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Saudi to launch visas for tourists in 2018

Agencies
December 21, 2017

Riyadh, Dec 21: Saudi Arabia will begin issuing tourist visas in the first quarter of 2018, its top tourism official said, a first for the kingdom as it undergoes major economic and social reforms.

Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz said that "all government approvals" are in place for the launch of electronic visas next year to "all nationals whose countries allow their citizens to visit" Saudi Arabia.

"We are now just preparing the regulations - who is eligible for the visas and how to obtain them," added the head of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage.

The move to open up its tourism sector is a major shift for Saudi Arabia as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman seeks to radically overhaul the kingdom's oil-dependent economy. Apart from the millions of Muslims who travel to Saudi Arabia annually for the Haj pilgrimage, most visitors face an arduous process and steep fees to enter the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia currently grants tourist visas for a limited number of countries, but even those applications involve a range of restrictions, including requirements to travel through an accredited company and stay at designated hotels.

Prince Sultan said the cost of the new tourist visa had not yet been settled, but stressed that it would be "as low as possible, because we believe the cumulative economic impact is greater than the cash from the visa".

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News Network
April 24,2020

Dubai, Apr 24: The UAE reported 525 new COVID-19 cases on Friday. The Ministry of Health and Prevention said the total number of confirmed cases in the UAE is now 9,281.

MOHAP reported 8 deaths taking the total number of deaths in the country to 64. 123 recoveries have also been announced.

According to the Ministry of Health and Prevention, the latest cases were detected through its intensified investigation and examination procedures.

The ministry conducted over 32,000 additional COVID-19 tests among citizens and residents.

The ministry offered its sincere condolences to the families of the deceased. It also wished a speedy recovery to all patients and called upon the general public to strictly adhere to preventative measures out of concern for the health and safety of all.

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News Network
April 25,2020

Riyadh, Apr 25: Saudi Arabia announced nine deaths and 1,197 new cases of the COVID-19 virus on Saturday.

Of these cases, 120 were recorded in Madinah, 364 in Makkah, 271 in Jeddah, 170 in Riyadh and 43 in Dammam.

The number of people who had recovered from the coronavirus in the Kingdom increased to 2,214 after 165 patients were reported to have recovered.

A total of 136 people have died of the disease in the Kingdom so far.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

Muscat, Jan 11: Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said has died, Aljazeera reported citing state television on Friday.

Qaboos was 79-year-old and was ill for a long time. He has served as the ruler of Oman since 1970 when he ousted his father in a bloodless coup.

Qaboos had no children and has not publicly named his successor.

Sultan Qaboos travelled to Belgium for a week in December for what was described then as "medical checks." He returned to Oman but speculations of his deteriorating health were rife.

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