By MUHAMMAD AL-SULAMI | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The Ministry of Labor has given private companies and establishments three months to comply with the Nitaqat program, which aims to improve employment opportunities for Saudis. Ministry spokesman Hattab Al-Anazi said companies would have until Sept. 10 to ensure they are fully compliant […]
By Mohammad Ghazal AMMAN – An initiative that seeks to increase the Kingdom’s green cover by utilising an “intelligent water incubator” that produces and captures water from the air through condensation and rain, will be launched soon in Jordan. The initiative will be implemented by several local NGOs in partnership […]
By Khetam Malkawi AMMAN – Jordanians pursuing their higher education in Yemen will be admitted to the Kingdom’s universities starting next academic semester due to the current turmoil in the Arab country, a government official said on Sunday. Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research Secretary General Mustafa Odwan said […]
Up to last Friday: Almost 9,700 Syrian people crossed into Turkey in last couple of weeks to find shelter in Turkey. Top officials of Turkish and Syrian relief organizations met Friday in Istanbul after the mass influx of Syrians who have fled to neighboring Turkey to escape violence in their […]
Iraq’s parliament speaker tells Al Jazeera unaccounted reconstruction money is three times the reported $6.6bn. Osama al-Nujaifi, the Iraqi parliament speaker, has told Al Jazeera that the amount of Iraqi money unaccounted for by the US is $18.7bn – three times more than the reported $6.6bn. Just before departing for […]
A noted Saudi scholar has claimed that Bahrain’s embattled Al Khalifa royal family is seeking Indonesian mercenaries to help maintain its iron grip over the country. Ali al-Ahmad, head of Washington-based think-tank the Institute for Gulf Affairs, told Iran’s PressTV on Sunday that Bahraini officials had traveled to Indonesia, Malaysia […]
Shehrbano Taseer too gets threats for her views against extremism Karachi: A day after her father was gunned down by an extremist, a grieving Shehrbano Taseer wrote on Twitter, “A light has gone out in our home today.” It wasn’t long before the 22-year-old realised something else: Her father’s death […]
Since long was the hue and cry in Pakistan to test in depth the friendship of China. COAS who in fact rules the Pakistan always objected to the idea. Surprisingly current and his predecessor Joint Chief of Staff belonged to Chinese Lobby, but Joint Chief post is since […]
During the current budget session, Pakistan National Assembly bombarded the defence budget with sharp criticism. This shows that country has the potential to take on any issue if it wishes so. Can one hope same show up to repeal the religion clause which was inserted in the Constitution back in […]
By RAZAK AHMAD | REUTERS KUALA LUMPUR: A forthcoming Islamic reality television show in Malaysia aims to find the best women preachers and change conservative mindsets on the role of women in Muslim societies. The 13-episode prime time program titled “Solehah,” an Arabic word meaning “pious female,” is a talent contest that will […]
By Hana Namrouqa MUJIB NATURE RESERVE – The Mujib Nature Reserve is expected to be declared a biosphere reserve at the end of this month, thus achieving international recognition for Jordan’s jewel of eco-tourism, according to officials. UNESCO is expected to declare the reserve a biosphere on June 28, according […]
Some voices in the US Congress are reportedly suggesting that the US cut back its financial contribution to the UN system and withdraw from some of its main bodies, such as the UN Human Rights Council, if the UN General Assembly votes in favour of recognising an independent Palestinian state […]
By ARAB NEWS MAKKAH: On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Prince Naif, second deputy premier and minister of interior, inaugurated a scientific forum for Haj research, which is attended by nearly 1,000 speakers, experts and delegates. Prince Naif commended the efforts of King Abdullah to […]
By ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: Work is under way to establish the first global Islamic historical encyclopedia of its kind on the Haj, Makkah, the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. Involved in the preparation of the encyclopedia are Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Haj Research […]
With an estimated population of about 78 million, most of them aged under 30, the Islamic Republic of Iran, to use the official title, attracts something like two million tourists a year. A significant chunk originate from the European Union, notably Italy, Germany, France and Belgium. Evidently realising the potential […]
In interview with Washington Post, Jordan King Abdullah laments Israeli public’s gravitation toward the right, rejection of 1967 borders, saying prospects for Middle East peace are grim. Jordanian King Abdullah expressed alarm over Israel’s prevailing political opinions in an interview with the Washington Post Thursday, saying that the Israeli public […]
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton meets Palestinian PM, president after Lieberman tells her, ‘Abbas does not want an agreement, but rather confrontation with Israel.’ Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas called upon European Union nations on Friday to recognize a Palestinian state, according to an AFP report. According to the report, […]
Israel aims to force Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to leave the enclave through a strategy of pressuring them and making their living conditions hard, says a UN special rapporteur. “One of the tactics I think is to demoralize the Palestinians to an extent that at least a large number […]
By ASSOCIATED PRESS BEIRUT: Syrian security forces killed at least 16 people Friday, including a teenage boy, as thousands of people poured into the streets across the country calling for the downfall of President Bashar Assad’s regime, activists said. The unrest also appeared to be spilling over into neighboring Lebanon. […]
By LARA JAKES | AP KARBALA, Iraq: At times, as he describes how he sleeps on the floor of the store where he works or misses the family he left in Nepal to find a job, Mohan Rai punctuates his gloomy tale with a laugh. He tries to make light […]