Madinah: Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman on Tuesday announced 13 initiatives aimed at making Madinah the eternal capital of Islamic culture. He said the initiatives have won the support of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. The announcement comes at the conclusion of activitie

Abu Dhabi: Motorists who smoke in a car with a child inside will be fined Dh500, as the anti-tobacco federal law goes into effect on Tuesday. The law also bans shops located near schools from selling tobacco. “This law intends to make it difficult for smokers to light up. It also ensur

Jeddah: A senior official at the Saudi Passport Department has reiterated that the new electronic service, Abshir, has successfully curbed crowding at passport offices. Maj. Gen. Hussain Al-Harthy, director-general of the Passport Department in the Makkah province, told Arab News that two million

There was an outpouring of grief and sorrow on the social media over the deaths of six women, aged between 18 and 25, from a single family as they drowned in a pond in Ramah, 112km northeast of Riyadh on Saturday. Civil Defense officers recovered four bodies and are looking for the remaining two, a

The UAE has announced compulsory military service for all males between the ages of 18 and 30. The move was announced by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, on Twitter. The service will be optional for females, th

Muaz Shabandri / 18 January 2014 BJP, Cong creating insecurity in minorities for political agenda For new entrant Aam Aadmi Party, reaching out to Muslim voters is crucial in the upcoming elections. The party has carefully distanced itself from communal politics but has made provisions for minor

Dubai’s push to fast track infrastructure development will get a major fillip with the start of Dubai Tram service soon. The Roads and Transport Authority will start test run of the Tram within the next two weeks time. RTA said the first zone test-run will start from January 26th, 2014 and it’s n

Riyadh: Five distinguished scholars from various parts of the world, including a Saudi, won the prestigious King Faisal Prize on Tuesday. The announcement was made at a glittering event on Tuesday night. The King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam was awarded to Dr. Ahmed Abou Bakr Lem

The decision taken by the Haj Ministry to issue Umrah visas during the month of Safar has proved to be a boon to domestic tourism with about 750,000 pilgrims performing Umrah during the month. Al-Sayed Ahmed Sheikh Alwi, an expert in the economics of Haj and Umrah tourism, said the ministry had, wi

Those wishing to leave UAE or change jobs must have no outstanding penalties Dubai: Expatriates will not be allowed to leave the UAE unless they have paid all their fines in line with new Interior Ministry measures. “Expatriates must not have any unpaid fines or any police cases against them i

Services via smart phones to include renewal of passports, visit visas Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Interior will soon offer services via smart phones to renew passports, 30-day and 90-day visit visas, as well as domestic workers card and entry permits among other services, a senior official said Mo

Sharjah: Two young Emirati men found dead in a car in the early hours of Wednesday in Kalba are believed to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning, said Colonel Mubarak Al Dukan, Deputy Commander in Chief of Sharjah Police. The deceased were identified as A.A., 20, and S.A., 19. The

Dubai: Bring your umbrellas and your jackets on Sunday and Monday morning as the UAE will experience moderate to heavy rainfall and a further drop in temperature over the next two days. Unsettled weather will prevail in the country the whole day on Sunday and Monday morning with increased chanc

Dubai: Expanding the green profile of Dubai’s public transport, 10 bio-diesel powered buses have joined the Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) fleet. RTA had launched the first green bus in July 2012 as a pilot project and after a successful trial has now expanded the fleet. The bus

New Delhi , January 09, 2014:Union Minister Vayalar Ravi today ruled out any move to make provisions for Indians living abroad to vote in elections from outside the country. "As it is today even I can not vote by postal ballot. That is not the system today. If I am in Delhi, I can't vote in Keral

Abu Dhabi : Once bank accounts are integrated with Emirates ID cards, you won’t need to visit a bank to open an account, wait to receive your ATM card by courier and then have to activate the account and card. You will be able to complete these procedures online, a senior banking executive told Gulf

Waste from barbecuing can adversely affect public health and the environment. — Picture used for illustrative purpose only The Sharjah Municipality has banned barbecuing (BBQ) on beaches, green areas and parks in order to prevent environment pollution and give opportunities to the public to enjoy

8 Jan, 2014| ArabNews Jubail residents have called on major companies in the region to help clean up and rebuild parts of the city hit by severe floods on Monday. They accused certain private industrial companies of making billions every year but not using this money to help improve the city’s inf