Category: Arab News

Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, hailed the humanitarian role and international status the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia is enjoying worldwide crowned by its presidency of the G20 and hosting the G20 Interfaith Forum which discusses the international efforts to fight coronavirus COVID-19 and other important issues facing the humanitarian societies, highly valuing the Kingdom’s prudent leadership’s decisions to face the pandemic according to the principles of Islam.He said.

In a speech to the opening session of the forum, Al Al-Shiekh conveyed the greetings of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his Crown Prince to the participants in the event, held under the sponsorship of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Dialogue among followers of religions and cultures and the alliance of international partners which was kicked off on Tuesday

He highlighted the measures taken by the Kingdom to combat the coronavirus, making it among the best, citing the cooperation of religious authorities in carrying out the government-led measures.

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UAE, Israel To Boost Biz Ties; Dubai Residents Can Now book Covid Tests in Malls; Pandemic Disrupted Critical Mental Health Services; Asia-Pacific Group Retains Pakistan on ‘Enhanced Follow-Up’ list; Taiwan Sends Strong Message Against Chinese Expansionism – all in Asian Lite Daily Digital – please click here to read.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a telephonic discussion to assess the progression of bilateral relations in view of the peace accord the two countries recently signed.

The two leaders also reviewed the steps being taken to enhance UAE-Israel cooperation in various development and economic fields, the UAE’s official news agency WAM reports.

The two sides also affirmed that the normalisation of relations is a step to enhance regional peace, stability and security, and paves the way for a new phase of cooperation.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a statement that he had invited the crown prince to Israel, and that he also received the same invitation, although no dates were confirmed.

The Israeli Cabinet, meanwhile has approved the normalization deal with the UAE. It will now submit the agreement for parliamentary ratification.

During the call, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed reaffirmed the country’s keenness to exert all efforts to achieve peace, stability and development for all.

The two sides also discussed a number of various issues including strengthening cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus, ways to empower youth in the region, the principles or tolerance and cooperation among others.

Also Read: UAE, Israel Foreign Ministers Hold First Review Meeting

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Palestine’s general elections are scheduled to be held between February and March 2021…Reports Asian Lite News

Palestine is ready to hold “free and democratic” elections as soon as possible, said Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye.

“We will go to a national celebration when we hold our democratic elections in order to restore our national institution,” Xinhua news agency quoted Ishtaye as saying on Sunday while participating in the olive harvest season celebrations in Ramallah.

“All the Palestinians will meet under our parliament in true national unity, as it was in the past, under the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in order to establish the Palestinian state on the ground,” he added.

Palestine’s general elections are scheduled to be held between February and March 2021.

They were originally scheduled to be held in 2014 in accordance with the Fatah-Hamas Gaza Agreement signed in the same year.

However, the elections were then delayed indefinitely.

In October 2017, Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation deal in which Hamas agreed to dissolve the unity government in Gaza and hold general elections by the end of 2018, but the elections again were not held.

Also read:Covid-19: Palestine extends state of emergency

Indian embassies and consulates abroad, including the GCC states, will soon facilitate the renewal of International Driving Permits, IDP, for citizens whose IDP has expired while they are abroad.

“It has come to notice that for citizens who are in a foreign country, the International Driving Permit gets expired and there is no mechanism for its renewal while abroad,” the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways here said in a press release. “Citizens can apply through Indian embassy/Mission abroad portals and the applications would then move to the VAHAN for being considered by the respective RTOs.”

VAHAN is the Indian government’s integrated system for services such as vehicle registration, issuance of permits and payment of taxes under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. RTOs stand for Regional Transport Offices, the organisation of the Indian government responsible for maintaining a database of drivers.

The new procedure for renewal of IDPs of Indians while they are abroad through Indian diplomatic missions is to be facilitated through an amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules of 1989.

The government is also seeking comments and suggestions from the public for such amendments. They can be sent to the Joint Secretary (MVL,IT & Toll), Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Transport Bhawan, Parliament Street, New Delhi-110 001 within 30 days or emailed to jspb-morth@gov.in

Proposed amendments include removal of the requirement of a medical certificate and a valid visa at the time of making the request for an IDP while an Indian is abroad. “Further, there are many countries where visa is issued on arrival and in such cases the visa was not available when applying for the IDP in India before travel,” the press release said.

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The presence of Turkey’s army in Qatar is an “element of instability in the region,” the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs said on Saturday, according to Arab News.

“The Turkish military presence in the Arab Gulf is an emergency… It reinforces polarization, and it does not take into account the sovereignty of states and the interests of the Gulf countries and its peoples,” Anwar Gargash tweeted.

Commenting on a statement made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his recent visit to Qatar, Gargash said that Turkey’s army is not working toward stability in the region as the President claimed.

“The statement of the Turkish President during his visit to Qatar, in which he indicates that his army is working toward the stability of all Gulf states, is inconsistent with Turkey’s regional role, and the evidence (for this) is numerous,” the report quoted the minister as saying.

The Turkish President had on Wdnesday visited Qatar and met the country’s Emir Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Also Read: Turkey Calls For Urgent Reconciliation With EU