#News

India to Dubai Covid-19 Testing rules

Pre-departure Covid-19 testing rules changed for passengers travelling to Dubai from India

Effective April 22, the validity of the Covid-19 PCR test for passengers travelling from India to Dubai has been reduced to 48 hours from the time of collecting the sample

Egypt passenger train crash kills 11, injures 98

The incident was the third railway incident in Egypt in a month

Dubai restaurant

Dubai closes 53 food outlets in Q1 2021 due to Covid-19 infractions

The municipality conducted 13,775 inspections during the first quarter of 2021, and issued warnings to 1,133 establishments

Sharjah Islamic Bank

Sharjah Islamic Bank operating profits up 27% in Q1 2021

Net profit for the three months ended March 31, 2021, amounted to Dhs164.2m, compared to Dhs153.7m for the corresponding period last year

UAE’s 100 Million Meals campaign reaches 78% of target in first week

Food distribution has already begun in several countries including Jordan, Egypt and Pakistan

Saudi intercepts Houthi attack on Jazan University, debris leads to fire on campus

Coalition forces in the kingdom destroyed five ballistic missiles and four armed drones launched from Yemen in the latest attacks

Qatar Airways Jetblue

Qatar Airways enhances codeshare agreement with JetBlue for flights to US cities

It comes as a result of an expanded codeshare agreement reached with JetBlue

Israeli ship attacked off UAE coast – reports

The commercial vessel was slightly damaged in the attack, according to reports

coronavirus covid-19

Covid-19: Oman running out of ICU beds for patients – report

The sultanate has announced several guidelines to curb the spread of the virus

UAE salary

UAE to raise employee insurance premium for companies failing to pay salaries on time

The employee insurance policy coverage will be increased from Dhs120 to Dhs250 for companies that do not pay salaries on the due date

Dubai FDI

Dubai records Dhs24.7bn FDI in 2020

Dubai ranked fourth globally in FDI capital flows into greenfield projects

UAE confirms the start of Ramadan from Tuesday

The announcement came after the crescent was sighted on Monday evening

Saudi forces destroy armed drones, missiles launched from Yemen

The Houthis have stepped up missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia in recent months

Dubai foreign trade

Dubai’s non-oil external trade reached Dhs1.182 trillion in 2020

China remained Dubai’s largest trading partner with Dhs142bn worth of exchanges in 2020

UAE astronaut programme

UAE selects first female Arab astronaut

Nora AlMatrooshi and Mohammed Al Mulla are the two latest recruits of the UAE Astronaut Programme

Private sector ramadan 2021

Ramadan 2021: Timings for UAE private sector employees announced

There will be an official reduction of two hours for private sector employees in the UAE

UAE Federal government

Ramadan 2021: UAE announces timings for public sector employees

Federal government employees will only need to work from 9am-2pm

Saudi Arabia Alula

Saudi Crown Prince launches master development plan for AlUla

It will be implemented in three phases until 2035, with the first phase set to be completed by 2023

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi offers flights to Israel from Dhs99

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will operate its inaugural flight to Tel Aviv on April 18, 2021

Masdar Azerbaijan solar power

UAE’s Masdar inks deal for mega solar power project in Azerbaijan

The 230-megawatt project is Azerbaijan’s first foreign investment-based independent solar project structured as a public-private partnership

Abu Dhabi summit: Regional leaders pledge to accelerate progress on climate action

A total of 11 countries have signed a group statement to ensure the success of the Paris Agreement

Suez Canal authorities say backlog of ships is now cleared

Overall, 422 vessels passed through since the tanker was freed on March 29

Jordan arrests senior officials for ‘security reasons’

A royal family member and a former minister are among those who have been arrested

Dubai launches new strategy to double companies and jobs in the creative sector

The Dubai Creative Economy strategy aims to double the creative industries’ GDP contribution to 5 per cent of Dubai’s economy by 2025

Kuwait masks

Kuwait might continue curfew during Ramadan, Eid

The nightly curfew currently in place from 6pm to 5am is currently expected to end on April 8

Dubai Airport Show 2021 Dubai-world-trade-centre-DWTC

Airport Show 2021 in Dubai to be held in May as hybrid event

The physical version of the 20th edition of the B2B event will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre

Khalid Yusuf Al-Jalahma Bahrain Ambassador Israel

Bahrain appoints Khalid Yusuf Al-Jalahma as first ambassador to Israel

On Tuesday, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa also directed his country’s officials to set up a diplomatic mission within Israel

Suez Canal reopens to traffic after giant ship is freed, operations to return to normal ‘within days’

Hundreds of vessels carrying everything from oil to livestock were forced to wait in line after the Ever Given became stuck in the canal

Container ship Ever Given is seen at the Suez Canal on March 28, 2021

Giant ship blocking Suez Canal ‘partially refloated’

Ever Given has been stuck since Tuesday, causing a backlog of hundreds of ships and snarling global supply lines

UAE fuel prices

UAE hikes fuel prices for April 2021

It is the second straight month that prices have risen in the UAE