Riyadh/Mumbai: The Saudi Arabian authorities Wednesday denied any plan to move or destroy the Prophet's Tomb adjacent to the Masjid al-Nabawi in Madinah al-Munawwerah, and termed the news reports being circulated in the media as false, fabricated and misleading. Putting a question mark over the p

The Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday that vaccination against meningitis is mandatory for all local and international Haj pilgrims. Taking the flu shot is also recommended, in addition to quarantine requirements for foreign pilgrims depending on the country they live in, according to officia

Saudi Arabia has detained 88 people, more than half of them Saudis, on suspicion of plotting "terrorist" attacks at home and abroad, the interior ministry said on Tuesday. A ministry statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency said the ministry had been following a number of suspects in

The Haj Ministry website has started accepting applications from Saudis and expatriates who wanted to make use of the low-cost Haj scheme. More than 40,000 pilgrims are expected to benefit from the low-cost Haj scheme this year, said Abdul Hameed Al-Sinani, secretary general of the Coordination C

Manama: Saudi authorities have granted more than 200,000 visas to Indian domestic helpers and labourers in one month. “Since we resumed bringing in Indian workers at the end of Ramadan, the number of visas has reached 220,000,” Ahmad Al Fuhaid, the labour ministry undersecretary for internation

Abu Dhabi: Indian diplomatic missions in the UAE are expected to clear a backlog in applications for passport renewal within a week after facing delays during the past three months due to a shortage of passport booklets in India. “We have started getting sufficient booklets regularly and the ba

Dubai: More than 970,000 students will start today (Sunday) their academic year 2014-2015 in 1400 schools operating under the Ministry of Education across the UAE. This is in addition to students in private schools offering non-UAE curriculum. The Ministry of Education has confirmed the readine

JEDDAH: Health authorities in Makkah have begun training their personnel, including nurses and doctors, in dealing with prevention of infection of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) during the Haj season. The infection control management and effective preventive measures

Dubai: The concept of ‘Happily Ever After’ is on shaky foundation among many Dubai couples.   Figures by the Dubai Statistic Centre show a dramatic increase of 40 per cent in the number of divorces in Dubai from 2011 to 2013.   The numbers show that 896 divorce certificates wer

Dubai: Four Asian men have been caught trying to sell 4.7 million Indian rupees in fake banknotes to a Dubai businessman. “The forgery was among the best we have seen,” Major General Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant Police Chief for criminal investigation affairs, said. “It could have easi

Manama: Saudi pilgrimage authorities may impose a 15-day cap on stays by foreigners who enter the kingdom to perform Umrah. The decision will be proportionate with the capacity to accommodate worshippers inside the Grand Mosque in Makkah, currently undergoing massive construction work that has

Dubai: Dubai Police’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) seized 60,000 fake mobile phones worth Dh48 million between August 9-23. Major General Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Assistant to the Dubai Police Chief for Criminal Investigation Affairs, said the CID’s Anti-Economic Crime Department

More than 1.3 million foreign pilgrims are expected to perform Haj this year, according to the Haj Ministry. South Asian countries will send the largest contingent of 410,000 Hajis followed by Arab countries with 250,000. About 228,000 pilgrims will come from Southeast Asian countries including I

RIYADH: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have condemned the heinous crime perpetrated by armed militiamen who stormed Mos’ab ibn Omayr Mosque in Diyala Province, Iraq on Friday. The attack caused the death of 73 innocent worshippers; scores of others w

Dubai: Salik top-up is now as easy as recharging prepaid mobile connections as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) launches new e-vouchers. According to RTA, the new vouchers are available at more than 3,000 stores across the country. The new service is being provided in partnershi

Riyadh: The Ministry of Health announced Saturday mandatory measures for Haj and Umrah pilgrims coming from countries with high rates of infectious diseases. The ministry had already sent out a circular to the Foreign Ministry, which distributed among embassies the notice spelling out health requir

RIYADH: Hospitals save lives in danger whether in normal conditions or in cases of emergency resulting from road accidents, fire or natural catastrophes. There are lots of well-equipped and excellent hospitals all across Saudi Arabia, but they are crippled by complicated procedures that may, someti

Riyadh: Police arrested a large number of illegal expatriates in the south of the capital in an early morning raid on Thursday under the direct supervision of Riyadh Gov. Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz. According to one eyewitness, operations started immediately after dawn prayers. He