RIYADH: Minister of Justice Dr. Mohammed bin Abdul Kareem Al-Issa said Salafism should not be interpreted as Islam at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.
JUBAIL: The Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu has approved six mega industrial expansion projects at a cost of SR21.2 billion at the Jubail Industrial City.
RIYADH: Saudi blogger Hamza Kashghari, who had fled to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday after tweeting insulting comments about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), was taken into custody as he arrived in Riyadh on Sunday night.
MAKKAH: An international conference aimed at ending differences on lunar calculations and unite the Muslim Ummah in observing obligatory rituals of fasting and Haj as well as Eid festivals is under way in Makkah.
RIYADH: The Saudi Alzheimer's Disease Association (SADA) told a press conference here on Sunday that a three-day international conference on the disease will be inaugurated in Riyadh next Monday.
JEDDAH: The acute shortage of cement in Makkah province might be on its way to be solved with the daily injection of 10,000 tons of cement (200,000 bags) into the region, sources at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said Sunday.
RIYADH: Inspection teams from the Yanbu municipality shut down 10 eateries for various violations last year. Many restaurant staffers who were found working in unhygienic conditions had been subjected to medical tests.
ANKARA: Turkey’s state-run news agency says Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been discharged from hospital a day after undergoing what officials said was a “second and final” intestinal surgery.
CAIRO: An Egyptian parliamentary inquiry into the deaths of 74 people in a soccer stadium disaster has found both fans and lax security to blame for the worst incident of its kind in the country’s history, the legislator leading it said on Sunday.
RAMALLAH, West Bank: A mounting rebellion by Hamas leaders in Gaza against a breakthrough power-sharing agreement with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas highlights a potentially fatal flaw — the deal never spelled out how the Western-backed leader can take charge again in Gaza, the territory he lost to a violent takeover by the Islamic militants.
TEHRAN: Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Azeri ambassador on Sunday, accusing Azerbaijan of assisting Israeli intelligence in the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist blown up last month, Iran’s Fars news agency reported.
CAIRO: Egypt’s military ruler stressed the importance of good ties with the United States in a meeting with the government on Sunday, a message that could signal an attempt to ease a crisis triggered by an Egyptian probe targeting American democracy activists.
TEHRAN: Iran’s parliamentary Speaker Ali Larijani warned Iran will not forgive Gulf Arab nations if they continue backing US “plots” against Tehran, local media reported on Sunday.
CAIRO: Egyptian authorities have detained an Australian journalist and an American student on suspicion they had distributed cash to workers and incited them to take part in a strike demanding an end to army rule, the state news agency said.
MADRID: Thousands of people rallied Sunday in Spain’s capital in support of the disbarred judge famous for taking on international human rights cases.
MALE, Maldives: The Maldives' new president expanded his Cabinet on Sunday to strengthen the coalition government that has ruled the Indian Ocean nation since the former leader's resignation last week sparked a political crisis.
PRISTINA: At least seven people died and three others were missing after an avalanche hit the village of Restelica in southern Kosovo on Saturday, local authorities said.
BEIJING: An 18-year-old nun at a Tibetan Buddhist convent set herself on fire in southwest China to protest Chinese rule over Tibet, exiles and monitoring sources said on Sunday.
RIYADH: The latest Job Index survey conducted by Bayt.com and YouGov has shown that Saudi Arabia’s hiring expectancy in the coming months is slightly lower than it was in the fourth quarter of 2011. Most jobs in the coming three months will be for junior executives in the private sector, with a preference for computer science, commerce and business management qualifications across the region.
RIYADH: The Shoura Council approved the Arab Convention for the transfer of inmates at penal and correctional institutions at its fifth regular session Sunday.
JEDDAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal attended the graduation ceremony of the first batch of 300 Saudi youths who have completed training in various vocations in the construction industry such as plumbers, electricians, carpenters and technicians.
RIYADH: President of the Saudi Commission of Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) Prince Sultan bin Salman inaugurated Saturday night the first exhibition of Saudi Arabian antiquities retrieved from people in the Kingdom and abroad at the National Museum in Riyadh.
ADEN: Southern separatists in Yemen set fire to a tent camp housing anti-government protesters in the port city of Aden, witnesses said on Sunday, in opposition to an election this month to replace outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
GAZA: An Israeli air strike on the Gaza Strip killed a Palestinian civilian on Sunday, hospital officials said, and the military described the operation as retaliation for a cross-border rocket launch.
ATHENS: Rioting spread across central Athens and at least seven buildings went up in flames amid mass protests late Sunday, as lawmakers debated harsh cutbacks demanded to keep the country solvent and within the eurozone.
RIYADH: Etihad Etisalat (Mobily) signed a SR10 billion loan agreement with seven local banks on Sunday to boost its revenues and invest in its broadband and data services business.
SINGAPORE: Global airlines have called for a UN-brokered deal to prevent a row over aviation emissions between China and the European Union spilling into a damaging trade war.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Supreme Court charged the prime minister with contempt on Monday for defying its orders to reopen a corruption case against his political ally, President Asif Ali Zardari, sharpening a political crisis that has gripped the country.
MANAMA: Iran has built up its naval forces in the Gulf and prepared boats that could be used in suicide attacks, but the US Navy can prevent it from blocking the Strait of Hormuz, the commander of US naval forces in the region said on Sunday.
