Saudi Arabia has taken steps to do away with the controversial sponsorship system, a labour official has said. “The ministry has removed the restrictions that business owners imposed on foreigners, from the freedom of their movement and keeping their passports to barring service switch,” Ahmad Al Humaidan, the ministry undersecretary for labour affairs, said.
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A charity dinner in Qatar has raised QR 24 million ($6,586,170) for the “Renaissance of a Nation” endowment project launched by the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS). The project aims to raise enough funds to help the union, headed by Doha-based scholar Yusuf Al Qaradawi, be financially self-sustained.
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Qatar’s municipality and urban planning ministry has cancelled a plan to introduce metered parking space. The plan was initially drawn to help address crowded parking areas in the Qatari capital Doha where the number of people and vehicles has been steadily increasing.
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Confidence in the peace plan for Syria brokered by international mediator Kofi Annan is diminishing due to continued violence in the country, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal said yesterday. “The violence is still continuing, the bloodshed is still continuing. Nothing has been accomplished except the violence has lessened. The violence continues… nobody...
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The leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Monday endorsed an agreement that will promote collective security among the six member states. Abdul Latif Al Zayani, the GCC secretary-general, said at a press conference in Riyadh following the 14th GCC Consultative summit that all the countries approved the accord and that the leaders have...
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Algeria’s Front for Justice and Development has distanced itself from claims that its leader has made a call for a Tunisia-style revolt over vote results. “The statements by Shaikh Abdallah Djaballah have been misinterpreted,” Lakhdhar Bin Khalaf, a senior member of the Islamist party, said.
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At least three of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will likely announce their intention to join the expected Gulf union at the advisory summit on Monday, a Saudi pan-Arab daily reported. The leaders of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will meet for one day in the Saudi capital...
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Bahrain repatriated more than 4,000 people in 2011 for staying illegally in the country, officials have said. The 4,219 figure, however, is well below the more than 9,000 expatriates repatriated in 2010 for not having the documents required to stay in Bahrain.
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A Kuwaiti blogger held for allegedly posting abusive remarks against Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) will know about his fate next week. A court said that Hamad Naqi would be tried on May 21 on charges of denigrating Islam and insulting the Prophet, disseminating false and misleading claims and promoting a sect that aims to undermine...
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Kuwait has pledged a zero-tolerance policy towards organising campaigns or using mosques to promote candidates in Egypt’s presidential elections. As the May 24 date for the first round of the historic elections approaches, several Egyptians living in Kuwait have used mosques to encourage their fellow citizens to vote for Mohammad Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood...
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