Middle East

Madinah, May 28: Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman gave instructions that pilgrims and visitors at the Prophet's Mosque be given assistance and provided all possible services. These include mattresses placed in the interior corridors and on the roof of the Prophet's Mosque, drinking water and provision of all the items needed by worshippers around the clock. Cleaning work at the mosque will

Jeddah, May 28: Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has said his country enjoyed deep and historical ties with Iran. In a phone conversation with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday, Al-Thani said he wanted the ties with Iran to be “stronger than ever before.” The remarks confirm lingering suspicions that have been swirling in the world media that Qatar was in league with Iran

Ajman, May 28: An Indian expat in Ajman has recalled his first Ramadan in the country when he would have just dates and water for Iftar, followed by a long journey on foot from his workplace in Sharjah to his home in Ajman. Syed Ali Maqsood, 51, moved to Ajman in 1990 from Hyderabad. Those were the days when Maqsood wasn't very well off. Today, he has four kids and they all indulge in large bowls

Jeddah, May 27: The Minister of Culture and Information, Dr. Awwad bin Al-Awwad, delivered King Salman's speech on his behalf to the people of Saudi Arabia and Muslims all around the world on the occasion of the start of the Holy Month of Ramadan in the year 1438 AH, which begins today. In his address, King Salman said: “As our Islamic nation is witnessing many challenges, crises and risks, it is

Jeddah, May 26: Saturday, May 27, is the start of holy month of Ramadan, the Supreme Court announced on Thursday. The crescent moon was not sighted on Thursday and so fasting will start Saturday. “The moon will be out/disappear on the entire Islamic world, Thursday and, based on this, there is no crescent,” astronomer Khalid Al-Zaaq, a member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences said

Jeddah, May 25: Tensions rose in the Gulf on Tuesday after a series of controversial comments attributed to Qatar’s emir, in a row that led to the blocking of Doha-aligned news websites in some neighboring states. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s alleged comments, carried by the official state news agency QNA, apparently saw him endorse Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah — strongly diverging from the

Jeddah, May 24: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday joined Arab and Muslim world leaders in condemning the terrorist attack in Manchester, England. Dozens were killed and injured, including many children and teens, in the terror attack after a musical performance by US pop star Ariana Grande. An official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement expressing the Kingdom’s strong condemnation

Jeddah, May 23: Iran’s statement on Monday accusing the US of “Iranophobia” came in for a sharp rebuke from experts who described Tehran as a state sponsor of terrorism. Referring to US President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said: “Once again, by his repetitive and baseless claims about Iran, the American president... tried to

Riyadh, May 22: Eliminating terror and extremism is not a one-country responsibility, but a challenge facing all nations that requires them to unite to overcome it, US President Donald Trump said Sunday while addressing the Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh. In his first speech on foreign soil, in Saudi Arabia, Trump said the fight against extremism is “a battle between good and evil,”

Dubai, May 21: An Indian schoolgirl has allegedly been molested by a Pakistani clerk in a lift in the UAE, a media report said. The victim had just returned home from school when the 24-year-old suspect touched her in the lift of the building where she lived in Dubai, Gulf News reported. The clerk pressed the second-floor button and when the lift started moving upwards, he grabbed her name tag and