Middle East

Jeddah, Apr 5: Saudi Arabia’s critical COVID-19 cases have risen in the past few weeks, prompting calls from relevant authorities for the public to adhere to measures designed to limit the spread of the virus. At a press conference on Sunday, Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Talal Al-Shalhoub said the “unfortunate rise in daily cases” is due to “individuals who have been lax in following

Riyadh, Apr 4: An Indian warship has arrived in Saudi Arabia to participate in a military exercise with the navy of the Gulf nation in reflection of multi-faceted bilateral defence cooperation. An Indian Navy spokesperson said frigate INS Talwar arrived at the Jubail port of Saudi Arabia on Saturday. "This visit underscores deep-rooted friendly ties and multi-faceted defence cooperation between

Dubai, Apr 4: People flying into the UAE have been advised not to receive luggage from unknown people without knowing the content in the bags as this could land them in trouble. The UAE’s Federal Customs Authority (FCA) has advised travellers not to exchange luggage with friends under good faith without confirming the content of the goods. This was announced by the FCA recently in an elaborate

Riyadh, Mar 30: Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz announced the launch of the Green Middle East initiative. According to Arab News, the initiative is set to apply a number of ambitious programmes that will reduce carbon emissions by 60 per cent in the region and plant 50 billion trees in the world’s biggest afforestation project. “As a leading global

Yemeni human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Tawakkol Karman, has called on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the Houthi group to end their dispute and find common grounds for peace. “Any action that leads to peace is welcomed,” Karman wrote on Twitter, adding: “Saudi ceasefire proposal can be a launchpad for greater engagement.” “#Saudi & #UAE must end their blockade and

Dubai, Mar 24: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, has passed away. Sheikh Hamdan was the brother of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid had been holding the position of ‎Minister of Finance since the very first Cabinet of the UAE was formed on

Kuwait City, Mar 23: The Kuwaiti cabinet has announced that it would exempt those who had received an approved Covid-19 vaccine as well as Kuwaiti students from the compulsory hotel quarantine. The revised measures come after the country last month said all travellers arriving on direct flights from high risk countries would have to resort to institutional quarantine in one of the local hotels for

Jeddah, Mar 20: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health is working on raising the percentage of COVID-19 vaccine recipients in the cities of Makkah and Madinah to at least 60 percent before Dhul Hijjah 1, 1442H (July 13), Okaz has learned from well-informed sources. In coordination with the National Transformation Program (NTP), the ministry has set out a health plan for Hajj this year. According to the

Dubai has issued Covid-19 precautionary measures for the Holy Month of Ramadan. According to the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management, during Ramadan: > Hosting large social gatherings should be avoided, especially to prevent the elderly and people with chronic diseases to the risks of Covid-19 > Ramadan tents as well as Iftar and donation tents are prohibited > Taraweeh prayers can

Dubai, Mar 16: United Arab Emirates had banned Taraweeh prayers - the special prayers offered during the holy month of Ramadan – last year due to covid-19 pandemic. However this Ramadan, mosques across UAE are allowed to host Taraweeh prayers, official sources said. The holy month will begin in less than a month. The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) said strict