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Umrah visas now require approved hotel booking via Nusuk Masar

Service providers have been urged to comply promptly, with the ministry warning that delays or failures in documentation could result in visa processing issues or penalties

Gulf Business
Gulf Business

15 June, 2025

Umrah visas now require approved hotel booking via Nusuk Masar
Image: AFP via Getty Images

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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced that, starting from June 10 (14 Dhu al-Hijjah 1446 AH), international pilgrims seeking Umrah visas must first secure and document their accommodation contracts through the kingdom’s digital platform, Nusuk Masar.

According to a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency, the new regulation requires all Umrah service providers — including companies, establishments, and foreign agents — to book accommodations exclusively in hotels licensed by the Ministry of Tourism.

All housing agreements must be electronically documented on the Nusuk Masar platform prior to the issuance of any Umrah visa.

The ministry said the move is designed to protect pilgrims’ rights, raise service standards, and ensure high-quality, licensed accommodations throughout the pilgrimage. “The new decision aims to enhance the professionalism of service delivery, improve the experience for both visitors and Umrah performers, and guarantee that pilgrims stay in licensed, compliant facilities,” the statement said.

The policy introduces tighter regulatory oversight to prevent housing-related fraud and address ongoing concerns about overbooking and accommodation standards.

Service providers have been urged to comply promptly, with the ministry warning that delays or failures in documentation could result in visa processing issues or penalties.

Developed in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, the directive aligns with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to modernize and expand the kingdom’s religious tourism sector. By leveraging digital tools like Nusuk Masar, the initiative is expected to streamline the Umrah journey, from booking to accommodation and permits.

The Nusuk Masar platform acts as a centralised gateway for international pilgrims, offering multilingual educational resources and services to manage bookings and permits online.

Programme enhanced for Umrah season

Separately, the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques is preparing to enhance its programme for the upcoming Umrah season through a series of initiatives aimed at welcoming pilgrims, worshippers, and visitors while raising awareness about the rituals.

The presidency stated that centers for responding to religious inquiries have been expanded across 10 sites inside and outside the Grand Mosque in Makkah, in addition to four dedicated offices for phone-based inquiries. These services are staffed by 62 participating scholars — including judges and university faculty members — available around the clock.

The presidency also plans to enrich the devotional environment through religious and scholarly programs throughout the season. It is actively recruiting volunteers to serve in both the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.

Trump reports over $600m in income from crypto, golf, licensing fees

According to reports, a meme coin released earlier this year by the president — $TRUMP — alone has earned an estimated $320m in fees

Reuters
Reuters

15 June, 2025

Trump reports over $600m in income from crypto, golf, licensing fees
Image: Getty Images

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Donald Trump reported more than $600m in income from crypto, golf clubs, licensing and other ventures in a public financial disclosure report released on Friday that provided a glimpse of the vast business holdings of America’s billionaire president.

The annual financial disclosure form, which appeared to cover the 2024 calendar year, shows the president’s push into crypto added substantially to his wealth but he also reported large fees from developments and revenues from his other businesses.

Overall, the president reported assets worth at least $1.6bn, a Reuters calculation shows.

What the financial disclosures reveal

While Trump has said he has put his businesses into a trust managed by his children, the disclosures show how income from those sources still ultimately accrue to the president — something that has opened him to accusations of conflicts of interest.

Some of his businesses in areas such as crypto, for example, benefit from US policy shifts under him and have become a source of criticism.

“President Trump, Vice President Vance, and senior White House staff have completed required ethics briefings and financial reporting obligations,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an emailed statement to Reuters. “The Trump Administration is committed to transparency and accessibility for the American people.”

The financial disclosure was signed on June 13 and did not state the time period it covered.

The details of the cryptocurrency listings, as well as other information in the disclosure, suggest it was through the end of December 2024, which would exclude most of the money raised by the family’s cryptocurrency ventures.

Given the speed at which the Trump family has made deals during his ascent to the presidency, the filing is already a time capsule of sorts, capturing a period when the family was just starting to get into crypto but was largely still in the world of real estate deals and golf clubs.

A meme coin released earlier this year by the president —$TRUMP — alone has earned an estimated $320m in fees, although it’s not publicly known how that amount has been divided between a Trump-controlled entity and its partners.

In addition to the meme coin fees, the Trump family has raked in more than $400m from World Liberty Financial, a decentralised finance company.

The Trump family is involved, also, with a bitcoin mining operation and digital asset exchange-traded funds.

In the disclosures, Trump reported $57.35m from token sales at World Liberty.

He also reported holding 15.75bn governance tokens in the venture.

Trump Media assets

The wealth of the Republican businessman-turned-politician ranges from crypto to real estate, and a large part on paper is tied up in his stake in Trump Media & Technology Group, owner of social media platform Truth Social.

Besides assets and revenues from his business ventures, the president reported at least $12m in income, including through interest and dividends, from passive investments totaling at least $211m, a Reuters calculation shows.

His biggest investments were in alternative fund manager Blue Owl Capital Corp and in government bond funds managed by Charles Schwab and Invesco.

The disclosure often only gave ranges for the value of his assets and income; Reuters used the lower amount listed, meaning the total value of his assets and income was almost certainly higher.

Trump’s properties in Florida, other places

The disclosure showed income from various assets including Trump’s properties in Florida.

Trump’s three golf-focused resorts in the state — Jupiter, Doral and West Palm Beach — plus his nearby private members’ club at Mar-a-Lago generated at least $217.7m in income, according to the filing.

Trump National Doral, the expansive Miami-area golf hub known for its Blue Monster course, was the family’s single largest income source at $110.4m.

The income figures provided are essentially revenues, not net profits after subtracting costs.

The disclosure underlined the global nature of the Trump family business, listing income of $5m in license fees from a development in Vietnam, $10m in development fees from a project in India and almost $16m in licensing fees for a Dubai project.

Trump collected royalty money, also, from a variety of deals – $1.3m from the Greenwood Bible (its website describes it as “the only Bible officially endorsed by Lee Greenwood and President Trump”); $2.8m from Trump Watches, and $2.5m from Trump Sneakers and Fragrances.

Trump listed $1.16m in income from his NFTs – digital trading cards in his likeness — while First Lady Melania Trump earned around $216,700 from license fees on her own NFT collection.

Read: Eric Trump on why the Gulf is the future of luxury real estate

Iran, Iraq airspace closure: DXB, Sharjah airports issue statement

Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for the latest updates and rebooking options before heading to the airport

Nida Sohail
Nida Sohail

14 June, 2025

Iran, Iraq airspace closure: DXB, Sharjah airports issue statement
Image credit: Dubai Airports

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Some flights at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) have been cancelled or delayed due to airspace closures over Iran, Iraq, and Syria.

View post on X

“We’re working to manage the disruption and support affected guests,” DXB said in a statement posted on its official X account.

Read-Flightradar data shows airline diversions as Israel strikes Iran

Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for the latest updates and rebooking options before heading to the airport, and to allow extra time for arrival. DXB added that field teams are on-site to assist and thanked travelers for their patience and understanding.

Sharjah Airport has also urged passengers to regularly monitor their flight status, as several cancellations and delays have been reported due to the airspace closures in the region.

A WAM report noted that passengers should contact their airlines directly to confirm flight status before heading to the airport to ensure a smooth travel experience.

Sharjah Airport reassured travelers that it is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with relevant authorities and is implementing all necessary operational measures to maintain the highest standards of safety and service.

According to Flightradar24 data, airlines cleared out of the airspace over Israel, Iran, Iraq, and Jordan on Friday after Israel launched attacks on targets in Iran. Carriers have diverted or cancelled flights to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.

Israel stated on Friday that it had targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories, and military commanders at the start of what it described as a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and Israel’s air defense forces remain on high alert for potential retaliatory strikes from Iran.

Israeli flag carrier El Al Airlines announced it had suspended flights to and from Israel and was relocating some aircraft out of the country. Israir Airlines also stated it was evacuating planes from Tel Aviv and anticipated the airport would remain closed through the weekend.

Many global airlines had already suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv after a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels landed near the airport on May 4.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Fire in Dubai Marina high-rise under control, no injuries reported

According to reports, 3,820 residents from the building’s 764 apartments have been safely evacuated

Gulf Business
Gulf Business

14 June, 2025

Fire in Dubai Marina high-rise under control, no injuries reported
Image courtesy: Dubai Media Office/ X

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A fire that broke out late Friday in a 67-storey residential tower in Dubai’s Marina district has been brought under control, the Dubai Media Office (DMO) said on Saturday.

Dubai Civil Defence teams worked for six hours to extinguish the blaze, evacuating all 3,820 residents from the building’s 764 apartments without any reported injuries, according to DMO.

Authorities confirmed that all residents had been safely evacuated and the situation was under control.

View post on X

Dubai Marina fire: Residents’ safety a priority

Fire in Dubai Marina high-rise contained, no injuries reported
Images Dubai Media office/ X

Images shared by Dubai Media Office on social media platform X showed smoke continuing to rise from the tower hours after the fire had been contained.

The authorities said on X: “control measures remain in place and the situation is fully managed by the firefighting teams.”

Authorities are now working with the building’s developer to secure temporary housing for displaced residents. The authorities have said that the safety and wellbeing of those affected remained the top priority.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Read: Air India Ahmedabad-London flight crash – 241 confirmed fatalities, one survivor

G42 establishes Europe & UK subsidiary, eyes AI infrastructure growth

The establishment of the new entity follows G42’s increasing presence in Europe, which includes recent announcements of data centres and compute clusters in France and Italy

Gulf Business
Gulf Business

13 June, 2025

G42 establishes Europe & UK subsidiary, eyes AI infrastructure growth
Image: G42

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G42, the Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence and advanced technology group has launched G42 Europe & UK, a new subsidiary headquartered in London.

The entity will focus on providing tailored AI solutions to the private sector and collaborating with governments and industry partners to develop critical AI infrastructure across the UK and continental Europe.

G42 Europe & UK will be co-chaired by two technology leaders: Omar Mir, an international board member at World Wide Technology, and Marty Edelman, group general counsel of G42.

Mir brings over two decades of global tech industry experience, having led initiatives in 5G, edge computing, cloud, and AI services across the UK, Europe, the US, and the Middle East.

Edelman oversees legal and compliance strategy for G42’s global operations and has been key in shaping the group’s governance as it expands into new markets.

Read: Stargate UAE: G42, OpenAI, Oracle, NVIDIA, SoftBank, Cisco to build AI cluster

Leveraging G42’s expertise

“Our goal is to harness G42’s proven AI expertise and localise it for European and UK businesses — fuelling digital transformation, enhancing competitiveness, and building resilient, sovereign AI infrastructure in partnership with public and private stakeholders,” said Omar Mir, co-chair of G42 Europe & UK.

Marty Edelman, also co-chair, added, “UK and Europe represents a dynamic market with immense opportunity for AI-driven innovation. By establishing a dedicated hub in London, we strengthen our ability to serve clients with deep regulatory understanding and world-class technology solutions.”

The establishment of the new entity follows G42’s increasing presence in Europe, which includes recent announcements of data centres and compute clusters in France and Italy, alongside growing interest from other regional countries.

G42 Europe and UK plans to leverage G42’s global network of supercomputing nodes, data centres, and AI capabilities. It aims to deliver scalable, secure, and end-to-end AI services, ranging from strategic advisory and model development to infrastructure deployment and managed services.

These services will target sectors such as financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and energy. The new subsidiary will also work with national and regional authorities to advance data-sovereignty initiatives and support the deployment of next-generation AI infrastructure.

Flightradar data shows airline diversions as Israel strikes Iran

Iranian airspace has been closed until further notice, according to state media and notices to pilots

Reuters
Reuters

13 June, 2025

Flightradar data shows airline diversions as Israel strikes Iran

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Airlines cleared out of the airspace over Israel, Iran, Iraq and Jordan on Friday after Israel launched attacks on targets in Iran, Flightradar24 data showed, with carriers diverting and cancel flights to keep passengers and crew safe.

Read more: Oil soars more than 6% after Israel’s strike on Iran alarms market

Israel on Friday said it targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders at the start of what it warned would be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.

Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and Israel’s air defence units stood at high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran.

Israeli flag carrier El Al Airlines said it had suspended flights to and from Israel and was moving some of its planes out of the country.

Israeli carrier Israir said it was evacuating its planes from Tel Aviv’s airport, which it said was expected to remain closed through the weekend.

Many global airlines had already halted flights to and from Tel Aviv after a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels towards Israel on May 4 landed near the airport.

View post on X

Iranian airspace has been closed until further notice, according to state media and notices to pilots.

Air India, which overflies Iran for its Europe and North American flights, said several flights were being diverted or returned to their origin, including ones from New York, Vancouver, Chicago and London.

Lufthansa said its flights to Tehran have been suspended until further notice, and it would avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Israeli airspace for the time being.

Emirates, which cancelled flights to and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iran after Israel’s attack, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iraq early on Friday closed its airspace and suspended all traffic at its airports, Iraqi state media reported.

Eastern Iraq near the border with Iran contains one of the world’s busiest air corridors, with dozens of flights crossing between Europe and the Gulf, many on routes from Asia to Europe, at any one moment.

Jordan, which sits between Israel and Iraq, closed its airspace several hours after the Israeli campaign began.

Flight diversions

“Traffic is now diverting either south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia, or north via Turkey, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan,” according to Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, a membership-based organisation that shares flight risk information.

Flights from six airlines including Etihad Airways and Turkish Airlines were diverted to Baku, Azerbaijan according to its Heydar Aliyev International Airport.

An Emirates flight from Manchester to Dubai was diverted to Istanbul and a flydubai flight from Belgrade diverted to Yerevan, Armenia.

Budget carrier flydubai said it had suspended flights to Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Iran and Israel and a number of other flights had been cancelled, rerouted or returned to their departure airports.

Qatar Airways cancelled its two scheduled flights to Damascus on Friday, Flightradar24 data shows.

Airspace in the Middle East last year was crossed daily by 1,400 flights to and from Europe, Eurocontrol data show.

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