Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, has approved the State Revenues Law and endorsed the introduction of a new training visa for international trainees, reinforcing the Kingdom’s efforts to strengthen its regulatory framework while advancing economic diversification and labor market development.

The decisions were announced following the cabinet session held in Jeddah on Tuesday, July 14.

Read more: Planning a Saudi trip? Citizens of these 6 countries can now get a visa in just 48 hours

Under the newly approved framework, the training visa will be issued to international trainees in accordance with a set of approved regulatory arrangements, providing a structured pathway for foreign nationals to participate in training programs across the kingdom, according to a Saudi Gazette report.

The new visa forms part of Saudi Arabia’s broader efforts to attract international talent, develop workforce skills and support the objectives of Vision 2030 through regulatory and economic reforms.

The latest announcement comes as Saudi authorities continue to emphasize strict compliance with the kingdom’s immigration and residency regulations.

Separately, the Ministry of Interior has warned that expatriates who fail to leave Saudi Arabia after their entry visas expire could face fines of up to SAR50,000, imprisonment for up to six months, and deportation.

The ministry also urged members of the public to report violations related to residency, labor and border security regulations. Reports can be made by calling 911 in Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province, or 999 in all other regions of the kingdom.

The latest measures underscore Saudi Arabia’s dual approach of creating new opportunities for international talent through streamlined visa pathways while maintaining strict enforcement of residency and border regulations as part of its broader governance and economic reform agenda.

UPDATE: Mobile network du says the downtime was a result of an upgrade to its systems. The company has provided a statement to Gulf Business: “du has carried out a planned system update to improve network performance. Call services are now fully restored and operating normally. The du app is expected to be available again shortly.”

Customers of UAE telecom operator du reported widespread disruption to voice calling services on Wednesday morning, with many saying they were unable to make or receive calls. But the company later said the downtime was caused by a planned system update, which temporarily affected voice services.

The company’s mobile app was also unavailable earlier on Wednesday, displaying a message stating: “Our team is working hard to improve our app. We will be back.”

While voice services appeared to be affected, customers said SMS messaging continued to function, and mobile internet services remained available, allowing access to social media platforms and internet-based calling apps such as Botim.

Outage tracking platform Downdetector recorded a sharp increase in reports from around 7:35am UAE time, with the majority of complaints related to voice calls (72 per cent), followed by mobile signal (13 per cent) and mobile internet (8 per cent). Outages have been reported across several major towns and cities across the UAE, according to Downdetector.

Users also took to Reddit to report the disruption, with multiple posts describing an inability to place or receive calls while data services continued to operate normally.

Later in the day, the mobile network said the downtime was owing to a “planned system update to improve network performance” and that services are now fully restored.

• Gulf Business has updated this article to reflect the latest statement from du.

ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S) has confirmed that two crude oil tankers were struck by projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday, resulting in the death of one seafarer and injuries to several others.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Abu Dhabi-listed maritime logistics company said its vessels Al Bahyah and Mombasa B came under attack while navigating the strategic shipping corridor.

The incident marks one of the most serious attacks involving ADNOC L&S-operated vessels and comes amid heightened regional tensions in the Gulf.

“Tragically, one seafarer lost his life, and several others were injured as a result of these attacks,” the company said, extending its condolences to the family, loved ones and colleagues of the deceased while wishing those injured a full and speedy recovery.

ADNOC L&S said Al Bahyah, an ADNOC L&S-owned Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), and Mombasa B, a VLCC operated by the company under a time-charter arrangement, both sustained significant damage in the attack.

Read: Iranian missiles hit 2 UAE tankers in Hormuz, killing one crew member: MOD

The company strongly condemned what it described as an attack on civilian shipping and the seafarers serving aboard its vessels.

“ADNOC L&S strongly condemns this attack on civilian shipping and the innocent seafarers serving aboard its vessels,” the statement said.

The company added that it is working closely with emergency responders and other relevant stakeholders as response efforts continue.

Tuesday’s statement provides the first official confirmation from ADNOC L&S of the extent of the damage sustained by the vessels and the human toll of the attack. Earlier reports had indicated that Iranian missile strikes had hit two UAE-linked oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating regional hostilities.

ADNOC L&S said it will provide further updates as more information becomes available.

Emirates has completed the refurbishment of its 100th aircraft under what it describes as the world’s largest known airline retrofit programme, marking a major milestone in its $5 billion investment to modernise its long-haul fleet and expand the rollout of its Premium Economy product.

Since the programme began in November 2022, the airline has fully refurbished 47 Airbus A380s and 53 Boeing 777s at its engineering facilities in Dubai. By the end of 2026, Emirates expects to retrofit around 20 additional aircraft, taking the programme well beyond its halfway point.

The retrofit initiative has become a significant in-house engineering operation, with more than 400 engineers and technicians contributing 4.4 million man hours over 44 months to overhaul cabin interiors across the fleet.

Every refurbished aircraft has been fitted with a new Premium Economy cabin, with more than 3,800 seats installed to date, allowing Emirates to expand the premium cabin to additional destinations across its global network.

Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, said: “Our commitment to deliver best-in-class products across every cabin is an ongoing endeavour, and completing full cabin retrofits for 100 wide-body aircraft in 44 months is a significant achievement. Backed by a $5bn investment, it ensures our customers ‘fly better,’ with elevated luxury, comfort, and thoughtful detail throughout each cabin.”

“Executing a project of this magnitude and complexity entirely in-house has also required unmatched planning, precision, craftsmanship and technical capabilities here in Dubai. Our team has completely rewritten the rulebook on retrofitting the two largest passenger aircraft in commercial aviation to make sure that every aircraft returns to the skies on schedule and in impeccable shape.”

The retrofit process involves stripping each aircraft’s interior before installing thousands of new components, including more than 4,000 parts on each A380 and 2,500 parts on every Boeing 777.

To support the programme, Emirates Engineering developed new logistics and engineering processes, including modified catering trucks to transport large cabin components inside hangars, specialised equipment for accessing aircraft interiors, and digital work-tracking systems. The airline has also collaborated with more than 100 suppliers during the programme.

Originally announced in 2021 as a 105-aircraft refurbishment initiative, the programme has expanded several times in response to strong customer demand. It now covers 219 aircraft, making it one of the largest fleet modernisation programmes in commercial aviation.

The first refurbished Airbus A380 entered the programme in November 2022, while the first retrofitted Boeing 777 returned to commercial service in August 2024. Earlier this year, Emirates also completed the first two-to-three-class conversion of an A380, introducing Premium Economy seating on the aircraft’s upper deck for the first time.

The next phase of the retrofit programme will begin in October 2026, with aircraft receiving 4K OLED HDR10+ seatback entertainment screens, new Safran Z400 lightweight seats, and additional cabin enhancements.

Alongside the fleet upgrades, Emirates is repurposing materials removed from refurbished aircraft as part of its sustainability strategy. Leather, fabrics and other cabin materials are being transformed into limited-edition products under the Aircrafted by Emirates brand, while more than 4,000 backpacks made from recycled Economy Class seat fabric have been distributed to children across 11 countries.

India has received revised bids from Canada’s Fairfax Financial and Dubai’s Emirates NBD for the sale of its majority stake in IDBI Bank, two sources said, reviving a transaction stalled earlier this year over valuation expectations.

India’s federal government and state-run Life Insurance Corp of India are selling a combined 60.7 per cent stake in IDBI Bank, with the transaction expected to be completed in a month, one of the sources said on Tuesday.

The sale process was stalled earlier this year after bids submitted in March by Fairfax and Emirates fell short of the government’s expectations.

The revised bids are being evaluated, and a top panel of bureaucrats met on Monday to discuss the stake sale, a third source said. The Indian government owns 45.48 per cent of IDBI Bank, while LIC holds 49.24 per cent.

Fairfax is the frontrunner to acquire the bank and is in conversation with the government while Emirates is not actively pursuing the deal after having acquired another Indian lender last year, one of the two sources and a fourth source said.

Details of the revised bids and valuation of the bank could not be immediately ascertained. Shares of IDBI Bank were trading nearly 4 per cent higher at 87 rupees around noon, giving the lender a market capitalisation of 938.68 billion rupees ($9.77bn).

The finance ministry, IDBI, LIC, Fairfax and Emirates did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

The revised bids come amid growing foreign investor interest in India’s financial sector.

Last year, Emirates NBD acquired a stake in private lender RBL Bank for $3bn, while Japan’s MUFG bought a 20 per cent stake in non-bank lender Shriram Finance for $4.4bn, marking some of the largest foreign investments in India’s banking industry.

To draw similar interest in state-run banks, India also plans to raise the foreign direct investment limit in them to 49 per cent from 20 per cent presently.

Revived sale process

IDBI Bank’s stake sale process was initiated in 2022 and has since dragged on due to regulatory and procedural approvals.

By March 2026, when the process neared its completion, it stalled due to high government valuation expectations and weak investor appetite amid the Middle East conflict.

Concerns over pension and gratuity liabilities also weighed on bids, Reuters had reported.