Gulf news

Expatriates in Kuwait now have to pay for health services

Dubai: Kuwait’s health ministry has announced new health care service fees for expatriates and visitors. The move comes after a campaign by some lawmakers to charge expatriates who, they believe, were exploiting the largesse of free or cheap health ministry services in the country. The fees for ser

Drug dealer getting orders from outside UAE arrested in Dubai

Dubai Police recently arrested a drug dealer and seized 859g of heroin, 7.1kg of crystal meth and 5,083 Tramadol pills from his possession. The 29-year-old Asian had entered the country via a visitor visa, and was caught red-handed dealing drugs in the emirate. Major General Khalil Ibrahim Al

Kuwait denies Iran exploits waters

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 2, (KUNA): The State of Kuwait refuted news by the Reuters news agency regarding Iran’s exploitation of Kuwaiti waters to deliver arms and military assistance to the Houthis in Yemen, said a statement by the Foreign Ministry Wednesday. A source at the Ministry said that the count

'Expat workforce in Oman has tripled over last decade'

uscat: In a decade, the expat workforce in Oman has almost tripled, officials have announced. The National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) has released its 2017 Statistical Handbook, in which it has shed light on the country’s development, and provided data between 2007 and 2016 on e

Crew detention fallout: Air India issues new instructions for crew flying to Saudi Arabia

NEW DELHI: Air India has asked its crew members operating flights to Saudi Arabia to carry their names on the hotel letter pad along with the telephone numbers of the hotel, immigration and airport. The move comes after the Jeddah police had detained some AI crew members in last week as they were no

Bahrain affirms solidarity with Iraq, Afghanistan against terrorism

Manama, Aug. 1 (BNA) The Kingdom of Bahrain has strongly condemned and denounced the terrorist bombing that targeted the Iraqi embassy in Afghanistan. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns this sinful act and affirms the support of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of Iraq and t

15 killed in Dubai heavy truck accidents so far

Road accidents, involving heavy trucks, have claimed 15 lives in 14 accidents during the first half of 2017 in Dubai due to the violation of heavy truck timings. According to Col Essam Ibrahim Al Aour, Director of Traffic Services at Dubai Police, the number of deaths caused by heavy trucks have

472kg hashish seized from smugglers in Saudi Arabia

A bid to smuggle 472.55kg of Hashish and 855 amphetamine pills (Captagon) into Saudi Arabia was foiled by the border guards in Jazan and Najran, the Arab News reports. Spokesman Col. Saher bin Mohammed Al Harbi was quoted as saying in the report that in the past two weeks, several people were cau

Fuel prices for August announced in Oman

Muscat: Fuel prices for August have increased from last month, the Ministry of Oil and Gas announced on Monday. According to the latest prices released by the Ministry, M95 petrol will now cost 186 baisas per litre, compared to 183 baisas a litre last month. M91 petrol will cost 178 baisas a litr

Dubai’s DEWA awards Dhs6.3m contract for water reservoirs

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has awarded a consultancy contract worth Dhs6.3m for two water reservoirs. The contract covers the design and construction of one water reservoir in Al Nakhli with a storage capacity of 120 million gallons, and another in Al Lusaily, with a storage cap

124 workers arrested for labour law violation in Oman

Muscat: 47 facilities have been inspected and 124 arrested for labour law violations in Muscat, according to a statement by the Ministry of Manpower. “47 facility inspections have been carried and the arrest of 124 violating workers who were working in an illegal manner,” the ministry said. Nu

6 security guards steal over Dh1m from vehicle in Dubai

Six staff of a security company have been charged with stealing Dh1,198,000 from a vehicle they were transporting. The six Sri Lankans admitted in the Court of First Instance to the charge of theft of the funds that belonged to several branches of a shop in Dubai. Two Sri Lankan cleaners have

At least 265,000 more haj pilgrims expected in Saudi Arabia this year

There will be at least 265,000 more international haj pilgrims this year, said Singapore Pilgrims' Affairs Office (SPAO) director Muhammad Nasir Johari on Saturday (July 29). Speaking at this year's haj pre-departure briefing at the Singapore Expo, he said that the higher numbers are due to Saudi

New smart gates set to cut queues at Dubai airport

Dubai: Come September, say goodbye to long queues for passengers arriving at or departing from Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport. Travellers will no longer need to stop at passport control for the most part thanks to new-generation smart gates being installed in the weeks ahead at one of

Al-Aqsa violations will have global fallout: KSA

United Nations — Saudi Arabia warned of a further escalation in the Mideast situation with regional and global repercussions if Israel continues with measures to alter the status of Al-Quds and Haram Al-Sharif. Israeli authorities angered Muslims all over the world by installing metal detectors a

Saudi King sought Trump’s help in ending Masjid Al-Aqsa curbs: Reports

Riyadh: Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud contacted US President Donald Trump and other world leaders over the past days to help end Israel’s restrictions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, media reports said on Thursday. The King “has held necessary contacts with a number of leader

Oman announces E-visa for international tourists

Dubai: Tourists planning to visit Oman can apply online for visas by submitting their applications at https://evisa.rop.gov.om/. The first stage comprises non-sponsored tourist visas for people from 67 countries as well as GCC residents employed in 116 professions. “The Sultanate’s announcement o

Qantas passengers delayed in Dubai for almost two days

Qantas has described a delay which saw passengers stranded in Dubai for more than 40 hours as “very unusual”. Flight QF2 operating from London to Sydney departed on schedule on Monday, but was stranded in Dubai during a scheduled stopover in the city due to a fault with the A380’s air conditionin