The authorities in Dubai are trying to find out what caused a spectacular fire to engulf a 63-storey luxury hotel in the city centre on New Year's Eve. After battling for more than 20 hours, firefighters appear to have extinguished most of the blaze at the Address Downtown Hotel. An eyewitness

JEDDAH: The National Information Center of the Ministry of Interior has plans to launch a number of new electronic services via the "Absher" gateway for citizens and residents. These services are being launched in coordination with a number of wings of the ministry. The new Absher services will inv

Excluding transit passengers, over 174,000 people were expected to reach Dubai from December 28 until just after New Year's Day. Number of travellers are expected to reach an all-time high for Emirates, as the airline expects yet another busy period with visitors flocking to Dubai for New Y

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia on Monday unveiled a SR840 billion budget, launching a phase in which the Kingdom hopes to further diversify its revenues in an era of low oil prices. “Our economy has the potential to meet challenges,” Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman said in his speech. The go

MAKKAH: The longest-serving muezzin of the Gand Mosque in Makkah, Mohammed Siraj Ma'arof, died Friday at Al-Noor Specialist Hospital. He took over the job after the death of his father 34 years ago. He was buried at the Al-Ula Cemetery in Makkah after Fajr prayer on Saturday. -arabnews

India plans a major shift in its aviation policy by putting restrictions on landing rights and seats to foreign airlines. Air travel might be expensive for millions of non-resident Indians (NRIs) from next year as the Government of India plans a major shift in its aviation policy by put

RIYADH: Two Saudi millionaires have reportedly paid SR225,000 in blood money to free a Filipino man who had killed an Indian national in a car accident. The men donated the blood money requested by the victim’s relatives. The Filipino man was working for the firm of the Saudi citizens. A local cour

RIYADH: A fire early Thursday morning at Jazan General Hospital killed 24 people and injured 119, the Ministry of Health has announced. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received letters of condolences from Kuwait Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Than

An overnight fire at a hospital in southern Saudi Arabia has killed at least 25 people and injured more than 100 others, officials say. The blaze broke out in the intensive care and maternity departments of the Jazan General Hospital, the Civil Defence Agency tweeted. The fire is now over and

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, chaired the Executive Council meeting held at the Crown Prince's Court on Wednesday. During the meeting, the council revie

Abu Dhabi: An Iranian ship smuggling in drugs and two people has been seized by the UAE's Ministry of Interior. Both of the men were suffering from fatigue and exhaustion due to a lack of oxygen and rising temperature. Colonel Saeed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the Anti-Narcotics Federal Di

JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman delivered a speech to mark the work of the fourth year of the sixth session of the Shoura Council on Wednesday. In his annual speech to the consultative body, the king talked about domestic and international issues. In a televised two-minute s

The Dubai Police have arrested a motorist who was allegedly involved in stunt driving in a gas station in Al Aweer area after the video of his action went viral on social media. The video showed him driving his four-wheel Nissan Patrol on two wheels at a gas station taking speedy U-turns close to

RIYADH: Security authorities have arrested 5,013 illegal expats during the month of Safar in Madinah, according to the district police. Madinah police chief Maj. Gen. Abdul Hadi Al-Shahrani said his force arrested expatriates of different nationalities, who have violated the labor and immigration re

RIYADH: Expatriate workers and their dependants with expired re-entry visas seeking to return to the Kingdom can now renew them in their home countries, according to a directive issued by the Saudi Foreign Ministry. “A re-entry visa for all workers and their family members (wives and children) in

JEDDAH: Only 3.11 million Saudis have medical insurance or 30 percent of eligible citizens in the country, while 7.85 million or 79 percent of expatriates have coverage, according to the Council of Cooperative Health Insurance (CCHI). With a new company entering the market within the next 90 days

(CNN)Did Kuwait Airways just scrap an entire flight service to avoid carrying Israeli passengers? The airline has this week pulled its connection between New York's JFK airport and London Heathrow after U.S. authorities threatened legal action over alleged discrimination. The U.S. Depart

RIYADH: King Khaled International Airport (KKIA) announced here on Wednesday that officials would no longer check passports at boarding gates to save time and money. This includes all passengers departing on international flights, an official, who did not want to be named, told Arab News on Wednesd