Author: Editorial Team
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia head coach Georgios Donis has named a 30-man preliminary squad for the Green Falcons’ preparations ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The squad, announced on Friday, includes a core group of experienced internationals led by captain Salem Al-Dawsari, alongside familiar names such as Saud Abdulhamid, Mohammed Kanno, Hassan Al Tambakti, Ali Lajami and Feras Al Brikan. Donis, who was appointed Saudi Arabia manager in April following the departure of Hervé Renard, will lead the Green Falcons into their second consecutive World Cup appearance. Saudi Arabia have been drawn…
LISBON, 25th May, 2026 (WAM) — Al Shira’aa rider Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi claimed a landmark international victory on Sunday evening, winning the Lisbon Grand Prix presented by Visit Portugal aboard Chacco Bay after producing one of only two double clear performances over Bernardo Costa Cabral’s technical 1.55m course. Held at the historic Sociedade Hípica Portuguesa in the heart of Lisbon, the Grand Prix brought together a world-class field of international combinations as part of the revitalised CSIO Lisbon, a show supported by Al Shira’aa following the organisation’s commitment to restoring the prestigious Nations Cup to the Portuguese capital…
MANILA — At least four people have been killed and 17 are missing after a building under construction collapsed in the Philippines, authorities say as search and rescue efforts are under way. Rescuers retrieved at least three people on Monday from the rubble of the nine-story building in the city of Angeles, around 80 km north of the capital, Manila. Rescuers were racing against time on Monday in a search for possible survivors more than 24 hours after the collapse of the building/ The painstaking operation, with crews carefully removing rocks and surrounding debris by hand, underscored the difficulty of…
MINA — The Hajj Security Forces arrested 33 expatriates, including Senegalese, Uzbek, Tajik, Algerian, and Indonesian nationals, for violating Hajj regulations by attempting to enter Makkah via unpaved roads and mountain routes without valid Hajj permits. Legal procedures were initiated against them in accordance with regulations and instructions. The General Administration of Mujahideen urged Saudi citizens and expatriates to adhere to the regulations governing the 2026 Hajj season and to cooperate with the relevant authorities to ensure the safety and security of the pilgrims. The directorate also called on the public to report any violations by calling 911 in the…
Schools across the UAE are becoming more flexible with tuition fee payment plans as parents increasingly opt for monthly instalments instead of large upfront payments. The shift comes as institutions explore partnerships with fintech platforms such as Tabby to improve school fee collection while offering parents greater financial flexibility. The partnership aims to integrate payment flexibility into existing infrastructure and improve fee collection. This is likely to reduce delays and provide institutions with more predictable cash flow. For parents, the goal is to shift from large upfront payments to structured plans that fit monthly budgets. Explaining the approach, Zarik Nabi,…
Consumers in the UAE are becoming increasingly selective about the origins and production standards of chicken products, and scrutinising if they meet higher standards for quality and food safety, according to retailers and producers backing Abu Dhabi’s new Premium Food Mark initiative. The government-backed “Premium Mark” certification, which will appear directly on chilled chicken packaging from June, is designed to help shoppers instantly identify locally produced poultry that exceeds baseline regulatory standards while strengthening the competitiveness of UAE-made products against imported premium brands. “We believe consumers today are becoming far more conscious about the quality, origin, freshness, and overall standards…
BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed Beijing’s “unbreakable” friendship with Pakistan as he met on Monday visiting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, seeking to deepen their “all-weather” partnership. Pakistan is among an exclusive group of countries China regards as an “all-weather strategic partner”, with ties featuring close economic, trade and security cooperation. Greeting Sharif at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Xi called the Pakistani leader an “old friend” and said the two countries had “understood, trusted and supported each other” over decades, forging an “unbreakable traditional friendship.” “No matter how the international situation changes, China always prioritizes the development…
MINA — The National Center for Meteorology (NCM) called on pilgrims to follow preventive guidelines, especially during the midday hours from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, to help mitigate the effects of high temperatures at the holy sites. NCM spokesperson Hussein Al-Qahtani explained that weather conditions and temperatures are continuously monitored through the center’s monitoring stations distributed across the holy sites. He noted that this aims to provide relevant authorities with accurate meteorological data and support decision-making, thereby enhancing the safety and well-being of pilgrims. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health urged pilgrims to take preventive measures to reduce health risks…
JEDDAH — The skies above Makkah will witness the phenomenon of the sun aligning directly over the Holy Kaaba on Thursday, May 28, at approximately 12:18 PM Makkah time. Jeddah Astronomy Society Director Eng. Majed Abu Zahra described the phenomenon as a precise astronomical event that attracts wide interest among those seeking to determine the Qibla direction. He noted that it provides a direct opportunity to verify geographical and astronomical calculations without complex instruments, occurring when the sun reaches its apparent position directly above the Holy Kaaba and its rays fall nearly perpendicular to it. Abu Zahra stated that at…
RIYADH — Jasem Albudaiwi, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), expressed his strong condemnation and denunciation of the irresponsible statements made by Naim Qassem, secretary general of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, concerning the internal affairs of Bahrain. Qassem’s statements were also pertaining to the measures undertaken by the Bahrain government against individuals who committed crimes against their country and whose involvement in espionage activities together with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has been established. These individuals were found to have plotted to carry out terrorist and hostile acts against Bahrain as well as to undermine its interests, he pointed out.…