrikes against Daesh (the so-called IS) group in Syria and Kurdish militants in Iraq. The King told President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday that he backed Turkey’s right to self-de

RIYADH: The Ministries of Health and Education in cooperation with the Kingdom’s universities launched a program dubbed, “Education and Work,” in Riyadh on Tuesday to help Saudi youth find employment in the public and private sectors. A memorandum of understanding was signed in Riyadh between Lab

JEDDAH: The Ministry of Labor was able to increase the number of Saudi women employees from 70,000 to 428,000 during the past four years, Abdul Munim Al-Shehri, assistant undersecretary for special programs, has said . The ministry is now working on a comprehensive survey for female shops in the Ki

Emiratis will not be given any additional support to offset the expected changes in the cost of living due to the deregulation of fuel prices in the UAE from August 1. The Ministry of Energy has put an end to speculations that the increase in fuel prices may see 'additional services' being offere

MAKKAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has launched five projects for the expansion of the Holy Mosque of Makkah, which is in its third phase and includes buildings, tunnels and a ring road. The main entrance of the new building of the mosque will comprise three gates with two shutte

JEDDAH: Some 90 percent of Umrah pilgrims have left Makkah. As a result, quiet atmosphere prevails over the central area of the Grand Mosque, which witnessed worshippers in increased numbers performing the daily prayers. Hatem bin Hassan Al-Qadi of the Ministry of Haj said the number of pilgrims wh

The general department of airport security of the Dubai Police confiscated over 34,000 banned items from passengers before they boarded their flights in the first half of this year. Lieutenant Walid Ali Ahmed Ghanem, head of division information entry and update section at the departmen

Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - who is also the kingdom's defense minister - ordered the delivery of cargo planes carrying humanitarian goods to Yemen’s government-held southern city of Aden, Al Arabiya News Channel reported on Thursday. The deputy crown prince issued the order fo

JEDDAH: The Council of Cooperative Health Insurance in the Kingdom has endorsed a visitor health insurance system for those wishing to obtain medical insurance during their visit to the country, with treatment coverage of up to SR100,000. A local publication reported that the visitor health insuran

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz received U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter in Jeddah on Wednesday, who is on a regional tour aimed at reassuring Washington's allies over a nuclear deal with Iran. Carter held talks with King Salman in which he conveyed the greetings of U.S. President Barack Oba

JAZAN: Four people were killed and three injured from one family when their car hit a stray camel along a road in Jazan on Tuesday Baishi bin Isa Al-Sarkhi, spokesman at the Saudi Red Crescent, said the accident took place on the Jazan-Madhaya artery. The ambulance teams arrived at the site and pr

DAMMAM: The Saudi Customs Department is the first line of defense for the country providing integrated customs services to meet development requirements in the Kingdom, and keep pace with the latest developments at local and international levels. The department aims to accelerate the release of per

JEDDAH: The Ministry of Labor has not imposed any ban on recruitment of Bangladeshi workers, according to Taiseer Al-Mufarraj, spokesman of the ministry. He told an online newspaper that Bangladesh has expressed its readiness to send housemaids to the Kingdom. “The work to bring workers is continui

JEDDAH: Nama Charity Organization in Makkah distributed Zakat Al-Fitr among 10,000 families in Jeddah by setting up a number of distribution points, a local publication has reported. Faisal bin Abdulrahman Al-Homaid, manager of Nama, said the project stems from the long experience of the organiza

At least six people were killed on Friday in clashes between pro-Islamist protesters and Egyptian police in Cairo, the health ministry said. Supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Mursi had held small marches after the morning prayers for Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy Musl

JEDDAH: The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia declared Thursday as the last day of Ramadan 2015 and Friday as the start of the Eid al-Fitr holidays. In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Royal Court said a number of adult witnesses in a number of provinces across the kingdom hav

JEDDAH: US President Barack Obama telephoned Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Tuesday from Air Force One to discuss the Iran nuclear agreement. President Obama briefed the king on the contents of the nuclear deal, expressing the United States' keenness on peace and stability in th