Middle East

Riyadh, Mar 2: Tourists will be offered special “event” visas to visit Saudi Arabia as part of plans by the Kingdom to become a major global entertainment destination. The new one-off visas will allow foreign visitors to choose from the growing number of sporting, entertainment and business attractions available in the country. Announcing the new visa category on Thursday, the Saudi Cabinet said

Abu Dhabi, Mar 1: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday raised the issue of terrorism at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting and said the menace is caused by "distortion of religion" and "misguided belief" Swaraj, who attended the inaugural plenary of the two-day meeting here as the guest of honour, said the fight against terrorism is not a confrontation against any

Abu Dhabi, Mar 1: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is in Abu Dhabi to attend the foreign ministers' meet of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) states where she is expected to raise the issue of terrorism, amidst Indo-Pak tensions following the Pulwama terror attack. Swaraj will attend the inaugural plenary of the two-day meeting on Friday. It is for the first time that India has

Kannur, Feb 28: Budget carrier GoAir on Thursday commenced direct flight operations to Muscat from the recently commissioned Kannur international airport. Addressing a press conference here, Mr Arjun Das Guptha, Vice president, GoAir international operations said, three weekly flight between Kannur to Muscat will be operate on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday during winter and Summer days. The

Dubai, Feb 25: The gunman who tried to hijack a Dubai-bound flight flying from Dhaka via Chittagong died after Bangladeshi commandos stormed the plane at Chittagong airport, according to senior Bangladeshi officials. The attacker identified as 25-year-old Mahadi, is considered to be "mentally deranged", and died after he was arrested. Maj-Gen Motiur Rahman, General Commanding Officer of Chattogram

Riyadh, Feb 24: Saudi Arabia on Saturday named a princess as its first woman ambassador to the United States, a key appointment as the fallout over journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder tests relations between the allies. Princess Rima bint Bandar replaced Prince Khalid bin Salman, the younger brother of the powerful crown prince who was appointed vice defence minister in a flurry of late-night

Abu Dhabi, Feb 22: The UAE on Thursday issued a statement clarifying news reports regarding export and import of goods to and from Qatar at ports in the emirates. The UAE Federal Transport Authority - Land & Maritime has stressed in a circular that there is no change in its policy regarding access to Qatar at UAE ports and border crossings. The circular is one of the periodic ones issued from time

Jeddah, Feb 21: The changing dynamics of terror financing and money laundering posed a growing problem for countries and organizations seeking to halt their spread, a regional conference in Cairo was warned. Saudi Arabia's Attorney General Sheikh Saud bin Abdullah Al-Mua’jab told the first Middle East and North Africa conference on countering terrorism that new forms of transnational terror

Riyadh: "Quran is not just for recitation; we should read, understand and practise it so that we can overcome all the conflicts and confusions in our daily lives; unfortunately, most of our people confine it to only for reading without actually grasping its spirit...,"Justice Kemal Pasha, Rtd Justice of Kerala High Court, opined. He was addressing the audience on the topic "The Role of Quran in

New Delhi, Feb 19: India officially announced the programme for the visit of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, starting today. "At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Saudi