The most awaited global sporting event, FIFA World Cup is just around the corner and the football enthusiasts cannot wait for the first whistle to blow in Qatar. As a result, according to FIFA, fans have sought 17 million tickets for this year’s World Cup, making it more than five times over-subscribed. Higher prices being … Read more
MUSCAT – A wave of foreign imitations and alternative styles has prompted Oman to take tough action to preserve its unique national dress, threatening thousands of dollars in fines for men who wear the wrong sort of dishdasha. Dishdashas, the long, elegant robes that are a hallmark of the Gulf sultanate, have fallen prey to … Read more
MANAMA: Bahrain on Monday announced the creation of long-term visas for foreigners in an effort to “boost the economy”, following in the footsteps of some of its Gulf neighbours. With just over half of its 1.7 million population made up of foreigners, Bahrain is seen as a hub for professional expatriates, like much of the … Read more
A full-fledged women’s Indian Premier League (IPL) is expected to begin next year. The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) said that the tournament will be held “soon”. Women’s IPL will be held alongside men’s IPL with three teams, However, many believe that women should have their own separate tournament with more teams. … Read more
DUBAI – The United States will deploy a guided-missile destroyer and state-of-the-art fighter jets to help defend the United Arab Emirates after a series of missile attacks by Yemeni rebels, a US statement said Wednesday. The deployment, to “assist the UAE against the current threat”, follows a phone call between Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and … Read more
Pakistan on Monday strongly condemned the launching of a missile from Al-Jawf, Yemen, by the Houthis towards the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Read more: UAE intercepts Yemen rebel missile as Israeli president visits “It is commendable that the missile was successfully intercepted by the air defence system of the UAE, preventing loss of innocent lives,” the … Read more
KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait hosted on Sunday the 156th consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers to discuss the regional and international issues facing the Arab countries. During a joint press conference with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah said that Lebanon’s response on rebuilding trust between Lebanon and the … Read more
GAZA – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday delivered 1 million Sputnik V vaccine doses to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing, an official said. “It is the largest shipment of vaccine doses that are shipped to the Gaza Strip which will help to combat the current wave of COVID-19 that had … Read more
In Abu Dhabi, three individuals were killed and six others were injured in a suspected drone attack, according to authorities, as Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed to have begun an operation deep within the UAE. The attack on Monday resulted in explosions in gasoline trucks, resulted in a fire near the airport in Abu Dhabi, the … Read more
KARACHI: Airblue, Pakistan’s second-largest airline, has resumed international flight operations to the United Arab Emirates. Airblue had received relevant permissions from the Pakistan government and as approvals from the UAE government were received, the airline announced its flight schedule. Airblue aims at flying to most of the cities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. It … Read more
DUBAI: Employees and schoolchildren juggled work and studies with prayers on the first-ever working Friday in the United Arab Emirates, as the Gulf country formally switched to a Saturday-Sunday weekend. Some grumbled at the change and businesses were split, with some private firms sticking with Fridays and Saturdays, as in other Gulf States. The weekly day … Read more
NEW DELHI: India’s domestic Ranji Trophy has been postponed after a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases, the country’s cricket board said in a statement. The first-class competition — named for Maharaja Ranjitsinhji, an Indian prince who played for England in the 1890s — was scheduled to start this month. But the long-format tournament and February’s Twenty20 women’s league … Read more
JERUSALEM, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) — Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems will provide the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force with electronic warfare (EW) protection systems, the company announced on Monday. The systems, purchased for 53-million U.S. dollars, are intended to protect the UAE’s Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aerial refueling and transport … Read more
RIYADH, Dec 30, 2021 (AFP) – Saudi Arabia on Thursday reimposed social distancing measures at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, after recording the highest number of infections in months. Workers have returned floor markings removed on October 17 to guide people to social distance in and around the Grand Mosque — … Read more
ISTANBUL: Private Turkish and Qatari companies have agreed to jointly operate five airports in Afghanistan, although they are still waiting to reach a final deal with the Taliban, officials said on Tuesday. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday that a “memorandum of understanding” had been inked in Doha earlier this month, covering Kabul and … Read more
LAHORE: Over one hundred foreigners have been languishing in Punjab jails for years despite completing their jail terms as the embassies of their countries have refused to accept them as their citizens. These 129 inmates belong to twelve countries including India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Burundi, Dominica, Iran, Kenya, Liberia Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and the United … Read more
The year 2021 was also marred by Covid-19. Though the world had started to return to normalcy, it was still not completely customary. The sporting activities started to restore this year, but there were only few events possible at the beginning of the year. Cricket was no exception. The action in the sports was limited … Read more
DUBAI: Dubai airport, one of the world’s busiest travel hubs, is fully operational for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic erupted in March 2020, officials said on Monday. The opening of sections closed as the Covid-19 crisis took hold comes as the United Arab Emirates records a rise in infections, amid fears of the new … Read more
Pakistani boxers Usman Wazeer and Asif Hazara made the nation proud after they clinch international boxing titles in United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to reports Usman Wazeer from the mountainous region of Gilgit-Baltistan, who is a student at the Amir Khan Boxing Academy, claimed the title of the Middle East Champion after defeating his Tanzanian … Read more
DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suspended talks on a $23 billion deal to purchase American-made F-35 planes, armed drones and other equipment, in a rare dispute between Washington and a key US ally in the Arabian Gulf, AP reported. The Emirati Embassy in Washington said it would “suspend discussions” with the US, though meetings at … Read more
KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has said that the inflows of remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis grew 9.7 per cent to $12.9 billion during the first five months (July-November) 2021/22. The SBP said that with $2.4 billion of inflows during November 2021, workers’ remittances continued their strong streak of remaining above $2 billion … Read more
LAHORE: Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board, Ramiz Raja has congratulated the national men’s team on a successful two-month tour of the United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh on which they won eight of the nine T20Is and two Tests, adding empowering Babar Azam has yielded the desired results and has brought consistency. Pakistan, for the first time … Read more
KARACHI: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Dr Reza Baqir has highlighted the issues and challenges of cyber-security faced by the banks, a statement said. He highlighted the issues in his keynote speech at the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB). Malaysia organised the 13th Public Lecture Series on the theme of “Sustainability and Cyber Resilience” … Read more
DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates’ move to a Western-style Saturday-Sunday weekend is an attempt to maintain its edge over rising regional competitors, experts said. The wealthy state surprised many with Tuesday’s announcement, which will make it the only Gulf country not to observe weekends on a Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, and Saturday. The … Read more
JEDDAH: While all eyes in Abu Dhabi will be on the headline drama of the title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen this weekend, another world champion will be making his final appearance in a Formula One car. Twenty years after making his F1 debut for Sauber at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix, Finnish … Read more
DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates is slashing its official working week to four-and-a-half days and moving its weekend to Saturday and Sunday in a major shift aimed at improving competitiveness, officials said on Tuesday. The “national working week” is mandatory for government bodies from January 1 and bucks the regional norm of a full … Read more
KAMPALA, Dec 7, 2021 (AFP) – Uganda announced Tuesday that it had detected cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in travellers coming into the country, the first infections to be reported in East Africa. The cases were detected in people screened at Entebbe International Airport who flew in from five different countries, Ugandan medical authorities said … Read more
PARIS: A 17-billion-euro ($19.23 billion) French arms deal with the United Arab Emirates will secure the industrial supply chain for France’s Rafale warplane for the next decade and directly support 7,000 domestic jobs, Reuters quoted a French defence ministry official, as saying. The deal, sealed on Friday, includes the largest ever overseas sale of the French warplane. … Read more
