Middle East

Riyadh, Dec 30: Saudi Arabia's decision to re-impose wearing of face masks and maintaining physical distancing came into force on Thursday, Dec. 30, in all regions of the Kingdom. The Ministry of Interior announced that wearing of face masks and maintaining physical distancing and adhering to all precautionary and preventive measures has become mandatory in all the open and cloced areas The

Authorities in Abu Dhabi have announced new rules to travel to the Emirate from within the UAE. Covid-vaccinated residents and visitors must have a Green Pass on their AlHosn app to enter the UAE Capital. For the unvaccinated, a negative PCR test result is required. The new rules are effective from Thursday, December 30. All entering Abu Dhabi from within the UAE will also need to undergo an EDE

Riyadh, Dec 26: The Saudi-led coalition began a large-scale assault on Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday after two people died in missile strikes by the militia in the southwestern region of Jazan. The attack on the Kingdom late on Friday targeted the town of Samtah, and killed a Saudi citizen and a Yemeni. Six Saudis and a Bangladeshi were injured, and two shops and 12 vehicles were destroyed

Riyadh, Dec 25: A Yemeni rebel attack on Saudi Arabia's southern border town of Jizan killed two people and wounded seven more late Friday, Saudi state-run media reported. Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a projectile that killed a Saudi citizen and Yemeni resident in the southwestern Saudi province of Jizan, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. Six of the wounded were Saudis and one was a

Riyadh, Dec 19: Saudi Arabia’s Public Health Authority (Weqaya) urged people to avoid unnecessary travel outside the Kingdom, especially to high-risk countries, as the Omicron variant spreads. Weqaya explained on Saturday that the world is witnessing a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and the accelerated spread of the “Omicron” mutant in many countries. It also recommended

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has launched its bid to host the World Expo 2030 in Riyadh, Saudi media reports said. The Kingdom took part in a virtual general assembly meeting of the Bureau International des Expositions held in Paris to start the candidature process, Arab News reported. Fahd Al Rasheed, CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, said that Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Italy, Ukraine and

Dubai, Dec 14: Public and private sector employees will be entitled to the same types of leaves under the new unified general provisions announced by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation on Monday. The new provisions, under the Federal Decree Law no. 47 of 2021, aim to unify the public and private sectors to build an integrated, sustainable and competitive labour market that grants

Dubai, Dec 13: Prime Minister of Israeli Naftali Bennett has affirmed that the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement established a "new, deep and solid structure for diplomatic, economic and cultural relations" in this region based on cooperation that achieves prosperity for the societies and well-being of the people. In an exclusive interview with Mohammed Jalal Al Rayssi, Director-General of the

Against the backdrop of mosque minarets and a desert oil field, the biggest Catholic church in the Arabian peninsula opened its doors in Bahrain on Thursday. The cavernous Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, with seats for 2,300 people, will serve the majority-Muslim Gulf country’s small Catholic community. “We’re happy for this church,” Bahrain-based priest Father Charbel Fayad told AFP. “It will be

Doha, Dec 9: Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, arrived in Doha on Wednesday in an official visit during his Gulf tour. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, emir of the State of Qatar, received the Crown prince at the Amiri Diwan, where an official reception was held for him The Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council, held its sixth meeting, where the two sides