Riyadh: Saudi Arabia today denied that any of its officials had visited Israel, after Israeli media reported that a senior prince had made a secret diplomatic trip there. “Reports of a secret visit to Israel by a Saudi official which have appeared on some media are unfounded,” a spokesman for the

JEDDAH: Newborns of expatriate residents in Saudi Arabia are allowed to enter the Kingdom without having to obtain a visa in the parent’s home country, the General Directorate of Passports said on Saturday. The child will be issued a visa upon arrival in the Kingdom, subject to certain conditions

Muscat: Tourists can now stay in Oman for a week longer on a multiple entry one year visa, thanks to new regulations issued by Royal Oman Police. The force has made changes to the Foreigner Residency Law, including extending the length of stay in Oman for tourists from three weeks at a time to on

Riyadh: United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday to discuss the Gulf countries’ rifts with Qatar, Al Arabiya reported. This is his second visit to the region in recent months as he seeks a breakthrough in a diplomatic crisis gripping the region. Saudi

Saudi Railways Organisation (SRO) has completed the second test run of a train on the 453km Haramain high-speed rail scheme, which links the holy cities of Medina and Mecca. The train completed the 72km test run from Jeddah to its terminus in Mecca on 17 October. In June, Spanish trains suppli

Brigadier Saif Zir Al Shamsi said a total of 5,300,000 traffic black points of 670,000 drivers were cancelled by Sharjah Police hours after the traffic fine announcement. Brigadier Al Ziri said the cancellation was made before 12 midnight on Wednesday, October 18. He said motorists will benefit f

The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) plans to implement one of the largest airspace changes the region has ever seen, it announced on Wednesday. The UAE Airspace Restructuring Project (ARP) will be completed on December 7 and is primarily aimed to increase the country’s airspace capa

Muscat: Royal Oman Police has announced that citizens of some 25 countries can now come to Oman on a non-sponsored e-visa. In a statement posted online, Royal Oman Police listed the 25 countries and added: "Regulations for Granting E- Non-Sponsor Tourist Visa for Citizens of the Following Countri

Jeddah: An earthquake of magnitude 3 hits off the coast of Jeddah on Tuesday. According to news published in Khaleej Times, the Saudi Geological Survey said that an earthquake with a magnitude of 3 on the Richter Scale was recorded by seismic monitoring stations of its National Centre for Seismol

Cheetah cubs continue to be sold on the UAE black market via social media accounts operated by five key dealers, helping fuel a thriving trade in illegal exotic pets. Although the number of illegal cats seized at UAE borders is decreasing, experts working on the boundaries of the underground trad

Manama: Two men belonging to an international scam and money laundering network have been arrested in Kuwait. The men, one from South Africa and the other from Nigeria who had been sentenced to 10 years in jail in a different case, were implicated in duping Kuwaiti nationals and foreigners into t

Eastern areas of the UAE will be most likely to experience a build-up of cloud through the afternoon, while elsewhere it will be a fine clear day for many. Early mist patches will burn off through the morning and humidity will increase to about 90 per cent along coastal areas. Temperatures in

JEDDAH: Saudi security forces have arrested 66 people for links with terrorist organizations and operations in the Kingdom since the beginning of October. They are in General Investigation prisons pending investigation. The 66 people arrested comprise 61 Saudis and a Qatari, Yemeni, Sudanese, Eth

Aviation authorities are working on a mechanism where tourists can register online and get a certificate subject to an in-house validation of their skills in Dubai, which will allow them to fly their drones around landmarks in Dubai. The new regulation was announced on the sidelines of the two-da

Muscat: Rohn Oman - one of the branches of American Rohn Products in the Sultanate - has announced the establishment of the first factory specialised in the manufacture, construction and development of communication towers and related products in the Sultanate of Oman at an investment cost of OMR10

Saudi Minister of State for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan on Saturday slammed Hezbollah’s “dirty practices” against Saudi Arabia. In a tweet, Sabhan wrote: "The terrorist party [Hezbollah] and those who support it should not expect that their dirty practices against the kingdom and the Gulf countri

Dubai: New reduced speed limits will come into force on Dubai’s two main highways, Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road and the Emirates Road, from this Sunday, October 15. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and the General HQ of Dubai Police have taken this decision as part of their efforts to cu

Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa has announced the release of an official declaration calling for religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence, in an opinion piece on Tuesday. In the piece, published on the Washington Times, the king recognized Bahrain’s “multicultural, multifaith society”