Middle East

Riyadh, Aug 24: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued directives to allow direct entry of fully vaccinated expatriates from countries facing travel ban, diplomatic sources said. The diplomatic missions of the concerned countries have received the directive in this regard. This will be applicable only to those foreigners who have left the Kingdom on exit and reentry visa after

Dubai, Aug 24: Authorities in the UAE have temporarily suspended the visa-on-arrival facility for passengers who are arriving from or have been in India in the past 14 days, according to Etihad Airways. The Abu Dhabi-headquartered airline, which is the second flag carrier of the UAE, said in a tweet that it is working to update its website with the latest information. “The UAE authorities have

Tehran, Aug 23: Iran restarted exports of gasoline and gasoil to Afghanistan a few days ago, following a request from the Taliban, Iran's Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Products Exporters' Union said on Monday. The Sunni Muslim group seized power in Afghanistan last week as the United States and its allies withdrew troops after a 20-year war. The price of gasoline in Afghanistan reached $900 per tonne

The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday (August 18, 2021) that it is hosting Afghan's US-backed president Ashraf Ghani "on humanitarian grounds", after he fled his country amid a Taliban takeover. "The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation can confirm that the UAE has welcomed President Ashraf Ghani and his family into the country on humanitarian grounds," it said in a

Riyadh, Aug 8: Saudi Arabia will begin accepting vaccinated foreign pilgrims seeking to visit the Islamic holy city of Makkah, state media reported Sunday, around 18 months after a border closure prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities in the ministry responsible for coordinating foreign pilgrims will from Monday begin "gradually receiving Umrah requests from various countries of the

Dubai, Aug 3: Fully vaccinated UAE residents holding valid visas from six countries - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Nigeria and Uganda - will be allowed to enter the UAE from August 5. At least 14 days should have passed after receiving the second vaccine dose. They must also hold a certificate to this effect. This is among a string of exemptions announced by the National Emergency Crisis and

Riyadh, Aug 2: The Saudi Public Prosecution office has warned it will impose fines of up to SR500,000 ($133,323) on passengers breaching travel ban restrictions by boarding flights to countries hit by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Similar penalties would also apply to operators or owners of the means of transportation. In a tweet on Sunday, officials added that severe punitive measures would

Dubai, July 28: Saudi Arabia has announced a three-year travel ban and hefty penalties on citizens who visit countries on the kingdom's COVID-19 red list, including India. "Travelling to the banned countries is an obvious violation of COVID-19 related travel restrictions and the Kingdom’s updated instructions," the Gulf News on Tuesday quoted a report by the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) as

Tehran, July 28: Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has arrested a network of agents with the Israeli Mossad spy agency at the Western borders, confiscating a large cache of weapons and ammunition that they were planning to use to provoke riots and terror inside the country. The ministry’s director-general for counterintelligence said on Tuesday that the Mossad agents had been arrested upon sneaking

Kuwait City, July 27: The Kuwait Cabinet has decided to reopen all social activities from September 1. These include summits and other social events, including children’s activities. Entry to the activities will be limited to the vaccinated people. The unvaccinated will be only allowed to pharmacies, consumer cooperative societies, and food and catering marketing outlets, starting from August 1