Dubai: Shindagha tunnel, the second oldest crossing on Dubai Creek between Deira and Bur Dubai, is set to be replaced soon, Gulf News has learnt. The iconic tunnel, which is around 40 years old, is set to be replaced by a multi-lane bridge in the next few years, an official at the Roads and Tra

Jeddah: The Ministry of Labor will bar sponsorship transfers and new visas for companies in the lower end of the green (safe) zone of the Kingdom’s nationalization scheme in a bid to encourage these companies to further enhance Saudi-to-expat ratios. The decision was also taken to prioritize serv

Dubai: Traffic remained smooth on Shaikh Zayed Road after the first day of a major diversion near Safa Park on Saturday. Making way for the construction of a 16-lane flyover as part of the Dubai Canal project, the detour stretches for just under a kilometre from Business Bay Metro Station to In

Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has called on believers to help people with disabilities. In his Friday sermon at Imam Turki Mosque in Riyadh, the chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars said Muslims have a duty to respect and be kind to people with disabilities. He said Islam also warn

The Indian community in Jubail recently organized a reception to honor the principal of the International Indian School-Jubail for getting the best teacher award from the Indian government. Leading members of the community were present at the Intercontinental Jubail to praise Dr. Syed Hameed. Speak

Over 100,000 illegal foreign workers have been arrested in the Eastern Province over the last 12 months, police announced Tuesday. A total of 101,302 people were arrested during the period across the Eastern Province, said Col. Ziyad Al-Ruqaiti, spokesman for Eastern Province police. He added that

  The Jeddah traffic department says it will fine drivers SR300 for writing their phone numbers, poetry or personal messages on their cars. Zaid Al-Hamzi, spokesman of the department, said that it is against the law for motorists to have any form of writing on th

JEDDAH: The Education Ministry in coordination with the Labor Ministry has moved to facilitate the legalizing of the statuses of expatriate teachers working in international schools. It will be done through registration with the “Ajeer Service” of the Labor Ministry. All international schools were

Children below the age of 10 may be barred from performing Haj from next year. According to a report in a local newspaper, the subject came up for discussion during a recent meeting between the heads of pilgrim establishments and the Haj Ministry. No decision has yet been taken on the proposal, sa

French Consul Genera Louis Blaine said that about 18, 000 pilgrims from France performed Haj this year, including 1,000 from the French islands in Africa. He said that the majority had departed after completing the pilgrimage. Blaine noted that the decision to reduce the number of pilgrims this y

DUBAI: The UAE on Wednesday isolated a passenger on a plane that arrived at Dubai airport from Liberia via Morocco and was running tests on him to check for symptoms of Ebola, WAM news agency said. WAM cited the ministry's statement as saying the passenger was suffering from diarrhea but added “a

Dubai: Vehicle number plates with the new Dubai ‘brand’ logo will be available from the end of the year, a senior Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) official said. The new plates, which are not mandatory, will be available for purchase only through smart channels. “The new number plates are jus

Nearly half a million pilgrims made use of medical facilities that were available in Makkah and Madinah during Haj this year. Nineteen open heart surgeries were performed, Mansour Al-Hawasi, deputy health minister for Health Affairs, said here Sunday. Al-Hawasi was addressing health officials her

Dubai: Telecom operator du is set to offer free WiFi at 100 locations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi as part of Smart City initiatives, Fahad Al Hassawi, chief commercial officer at du, told Gulf News. He said that Du is being positioned as the “official WiFi partner” for Dubai Smart City. “We

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has begun operating more than 1,600 Haj return flights to all destinations from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed International Airport in Madinah following the end of the annual pilgrimage. “We will operate 1,531 internatio

Dubai: Essential commodities in the UAE have become dearer by one or two dirhams in the last three months. Prices of essential commodities have crept up gradually, so much so that it is difficult to notice the rise. While the prices of fresh milk, yoghurt, meat and chicken have registe

Dubai: Movement on Dubai roads will be a lot easier now as the new smartphone apps will help motorists avoid traffic tailbacks as well as find parking space quickly. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is all set to add to its array of smartphone apps at Gitex 2014, starting on Sunday, allo

Abu Dhabi: The Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi has issued a set of guidelines for Indian expats, giving them a list of do’s and don’ts for hassle-free living in the UAE. The 34-page booklet titled Guidelines for Indians covers practical tips on a range of issues from general conduct, accommodation