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UAE confirms 1,027 new coronavirus cases, Dubai extends tourist visas for 1 month

People wearing protective face masks walk on Dubai mall in the UAE. (File/AFP)
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Updated 29 December 2020
Arab News
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UAE confirms 1,027 new coronavirus cases, Dubai extends tourist visas for 1 month

  • UAE says 1,253 have recovered over the past 24 hours
  • Kuwait records 204 cases and 1 death, Oman reports 91 cases
Updated 29 December 2020
Arab News

DUBAI: The UAE on Monday recorded 1,027 new COVID-19 cases and three virus-related deaths.
Officials from the Ministry of Health and Prevention said the total number of cases since the pandemic began had reached 202,863. The death toll is 660.
It was also announced that 1,253 people had recovered from the virus in the past 24 hours. The total number of recoveries is 179,925.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, announced the emirate would extend tourist visas to all visitors for an additional month without any government fees, given that some countries temporarily closed their airports and restricted entry and exit.

The decision “comes in order to make it easier for visitors from all over the world who came to Dubai to spend end-of-year holidays with their families,” state new agency WAM reported.
The statement added that all government agencies have been instructed to facilitate procedures during the coming period for visitors and tourists, to take into account all circumstances that may occur in their home countries and cooperate with all concerned authorities to ensure the comfort and safety of all visitors to the UAE.
Dubai Health Authority said that it has established three field hospitals with 49 doctors and nurses plus 10 administrative and supporting staff to offer medical care during the emirate’s new year celebrations.

Dubai Police also announced plans to enhance safety and security for the celebrations across 23 locations.

Meanwhile, during daily inspection tours, Dubai Economy issued warnings to two establishments for failing to adhere to COVID-19 precautions. Inspectors found 504 other businesses to be compliant.
Abu Dhabi Sports Council said that it will resume activities for sports academies to allow children under 12 to practice individual sports while following COVID-19 protocols, which also include testing for technical staff and organizers, and installing thermal devices at entrances and training sites. 
Etihad Airways said it is expanding its business with the launch of airline and charter services to offer bespoke business or leisure trips for passengers with free health insurance against COVID-19.
Amal Al-Obaidly, director of Destinations Network Planning at Etihad Aviation Group, said: “With the continuing coronavirus pandemic and its tremendous impact on the commercial aviation sector, charter flights provide a convenient option for travel to allow guests to choose the travel timing, destination and air route with flexibility.”
Elsewhere, Kuwait reported 204 new infected cases and one COVID-19 related death, raising the total to 149,857 and 932 respectively.

Oman’s Health Ministry confirmed 91 new cases, raising the total to 128,563. The death toll remains 1,495 after no deaths were reported in the previous 24 hours.

In Bahrain, zero deaths was reported, keeping the death toll to 351, while 202 new infected cases were confirmed.

Topics: UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention dubai economy COVID-19 Abu Dhabi Sports Council Dubai Health Authority Etihad Airways Coronavirus Kuwait Oman Bahrain

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Arab ministers denounce Israeli ‘arrogance’ over blocking West Bank visit

Updated 16 min 23 sec ago
Arab News
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Arab ministers denounce Israeli ‘arrogance’ over blocking West Bank visit

Updated 16 min 23 sec ago
Arab News

CAIRO: Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said the Israeli government's refusal to allow Arab ministers to the occupied West Bank showed its “extremism and rejection of peace.”

His statements came during a joint press conference with counterparts from Jordan, Egypt, and Bahrain in Amman. 

The Arab ministers condemned what they described as the “arrogant” Israeli decision to ban them from visiting the West Bank and its rejection of any peace efforts.

Members of the Ministerial Committee assigned by the Joint Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit on Gaza met with Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman earlier today to discuss ceasefire efforts in the Gaza Strip and a post-war plan.

The Ministerial Committee, which consists of the foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain, along with the Secretary-General of the Arab League, held a video conference meeting in Amman on Sunday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his deputy, Hussein Al-Sheikh, and Mohammad Mustafa, the prime minister and minister of foreign affairs.

Ayman Al-Safadi, Jordan's Foreign Minister, said that the “Israeli government continues to kill all the chances of peace in the region” after the committee visit was blocked on Saturday.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan echoed these sentiments and said Israel's refusal to allow the delegation to visit Ramallah confirmed its extremism, adding that the Palestinian Authority continued to carry out its duties while facing a party that did not want any solutions.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told Petra news agency that Jordan and Egypt will strongly confront all Israeli plans to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

On Saturday, Israel said it will not allow a planned meeting on Sunday in the Palestinian administrative capital of Ramallah to go ahead.

Topics: War on Gaza Saudi Arabia Jordan Israel Egypt

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Five dead in Kuwait apartment block fire: official

Updated 01 June 2025
AFP
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Five dead in Kuwait apartment block fire: official

Updated 01 June 2025
AFP

KUWAIT: A fire in a residential building southwest of Kuwait City killed five people, the Gulf state’s fire brigade said on Sunday.
The blaze broke out in two apartments in the Rigga area, about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the capital, said spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammed Al-Gharib.
Three bodies were found at the scene and two more people died from their injuries in hospital, he told AFP.
Several others were injured, and Gharib warned the death toll could rise due to the severity of some of the burns.
An investigation has been launched into the cause.

Topics: Kuwait

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Lebanon says one killed in Israeli strike on south

Updated 01 June 2025
AFP
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Lebanon says one killed in Israeli strike on south

  • The ministry said an ‘Israeli enemy’ strike targeted a motorcycle in the village of Arnoun, in the Nabatieh region
  • Israel has continued to strike Lebanon despite the ceasefire that took effect on November 27
Updated 01 June 2025
AFP

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli strike on the south of the country Sunday killed one person, the third deadly raid in four days despite a ceasefire with Hezbollah.

The ministry said an “Israeli enemy” strike targeted a motorcycle in the village of Arnoun, in the Nabatieh region about five kilometers (three miles) from the Israeli border.

Farther south, another strike hit a car in Beit Lif, in the Bint Jbeil area, wounding one person, the ministry said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Israel has continued to strike Lebanon despite the ceasefire that took effect on November 27, ending more than a year of conflict — including two months of open war — with militant group Hezbollah, which emerged severely weakened.

On Thursday, two people were killed in Israeli strikes on the south, and another died in a raid on Saturday.

Under the truce terms, Hezbollah fighters were to withdraw north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers from the border, and dismantle their military posts to the south.

Israel, for its part, was to pull all its troops out of Lebanon but has maintained five positions it deems “strategic” along the frontier.

The Lebanese army has since deployed in those areas, where it is the only force allowed to operate alongside UN peacekeepers.

Topics: Battlefield Lebanon Lebanon Israel

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Syrian president meets Kuwait emir on official visit

Updated 01 June 2025
Arab News
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Syrian president meets Kuwait emir on official visit

  • Al-Sharaa's visit to Kuwait aims to boost bilateral ties between the two countries
  • Kuwait has underscored its unwavering support for Syria’s unity and sovereignty
Updated 01 June 2025
Arab News

CAIRO: Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa held official talks with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Sunday during a state-visit, according to KUNA News Agency. 

The Syrian president arrived earlier in the day accompanied by his Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani and several high-profile Syrian officials.

Both leaders discussed bilateral ties between the two brotherly countries and ways to enhance them in all fields, the KUNA statement said. 

The talks also affirmed Kuwait’s steadfast support for the unity of Syria and its sovereignty, it added. The talks also covered the latest regional and international developments. 

Al-Sharaa's visit to Kuwait aims to boost bilateral ties between the two countries. 

Ties between Syria and Kuwait resumed last year, witnessing a notable revival when Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya visited Damascus on Dec. 30. 

Since the visit, Kuwait launched the first flights of a humanitarian air bridge to Syria, to help alleviate the suffering of Syrians, according to KUNA News Agency.

Kuwait, joining other GCC member states, has underscored its unwavering support for Syria’s unity and sovereignty.  

Al-Sharaa had previously visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on his Gulf tour.

 

Topics: Fall of Assad Syria Kuwait GCC

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Istanbul’s ‘suitcase trade’ stalls as African merchants face crackdown

Updated 01 June 2025
AFP
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Istanbul’s ‘suitcase trade’ stalls as African merchants face crackdown

  • African traders say business has slumped, even as official export figures continue to rise
  • African traders help drive demand for Turkish goods through the ‘kargo’ system
Updated 01 June 2025
AFP

ISTANBUL: Porters roam the narrow streets of Laleli in central Istanbul carrying parcels ready for shipment to customers all over the world.

The maze of alleys that lead down to the Sea of Marmara have long been the center of the “suitcase trade” to sub-Saharan Africa, a route through which merchants carry goods back and forth in their baggage.

But Laleli’s informal shipping scene, once a bustling hub of cross-continental trade, is now facing growing pressure from rising costs and tougher residency rules imposed by Turkish authorities.

African traders, who helped drive demand for Turkish goods through the “kargo” system – small-scale shipping services between Turkish wholesalers and buyers across Africa – say business has slumped, even as official export figures continue to rise.

While some still make round trips, most trade now moves through shipping services.

For agents like Fadil Bayero – a Cameroonian who runs a kargo business that ships clothing, cosmetics and home textiles from Turkiye to clients across Africa – business is slow.

Turkish products have a very good reputation in Africa, he said.

“Before this room was filled to the ceiling. Today it is half-empty,” the 39-year-old said.

Like many Africans in the neighborhood, he claimed that shipments have dropped, even as Turkish exports to Africa have generally soared – from $11.5 billion (€10.1 billion) in 2017 to $19.4 billion last year.

Turkish textiles, once known for their affordability, have grown more expensive in recent years.

Merchants say inflation – above 35 percent since late 2021 – has pushed African buyers toward cheaper suppliers in China and Egypt.

But for Bayero, the explanation lies elsewhere.

“It’s not inflation that’s the problem, it’s the arrests. Many people have been deported,” he said.

Since 2022, Turkiye’s migration policy has toughened, with the authorities blocking new residence permit applications in several districts of Istanbul, including Fatih, where Laleli is located.

The goal is to limit the proportion of foreigners to 20 percent per neighborhood.

“The stores, the streets, everything is empty now,” said Franck, one of Bayero’s colleagues.

“Look out the window – the sellers sit all day drinking tea while waiting for customers.”

A few streets away, Shamsu Abdullahi examined his spreadsheets.

In his dimly lit room, dozens of bundles are stacked on the white tiled floor, awaiting shipment.

Since January, he and his two colleagues have shipped over 20 tons of goods by air freight and filled the equivalent of 15 maritime containers.

The Nigerian has also made around 15 round trips to his homeland, bringing 80 kilos (176 pounds) of goods with him on each journey.

“My residence permit expires in two months, and I think the authorities won’t renew it,” he said.

He and his associates generate over a million euros a year in revenue.

“It’s money spent in Turkiye that fuels the local economy,” he said.

Historian Issouf Binate, a lecturer at Alassane Ouattara University in the Ivory Coast, said much of the trade is informal, making it hard to track.

“It’s difficult to provide figures on the volume of Turkiye’s exports to Africa because many businesses are informal,” he said.

“Kargos” are “transitional businesses,” with improvised activity shared between friends or family members.

Many in Laleli now believe that the golden age of the “kargo” and suitcase trading is over.

“In one year we went from about three tons of shipments per week to 1.5,” said a young Congolese who has lived in Istanbul for five years and asked not to be named.

“Even if we still manage to find low-cost products, we cannot compete with China,” he added.

Arslan Arslan, a Turkish merchant who sells African dresses a few meters (yards) away, painted the same picture.

“Before, I had customers from morning to evening... but the authorities sent them back.”

Now Arslan searches for his African customers on social media.

“I’m on Telegram, Instagram, Facebook. But here, everything has become expensive,” he said.

“I’ve lost 70 percent of my revenue in a year.”

Topics: Istanbul Turkiye

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