Middle East

Dubai, June 20: Authorities in Dubai on Saturday eased travel restrictions on passengers coming from India to the emirate, provided they complied with fresh Covid safety rules. One of the criteria stated that UAE residents wishing to fly into Dubai should have received two doses of a Covid vaccine approved by UAE authorities. On Sunday, the Dubai Health Authority clarified which Covid vaccines

Dubai, June 19: The government of Dubai in the UAE Saturday announced relaxation of travel restrictions from countries including India. The UAE, in late April, had closed its borders for travellers from India. This had come in the backdrop of the surge in number of Covid-19 cases in India during the second wave of the pandemic. What are the conditions? The Dubai government has relaxed restrictions

Tehran, June 19: Principlist politician and jurist Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi has won Iran’s 2021 presidential election by a landslide, according to preliminary results by the Interior Ministry. Iranian Deputy Interior Minister Jamal Orf said 28.6 million Iranians participated in the election, and with around 90% of the votes counted, Raeisi garnered over 17.8 million votes, followed by Mohsen Rezaei

Jerusalem, June 17: Israeli forces have shot a Palestinian woman dead allegedly for attempting to carry out a car-ramming attack northeast of Jerusalem, according to the Israeli army. Palestinian media, which identified the victim as doctoral student Mai Afanah, 29, from Abu Dis, said she was shot and left bleeding at the scene of the incident on Wednesday. A military statement said the woman

Israel has launched fresh air raids on the Gaza Strip after Palestinian groups in the besieged enclave sent incendiary balloons into southern Israel. The raids early on Wednesday, June 16, come less than a month after Israel’s 11-day bombardment of Gaza in May and followed a march in East Jerusalem by Jewish nationalists that drew Palestinian condemnation and anger. The Israeli military said its

Dubai, June 14: The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GCAA) issued a fresh list of safety protocols for passenger and private business charter fights arriving from countries that are currently facing incoming travellers’ suspension. Measures include mandatory tracking devices for passengers, including golden and silver visa holders said a new safety decision circular issued by the authority

Tel Aviv, June 14: Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year tenure as Israeli prime minister has come to an end, as the country’s parliament on Sunday approved a new coalition government led by right-wing nationalist Naftali Bennett. Bennett, the head of an ultranationalist party that controls six seats in the 120-seat Knesset, was sworn in as prime minister after the parliament backed the new coalition

Riyadh, June 12: Saudi Arabia said it will limit registration for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage to citizens and residents of the Kingdom in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The ministries of health and Hajj announced Saturday that a total of 60,000 pilgrims will be allowed to perform the pilgrimage this year. It stressed that those wishing to perform Hajj must be free of any chronic diseases, and

Riyadh, June 12: Saudi Arabia has set new rules for those wishing to register for Hajj 2021. Due to pandemic, several stringent measures have been in place to contain the spread of infection during the annual pilgrimage season. According to a tweet shared by Haramain, “The health status of those wishing to register for Haj 1442 must be from the following categories: a vaccinated person, a

New Delhi, June 10: External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar arrived in Kuwait on a bilateral visit early on Thursday. According to diplomatic sources, the aim of the visit is to deepen India's ties with the oil-rich Gulf nation. It comes nearly three months after the two countries decided to establish a joint ministerial commission to formulate a framework to strengthen ties in sectors