Category: Middle East

Dubai Drivers will soon be driving vehicles which flashes digital number plates. The trial-run for the same is expected to be kick-started in May. The vehicles will be fitted with smart plates with digital screens, GPS and transmitters, reports BBC. The new plates will be able to inform emergency services if a driver has an accident. The technology is reported to be helping the drivers in contacting the police and ambulance services if the vehicle is involved in a collision. The technology also allows real-time communication with other drivers about traffic conditions or accidents/glitches ahead. The number plates can also change to ... Read more

This Saturday marks Isra’a Wal Mi’raj, a national holiday in the UAE. It’s been officially confirmed that Dubai will be dry from Friday, April 13 at 6pm until Saturday, April 14 at 7pm. UAE bars and restaurants will have a dry day/night during this period, to mark the second holiday of the year. Al Isra’a Wal Mi’raj is an Islamic holiday which is observed annually on the 27th day of the Islamic month of Rajab, according to the Hijiri calendar. And, this year, the holiday falls on Saturday, April 14. The holiday is based on the sighting of the moon, so ... Read more

The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai, (GDRFA-Dubai) will soon launch the “Smart Gate,” a quick and easy alternative to the standard manual passport control counters and e-gates. The new Smart Gate system has undergone testing and will go live next month. “The new gate enables each passenger to pass through immigration without assistance or travel document or ID and within only 10 seconds,” said Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, GDRFA-Dubai Director-General. The e-gates across the immigration checkpoints served more than 6,500 million inbound passengers from January to March 2018 and more than 6,800 outbound passengers during the same ... Read more

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has launched Naqel Service allowing buses owned by passenger transport companies and licensed in the Emirate to lift passengers arriving in Dubai for returning them to other Emirates. The step is part of RTA’s endeavours to realise its third strategic goal (People Happiness), curb traffic congestion, and avoid returning buses without riders or obliging companies to contract with other firms. “Naqel Service, which is operative through RTA’s website is an initiative allowing buses owned by passenger transport firms to load passengers arriving in Dubai and lift them for returning to other Emirates. Through ... Read more

If the Gulf investors are moving ahead with their plans to dig a 60 kilometre-long water canal alongside the border with Qatar, chances are high that Qatar could be turned into an island. The canal would be 60 kms long, 200 meters wide and 15 to 20 meters deep, enabling it to receive all kinds of ships from tankers and passenger ships, with a maximum length of 300 meters and a width of 33 meters. The planned canal would stretch from Salwa to Khor Al Adeed and is expected to cost around 2.8 billion Saudi riyals. This, however, depends on the approval ... Read more

Qatar Tourism Authority’s (QTA) Tour Guide Training and Licensing programme has now been extended to include desert safari guides in Qatar. The programme, which will begin on April 15, 2018, will involve training all drivers of 4×4 tourism vehicles. The training will be provided by Doha Off-road Training Centre and will see guides hone their skills across all aspects of off-road driving including safety, navigation, convoy driving and emergency handling. Safari drivers will also be provided with tour guide training to enhance their communication with tourists, and provide them with information on the nature and history of Qatar’s desert. Guides ... Read more

Qatar Airways is introducing two additional daily flights to Muscat, commencing April 10 and June 15. The additional flights will take the airline’s daily services to Muscat to seven, and will meet the increased demand of tourists visiting Oman, as well as that of transit travellers flying via Doha to the Far East. “We are delighted to offer two more daily frequencies to Muscat, one of our most sought-after destinations. These new services, coinciding perfectly with the arrival of the summer holidays, will provide passengers even greater flexibility and convenience in connecting to one of the many destinations on our ... Read more

Emirates said to reduce the frequency of services on a number of routes to Europe, Asia and US in the coming months. As reported by Routesonline.com, a schedule update showed the carrier was reducing its Dubai to Fort Lauderdale and Dubai to Orlando services from once a day to five times a week, after July 2 and 3 respectively. The change represents a return to the previous schedule after the carrier said in January it would be restoring daily services to both locations from March 25 following a “steady rebound in customer demand”. Other reductions include a decrease in frequency from ... Read more

Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo has launched an aqua-nursery. The  aqua-nursery is a special place for the Aquarium’s youngest residents to spend their initial months, surrounded by other new arrivals! The nursery not only allows the aquarium experts to care for the newborns, but it also offers visitors the opportunity to learn about the varying lifecycles and reproductive process for a variety of species. Visitors can explore peak breeding seasons, gestation periods and the scientific terminologies covering various species – for an enlightening, entertaining and all-round adorable discovery. At present the nursery houses zebra sharks, shovel nose rays, bamboo sharks ... Read more

പൊതുഗതാഗത ശൃംഖല വിപുലപ്പെടുത്തുന്നതിനായി ദുബായ് റോഡ്സ് ആന്‍ഡ് ട്രാന്‍സ്പോര്‍ട്ട് അതോറിറ്റി 316 പുതിയ ബസുകള്‍ കൂടി വാങ്ങുന്നു. 465 ദശലക്ഷം ദിര്‍ഹമാണ് ഇതിനായി ചെലവിടുന്നത്. പരിസ്ഥിതി സൗഹൃദമായ യൂറോപ്യന്‍ എമിഷന്‍ സ്റ്റാന്‍ഡേര്‍ഡ് സര്‍ട്ടിഫിക്കേഷനുള്ള യൂറോ അഞ്ച്, ആറ് സാങ്കേതിക വിദ്യകളോടെയും അത്യാധുനിക സൗകര്യങ്ങളോടെയുമുള്ള കോച്ചുകളായിരിക്കും ഇവ. അടുത്ത വര്‍ഷത്തോടെ എല്ലാ ബസുകളും എത്തിച്ചേരും. ഇതോടെ 2019-ല്‍ ദുബായ് ആര്‍.ടി.എ.യുടെ ബസുകളുടെ എണ്ണം 2085 ആയി വര്‍ധിക്കും. ചെയര്‍മാന്‍ മത്തര്‍ അല്‍ തായറുടെ അധ്യക്ഷതയില്‍ ചേര്‍ന്ന ആര്‍.ടി.എ.യുടെ ഡയറക്ടര്‍ ബോര്‍ഡ് യോഗമാണ് ഈ തീരുമാനമെടുത്തത്. പുതുതായി വാങ്ങുന്ന ബസുകളില്‍ 143 എണ്ണം ഡീലക്സ് ഇന്റര്‍സിറ്റി കോച്ചുകളായിരിക്കും. 79 ഡബിള്‍ ഡെക്കര്‍ ബസുകളും 94 എണ്ണം ഇടത്തരം ബസുകളുമായിരിക്കും. ലോകനിലവാരത്തിലുള്ള പൊതുഗതാഗതം ദുബായിലും സജ്ജമാക്കുക എന്ന ലക്ഷ്യത്തോടെയാണ് പുതിയ ബസുകള്‍ വാങ്ങാനുള്ള തീരുമാനമെന്ന് ചെയര്‍മാന്‍ അല്‍ തായര്‍ വിശദീകരിച്ചു. 2030 ആവുമ്പോഴേക്കും ദുബായിലെ വാഹനഗതാഗതത്തിലെ മുപ്പത് ശതമാനവും പൊതുസംവിധാനത്തിലാക്കി മാറ്റുക എന്ന ലക്ഷ്യത്തോടെയാണ് ഈ ... Read more

Saudi Arabia is all set to host its first fashion week from April 10 to 14 at the Ritz Cartlon in Riyadh. The four-day event will feature local Arab designers and European brand names including Roberto Cavalli and Jean Paul Gaultier. “Since the initial announcement made in February, Arab Fashion Week Riyadh has garnered significant interest from international guests wanting to attend,” said Layla Issa Abuzaid, the country director for Saudi Arabia at the Arab Fashion Council. The event, which was scheduled to be held in February, got postponed “to accommodate all the international guests who had applied to attend,” said ... Read more

Rove Hotels has launched the 5th property in its budget brand of “lifestyle hotels” in Dubai with rooms under Dh 300 a night. Part of Emaar Hospitality Group, Rove Dubai Marina will be opening its doors on April 7. The rooms will be charged Dh282 per night including taxes in July, and from about Dh400 including taxes at busier times. The hotel, located on Marina Promenade at the southern end of Dubai Marina, has a 24-hour gym, pool, sundeck, a restaurant, meeting spaces and free self-parking and Wi-Fi. A buffet breakfast at the Rove Dubai Marina costs Dh55 and is free for ... Read more

Every Sunday until Ramadan, Wafi Mall’s rooftop will open the city’s first outdoor Bollywood cinema. The open air cinema will serve Indian street food and also features a bar. Some of Bollywood’s all-time favourite blockbusters including 3Idiots, Lagaan, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag will be screened in the cinema over the weeks. Organisers have partnered with Asha’s restaurant in Wafi Mall to provide a selection of Indian street food, with a bar featuring unique movie-themed beverages. Tickets are Dh70 per person, and include a small masala popcorn and one drink. A luxurious VIP package includes sofa seating and a three-course meal ... Read more

McDonald’s is giving away free cups of coffee till March 9 between 5 am and 3 pm every day. You don’t need to buy scores of food/drinks to avail this offer. Just walk-in to any of the McDonald’s outlets in Dubai between the said time and claim your coffee. The offer is running in all McDonald’s branches in Dubai except at airports and KidZania. Since the deal is not available on McDelivery, you have to visit the store to get your free coffee. McDonald’s has almost 162 stores across the UAE.

Etihad Airways has begun a month-long trial to test the SkyLights Aero Virtual Reality (VR) entertainment technology in order to gather customer feedback before introducing the offering at the Midfield Terminal in Abu Dhabi International Airport. The trial takes place at its First Class Lounge and Spa and Business Class Premium Lounge. “By conducting trials such as this, we already understand that modern travellers expect more information and seek increasingly connected and immersive experiences which engage and entertain them on every level. Gone are the days when a premium lounge experience just meant comfortable design, luxurious amenities and fine dining,” ... Read more