Middle East

Jeddah, Sept 14: The resumption of Umrah service will begin in the near future with only a limited number of domestic pilgrims being allowed to perform the ritual in the initial phase, Okaz/Saudi Gazette has learnt from informed sources. The Ministry of Interior announced on Sunday partial lifting of travel restrictions from Sept. 15 and the total lifting of the restrictions effective from Jan. 1

Riyadh, Sept 13: Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday that it would lift totally the restrictions on citizens for leaving and returning to the Kingdom, with opening all land, sea and airports starting from Jan. 1, 2021 in line with the coronavirus-related precautionary measures and protocols. Citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council states as well as expatriates and their dependents on valid visa will

Muscat, Sept 13: The Sultanate of Oman on Sunday welcomed the initiative of the Kingdom of Bahrain in view of the joint tripartite declaration on relations with Israel. Oman News Agency quoted a statement issued by the Sultanate as reading, "The Sultanate welcomed the initiative undertaken by the Kingdom of Bahrain, as part of the Kingdom's sovereign rights, in view of the joint tripartite

Dubai, Sept 13: An Indian in the UAE was honoured by the police for returning a bag containing USD 14,000 and gold, a media report said on Saturday. Retesh James Gupta, who lives in Dubai, was praised by the Dubai Police for his honesty and gave him a certificate of appreciation for being a responsible resident, Gulf News reported. The bag he returned to the police contained USD 14,000 cash and

Tel Aviv, Sep 12: Israel has planned to halt international flights as part of a full nationwide shutdown starting next week due to an increase in the Covid-19 morbidity rate, the media reported. In a report Hebrew-language news website “Ynet” on Friday, a senior official in the Ministry of Health was quoted as saying that “the closure means that there is no entry to Israel and no exit”, reports

Beirut, Sept 10: Over a month after a powerful blast rocked the port of Lebanese capital, a massive fire is raging at the Beirut port. There has been no immediate information about what caused Thursday's fire, which sent a large column of black smoke into the sky, reported Al Jazeera. The report citing the Lebanese army said the blaze was at a warehouse where oil and tires are placed in the port's

Cairo, Sept 8: Lawyers for the family of Egypt's ex-president Mohamed Morsi said they obtained information showing his youngest son was killed by "a lethal substance" and not a heart attack as authorities earlier claimed. Abdullah Morsi, 25, died a year ago on September 4 in a hospital in Giza, southwest of the Egyptian capital Cairo. A government report at the time said Abdullah was driving his

Dubai, Sept 8: Indian women accounted for the most number of expat female employees in Oman's government sector, according to a report by the Middle Eastern country's National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). The NCSI's 2020 Statistical Yearbook revealed that Indian females topped the list at 4,604, Gulf News reported. The data also said that Indian women comprised 37 per cent of the

Abu Dhabi, Sept 7: Visitors or tourists in UAE whose visas expired after March 1 now have only four days left to regularise their status or exit the country without incurring overstay fines. The UAE's Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) in August announced a one-month extension for visitors whose entry permits expired after March 1. The extension that began on August 11 will end

Abu Dhabi, Sept 4: Abu Dhabi has updated its Covid-19 test requirement to enter the emirate for visitors and residents. A statement issued by the Abu Dhabi Media Office on Friday said: 'In line with efforts to expand testing for the early detection of COVID-19 infections, Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee has updated procedures for entering Abu Dhabi emirate Starting Saturday