Middle East

Bahrain: Guru Seva Samithi – Bahrain Billawas, an organization of NRI Billawas, organized a drawing competition for children on December 22 at Kannada Sangha Hall, Manama. The response was overwhelming and number of children participated in the event which was held for 3 to 16 years in 5 age groups. GSS President Mr. Ajith Bangera welcomed the parents and addressed the gathering. The judges for

Tehran, Dec 30: Police in Iran’s capital said today they will no longer arrest women for failing to observe the Islamic dress code in place since the 1979 revolution. The announcement signaled an easing of punishments for violating the country’s conservative dress code, as called for by the young and reform-minded Iranians who helped re-elect President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, earlier

Hundreds of protesters have rallied in several Iranian cities against rising prices, unemployment and economic inequality, according to anti-government activists and Iran's semi-state news agency Fars. About 300 people protested in Kermanshah, a city in western Iran, on Friday, according to Fars. Police intervened after protesters damaged public property, the news agency reported. Protests also

Jeddah, Dec 28: The head of the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA), Abdul Hakim Al-Tamimi, has announced that the initial opening and pilot operations of the new King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah will be in May 2018. The announcement came on the sidelines of the Reconstruction of Makkah Region Conference on Wednesday. “Air transport is the preferred method for pilgrims of

Dec 27: Hamas leader Ismail Haniya has said that the US had offered the Palestinian Authority government a Jerusalem suburb, Abu Dis, as an alternative to East Jerusalem for the capital of a future Palestinian state. Speaking at a meeting with Palestinian clan leaders in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Haniya labelled President Donald Trump's recent decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital a

Sharjah, Dec 25: Sharjah's Al Majaz Waterfront will ring in 2018 with a 10-minute long fireworks display launched from 16 aligned massive barges on New Year's Eve. Visitors to Al Majaz Waterfront will also witness the new year countdown synchronised with beautiful shows by Sharjah Fountain. "A grand addition of having 16 different launching spots has been designed this year for greater coverage

Dec 24: Israeli forces have indefinitely closed down the northern entrance to the occupied West Bank twin cities of Ramallah and al-Bireh. On Saturday night, amid ongoing protests over US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) decided to close off the DCO checkpoint that connects

Riyadh, Dec 23: A total of 253,086 people have been arrested in five weeks since the start of the ongoing crackdown against violators of residency and labor regulations in the Kingdom. The coordinated security crackdown, as part of the Nation Without Illegal Expats campaign, started on Nov. 15. Until Thursday, Dec. 21, 136,997 people were arrested for violating residency laws, 83,151 for violating

Riyadh, Dec 21: Saudi Arabia will begin issuing tourist visas in the first quarter of 2018, its top tourism official said, a first for the kingdom as it undergoes major economic and social reforms. Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz said that "all government approvals" are in place for the launch of electronic visas next year to "all nationals whose countries allow their citizens to visit"

Dubai, Dec 21: Indian missions in the UAE have urged blue-collared workers to completely refrain from bringing medicines that are restricted in the UAE. Often Indian workers are detained for possession of illegal drugs, especially sleeping pills or painkillers, which don't have a prescription that has been attested by the UAE Embassy in India. Speaking to a gathering of 400 workers, Indian