What is Saudi Founding Day and Why is it Celebrated on February 22? Every year on February 22, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pauses to commemorate Founding Day, a national occasion that honours the birth of the first Saudi state nearly three centuries ago. This year’s holiday, officially declared a paid public holiday for workers […]
Oman’s New Tiered Expat Work Permit Fees: Incentives for Omanisation Compliance The Sultanate of Oman is shaking up how companies hire foreign workers by introducing a tiered fee structure for expatriate work permits that directly ties costs to compliance with national employment targets known as Omanisation. The move, announced this week by the Ministry of […]
Ramadan 2026 moon sighting: All eyes on the sky tonight as Saudi Arabia awaits crescent decision Tonight, Tuesday, February 17, 2026, marks a pivotal moment for Muslims in Saudi Arabia and across much of the Islamic world with the official crescent moon sighting that will determine the start of Ramadan 1447 AH (2026). Saudi authorities, […]
Saudi HR Ministry Introduces ‘Work Interruption’ Option for Absentee Domestic Workers In a significant labour-market update, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has launched a new digital service that fundamentally changes how domestic worker contracts can be handled when a worker stops showing up for work. The launch, via the national unified […]
Performing Hajj or Umrah in 2026? Here’s Saudi Arabia’s New Health Insurance Policy You Must Know As millions of Muslim believers prepare for pilgrimages like Hajj and Umrah, authorities in Saudi Arabia are enhancing healthcare coverage for pilgrims coming from outside the Kingdom. The aim is to ensure that pilgrims can undertake their spiritual journeys […]
Saudi schoolboy surprises classmates by distributing gold jewellery from his family home drawer/Representative Image A quiet school day in Riyadh took an unexpected turn when a primary school pupil arrived carrying something far more valuable than homework. According to a report by Gulf News, the child had brought pieces of gold jewellery from his family […]
Saudi Aramco Achieves 70% Local Content Milestone in Supply Chain, Boosting Saudi Vision 2030 Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest integrated energy and chemicals company, has announced a major breakthrough in its In-Kingdom Total Value Add (iktva) programme by achieving a 70% local content benchmark in its supply chain, a milestone that underscores the Kingdom’s push […]
Going for Hajj 2026? These New Saudi Visa Dates Could Make or Break Your Plans (Representative Image) Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has officially begun issuing visas for the 2026 Hajj season (1447 AH), kicking off the process on February 08, 2026, months ahead of the expected pilgrimage in late May 2026. This […]
From the 9th Century to Today: The Blue Quran Finds a Home in Mecca Museum In a landmark cultural moment for Islamic arts and history, the Holy Quran Museum in Mecca’s Hira Cultural District has opened a special display featuring a folio from the legendary ‘Blue Quran’ (Al-Muṣḥaf al-Azraq), which is one of the rarest […]
Saudi Arabia Integrates Gaming into School Curricula: A Digital Education Revolution (Representative Image) In a bold and unprecedented move, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education has officially approved the inclusion of electronic gaming, both competitive and educational aspects, in school curricula across all education levels. This landmark initiative aims to bridge traditional education with 21st-century digital […]
