Author: Italian News

Arab artists Ghada Amer and Zahrah Alghamdi exhibit work at Desert X in California Desert X is an annual art biennial that displays the works of international artists in California’s Coachella Valley, and this year, it is bringing the works of two Arab artists for its 13th edition, which kicked off on March 12. Saudi artist Zahrah Al-Ghamdi is showcasing her installation “What Lies Behind the Walls,” a larger-than-life sculptural wall made out of 6,000 tiles containing cements and soils that are stacked to form striking patterns. Also showcasing her work during the two-month-long art event is Ghada Amer. “Women’s…

Areas include Deira, Bur Dubai, Downtown, Business Bay, Dubai Marina, JBR, Expo 2020, DSO His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Saturday, launched the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan that maps out a comprehensive future map for sustainable urban development in the city. Aligned with the UAE’s vision for the next 50 years, the Plan is focused on enhancing people’s happiness and quality of life. The plan focuses on reinforcing Dubai’s competitiveness as a global destination by providing a wide diversity of lifestyle and investment opportunities for…

Women’s leadership paramount in Covid recovery This International Women’s Day is unlike any other. It is being observed against the devastating health, social, and economic impacts of Covid-19, a pandemic that disproportionately affected women. Hend Al Otaiba, director of strategic communication at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sat down with Khaleej Times to reflect on the year of the pandemic, and share why she believes women need to lead in the recovery effort. In her personal journey, Al Otaiba has heavily relied on female mentors and their expertise and hopes that this International Women’s Day can inspire women to further help one…

Abu Dhabi announces updated Green List. The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has issued the updated list of ‘Green List’ destinations. Passengers arriving from these destinations will be exempt from mandatory quarantine measures after landing in Abu Dhabi and will only be required to undergo PCR testing upon arrival at Abu Dhabi Airport. The three countries that have been added include Kazakhstan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Countries, regions, and territories included within the ‘Green List’ will be regularly updated based on international development. Inclusion in the list is subject to strict criteria of…

Authorities say practice is against local customs and also contributes to spread of Covid. Authorities in Dubai have directed coffee shops to stop serving beverages in baby bottles. The Dubai Economy said the practice is against “local customs”. It also violates the precautionary measures in place against the spread of Covid-19. The directive came after the authority found visitors bringing baby bottles to cafes for a quick fill of coffee and other beverages. Dubai Economy inspectors summoned the cafes’ representatives after videos and photos of the practice were posted on social media. “Such use of baby bottles is not only…

Coronavirus: UAE reports 2,959 Covid-19 cases, 1,901 recoveries, 14 deaths The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention on Saturday reported 2,959 cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus, along with 1,901 recoveries and 14 deaths. The new cases were detected through 242,159 additional tests. The total number of cases in UAE as of March 6 is 408,236 while total recoveries stand at 391,205. The death toll rises to 1,310. The UAE has conducted over 32 million tests to date as part of the country’s massive screening programs to combat the spread of Covid-19. However, the ministry has urged the public to…

The agreement will result in Anghami becoming the first Arab technology company to list on Nasdaq New York MENA music streaming platform Anghami announced that it is merging with US-based Vistas Media Acquisition Company, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company. The agreement will result in Anghami becoming the first Arab technology company to list on Nasdaq in New York, a statement said. The transaction implies an initial pro-forma enterprise valuation of approximately $220m, or 2.5x of 2022 estimated revenues. The combined company will operate under the Anghami name and will trade under the new symbol ANGH. The transaction…

Hajj 2021: Pilgrims must be vaccinated against Covid-19 Saudi Arabia- The Saudi Ministry of Health has announced that the faithful who want to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage this year will need to prove that they’ve been vaccinated against Covid-19. The statement did not specify whether the Hajj, which traditionally draws some 2 million pilgrims from across the world, would again exclude pilgrims from outside the Kingdom to prevent the contagion. Last year, Saudi officials permitted a very limited number of pilgrims already within the country to perform the Hajj amid the surging pandemic. The five-day pilgrimage starts this year…

Full list of eligible residents; how to book appointments: All you need to know. The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has included new categories of people who can book an appointment for vaccination. Under the directives of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the DHA announced that all valid Dubai resident visa holders aged 40 and above can now register to receive COVID-19 vaccination at DHA facilities. Who are eligible?  All valid Dubai residency visa holders aged 40 and above.  Dubai visa holders with chronic diseases or people of…

Aid from Dubai to help Sudan deal with Covid crisis The UAE Vice-President has ordered aid flights to transport urgent humanitarian aid and medical supplies from the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Logistics Hub in Dubai to Sudan. Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the International Humanitarian City (IHC) chartered two aircraft to deliver the aid. The IHC chartered two aircraft rotations from Emirates SkyCargo, a member of the Dubai Vaccine Logistics Alliance (DVLA), to transport the vital cargo from Dubai International Airport…

Dubai launches smart device for home patient monitoring Dubai’s healthcare regulator is exploring the use of an artificial intelligence-powered device for remote patient monitoring. The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced that it would collaborate with Enpy, a local start-up, for the non-invasive medical device. “Enpy’s all-in-one non-invasive medical device is paired with a smartphone/tablet application. It … measures vital signs,” the DHA explained. The machine is an all-in-one “healthcare companion” at home that combines integrated medical sensors, embedded electronics, and a unique user interface. The announcement came during the ongoing UAE Innovation Month 2021. The authority plans to implement…

UAE jobs alert: Nearly 200% increase in hiring digital freelancers The UAE saw a 197 percent increase in recruiting freelancers in the digital sector in 2020, the World Economic Forum has said. In a report on future jobs’ created due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the body said freelancers contributed to preparing and boosting digital content. These included blogs, podcasts, and videos. The report credited the UAE’s “thriving technical environment that encourages innovation”, and digitalization of work for this growth. The Dubai Government’s decision last year to support professionals in the digital sector who wish to work remotely also “contributed…

Bahrain approves Johnson and Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine Bahrain’s National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) has authorized the use of Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine for coronavirus the Bahrain News Agency reported on Friday. The Janssen Covid-19 Vaccine will be the fifth vaccine authorized in Bahrain in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 and will be given to those most at risk, suchas the elderly, people with chronic diseases and other groups identified by the Health Ministry. The announcement comes as the Government Executive Committee extended precautionary measures, aimed at slowing the spread of the virus, for an additional three months. The…

Dubai bus crash: 7-year jail term for Omani driver reduced to 1 year A Dubai court on Thursday reduced the seven-year sentence of an Omani bus driver who crashed the vehicle into a low-clearance sign after entering a restricted lane, killing 17 people, including 12 Indians, in 2019. The Dubai Court of Appeal reduced the sentence of the 55-year-old driver to one year in jail and also withdrew his deportation order, the Gulf News reported. The driver still have to pay a USD 13,612 fine and some USSD 925,660 in blood money to the families of the victims. The driver…

Indian girl missing in Dubai found safe: Family Dubai: Indian girl Harini Karani, who went missing in Dubai on Thursday morning, was found safe around 11.30pm, according to Gulf News. “She has been found. She is safe,” said Harini Karani’s father Bharat. Her aunt Prerena said Dubai Police helped find her. “She was in the neighbouring area only. She is fine,” she added. Further details are yet to be known. Family and friends of the 15-year-old had sought help to find her after she went missing following a morning walk in Dubai. Harini’s aunt Prerena earlier said the family sought…

Dubai man abuses teenager inside lift Dubai: The Dubai Court of First Instance has sentenced an Indian man to three months in jail for sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl inside a lift. According to official records, the female student from Comoros Island was in the lift with her two sisters at their residence in Bur Dubai area when the 38-year-old defendant abused her in August last year. “We were stepping outside the lift when he touched my backside,” said the girl in official records. She went to her father and told him about the abuse. “She told me that he…

UAE-based Hafsa Lodi discusses her new book, ‘Modesty: A Fashion Paradox’ In her new book, “Modesty: A Fashion Paradox,” which was launched at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai last month, UAE-based journalist Hafsa Lodi looks at the causes, controversies, and key players behind the worldwide modest-fashion trend. Drawing on Lodi’s own experiences and her decade-long career in fashion journalism, the book serves as a comprehensive guide to modest fashion as a mainstream trend that’s here to stay, the role modesty plays in secularism and feminism, and the concept of modest fashion in a religious context. Lodi begins…

UAE weather: It’s getting colder as temperatures drop in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and other Emirates. It is raining in parts of Abu Dhabi. The National Center of Meteorology recorded scattered rainfall over the Al Dhafra region in the emirate on Wednesday afternoon. In a weather update, the NCM warned that rainy clouds over some western and internal areas, embeded with some convective clouds and fresh winds will cause blowing dust and sand till 8pm on Wednesday. More light rainfall is expected in Dalma, Al Sila, Ruwais, Abu Al Abayed, and other internal areas of Abu Dhabi, today. Earlier…

Hollywood star Steven Seagal on guns, armoured vehicles and making more films Hollywood star, martial artist, musician, Buddhist and Russia’s one-time special envoy to the US, Steven Seagal wears many hats. One you may not have heard of is his role as brand ambassador for UAE-based Streit, a defence company that makes sophisticated armoured vehicles right here in Ras Al Khaimah. Born in the US, the actor gained international fame for roles in the 1980s and 1990s in action films such as Under Siege and On Deadly Ground. He is a vocal supporter of Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and holds…

Road closures in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for UAE Tour cycling race The UAE Tour cycling race will get under way next week and motorists should be aware of a string of road closures. Organisers of the elite professional cycling race – which will feature 20 teams and some of the biggest names in the sport – have released details of routes which will be closed for six of the seven stages of the event. The opening stage on Sunday, a 16-kilometre team time trial on Al Hudayriat Island, will have no impact on drivers. Road closures will be in…

Expo 2020 Dubai: Falcon Aviation Services, Leonardo to start building rotorcraft terminal Abu Dhabi – Italian-headquartered company Leonardo and Falcon Aviation Services have announced that they have started building the new rotorcraft terminal that will facilitate the mobility to and from the Expo 2020 site in Dubai. The terminal design is based on brand new concept, combining a helipad, exhibition and lounge areas in a single city-based heliport. The terminal will be supporting the development of a network of point-to-point connections for both urban transfers and connections between cities, meeting the growing demands for sustainable and modern vertical lift…

HALCON Unveils UAE’s First Air Defence Missile ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates– HALCON, a regional leader in the production and supply of precision-guided weapons, today unveiled SkyKnight – the first UAE-designed and manufactured counter-rocket, artillery, and mortar (C-RAM) missile system, at the International Defence and Exhibition Conference (IDEX) 2021. EDGE, the parent company of HALCON, has been developing a short-range air defence system, as has Germany-based Rheinmetall AG, which was actively seeking a missile system to form part of its Skynex air defence system. The companies decided to jointly offer a solution, with HALCON providing SkyKnight, the missile system…

The former wife drives her ex-husband’s car, breaks traffic rules 15 times in Abu Dhabi in order to get back at her ex-husband. The Emirati woman assumed she could get away with violations because the car was registered to her ex-husband and this would serve as a form of payback from a bitter divorce. An Abu Dhabi court has ordered a woman to pay for 15 traffic violations that she committed with a car registered to her ex-husband. According to a report in Emarat Al Youm, the man filed a lawsuit demanding that his ex-wife pay Dh7,290 with the legal…

Saudi Arabia’s former oil minister Ahmed Zaki Yamani dies at 90 Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Saudi Arabia’s powerful oil minister and architect of the Arab world’s drive to control its own energy resources in the 1970s and its subsequent ability to affect oil production, fuel prices, and international affairs, died in London. He was 90. His death was announced on Tuesday by Saudi state television. Yamani helped Saudi Arabia command a dominating presence in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) from its birth. The Kingdom remains a heavyweight in the group even today and its decisions ripple through…

UAE, Qatar officials meet in Kuwait to follow up on AlUla Declaration Official delegations from the UAE and Qatar met in Kuwait on Monday – the first meeting between representatives of the two countries after the historic Al Ula Declaration. The declaration restored full ties between Qatar and the Gulf nations in January this year after over three years. The two sides discussed joint mechanisms and procedures to implement the declaration. They underscored the importance of preserving Gulf unity; developing joint action in the interest of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and their citizens; and achieving stability and prosperity…