Middle East

Ankara, Oct 24: Turkey is facing the spectre of a growing terror threat after the US Embassy in Ankara suspended its visa services on Friday and issued a security alert to foreign citizens in the country. The US mission cited “credible reports” of potential attacks and kidnappings of foreign nationals, and urged US citizens to “exercise heightened caution” in public places, including offices and

Dubai, Oct 24: As cooler climes caress the UAE shores, the Dubai Police have issued a series of instructions for the safety of its residents venturing out to the beach. In a tweet on Saturday, the Dubai Police urged visitors to the beaches of the emirate to follow the standard procedures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Visitors should always wear a mask and maintain social distancing at the

Dubai, Oct 22: Emirates SkyCargo has announced that it is stepping up its readiness to handle the logistical complexities of distributing a potential Covid-19 vaccine globally by creating the world’s first dedicated airside cargo hub for the vaccine in Dubai. The air cargo carrier is taking a global leadership position by announcing that it will be re-opening its Emirates SkyCentral DWC cargo

New Delhi, Oct 20: UAE Ambassador to India Ahmed Albanna had a telephonic conversation with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday in which they discussed areas of defence cooperation between the two countries. "HE @drahmedalbanna [Ahmed Albanna], UAE Ambassador to India had a telephone call with General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defense Staff of India," the UAE Embassy said in a tweet

Abu Dhabi, Oct 20: The first-ever passenger flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel has landed near Tel Aviv, a month after the countries signed an agreement normalising ties. Etihad Airways Flight 9607 landed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion international airport just after 7am on Monday. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner departed for Abu Dhabi several hours later with an Israeli travel and tourism

Riyadh, Oct 19: Saudi Arabia announced a series of royal decrees on Sunday to restructure the Council of Senior Scholars, Shoura Council and Supreme Court. The decrees appointed 20 people to the Council of Senior Scholars, the Kingdom’s highest religious body, which is headed by the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh. Another royal decree ordered the restructuring of the Shoura

Cairo, Oct 18: Saudi Arabia allowed its citizens and residents inside the kingdom to perform prayers in one of the most holy religious sites, Al Haram Mosque (Grand Mosque) in Makkah, for the first time in seven months, state television reported early on Sunday. Earlier this month Saudi Arabia allowed citizens and residents to perform the Umrah pilgrimage at holiest sites, Makkah and Madinah

Manama, Oct 18: Israel and Bahrain will officially establish diplomatic relations on Sunday at a ceremony in Manama, an Israeli official said, after the two states reached a US-brokered normalisation deal last month. A visiting delegation from Israel and officials in Bahrain will sign a "joint communique (that) is the establishment of full diplomatic relations," an Israel official in Manama told

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, met members of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, the organization working on constructing the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, earlier this week. Pavan Kapoor, the Ambassador of India, was also present at the meeting held in Al Alin. During the meet, discussions were held on on global harmony, universal

Dubai, Oct 16: Airlines and travel agents on Thursday said they have been asked to implement new procedures for visit/ tourist visa holders flying into Dubai from five countries, after hundreds of passengers stranded at Dubai International Airport since Tuesday were flown back to their countries. They said as per the latest instructions from the authorities, visit and tourist visa holders from