Middle East

Dubai, Feb 19: The UAE and India have signed a trade and economic partnership that will remove 80 per cent of the customs tariffs on goods produced and shipped out from the countries. The other 20 per cent will be phased out over time, and sets up a trade alliance that could touch $100 billion in the next five years from $60 billion plus now. The deal, called the Comprehensive Economic Partnership

Dubai, Feb 15: Starting today, the UAE is formally easing capacity and social distance restrictions imposed after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in order to check the spread of the coronavirus. This new decision comes in the wake of the decline in Omicron-driven coronavirus cases in the country since January 22 when cases had reached 3,000 per day. Since then, the daily cases have been on

Bahrain has introduced a golden permanent residency visa to attract talent and investment. Foreigners in Gulf states have traditionally had renewable visas valid for just a few years tied to employment, limiting their stay. The Golden Residency Visa, announced by the Interior Ministry, will be renewed indefinitely, include the right to work in Bahrain, unlimited entry and exit,and residency for

Jeddah, Feb 3: Saudi Arabia announced new travel restrictions on Thursday that will enter into force on Feb. 9. An official source at the Ministry of Interior stated that all Saudi citizens must take the booster dose of coronavirus vaccine to travel outside the Kingdom effective from Feb. 9 (Rajb 8). According to the Interior Ministry, all arrivals to the Kingdom, including citizens, must submit a

Abu Dhabi, Feb 2: The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has started issuing 12 different types of work permits and introduce six job models under the new labour law. Besides the conventional full-time scheme, employees can opt for remote work, shared jobs, part-time, temporary and flexible job contracts when applying in the private sector. Employers can recruit under 12 diverse work

Dubai, Jan 28: UAE's National Crisis & Emergency Management Authority has announced that it would lift restriction on entry for passengers arrving from 12 countries and update entry procedures for three others on January 29, effective 2.30pm. According to an official tweet, the UAE will resume all inbound flights for national and international carriers and transit passengers from Kenya, Tanzania

UAE has announced a travel ban on unvaccinated citizens from January 10. The National Crisis & Emergency Management Authority and Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation said that fully vaccinated citizens will also need to get the Covid-19 booster dose. Those who are unable to take the vaccine because of medical reasons are exempted from the decision. The announcement is in line

Tel Aviv: Israel’s defense minister met with the Jordanian king on Wednesday, both sides said, part of a reset of ties between the two countries. According to Benny Gantz’ office, the two discussed “security and policy topics.” Gantz “welcomed the expansion of relations between Jordan and the current Israeli government.” A statement from King Abdullah II said the two spoke about “the need to

The government of United Arab Emirates has ratified a new and updated Federal Crime and Punishment Law, a move intended to further modernize the legislative system of the country. The new legislation eases restrictions on extra-marital relationships and it will be fully enacted starting from January 2, 2022. His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, approved a wide

Riyadh, Dec 31: Money sent out of Saudi Arabia by foreign workers fell to SR13 billion ($3.46 billion) in November, the lowest since July of this year, data by the Saudi Central Bank revealed. In a sign that foreigners are sending less money to their home countries, the monthly drop in the indicator was 3.7 percent, following a slight growth of 0.9 percent in the previous month. In annual terms