Government | Sunday 13 September, 2015 10:50 am

Tawaf on bridge suspended for safety of pilgrims

The circumambulation around the Kaaba (tawaf) on the bridge which is used as a temporary circumambulation platform especially for wheelchair-bound pilgrims and the elderly, will be temporarily suspended as a result of Friday's crane collapse tragedy, according to a source at the General...

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Government | Friday 11 September, 2015 4:05 am

800,000 Hajis ... and rising

Nearly 800,000 pilgrims have arrived from abroad to perform Haj this year. According to statistics released by the Passport Department on Thursday, 796,581 pilgrims have so far landed in Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage that begins in another 10 days. “Of them, 780,474 pilgrims...

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Government | Friday 11 September, 2015 2:01 am

King returns from US visit

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman arrived in Jeddah on Thursday evening, following an official visit to the United States and after a short private vacation outside the kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said. King Salman arrived in Washington on Sept. 3 and met with US...

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Government | Thursday 10 September, 2015 1:10 am

Saif bin Zayed Meets with Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Al Faisal 

Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, met on Wednesday, with HRH Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Al Faisal, Chairman of the Arab Thought Foundation (Al-Fikr Al Arabi), along with the accompanying delegation. During the meeting, which was held in ...

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Government | Wednesday 9 September, 2015 4:15 am

Holy sites rail project completed

The Chinese construction company responsible for the Mashaer Railway at the holy sites has completed the project after six years. China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) signed off on the project this week and handed it over to the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, according ...

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Government | Tuesday 8 September, 2015 2:00 am

Over 647,000 pilgrims arrive

A total of 647,314 pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom up to Sunday, according to data from the Directorate General of Passports (Jawazat). According to a Jawazat report released on Monday, over 642,085 pilgrims aboard about 1,300 flights entered the Kingdom through King Abdulaziz International ...

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Government | Sunday 6 September, 2015 4:14 am

All Saudi students in US included in scholarship program

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman issued orders to include in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Program for Foreign Scholarship even those male and female Saudi students studying at present in the US at their own expense. King Salman also issued orders that the State will bear...

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Government | Saturday 5 September, 2015 2:47 pm

Dubai Customs disrupts smuggling attempt of 35m tramadol pills and 2.5 tons of powder tramadol

Dubai Customs officers have seized 35 million tramadol pills and 2.5 tons of powder tramadol. A shipment of the painkiller, which is prohibited from circulation outside prescribed medical use, was intercepted at Jebel Ali Port, coming from an Asian country. The drugs were detected by Dubai...

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Government | Tuesday 1 September, 2015 8:06 am

Program to support projects OK’d

The Council of Ministers approved a national program to support the management of public sector projects so as to improve their efficiency and ensure quality. Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, chaired the weekly session of the Council of Ministers at...

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Government | Tuesday 1 September, 2015 8:04 am

Kiswa folded up by three meters to avoid damage

As is the custom every year during the Haj season, the Kiswa (the black cloth covering the Kaaba) has been folded up by three meters from the ground and a piece of white cloth has been placed to cover the folded portion.  Mohammed Bin Abdullah Bajoudah, director of the Kaaba Kiswa factory,...

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