Gulf news

Quran contest reaches millions across the world

DIHQA beamed into 17 million homes across five continents By Shafaat Shahbandari, Staff Reporter Dubai: Spreading its light all over the globe, the Dubai International Quran Awards (DIHQA) is this year being broadcast across five continents through five different satellites, reaching homes

RTA bans cash transactions for firms Mandatory online registration for commercial vehicles being introduced in phases

Dubai: Making sweeping policy changes for commercial vehicles in Dubai, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has started to ban all cash transactions for commercial vehicles at its customer care centres, while pushing firms to use its recently introduced e-Wallet. The ban on cash transactio

10,000 attend Taraweeh prayer led by Saudi imam

Over 10,000 worshippers flocked to the Grand Rashidiya Mosque for the Taraweeh prayer led by popular Imam Sheikh Idrees Abkar on Wednesday night.   The Saudi scholar, known for his tuneful voice, enchanted and brought tears to the eyes of the faithful who came from across the country to t

Mentally disabled Iraq man can read Quran in reverse

Dubai: He is a man with a mental age of a three-year-old, he can’t count properly from one to ten, can’t write, has only limited reading ability and can’t locate his house if he is lost in the street. Basically, he is a man who has limited ability when it comes to everyday life. In othe

UAE residents are the happiest in the region

A new survey reveals that UAE residents are highly satisfied with life in general. The ‘Happiness and Wellbeing in the Mena’ survey conducted by Middle East job site, Bayt.com, and YouGov, an independent research and consulting organisation, also revealed that health was on the upswing, but lack

Revealed: Which Dubai Metro station is busiest?

Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), revealed that the number of users of public transport means (Dubai Metro, public buses, marine transit modes, and taxicabs of the Dubai Taxi Corporation only) in the first half of this year ha

Deadline extension lets more perform Umrah

Saudi Arabia has extended the deadline for Umrah visa applications from Ramadan 10 to 15 in order to allow more faithful to perform the lesser pilgrimage during the holy month of Ramadan. “The Haj Ministry in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to extend the deadline to Ra

Umrah overstayers warned

JEDDAH: MD AL-HILALI | ARAB NEWS/AL-EQTISADIAH Sunday 14 July 2013 The Ministry of Haj has announced new measures to reduce congestion at the circumambulation area of the Kaaba during Ramadan by preventing pilgrims from overstaying their Umrah visas, said a top official. The pilgrim management st

Medical Fitness Centre opens in Karama

[caption id="attachment_38551" align="alignleft" width="475"] Image Credit: Abdel-Krim Kallouche/Gulf NewsThe Al Karama Medical Fitness Centre has opened to the public and is located in Al Fajer Building near the general post office.[/caption] Medical Fitness Centre in Karama caters to more than

Ramadan moon sighting in Saudi Arabia on Monday

The Supreme Court called on whomsoever sees the crescent of the blessed month of Ramadan by naked eyes or through binoculars to report to the nearest court and register his testimony, or report to the authority of the region’s governorate if there is no judge in the area where he sighted the crescen

NRI alert: Indian rupee plunges to record low of Rs16.66 vs Dh1; Rs61.21 vs $1

The battered Indian rupee got a fresh hammering on Friday, slumping to Rs16.666 against the UAE dirham (Rs61.21 against the US dollar) at 7.10pm UAE time (15:10 GMT), plunging below its previous historic low that it made 10 days ago, on June 26, 2013. Sustained dollar demand by importers, especia

7 new bridges for Dubai, tunnel linking Sheikh Zayed Rd with Mohammed bin Zayed Rd

Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), announced the completion of 75 per cent of construction works in Phase III of the Parallel Roads Project at Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), and expected all construction works in the project, which

More cheer for expat Indians: Rupee could soon slump to Rs16.75 vs Dh1

Recently, it seemed that the floor beneath the Indian rupee had given away – how else does one explain a plunge of more than 13 per cent in less than eight weeks? The Indian rupee famously fell to a new record low of Rs16.537 against the UAE dirham (Rs60.738 vs. $1) on Wednesday, June 26, 201

Dubai's RTA abolishes Dh24 daily Salik cap from July 15

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced in a media statement sent to Emirates 24|7 today that it has decided to do away with the Dh24 daily cap on the Salik toll gate system from July 15, 2013. In the statement, RTA highlighted that the decision will only affect a small segment of S

Dubai to have park with plants and trees of the Holy Qur’an

Dubai will have a park that has plants and trees mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. The General Projects Department of Dubai Municipality has announced plans to create a Holy Qur’an Park in Al Khawaneej. All plants mentioned in the Holy Qur’an and available in the UAE will be showcased in the 60 hect

Emirates, Etihad win 'World's Best Airline' awards for 2013

Emirates and Etihad dominated the Skytrax World Airline Awards awards for 2013, given away in Paris on Tuesday, June 19, at the Paris Air Show. The two airlines flying out of the UAE dominated the show by winning the most coveted titles at the award show. Emirates was awarded the highly covete

Emirates India Fraternity Forum (EIFF) felicitated by Ministry of Health, AbuDhabi

Press Release: Emirates India Fraternity Forum has got special appreciation & thanks to its commendable services in organizing blood donation camps across Abu Dhabi from Ministry of Health, Abu Dhabi on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day held by Abu Dhabi Blood Bank. EIFF has been felicita

Dubai-based Indian expat donates Dh1.8m to Autism Centre

An Indian philanthropist and businessman has come forward to help the Dubai Autism Center by donating Dh1.8 million in continuation of his charity drive started earlier to help the distressed community members and disabled people. Sidharth Balachandran, former President of India Club, Dubai, and