DUBAI – Dubai, the United Arab Emirates business bub, has extended by one week a 24-hour-a-day curfew imposed as part of a sterilization drive to control the spread of the coronavirus, the government said in a Twitter post on Friday.
The UAE has imposed a nationwide nightly curfew since March 26 for the disinfection campaign, but Dubai on April 4 expanded it within the emirate to a 24-hour lockdown for two weeks.
The Gulf Arab country on Friday reported 477 new cases and two more deaths, both Gulf nationals, taking its tally to 6,302 with 37 deaths. Authorities do not provide a breakdown for each of the seven emirates.
The Emirates Red Crescent humanitarian organization will ‘foster and care for’ the families of those who have died in the UAE from the COVID-19 lung disease caused by the virus, the federal government said in a Twitter post.
The UAE has the second highest infection count after its much larger neighbor, Saudi Arabia, among the six Gulf Arab states, where the total number of infections has surpassed 22,500, with more than 140 deaths.
Saudi Arabia has installed thermal cameras to monitor the body temperature of the limited number of worshippers allowed to enter the Prophet’s mosque in Medina, local media said.
Gulf states have taken drastic containment measures against the virus but seen a spread among low-income migrant workers living in cramped quarters.
Several countries have offered free testing to foreign workers, who make up the bulk of the labor force, and taken steps to rehouse thousands in schools or dedicated centres.
Qatar, which has locked down part of an industrial zone where many migrant workers live and work, on Friday announced 560 new cases, mostly among expatriate workers quarantined due to exposure to COVID-19 cases.
DUBAI – Denmark has temporarily suspended all flights from the United Arab Emirates for five days after suspicion arose that the coronavirus tests that can be obtained before leaving Dubai are not reliable, authorities announced Friday. The development, which comes amid a surge of infections in the UAE, poses a direct challenge to the mass … Continue reading TRAVEL | Denmark Suspend Dubai Flights Amid Doubts Over Virus Tests→
PARIS – – Google and a French publishers’ lobby said on Thursday they had agreed to a copyright framework for the U.S. tech giant to pay news publishers for content online, in a first for Europe.The move paves the way for individual licensing agreements for French publications, some of which have seen revenues drop with … Continue reading BUSINESS | Google Seals Content Payment Deal With French News Publishers→
The Saudi – led coalition fighting against Yemen’s Houthi movement said it thwarted two attacks by the Houthis on Friday morning, including destroying an explosive – laden boat in the southern Red Sea, Saudi State TV said on Twitter. The coalition also intercepted and destroyed an explosive – laden drone launched by the Houthis toward … Continue reading BREAKING NEWS | Arab Coalition Thwarts Two Houthi Attacks→
ATHENS – – Lebanon handed back two 18th – century religious icons of Jesus and Mary to Greece on Tuesday after they were seized during an auction, a judicial sources said. The paintings were stole from an exhibition in Athens in 2016, and Greece put out an international notice calling for their return. Icons are … Continue reading ARTS & CULTURE | Lebanon Return Two Stolen 18th – Century Religious Icons To Greece→
RIYADH – – Saudi Arabia has rescheduled appointment for the administration of COVID-19 vaccine due Pfizer delivery delays, the Ministry of Health announced on Thursday in a tweet. Authorities said that those with appointments to receive their first dose will be rescheduled ‘due to the delay of the manufacturer in supplying the Kingdom and all … Continue reading CORONAVIRUS | Saudi Arabia Reschedules COVID-19 Vaccinations Amid Pfizer Delay→
MILAN – – Dubai has suspended live entertainment permits for hotels and restaurants amid a surge in COVID-19 cases according to an official circular issued by Dubai Tourism. ‘The Department observed, through field inspection, an increase in number violations during entertainment activities in hotels and restaurants. Accordingly. the Department directs all concerned in hotel establishments … Continue reading ENTERTAINMENT | Dubai Suspends Live Entertainment Permits As Covid-19 Cases Surge→
U.S. President Donald Trump granted clemency to former White House aide Steve Bannon as part of a wave of pardons and commutations issued in his final hours in office, but did not pardon himself, members of his family or lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Trump leaves office on Wednesday, when Joe Biden is sworn in as the … Continue reading BREAKING NEWS | Trump Pardons Ex – Aide Bannon But Not Himself Or Family→
RIYADH – – Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has received a phone call from French President Emmanuel Macron in which they discussed bilateral relations. ‘During the call, they reviewed relations between the two countries and opportunities for joint cooperation. Regional and international developments were discussed, and a number of issues of common interest … Continue reading BREAKING NEWS | Saudi Crown Prince Receives Phone Call From French President Macron→
RIYADH – – Saudi Arabia expects to re-open its embassy in Qatar in the coming days, Saudi’s foreign minister said on Saturday, following a U.S.-backed détente last week in a three – year-old dispute between Arab states. It is just a matter a logistics, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan told journalists in Riyadh … Continue reading BREAKING NEWS | Saudi To Reopen Qatar Embassy In Coming Days – Saudi Minister→