Middle East

Dubai, Oct 14: A Dubai-based business group with interests spanning private aviation, jewellery and diamonds announced that it would be making a bid to purchase Israir, Israel's third-largest airline. NY Koen Group, founded by Ukrainian businessman Naum Koen, said in a statement that his group is "excited about the potential purchase of Israir and the opportunities this presents" at the upcoming

Doha, Oct 14: Qatar has extended strict quarantine rules requiring travellers to isolate for up to 14 days upon their arrival in the country, local media reported on Tuesday. “For all arrivals – including nationals, residents and visa holders – quarantine requirements are now extended for all arrival dates up to 31 December 2020,” The Peninsula newspaper reported, quoting the Discover Qatar

Riyadh, Oct 13: The Saudi Ministry of Haj and Umrah announced on Tuesday that it will be permitting some 250,000 domestic pilgrims to perform Umrah in the second phase of the gradual resumption of the pilgrimage at Makkah. The second phase of Umrah will begin on October 18, while the third phase, which allows pilgrims from outside the Kingdom, will begin on November 1, Gulf News reported. It

Jerusalem, Oct 13: Israel’s Cabinet approved a normalization deal with the UAE on Monday and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and Abu Dhabi’s crown prince had spoken and agreed to meet soon. The US-brokered “treaty of peace” establishing full relations with the Gulf country broke new diplomatic ground in the region, where concern over Iran is high, even as Palestinians condemned the pact

Palestinian prisoner Maher al-Akhras has entered the 78th consecutive day of his open-ended hunger strike against Israel’s so-called policy of administrative detention amid deterioration of his health condition. Qadri Abu Bakr, head of the Commission of Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees, told the Arabic-language Voice of Palestine radio station on Sunday that Akhras’ health condition has

Dubai, Oct 11: Dubai residents, whose visas expired between March 1 and July 12, will be fined from today after the deadline to renew the visa or exit the country ended on October 10. After the deadline, overstay fines will apply, according to Amer Centre employees and visa consultants in the emirate. Following the UAE Cabinet's decision to cancel all resolutions about the automatic extension of

Kochi, Oct 9: The Public Investment Fund (PIF) under the Saudi Arabian government is planning to invest in the Lulu Group International owned by NRI businessman M A Yusuff Ali. This could be a historical achievement as Abu Dhabi government's holding company ADQ invested in Lulu Group only a month ago. The PIF chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman manages a total fund of 36,000 crore

Doha, Oct 6: Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) will provide covid-19 vaccine to everyone in the country who require them free of charge, a senior health official has said. “Qatar is seeking to secure enough quantities of vaccination over a period of weeks and months... this is important for individual, public and community health,” Dr Abdullatif Al Khal, the Chair of the National Health

Dubai, Oct 5: In a bid to make a Guinness World Record, Dubai is all set to unveil the world’s largest fountain on October 22. The fountain will be located at the Pointe, a lifestyle and dining destination, and will be spread over 14,000 sq ft of sea water while its super shooter will be 105-metre tall and have over 3,000 LED lights. Omar Khoory, managing director, Nakheel Malls, said, “We look

Riyadh, Oct 4: The Saudi Arabian authorities resumed on late Saturday the Umrah pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah, the kingdom's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said. Riyadh suspended the pilgrimage for foreign and domestic Muslims in March, after Saudi Arabia reported its first COVID-19 case. "The resumption of the Umrah pilgrimage will take place in four stages, during the first stage it will