Middle East

Beirut, Oct 26: Lebanese authorities detained five Saudi citizens at Beirut international airport on Monday after finding two tons of drugs aboard a private jet bound for the Gulf kingdom, security sources and the National News Agency said. The plane, scheduled to fly to Hail in northern Saudi Arabia, was carrying 40 bags of Captagon amphetamine pills. Security services were questioning the

Jeddah, Oct 20: Foreign transportation companies have tried to smuggle drugs into the Kingdom by hiding them in pilgrims’ luggage, according to the Saudi Customs Authority. Essa Al-Essa, spokesperson of the authority, charged that these companies have tried to take advantage of pilgrims’ crowds to smuggle drugs in addition to other violations. Captagon, Tramadol Qoro, qat and large quantities of

Riyadh, Oct 18: Prominent religious scholars, regional allies and world leaders have condemned the terrorist attack on a Shiite gathering in the eastern city of Saihat that killed five people. Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh condemned the attack in Saihat, describing Daesh’s acts and actions as being against the basic tenets of Islam. In a press statement, GCC Secretary General Abdullatif Al

Jeddah, Oct 17: A gunman shot dead five people at a Shiite gathering in eastern Saudi Arabia before police gunned him down, the interior ministry said. A group claiming affiliation with the so-called Islamic State Sunni extremists said it carried out the attack, the latest in a series of bombings and shootings linked to the group in Saudi Arabia over the past year. The murders, in the Qatif area

East Jerusalem, Oct 13: Angry Palestinian students today protested against India's growing friendship with Israel at a university campus here today while President Pranab Mukherjee was there, forcing cancellation of one of his engagements. Hundreds of students shouted slogans and carried placards critical of India's ties with the Jewish state while Mukherjee was being honoured by Al-Quds

Riyadh, Oct 13: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, during Monday’s Cabinet meeting, urged the international community, including the United Nations to take action against Israel, to ensure it stops its violations against the Palestinian people, and ensure their rights are recognized. The Cabinet valued the decision taken by the extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation

Jeddah, Oct 12: Exchanging the Muqeem card with the iqama is not required for those who still have valid iqamas, and is only needed for those whose iqamas have expired and have to be renewed, said the General Directorate of Passports. The directorate is ready to launch the Muqeem card from the beginning of Muharram 1437H. Workers’ iqamas will be sent by Saudi Post to the directorate to change them

Riyadh, Oct 11: A unified visa for the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) may be available from the middle of next year, said GCC officials here. The GCC General Secretariat is working on the ambitious proposal to introduce the visa that would allow foreigners to visit all GCC states, more or less similar to Europe’s Schengen visa. “The unified GCC visa could soon become a

Riyadh, Oct 9: Saudi Arabia and Oman have completed the construction of a mega road project linking the two countries. “The new road, which will cut the distance between Saudi Arabia and Oman by about 800 km, will be opened soon for public,” said Ahmad Hilal Al-Busaidi, Omani ambassador, Wednesday. Al-Busaidi said the two countries were currently building the administrative infrastructures

Jeddah, Oct 8: Security forces have seized a huge cache of weapons, including machine-guns, at an agricultural farm in Awamiya, Qatif, the Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday through its Twitter account. An AFP report, quoting a resident, said the police sealed off the area with armored vehicles. The resident said he saw black smoke rising over a farm when police moved in mid-afternoon. He