Saudi Arabia Launches E-Visa Service in 7 Countries

07:05-5 May 2023 AD ـ 15 Shawwal 1444 AH

Saudi Arabia Launches E-Visa Service in 7 Countries

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a new initiative to scrap the visa sticker on the beneficiary's passport and switch to electronic visa that can be read using QR code.

The new initiative will be activated in its first stage in the Kingdom's missions in seven countries, including the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

The move comes within the framework of finishing procedures for automating and raising the quality of consular services provided by the ministry by developing a mechanism for granting different kinds of visas including work, residence, and visit visas.

Yemen's Houthis Say They Will Only Target Israeli-linked Vessels after Gaza Ceasefire

FILE PHOTO: A boat carrying people sails near the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo

Asharq Al Awsat

11:35-20 January 2025 AD ـ 21 Rajab 1446 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

11:35-20 January 2025 AD ـ 21 Rajab 1446 AH

Yemen's Houthis Say They Will Only Target Israeli-linked Vessels after Gaza Ceasefire

Yemen's Houthis will limit their attacks on commercial vessels to Israeli-linked ships after the Gaza ceasefire came into effect, according to the Yemen-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center.
The HOCC, which liaises between Houthi forces and commercial shipping operators, said in an email sent to shipping industry officials dated Jan. 19 that it was stopping "sanctions" against vessels owned by US or British individuals or entities, as well as ships sailing under their flags.
"We affirm that, in the event of any aggression against the Republic of Yemen by the United States of America, the United Kingdom ... the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor," the email said. "You will be promptly informed of such measures should they be implemented."
The HOCC said they would stop targeting Israeli-linked ships "upon the full implementation of all phases of the agreement".
Many of the world's biggest shipping companies have suspended shipping through the Red Sea and have diverted their vessels around southern Africa to avoid being attacked.
The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023 and sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers. The Houthis have targeted the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are joined by the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, a chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.
Hamas released three Israeli hostages in Gaza and Israel freed 90 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, the first day of a ceasefire suspending a 15-month-old war that has laid waste to the Gaza Strip and inflamed the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia Launches E-Visa Service in 7 Countries