Middle East

Abu Dhabi, April 4: The UAE Ministry of Labour and India’s Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs today signed a protocol to streamline the admission of Indian contract workers by way of an electronic contract registration and validation system. A milestone in the efforts to upgrade rules and procedures governing contract employment of Indian nationals in the UAE, the new system heralds a joint

Riyadh, April 4: The Shoura Council rejected a move to tax the incomes of individual expatriate workers in the public and private sectors at its 18th regular session yesterday. The session was chaired by Council Vice President Dr. Mohammed bin Amin Jafri. Secretary-General of the Shoura Council Dr. Mohammed Al-Ghamdi said the council made the decision after hearing the arguments for and against

London, April 4: British Prime Minister David Cameron held talks here yesterday with Defense Minister Prince Salman and discussed issues of mutual concern and ways of strengthening bilateral ties. The meeting at No. 10 Downing Street was attended by British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond, Saudi Ambassador to UK Prince Muhammad bin Nawaf and State Minister Musaed Al-Aiban. Prince Salman arrived

Dubai, April 4: Freedom is in sight for Indian fisherman Mathew Joseph who has been held in the UAE for nearly three months in an unusual case of mistaken identity. The Indian mission here has promised to intervene in his case after verifying that he is not the wanted man Mathew Joseph with whom the former had bizarre likeness in many things. After Khaleej Times published his plight on Monday, the

Riyadh, April 3: The Council of Ministers yesterday approved the law for combating money laundering, which will also be applied to fight funding terrorism and terror organizations. The Cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, also approved the establishment of Makkah Techno Valley as a Saudi joint stock company. “The new company is aimed at promoting a

United Nations, April 3: Syria told international envoy Kofi Annan that its military will withdraw troops and heavy weapons from populated areas by April 10, in what could be a first step toward ending the bloody yearlong conflict, UN diplomats said Monday. The announcement came as Syrian troops hunted down activists and destroyed their homes in the country’s rebellious areas, and the United

Jeddah, April 3: The Labor Ministry has completed a study on prospects of canceling the individual kafala (sponsorship) system replacing it with recruitment companies. The move may lead to the nullification of sponsorship system all together at a later stage. The study, which took five years to complete, included the rules and regulations for the new recruitment companies. “The study will be

Beirut, April 2: Syrian government troops clashed with rebel forces across the country Monday as international envoy Kofi Annan prepared to brief the U.N. Security Council on the progress of his mission to ease the nation’s crisis. A new flurry of high-level diplomacy has failed to stop the violence in a year-old conflict that the U.N. says has killed more than 9,000 people. On Monday, more than

Dubai, April 2: Following the triumph of Monterosso, ridden by Mikael Barzalona, at the Dubai World Cup main event on Saturday night, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai — the founder of the Godolphin stables which owns Monterosso — spoke exclusively to CNN’s Winning Post prior to and after the Dubai World Cup at the

Dubai, April 2: Under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference and Exhibition (Dihad) was inaugurated on Sunday by the UN Messenger of Peace and Chairperson of the International Humanitarian City, Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, wife of