Shoura demands Qatif troublemakers be tried
By MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS RIYADH: The 150-member consultative Shoura Council on Sunday denounced the bloody riots carried out by some criminal elements in the eastern city of Qatif […]
Haj Ministry geared up for next Umrah season
By MD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The Haj Ministry has started preparations for the Umrah season in 2012 in advance, even before the Haj pilgrims of 2011 have left Makkah and Madinah. The first step in the preparations to welcome the new season is to evaluate the performance of […]
Contestants from 53 countries to participate in Qur’an contest
By ARAB NEWS RIYADH: Under the aegis of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowment, Call and Guidance will organize next month the […]
World changing, civil society advancing
By ALI BLUWI ARABNEWS Arab citizens are fed up with the West’s ideology as well as double standards Many pundits and analysts ponder the reasons that made the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 the breaking point in the Middle East. This transformative period led to instability, particularly […]
Realism and leadership – It seems only Saudi Arabia can balance Iran’s political, military threat in the Gulf
By HASSAN BARARI, ARABNEWS Over the last six decades, regional security and stability have dominated the Saudi foreign policy. Indeed, the centrality of these themes in Saudi thinking has pushed the regime to establish close strategic partnerships with various countries to create a regional environment conducive to peace, stability, and […]
Saudi Arabia & UAE: Unprecedented jump in expat remittances sounds alarm bells
By ANGUS MCDOWALL | REUTERS DUBAI: A suggestion last month that Saudi Arabia will try to limit how much money expatriate workers send home showed concern about the cost of having foreigners make up nearly a third of the population. An estimated 9 million foreign workers and their dependents remitted […]
Saleh in Kingdom (of Saudi Arabia) to sign over power
By REUTERS ARABNEWS DUBAI: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh flew to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to sign a deal brokered by Gulf states that would ease him from office, Yemeni […]
Coordinate with SCTA before tearing down old structures: Makkah emir
By P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has instructed officials not to eradicate any heritage sites without the permission of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). He said relevant authorities should coordinate with the SCTA to evaluate the historical significance of old […]
Skyrocketing prices setting a new trend of buying gold on installment
By ARJUWAN LAKKDAWALA | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: With the price of gold skyrocketing and no immediate signs of it coming down, people wanting to buy gold for their immediate needs are in a dilemma — to buy then how to buy. The prices in the market makes it nearly impossible […]
Makkah’s heritage vanishing behind skyscrapers
Makkah: Future development in Makkah will be more in tune with traditional architecture, the mayor says, but for now residents worry that one of Islam’s holiest sites is disappearing behind skyscrapers. The historic city, the birthplace of Islam, is studded with dozens of yellow and red cranes and metal scaffolding […]
Terrorism a bane with no religion or race: Prince Saud
By ARAB NEWS Saudi Arabia has welcomed the recent establishment of a United Nations Center for Counter-Terrorism and provided $10 million to cover the center’s costs for the first three years. The project is a result of the International Conference on Combating Terrorism held in Riyadh in 2005 and attended […]
German official praises Kingdom’s prudent policies
By ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s prudent and balanced policies in the Middle East under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Naif have helped avert many crises that might have led to catastrophic consequences to the world economy, according to German Consul […]
Pilgrims urged not to overstay
By MD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The Passport Department has urged all foreign pilgrims who have come for Haj to leave the Kingdom before the expiry of their visas. “Saudi regulations do not allow pilgrims overstaying their Haj visas,” it said. Brig. Ayed Al-Harbi, commander of the Passport Department […]
Fresh hopes for pardon of Lankan housemaid Rizana
By MD RASOOLDEEN | ARAB NEWS RIYADH: A Sri Lankan delegation visiting Dawadmi, 380 km from the capital, was given a warm welcome by the Otaibi tribe leader Mohamed Faihan Shoraim Al-Otaibi on Thursday. The high-powered delegation led by Sri Lanka’s Western Province Gov. Alavi Mowlana met the tribal leaders […]
Pilgrim influx to Madinah continues
By ARAB NEWS MADINAH: Various government departments in Madinah are continuing round-the-clock efforts to serve pilgrims who are flocking to the Prophet’s City in the post-Haj phase. The departments started their special Haj services under the supervision of Madinah Gov. Prince Abdul Aziz bin Majed early October when the Haj […]
US creates an Iranian albatross
Source: Asia Times: Iran has reacted sharply to a joint United States and Saudi Arabia bid for a United Nations resolution accusing it violating diplomatic treaties and calling on Tehran to cooperate in ongoing investigations into shaky allegations of a terror plot to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington. American […]
Historic Jeddah mosques to get facelift
By FATIMA SIDIYA | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has approved the restoration of two historic mosques in Jeddah, Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, said on Wednesday. He said Al-Shafi and Al-Mimar mosques would be refurbished […]
Welcome change in Arab League’s attitude
By GWYNNE DYER ARABNEWS For most of its 66-year history, the Arab League was a powerless organization, dominated by regimes that made sure it never criticized their lies and crimes. But suddenly, this year, it woke up and changed sides. Last March the Arab League suspended Libya’s membership because of […]
The Supreme Leader’s View of Unity Between the Shia and the Sunni
(A Shiah point of view): The Supreme Leader’s View of Unity Between the Shia and the Sunni. Source: Facebook Sayed Mustafa Masawi Today, one of the main goals of the arrogant powers and the US is to foment discord. And the best way to do so is to foment discord […]
A celebration of Arab architectural style
By ROGER HARRISON | ARAB NEWS JEDDAH: The exhibition running simultaneously with the first Saudi Built Heritage Forum opened its doors to the public on Tuesday. Early visitors to the show at Jeddah Hilton included parties of boisterous schoolboys clutching carrier bags stuffed with free literature and shepherded by harassed […]