Riyadh: Saudi Arabia is expected to make shops close at 9pm instead of midnight later this year, Saudi media reported on Sunday, in a move aimed at encouraging employment by making sales jobs more attractive. The policy, first announced last year, has been approved by a government committee, th

The 80-day runway upgrade of Dubai International Airport will reduce the number of flights by 26 per cent and eight airlines will be relocated to Al Maktoum International Airport, the airport operator confirmed on Sunday. All Emirates flights will continue to operate out of Dubai International bu

Abu Dhabi: The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has made it clear that only a single family can reside within each licensed residential unit in the capital. Residents, however, said that it is getting more and more difficult to afford the steep rents in the city, and attributed this as the reason

Non-resident Indians (NRIs) will not be able to exercise their franchise in the ongoing general elections in the country from their overseas locations. A division bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan dashed the hopes of the expatriates on Friday by accepting the Electio

Dubai: There is no escaping the rental hikes in Abu Dhabi’s residential space, be it within the city or slightly removed from it. The first three months saw a 10 per cent spike in residential rental rates in prime locations, while off-island homes shot up by 14 per cent, according to the latest

Starting April 13, Sharjah will have its first road toll e-gate on Al Dhaid Road — for heavy trucks only. The gate will be fully automated, as is the case with Salik road toll gates in Dubai, within one to three months. Heavy trucks travelling from the northern emirates, Fujairah, Khorfakkan, Kal

Jeddah: The Passport Department will soon make it mandatory for expat women over 18 to record their biometric information if they want to travel, get new iqamas and final exit visas. Women would have to register their biometric details at a local passport office, according to local media. “Thi

The chairman of the Disability Society in the Gulf, Musaed al-Awla, said that students with Down’s Syndrome are being sexually harassed by students in general education schools in Saudi Arabia, Makkah daily reported. The director of Special Education at the Ministry of Education, Abdullah al-Aqee

Dubai: Indians in the UAE don’t expect to be directly impacted by the upcoming general elections in India, but said there is special interest and concern this voting season. They said a “mass hysteria” for change coupled with close competition and hard-to-predict outcomes make the latest electi

Dubai: The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) on Wednesday approved 43 insurance companies to provide health cover for Dubai residents, and said the first phase of the scheme will end by October this year. “Initially, the scheme will cover 200 companies with a large number of staff,” said Dr Haidar A

Almost two million more international passengers travelled through Dubai International than London Heathrow up until February Dubai Dubai International overtook London Heathrow as the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic just two months into the year. Almost two million mor

BLS centre moved to office opposite Deira City Centre Abu Dhabi: The centre providing Indian passport and visa services at Deira in Dubai will relocate to a new address from Saturday. The relocation was confirmed in a statement by the India Embassy on Thursday. The firm, BLS International Service

Dubai: Health insurance will be mandatory for expatriates who, after retiring, wish to continue living in Dubai. The new Health Insurance Act makes health insurance mandatory for all citizens and residents, said Dr Haider Al Yousuf, Director of Health Financing, Dubai Health Authority (DHA). S

Dubai: If you really want to make a difference on Earth Hour, go beyond switching the lights off for 60 minutes. Make the switch to energy efficient lighting. This is Emirates Wildlife Society-World Wildlife Fund for Nature’s (EWS-WF) call to action for this year’s Earth Hour in the UAE on Marc

Sharjah: A Sharjah resident has sought a ban on allowing children on dune bashing drives after losing his three-year old son in a desert safari accident last week. “There should be a strict rule banning children in desert safaris. It can be fatal like I found out the hardest possible way,” Arun

Al Ain: Rain and thunderstorm hit different parts of the UAE late on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, as forecasters expect more rain in the country. Rain is continuing in Dubai, Sharjah and many other parts of the UAE. While the rain became a blessing for many, it turned out to be a misery for m

A two-month-old baby girl was found abandoned in Al Qasimiya area behind Al Manama Supermarket in Sharjah on Sunday, a police source told Khaleej Times. This is the fourth baby to be abandoned by parents in the emirate in less than a month. The baby girl was found wrapped in a blanket placed in a

Abu Dhabi: A new app rolled out in the capital on Wednesday will make smartphones even smarter by helping motorists avoid congested roads and traffic delays through real-time information from traffic officials. Named Darb (path or road) and launched by the Department of Transport (DoT), the app