Middle East

Jeddah, Feb 4: The General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection in Saudi Arabia has said that thunderstorms and rain are expected over the regions of Makkah, Najran and the Eastern Region. The authority warned residents in Makkah of thunder rains accompanied by dust-lifting winds in the city and its nearby areas, including Taif, Turba, Al-Khorma, Meysan, and Beni Saad. Thunder

Abu Dhabi, Feb 4: His Holiness Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday evening to begin his historic visit to the United Arab Emirates. He was received at the airport by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and His Eminence Dr Ahmad Al Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar Al

Jeddah, Feb 2: Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yemen on Thursday asked the UN Security Council to increase pressure on Houthi militias to respect a cease-fire deal. In a letter, the three governments accused the militias of violating the agreement in the port city of Hodeidah 970 times since it came into force on Dec. 18, 2018. They asked the council to “impress upon the Houthis, and their Iranian

Riyadh, Jan 31: Saudi investigators have recovered assets worth more than $106 billion in an anti-corruption crackdown ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the royal court said on Wednesday. The funds are in the form of property, companies, cash and other assets surrendered by senior princes, ministers and top businessmen who were under investigation. In the anti-corruption campaign

Riyadh, Jan 29: Almost half a trillion dollars of investment and 1.6 million jobs are in the pipeline for Saudi Arabia under an ambitious industrial program launched on Monday in the presence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A slew of deals was announced across four key economic sectors — mining, industry, logistics and energy — at an event held at Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton hotel. The National

Dubai International (DXB) retained its position as the world's busiest airport for international customer numbers for the fifth consecutive year with annual traffic for 2018 surpassing 89.1 million. Aside from record traffic numbers, DXB enjoyed a banner year for customer service with shorter wait times and new retail and food and beverage offerings all of which are summarised in Dubai Airports

Ramallah, Jan 28: Palestinian Territories: Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah on Monday offered to resign, his spokesman said, amid efforts by president Mahmud Abbas to form a new government. Such bids are seen as part of attempts by Abbas to further isolate his political rivals Hamas amid a deepening of a decade-long split in Palestinian politics. Hamdallah has “put his government at the

Dubai, Jan 27: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, chaired a Cabinet meeting on Sunday, which discussed the new 'Emirati School' system to be implemented in 800 government-run and private schools across the country. In a tweet, Sheikh Mohammed said that the system includes new learning methods for general, advanced

Dubai: A week before Pope Francis' visit to Abu Dhabi, there's a great anticipation among Catholics here as preparations get underway. The pontiff’s visit to the UAE capital, a landmark for inter-faith relations between Muslims and Christians, is set to draw thousands from both near and far. Tickets are given for free. But due to slots "limited" to 120,000, seats for the open-air mass which the

Abu Dhabi, Jan 21: Abu Dhabi’s largest developer, Aldar Properties, on Sunday said it sold plots worth Dh1.6 billion dirhams in a single day, which it called a sign of improved investor sentiment. Values and rentals on Abu Dhabi’s property market have fallen, weighed down by a slowing economy in the last two years. Aldar sold some 150 commercial plots and 86 residential plots within its latest