Abu Dhabi: Embassies in the UAE will not be allowed to deal with Visa Licensing Offices (VLOs) unless they fulfil licensing requirements set by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Abu Dhabi and Dubai Chambers of Commerce. VLOs help embassies with visa regulations in times when embassies are

DAMMAM, June 21,2011 (Arab News): Rumors of expatriates having their exit-re-entry visas switched to exit-only visas at airports have no basis, said Passport Department officials across the Kingdom."There is absolutely no truth to it," said Mohammad Al-Husayn, spokesman for the Passport Department i

Damascus - 21 June 2011: President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday ordered a new general amnesty, a day after an offer of "national dialogue" to end Syria's deadly unrest and as a huge crowd rallied in Damascus in his support. "President Assad has issued a decree granting a general amnesty for crimes c

JEDDAH, June 15,2011 (Arab News): Private schools in the Kingdom are anxiously waiting for a meeting in Riaydh on Monday between the National Committee for Education and Training and the Ministry of Education. They come together to discuss the implications of the decision to introduce a minimum wag

Dubai - 14 June 2011: A number of students and labourers were injured in a traffic accident at Shaikh Zayed Road opposite the American University in Dubai around 7:30 am. The accident occurred after a school bus with 30-50 pupils collided with a mini bus carrying staff from a Jebel Ali Free Zone-bas

Jeddah - 14 June 2011: The Labor Ministry has fixed the minimum Saudization level at 49 percent for banks that employ 500 or more people as part of the second phase of the Nitaqat program that will start on Sept. 10. Under Saudization rules, different sectors have different quotas. In the ministry

Riyadh - 13 June 2011: Saudi Arabia has imposed new quotas on companies in the kingdom to employ local staff, with cuts in permits for foreign workers if they fail to comply, even as Kuwait plans residency caps on expatriates to bring down their number in the country to 45 per cent of the populatio

Riyadh - 08 June 2011: Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh has suffered much more serious injuries than first reported in a rocket attack on his palace, a US official says. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on Tuesday that Saleh has burns covering over roughly 40 percent of hi

DAMMAM/RIYADH/JEDDAH, May 31,2011: The Ministry of Labor on Monday clarified press reports that quoted Labor Minister Adel Fakieh as saying that the government would not renew iqamas of expatriates who have completed six years in the Kingdom."What Labor Minister Mr. Adel Fakieh meant by his statemen

Dubai - 31 May 2011: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday clarified that there was no blanket plan to revoke work permits for expatriates who have stayed in the kingdom for six years. In a statement, the Labour Ministry clarified press reports that quoted Labour Minister Adel Fakieh as saying that the government

RIYADH, May 16,2011: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah inaugurated Sunday the SR20-billion Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University (PNU), 25 km east of the Saudi capital, amid cheers of over 2,000 students and faculty members. With a capacity to enroll about 50,000 students, the PNU

AFTAB H. KOLA in Times of OmanMUSCAT, May 15,2011: More than a thousand Indian expatriates in the Sultanate have availed themselves of the new Pan facility, receiving their cards right here instead of having to travel to the country for the purpose.It may be recalled that Alankit Management Consulta

Kuwait - 15 May 2011: Karnataka Muslim Welfare Association (KMWA), Kuwait organized a State level Volleyball tournament 'KMWA Championship Cup-2011' on 13th May, 2011 at Indian community school Khaitan playground here in Kuwait. The Tournament was inaugurated by Madhu P. Niar, Charge d'affaires, In

Muscat - 13 May 2011: The authorities in Oman cracked down on protesters in three cities overnight on Thursday, making several arrests in the process. The army first took charge of the parking lot outside the Governor's Building in Salalah, which has been termed "Liberty Square" by activists, who ar

Jeddah - 10 May 2011: Saudi Arabia announced Sunday new plans to intensify the Saudization of jobs in private companies as part of efforts to reduce the unemployment rate. According to official statistics, there are more than 448,000 Saudi job seekers, including women, in a country with eight millio

Dubai, May 9,2011 (Gulf News): Airlines in the UAE are slashing their ticket prices as residents get ready for the summer holidays.Emirates airline has removed the fuel surcharge on all tickets with immediate effect, the company said in a statement yesterday.Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways also anno

JEDDAH, May 8,2011 (AFP) - Saudi authorities have rejected claims that holy Zamzam water from a spring inside the Grand Mosque complex of Mecca is polluted and stressed there were no health risks.The Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs said in a statement Saturday it had no reports suggesting

Dubai - 29 April 2011: Starting Sunday, bank customers cannot obtain car and personal loans exceeding 20 times their monthly salary and only those with an annual salary of Dh60,000 or more will be considered for a credit card following the new Central Bank regulations meant to protect customers from