Gulf news

New Madinah airport expects 1m travelers

JEDDAH: More than 1 million travelers from local and international destinations are expected to use the new upgraded Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah this Ramadan from local and international destinations. This is according to Mohamed Al-Fadel, deputy general manager

Disabled to be given SR150,000 for transportation

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has approved a new arrangement granting persons with disabilities SR150,000 for their transportation needs. Disabled people had previously received specially equip vehicles. The Minister of Social Affairs Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Alqasabi thanked the Cu

Cases of dengue fever rise in Jeddah again

JEDDAH: The Jeddah municipality has implemented five measures to curb the increasing numbers of dengue fever. The municipality instructed its directorates and agencies to follow the measures and called for collective efforts between the directorates and agencies and the general directorate of env

Yemen forces take control of Saudi bases in Jizan

The Yemeni army, backed by popular committees, has seized control of a number of Saudi military bases in the province of Jizan as Riyadh keeps pounding the impoverished Arab nation. According to media outlets on Sunday, Yemeni forces managed to capture three Saudi military sites in the area of al

Expat IDs to be sent by post from Aug. 16

RIYADH: The Passport Department has announced that companies and individuals would no longer need to visit its offices from Aug. 16 because services would be available online and identity cards for expatriate workers would be sent through Saudi Post, a media report has said. Col. Khaled Al-Saikhan,

Al-Azhar condemns China’s Ramadan restriction

CAIRO: The leading Muslim seat of learning, Al-Azhar, condemned China Friday for imposing restriction on fasting in its mainly Muslim Xinjiang region during the holy month of Ramadan. China has banned civil servants, students and teachers in Xinjiang from fasting during Ramadan which began on Thu

Saudi mufti decree allows troops on Yemen border to break fast

Amid Saudi Arabia’s continued aggression on Yemen, the kingdom’s Grand Mufti exempts Saudi soldiers, stationed on the border with the southern neighbor, from observing regular fasting. Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh sanctioned that the soldiers break their fast during their “Jihad” against

90% of Saudis over 60 have osteoporosis

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

Defeating fraud: ‘Muqeem’ card to replace iqama

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 says seizes explosives meant for use in Saudi Arabia

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

Ramadan cannon to boom after 22 years

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

KSA shocker: Over 500,000 accidents a year cause SR20bn losses

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

ATM fraud alert sounded out

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

Laborers shielded from sun; ministry to enforce reduced Ramadan hours

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.

'eCall' system comes to the rescue of motorists in UAE

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

Sigh of relief as Sharjah pumps up more petrol stations

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

Home rents ‘to rise this year’

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

Umrah firms plan to raise prices

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