Gulf news

King Fahd exhibition a massive hit

More than 77,000 visitors attended the exhibition and conference on the life of the late King Fahd. The event, which concluded on Saturday, was opened by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman at the Riyadh International Exhibition and Conference Center. The show, originally scheduled to ru

SR18.7 billion plan to revive economy of Yemen

The Saudi-Yemeni Business Council intends to invest SR18.7 billion in Yemen to revive the nation’s economy, a council member said here Thursday. Abdullah bin Mahfouz told Arab News the Yemeni economy has been affected by the ongoing military Operation Decisive Storm and needs urgent financial suppo

Qatar to fine shops not closing for Friday prayers

Qatar has passed a law forcing all shops, cafes, restaurants, malls, offices and even clinics to shut down for 90 minutes during Friday prayers, or face of a fine of QR 10,000 (2,746 USD). According to Qatari English daily, The Peninsula, the new decree was announced yesterday and it came directl

KSA to open stock market to foreigners on June 15

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia will open its $532 billion stock market to direct foreign investment on June 15, allowing qualified foreign institutions to buy shares, the Capital Market Authority (CMA) said. Final rules covering the opening of the market will be published on May 4, the CMA added. The author

Madinah water shortage will end in two weeks

The water shortage issue in Madinah will end in two weeks as maintenance works have been expedited, Saleh Jblaoi, director general of water in Madinah, has said. A total of 4,000 water tanks are being provided to the residents at nominal rates in view of the shortage of water, resulting from a dela

Sandstorms suspend schools, cancel flights in southern cities

Saudi Arabian Airlines announced Tuesday that it was canceling its flights to and from the southern cities of Najran, Sharourah and Bisha as a result of bad weather conditions. Sandstorms in many parts of the Kingdom have also forced authorities to suspend classes in schools and universities, sabq.

KSA slams terror against civilians

The Council of Ministers has welcomed the decision by the Yemeni government to appoint a deputy president, saying it would help restore stability and security in the country. The Cabinet meeting held at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday afternoon, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Ki

Shoura member wins UN Population Fund Award

Saudi Shoura Council member Thoraya Obaid has been given the United Nations Population Fund Award for 2015 in recoginition of her services in the field of health and housing. The United Nations Organization first created the award to honor distinguished efforts in the field of health and housing in

Saudi health minister sacked after leaked video shows heated row

A recently leaked video involving a Saudi minister in a squabble has been a hot topic in the kingdom. Health minister Ahmed Khatib was filmed having a heated argument with another citizen, in which he was shouting and making angry gestures. He was later relieved of his duties in an order by Sa

No Zamzam water without passport

Zamzam water has a special place in the hearts of Muslims as something revered and unique. Every year millions of pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah and Haj from outside and inside the country. Many Muslims drink Zamzam as sacred water that can cure their health problems, but sometimes pilgr

Private sector employees want reduced working hours

Seventy-nine percent of private sector employees have asked that working hours be reduced to between 35 and 40 hours instead of the current 48 hours per week, according to a survey conducted by the National Center of Dialogue. Surprisingly, some 21 percent of the employees asked for an increase in

KSA-Qatar bond gets stronger

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman receives Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and his accompanying delegation at Al-Auja Palace in Diriyah on Thursday. King Salman accompanied Sheikh Tamim on a tour of Al-Auja Palace to show the royal guest historical photos of the late King Abdu

Ministry postpones higher Saudization quotas

Minister of Labor Adel Fakeih has postponed implementing new legislation that would have forced private companies to raise their Saudization levels. The move is to help the private sector understand the new amendments, the minister was quoted as saying in a local publication on Wednesday. The ame

Sharjah bus paper ticket up by Dh1, no hike in fare for prepaid card users

Sharjah — The Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority (SRTA) on Wednesday announced a Dh1 hike in the fare of its public buses. The fare, however, remains unchanged for trips undertaken with the Sayer prepaid card. A senior SRTA official revealed that about 14,720 passengers use paper tickets daily

Top Typhoon jets deployed in air raids

The Saudi Air Force has deployed top Typhoon jets, known for their maneuverability and speed, for the first time in the bombing campaign on Houthi positions in Yemen. Only six countries in the world own Typhoon jets. They are Saudi Arabia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain. The Kingdom bou

New smart police cars to be on roads soon

The Kingdom is set to introduce a fleet of new patrol cars with sophisticated new technology to identify people by their number plates and fingerprints. The black and white vehicles will be launched by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, second deputy premier and interior minister, on Tuesday. A

2,413 medical errors in a year

The number of recorded medical errors in the Kingdom amounted to 2,413 cases over a period of one year, with Riyadh and the Eastern Province accounting for 20 percent and 17.6 percent of the cases, respectively, according to official data. The number of court hearings on medical errors reached 2,83

Houthi rebels mix poison in 2000 Zamzam water bottles: Saudi police

South Police have stopped the purchase of Holy Zamzam water from local shops following a report which claimed that Houthi rebels mixed poison in 2000 bottles. Makkah: According to report, Police have recovered huge amount of poisonous water and taken it into its custody for laboratory test. Po