Gulf news

King Salman’s new team has accomplished administrators

JEDDAH: The new Cabinet announced by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Thursday has several appointees who are accomplished administrators with vast experience and expertise in their fields. Azzam Al-Dakhil, the new minister of education, is also chief executive officer of the Prin

Royal magnanimity: bonuses and other incentives announced

JEDDAH: Generous bonuses and payouts will be given out to Saudi government employees, government scholars, retirees and other citizens under a package approved on Thursday by newly enthroned King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The King ordered the payment of two basic

King Salman is a friend of India, says diplomat

India is looking forward to having stronger relations with Saudi Arabia under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, who is a friend of India like King Abdullah, said Consul General B.S. Mubarak. “Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with King Salman on the sideli

Riyadh one of world's 50 safest cities

Riyadh ranked 46th in the list of the world’s 50 safest cities for 2015, with Tokyo topping the list and Jakarta trailing at the end, according to the annual report drafted by The Economist magazine. In its evaluation of the 50 safest cities, The Economist used four indicators including the quality

Obama tackles IS fight, Iran with new Saudi king

RIYADH: US President Barack Obama led a heavyweight delegation to Saudi Arabia to meet new King Salman and discussed the two countries' ongoing fight against the Islamic State group. The leaders also tackled the issue of Iran's nuclear programme and human rights in the conservative kingdom, a sen

Emirates, Etihad suspend flights to Baghdad

Baghdad: Bullets hit a passenger jet operated by budget carrier Dubai Aviation Corp, known as flydubai, as it was landing at Baghdad airport, the company and officials said on Tuesday. An aviation official and a security official told Reuters that two passengers were slightly injured when three o

Ministry sets up call centers to help resolve labor disputes

JEDDAH: The Ministry of Labor has begun to provide services to workers with labor dispute cases via call centers in Makkah, Riyadh, Arar, Hail, Najran, and Jazan. Work is ongoing to expand services to other regions gradually, according to an official report by the Labor Dispute Settlement Department

Schools and government offices closed on Sunday 

Jeddah: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman announced on Saturday that schools and educational institutions would remain closed on Sunday to allow people to mourn the death of King Abdullah who died on Friday. Government offices will also be closed. The one-day off is for all government a

King Salman’s vision: Stability, unity

JEDDAH: ARAB NEWS Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman took charge as the new ruler of Saudi Arabia on Friday in a smooth transition following the death of King Abdullah and pledged to continue the current government policies to ensure stability and unity in the country. Addressing the

Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz dies, new ruler is Salman

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has died, state television reported early on Friday and Crown Prince Salman became king, it said in a statement attributed to the new ruler. He was 90. King Salman has called on the family's Allegiance Council to pay allegiance to Muqrin as his crow

2.5m expats 'illiterate'

Jeddah: About 2.5 million foreign workers in Saudi Arabia only hold primary school education certificates, or are totally illiterate. This has been revealed by new data from the Information and Statistics General Department for the Hijri year 1434. Economic experts said such a situation is only acc

Bangladesh manpower ban 'to go'

Labor Minister Adel Fakeih said on Monday that the Kingdom will soon resume the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers to the Kingdom. The decision comes after a 2008 ban that prohibited laborers from being brought in from that country. During a one-hour meeting on Sunday, Fakeih met at his office wit

Unstable weather to continue till Tuesday

Dubai: Don’t ditch your umbrellas just yet as chances of rain still persist over scattered parts of the country on Tuesday but rainclouds will move northwards, the national weather bureau said. The first showers of the year saw moderate to heavy rain, accompanied by hail, over scattered parts o

Fingerprints a must for ID renewals from Wednesday

Fingerprinting will be a must for all male and female expatriates for renewal and issuance of iqama from Rabi Al-Thani 1 (Jan. 21). Sources at the Passport Department said that the fingerprint of male and female expatriates will be necessary for the renewal of residence permits (iqama); the fingerp

Saudi scholars condemn Charlie Hebdo cartoon publication

Dismay, anger as Muslim bloggers feel betrayed by abuse, insults anama: The Council of Senior Scholars, Saudi Arabia’s highest religious body, has condemned the publication this week of caricatures of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) by French magazine Charlie Hebdo, saying that it had nothing to do with fr

Online visit visas for expat families soon

JEDDAH, 14 January 2015: The Interior Ministry will soon issue visas online for families of expats without the need to visit the Passport Department or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A source said the move would save time and prevent overcrowding at visa offices for expatriates wanting to bring t

Dubai sets record for longest gold chain

Dubai can now boast of having set the record for the longest gold chain – over five kms in length connected by over four million tiny segments linked everyday for ten hours by 100 craftsmen over 45 days. Dubai,5January 2015: Dubai is no stranger to setting records. Largest, most magnificient, tal

6-month grace period to settle labour card fines

Employers who have failed to issue or renew electronic labour cards for their employees will have to pay Dh1,000 for each labour card. Abu Dhabi - Starting today, the federal Ministry of Labour (MoL) will implement the UAE’s Cabinet decision on the six-month grace period for settling all electron