Middle East News

The UAE is set to launch a unified national platform to streamline healthcare worker licensing, enhancing the user experience and expediting the process by standardizing procedures and reducing redundancies.

The UAE topped the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in the 2025 Cost of Living Index, followed by Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman. Oman was ranked as the most affordable GCC country.  

Air India Express has increased its free check-in baggage allowance to 30 kg for passengers traveling between the UAE, the Middle East, and other destinations.

The UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has called for Salat al-Istisqaa, the Islamic rain prayer, to be held in all mosques on December 7, 2024, to pray for rain. This follows slightly cooler weather conditions, with Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah experiencing low temperatures.

A Kerala family of four, including two children, died in a fire in Kuwait on Friday (July 19). The fire broke out at their apartment in Abbasiya and the family hailing from Alappuzha lost their lives in the tragedy.  

Abdul Rahim, a Kozhikode native, has had his death penalty officially scrapped by a criminal court in Riyadh. Rahim had been imprisoned for 18 years for allegedly killing a Saudi boy in 2006.

The Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, this year has been marked by tragedy as over 1,000 pilgrims have died, primarily due to extreme heat reaching 49 degrees Celsius. Among the deceased, a significant number were unregistered pilgrims.

In Mecca, during this year's Hajj pilgrimage, over 550 pilgrims tragically died due to extreme temperatures surpassing 50 degrees Celsius. The majority of the fatalities were attributed to heat-related illnesses.

Following the tragic fire in Kuwait that claimed the lives of 50 including 45 Indian nationals, authorities have detained three individuals, including foreigners, suspected of negligence related to the incident.   

In Kuwait, a devastating fire broke out in a six-storey building in the Mangaf area, resulting in 49 deaths and over 50 injuries. The majority of the victims, who were Indian nationals working for the NBTC Group, died due to smoke inhalation while asleep.