By ARAB NEWS MAKKAH: There has been an unprecedented increase in the occupancy rates of hotels and residential apartments in Makkah this year thanks to the huge inflow of Umrah pilgrims. Some hotels are fully booked for the peak Umrah season this year, according to an official. “This tremendous increase […]
If Damascus goes down, its effects will be felt by the whole region Where’s Syria headed? Things appear to be worsening by the day with deepening fears in the region about the largest country in the Levant unraveling. Every day brings in more bad news, with the crackdown on anti-government […]
By Mohammad Ben Hussein AMMAN – Opposition parties said they were disappointed by the outcome of the National Dialogue Committee (NDC), with leaders of the Islamist movement describing the number of seats allocated to parties “an insult”. “There is clear intent to dwarf political parties to empower other groups. Political […]
AMMAN (JT) – His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday paid a brief visit to Oman, during which he and Sultan Qaboos reviewed bilateral ties and regional issues. Upon arrival, the King was received by the sultan and several senior officials, a Royal Court statement said. The two leaders held talks […]
AMMAN (AFP) – HRH Prince Ali, FIFA vice president, said on Tuesday he will raise with world and Asian football bodies a ban on the Iran’s women’s team over their traditional Islamic headscarf. “This is an important issue that I will raise with the Asian Football Confederation and with the […]
BANGKOK – “We are so happy this day to be released,” said Haraan Sidique, boarding a bus at Bangkok’s Suan Plu Immigration Detention Center (IDC) on Monday morning after spending almost 7 months at a refugee prison in central Bangkok. Sidique is one of 96 Ahmadiyya refugees from Pakistan who […]
Ahmadi refugees who sought to escape persecution by fleeing to Thailand were held for more than six months in Bangkok’s overcrowded immigration detention centers. A group of 94 Ahmadi Muslim refugees and two asylum seekers were released on bail on Monday. They await the results of resettlement applications, mainly to […]
Hebron – PNN – On Monday morning a group of armed settlers attacked Palestinian farmers from the Um Al Khayr village, to the south of Hebron city in the southern West Bank, and stopped them from herding their sheep and reaching their land. According to farmers, armed settlers from the […]
By ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Monday instructed all government departments to implement the short-term and long-term plans he approved for creating jobs for the increasing number of Saudi graduates. The new plans are expected to create at least 70,000 new jobs for […]
By MUHAMMAD AL-SULAMI | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The permanent committee for issuing religious edicts, chaired by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh, has banned the mingling of men and women at offices and educational institutions. “Women are not allowed to work with men. For example, they cannot work as secretaries for […]
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Five US service members were killed in a rocket attack in Iraq on Monday, in the worst single toll for American troops in the country for at least two years, the US military and Iraqi security officials said. The attack showed Iraq’s security situation is still precarious […]
By Raed Omari AMMAN – MPs on Monday had mixed reactions vis-à-vis the proposed elections law. Some described it as a step in the right direction, while others argued that the law does not suit the social makeup of Jordan. The changes were proposed by the National Dialogue Committee, which […]
By Hani Hazaimeh AMMAN – The government on Monday said that nearly 8,000 prisoners will be released under the general pardon law, while 6,000 cases that are being seen by courts will be annulled. The release of detainees and inmates will save the state nearly JD40 million. However, a senior […]
Claim of 80 deaths in northern town of Jisr al-Shughour follows reports that security forces killed 40 people on Sunday. Syria’s state television says at least 80 police officers have been killed in the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour in an ambush by “armed groups”. The report on Monday said […]
A young man’s account of sadistic torture in a Syrian secret prison, and how a girl’s note helped him through his pain. Arrested during a protest in the first days of the Syrian uprising, a young man endured acts of sadism and torture at the hands of Bashar al-Assad’s secret […]
(CNN) — Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh underwent two operations in Saudi Arabia and will return to Yemen after he recovers, the Saudi state-run Ekhbariya television station reported Monday. Saleh is in Saudi Arabia for treatment following a rocket attack on his presidential compound on Friday. There are conflicting reports […]
Indonesian women have welcomed the passage of the Immigration Law that boosts the rights of foreign spouses of Indonesian citizens. Isabelle Mace Panggabean, 31, who is half French and half Indonesian and married to an Indonesian, hailed the new law, saying said she would now be able to gain permanent […]
A group of almost a hundred Pakistani refugees and asylum seekers, including several dozen children and a baby born in detention, will be released on bail Monday. The Thai Committee for Refugees, which helped organise the release, said the 96 people — most of whom were arrested in December — […]
BANGKOK – ALMOST 100 Pakistani refugees have been freed from Bangkok’s overcrowded immigration prison in an initiative spearheaded by Thai human rights activists. The Thai Committee for Refugees says the 96 members of Pakistan’s Ahmadiyya Muslim sect were freed on bail on Monday in the first such large-scale release of […]
Bethlehem – PNN – Bethlehem Bible College held a graduation ceremony to celebrate the students graduating from its biblical studies, tour guide and mass media programs Friday night. Graduates, dignitaries, family and friends attended the ceremony It was the 24th biblical studies, 7th tour guide and 4th mass media class to […]