RIYADH: Nearly 90 percent of Saudi citizens aged above 60 years suffer from osteoporosis, a condition where the bones become brittle and tend to break, according to recent studies. Experts attribute the increase in the number of osteoporosis cases in the Kingdom to reasons such as change in the lif

RIYADH: The government will provide new machine-readable identity cards to expatriates from the first day of the Islamic year, or Oct. 14 this year, in a bid to fight fraud and improve the efficiency of its systems. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, launched t

Bahrain said on Thursday it had seized explosives and bomb-making materials earmarked for use in Bahrain and neighboring Saudi Arabia in what it described as an Iranian attempt to use Bahraini borders as a base for attacking targets in the region. Police chief Major-General Tariq al-Hasan said th

MADINAH: Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman has announced that the Ramadan cannon would be used again after 22 years. Maj. Gen. Abdulhadi Al-Shahrani, director general of the city’s police, has confirmed that it would be back in use during this month, a local publication reported recently. Th

JEDDAH: The Kingdom loses about SR20 billion each year from more than 500,000 traffic accidents, according to a local academic. Abdullah Al-Rubaish, president of the University of Dammam, said that more than 30 percent of the beds at the Kingdom’s hospitals are occupied by patients injured in accid

JEDDAH: The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), the Kingdom’s central bank, has warned commercial banks to improve their systems and customers to be wary, after a gang was found stealing money from ATMs in Riyadh using sophisticated card readers and cameras. Abdul Aziz Al-Furaih, deputy governor

RIYADH: To ensure the safety and welfare of workers, the Labor Ministry will implement its directive as of Monday prohibiting laborers from working when the sun is at its peak. In a statement released here Sunday, it said workers shall not work from noon to 3 p.m. from June 15 to Sept. 15.

Dubai - In its efforts to achieve the 2021 goal of zero road fatalities, the General Authority for Regulating the Telecommunications Sector (TRA) has decided to implement ‘eCall’ system, which will enable vehicles to call emergency services for help if involved in accidents. The mobile networks w

Sharjah — The total number of petrol stations across Sharjah has gone up to 190, with the government bringing 30 more pumps — previously run by Emarat — under the management and supervision of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc). Following complaints from Sharjah residents regarding shortage o

JEDDAH: Rents for houses and apartments are set to rise over the next six months, with stability likely only in 2017 when the government’s units come onto the market, a local expert said recently. “Given the effect of the 30 percent mortgage law and our analysis of the rental market in Q1, which

DAMMAM: Umrah operators here plan to raise the prices of their packages, which they blame on the rising cost of flights, according to a recent report in a local publication. Many companies have not specified what the increase would be, but one said it would be “a little.” They called on pilgrims to

It was pointed out that the Kingdom's markets are witnessing abundant supply which have contributed to the decline in prices of foodstuff such as rice, milk, sugar, eggs and vegetables, as well as steel and cement. The official attributed the price stability to the increase in supply of these items

RIYADH: Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar on Sunday opened the Riyadh Shopping and Entertainment Festival 2015. The large attendance at the launch included tourism officials, businessmen, families and the media. “The festival should be used as a vehicle for promoting good social values and not

Dubai — Addiction to the Internet and online flirting account for over 50 per cent of marital disputes recorded in the emirate. Many of these disputes, at times, even get aggravated to the level that they turn into a physical assault, verbal abuse or even end up with couples seeking divorce. “Now

RIYADH: The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced Saturday a SR1.48 billion contract with a private firm for the expansion of Prince Naif Regional Airport in Al-Qassim. The three-year contract was awarded to Muhaidib Contracting Co. and is part of the airport’s plans for the future w

Saudi Arabia's army has repulsed an offensive by fighters allied to the Houthis and former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Jizan province bordering Yemen, according to state media. Dozens of armed men, believed to belong to Republican Guard units loyal to Saleh, died in Friday's failed ass

JEDDAH: The Ministry of Islamic Affairs ordered mosques to shut down external speakers and only resort to the internal one, except during calls for prayers, Friday prayers, Eids and the rainfall prayer. Mosque imams were prevented from installing echo devices and transmutation cutting devices as th

DAMMAM: The Traffic Department has called on motorists to make sure that their vehicles’ registration plates include letters and numbers in both English and Arabic. It confirmed that the plates bearing Arabic letters have expired and therefore violate the new system. Col. Ali Al-Dubikhi, a traffic