Saudi Arabia and Indonesia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the recruitment of domestic workers, a landmark pact that will guarantee protection to domestic workers, including maids deployed in the Kingdom.

Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al-Asheikh has pledged to work closely with Darul Uloom Deoband, India’s oldest and most prestigious Islamic university. The minister is currently on a visit to India.

An Indonesian housemaid, on death row for sorcery, has been pardoned by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

Indian community representative Ghizal Mahdi has been elected for a two-year term as president of the local chapter of India’s Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) Alumni Association.

The charges against a Saudi detainee at Guantanamo Bay prison for allegedly bombing a French oil tanker ship in Yemen, have been referred to a military commission, according to US sources.

Abdullatif A. Al-Othman, governor of Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), called on the global business leaders to transfer capital and knowhow to the region and to invest in the Kingdom, which is one of the 20 fastest growing economies of the world.

Police on Tuesday launched a manhunt for the gunmen who attacked a vehicle carrying two German diplomats on Monday near the town of Awamiya in the Eastern Province.

The crisis in Syria, which has killed 125,000 innocent people and uprooted millions from their homes, and the Iranian deal that seeks to curb the disputed nuclear program topped the agenda of talks held between Nizar Obaid Madani, minister of state for foreign affairs, and EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton, in Riyadh on Tuesday.

Satinah Binti Jumadi Ahmad, an Indonesian maid on death row in the Kingdom, may be executed next month if her family or the Jakarta government fails to raise the needed amount of blood money.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and the Saudi government for the generous assistance given to Indian workers during the amnesty period, which led to the repatriation of over 140,000 Indians back home.

The Labor Ministry intends to allow full-time Saudi employees to work on a part-time basis for other companies provided that the job duration does not exceed four hours a day, or 24 hours a week. Prospective part-time employees will have to seek their employers’ approval if the work is of a similar nature to their full-time job.

Saudi Arabia and India signed a landmark labor pact on Thursday in New Delhi that would provide protection for millions of domestic workers in the Kingdom and their employers.

As part of a comprehensive plan to streamline the domestic service sector, the Kingdom has decided to sign agreements with six labor-exporting countries to recruit domestic helpers.

A strong deterrent force under a unified military command of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will be made up of 100,000 personnel including combat soldiers, National Guard Minister Prince Miteb bin Abdullah has announced.

GCC countries are planning to launch a European-style Schengen visa by mid-2014 to allow Gulf-based expats and foreign businessmen to move easily across the borders of the six-member bloc.

Saudi Arabia will set up an additional 50 advanced earthquake monitoring stations soon, said Hani M. Zahran, director of the National Center for Earthquake & Volcanoes at the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS), on Wednesday.

The 22-nation Arab League and India signed two major agreements on Tuesday, heralding a new era of bilateral relationship that will enable India to step up its political, commercial and cultural engagements in the Arab region.

he King Khaled Foundation (KKF) has been awarded the European Union’s prestigious Chaillot Prize for Human Rights 2013 for its work to combat domestic violence.

Saudi Arabia will celebrate “World Arabic Language Day” on Dec. 18 as part of a new UN initiative, which was launched following a proposal made by Saudi Arabia and Morocco. The celebration seeks to promote multilingualism and cultural diversity on a global level, as well as celebrate the Arabic language’s role and contributions to the promotion and preservation of human civilization and culture.

The Syrian crisis and the Iranian nuclear accord will take the center stage in discussions Tuesday among the heads of government of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council in Kuwait. The topic of peace between Israel and Palestine will also be on the agenda besides a plan to form a strong GCC police force on the model of the Europol and Interpol that has already been approved by Gulf interior ministers” said Abdullateef Al-Zayani, GCC secretary-general, here on Saturday.

Thousands of passengers were left stranded in the UK on Saturday and in different countries across the globe after hundreds of flights were grounded at UK airports following a technical fault at the country’s main air traffic control center.

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have agreed to endorse a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost cooperation in the field of parliamentary affairs and foster high-level parliamentary exchanges.

Eighteen people, including Saudis, were injured when riots erupted in Souk Hijab in Riyadh’s Naseem district Saturday night. A group of illegal African workers, most of them Ethiopians, started inciting Saudis that led to the clashes.

Riyadh police are investigating the death of a 15-year-old Sudanese boy, who was killed during riots in the notorious Manfouha district of Riyadh on Wednesday night.

Saudi Arabia was elected Tuesday to the human Rights Council, the UN's highest rights watchdog body, for a three- year term following a secret ballot voting at the UN General Assembly in New York.