Gulf news

U.S. defense secretary meets Saudi monarch

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

4 people killed as car smashes into stray camel

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

Customs provide 40 sniffer dogs at KFIA to curb smuggling cases

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

No ban on Bangladeshi workers, says minister

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

10,000 benefit from Zakat Al-Fitr in Jeddah

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

Six dead as Egypt police clash with protesters

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

Eid Al-Fitr begins on Friday in UAE, Saudi

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

Obama briefs King Salman on nuclear deal

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

2 million worshippers pray at Grand Mosque on 27th night

JEDDAH: More than two million worshippers offered Isha and taraweeh prayers on 27th night of Ramadan at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, in a highly spiritual atmosphere. The government led by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has ensured elaborate security as well as comfort by providing

Saudi supercomputer on top 10 most powerful list

JEDDAH: A Kingdom-based supercomputer has entered the top 10 list of the most powerful computers on the planet. The Shaheen II is based at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal. The Cray XC40 computer is the 7th most powerful machine in the world, said the Top 500 or

Tributes pour in for Saudi's former foreign minister Prince Saud

Tributes flowed on Friday following the death of Saudi Arabia's Prince Saud Al Faisal, the world's longest-serving foreign minister, credited with facing down successive regional crises and forging strong ties with the West. Prince Saud oversaw four decades of diplomacy for the world's biggest oi

Nigerian cyber gang targeting victims in US busted in Ajman

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has put an end to the trans-border crimes of a Nigerian gang of three people operating in an apartment in Ajman, targeting victims in the US. The gang members had targeted their victims, both individuals and institutions, in the US, by hacking their accounts and ema

Beggar with 500,000 dinar in bank held in Kuwait

A foreigner, having 500,000 Kuwaiti Dinar (over INR10 crore) in his bank account, has been arrested by Kuwait police for allegedly begging. The beggar was held near a mosque in capital Kuwait City and remanded in custody. "Servicemen were patrolling the area when they saw a man standing near a

Eid Al Fitr holidays announced for private, public sectors

The Eid Al Fitr holidays for federal ministries and authorities will begin from Thursday 29th Ramadan 1436 (16th of July) and end on the 3rd of the month of Shawwal. For the private sector, the holidays will be on the 1st & 2nd of Shawwal, the Ministry of Labour announced on its Twitter handl

UAE woman executed for killing American teacher

The United Arab Emirates executed a UAE woman on Monday who had been convicted of killing an American kindergarten teacher and trying to bomb an American-Egyptian doctor in militant-inspired attacks, the state news agency WAM reported. Ala’a Badr Abdullah al-Hashemi, 31, had also been found guilt

Fighting, air strikes kill at least 45 in Yemen despite truce

Fighting near the southern Yemeni city of Aden killed 35 people on Sunday, the exiled government said, in breach of a temporary humanitarian truce brokered by the United Nations. A week-long pause in the fighting was meant to have started on Saturday to allow aid deliveries to the country's 21 mi

Tight security at malls and shopping centers

DAMMAM: Malls and shopping centers around the country have tightened security to deal with a major influx of shoppers preparing for Eid Al-Fitr celebrations. There has been extra security staff deployed and more closed-circuit television cameras installed. There is also close coordination with the

Heavy fighting in Yemen despite UN truce announcement

Arab coalition air strikes and heavy shelling between warring factions shook several cities in Yemen, despite a UN humanitarian truce which took effect just before midnight. Aid groups warn of deepening crisis in Yemen   Saturday's pause in the fighting was meant to