Khaleej Times

People stand in front of a giant screen displaying a mass as part of the Jubilee of Deacons at St Peter’s square in The Vatican as Pope Francis is in hospital with pneumonia and will not lead the Angelus prayer from the appartments overlooking St Peter’s square, on February 23, 2025. Pope Francis, in critical condition battling double pneumonia, had a “tranquil” night and rested following a respiratory crisis and blood transfusions, the Vatican said on Sunday. Visit our KT link in the bio 🔗 and click on this post to read the complete article.⁠ ⁠ #news #linkinbio #journalism #uae #khaleejtimes #popefrancis #rome #vatican #illness

Teachers in Dubai are advocating for student-centered and play-based cultural experiences to boost early Arabic language learning.⁠ ⁠ This follows the announcement of a new policy by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) aimed at improving Arabic language education in early childhood settings.⁠ ⁠ The policy requires Arabic language instruction for children from birth to six years old at all private schools and early childhood centers in Dubai.⁠ ⁠ The goal is to promote the use of Arabic in schools and society, fostering pride in Emirati culture, language, and heritage.⁠ ⁠ These changes will take effect in September 2025 for schools that begin their academic year in September and in April 2026 for schools that start in April.⁠ ⁠ Visit our KT link in the bio 🔗 and click on this post to read the complete article.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #Khaleejtimes #UAE #Dubai #KHDA #Arabiclanguage #ArabicLearning #Dubaischools⁠

Question: I am a Dubai-based tenant who has just been given a rent hike notice, and I think it is unfair. Dubai recently launched a Smart Rental Index. How do I use this to negotiate a better rate? Please advise. ⁠ ⁠ Answer: In Dubai, the percentage increase in rent may depend on the average rent increase of rented properties in the designated area. ⁠ ⁠ This is under the Article 1 of Decree No. (43) of 2013 Determining Rent Increase for Real Property in the Emirate of Dubai, which states, “When renewing real property rent contracts, the maximum percentage of rent increase for real property in the emirate of Dubai shall be as follows:⁠ ⁠ a. No rent increase, where the rent of the real property unit is up to 10 per cent less than the average rental value of similar units;⁠ b. Five per cent of the rent of the real property unit, where the rent is eleven per cent to twenty per cent less than the average rental value of similar units;⁠ c. Ten per cent of the rent of the real property unit, where the rent is twenty-one per cent to thirty per cent less than the average rental value of similar units;⁠ d. Fifteen per cent of the rent of the real property unit, where the rent is thirty-one per cent to forty per cent less than the average rental value of similar units;⁠ e. Twenty per cent of the rent of the real property unit, where the rent is more than forty per cent less than the average rental value of the similar unit.”⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Visit our KT link in the bio 🔗 and click on this post to read the complete article.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #Khaleejtimes #Dubai #DubaiRent #Rera #DubaiProperties ⁠

A 28-year-old Egyptian man was fined Dh2,000 by the Dubai Court of Misdemeanours after stealing two electric scooters while under the influence of alcohol.⁠ ⁠ Court documents revealed that on April 20, 2024, the man drank alcohol at his residence in the Warsan 4 area at around 1am. About an hour later, he stepped outside and spotted two electric scooters worth Dh1,500, parked behind a bakery.⁠ ⁠ The scooters, which belonged to an employee of the establishment, had their keys left in them. Taking advantage of the situation, the defendant took the scooters and rode off.⁠ ⁠ “The following morning, around 11.30am, I received a call from one of the bakery workers informing me that the e-scooters had been stolen,” the bakery’s owner said in court records.⁠ ⁠ For two days, the defendant kept the scooters until their batteries were drained. He then took them to a nearby grocery store to charge them. It was there that the scooter's owner spotted them and promptly alerted the police.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Visit our KT link in the bio 🔗 and click on this post to read the complete article.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #Khaleejtimes #Dubai #Dubaipolicehq #DubaiLegalNews⁠

The official working hours for government employees and federal entities in the UAE have been announced for the holy month of Ramadan.⁠ ⁠ The working hours will start at 9am and end at 2.30pm from Monday to Thursday.⁠ ⁠ On Fridays, the working hours will be from 9am to 12pm, except for those whose job nature requires otherwise. ⁠ ⁠ Additionally, they may grant flexibility for employees to work remotely on Fridays during Ramadan, with a limit of no more than 70 per cent of the total number of employees in the entity, according to the approved guidelines.⁠ ⁠ Visit our KT link in the bio 🔗 and click on this post to read the complete article.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #BreakingNews #Khaleejtimes #UAE #Ramadan #Ramadan2025 ⁠

Indian and Pakistani expats in the UAE are putting their weekend plans on hold as the much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash at the ICC Champions Trophy takes centre stage on Sunday. ⁠ ⁠ From birthdays and family gatherings to business meetings and even doctor’s appointments, everything is being rescheduled to make way for the game.⁠ ⁠ For Sharjah based Pakistani expat Irfan Mohammed, missing the match was never an option. “We had a team bonding session planned for Sunday afternoon. I was thinking of an excuse when my boss himself postponed it. It turns out he realized no one was coming anyway.”⁠ ⁠ Even medical appointments aren’t spared. A general physician in Karama said multiple patients called to reschedule their check-ups. “They just say they have ‘personal reasons,’ but let's be honest, it’s because of the match.”⁠ ⁠ Many personal events are also being moved. Amit Verma, an Indian expat in Bur Dubai, said, “My daughter’s birthday was planned for Sunday, but we moved it to today."⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Visit our KT link in the bio 🔗 and click on this post to read the complete article.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #Khaleejtimes #INDvPAK #CricketFever #UAECricketMania #Cricket #UAE ⁠

The news about Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange Bybit losing, in one fell swoop, $1.5 billion (approximately Dh5.51 billion) worth of digital assets following a "sophisticated attack" by hackers, has once again raised the question of security and volatility of cryptocurrency.⁠ ⁠ Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) is "actively monitoring" the situation. In a statement shared with Khaleej Times on Saturday, the regulatory body said the hack remains a "highly evolving matter that we will continue to closely track until it stabilises".⁠ ⁠ Vara clarified that Bybit has not been granted a regulatory licence in Dubai.⁠ The world's second-largest crypto exchange is currently working towards "fulfilling the stringent licensing requirements" to secure a Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) operating permit in the emirate.⁠ ⁠ The Dubai-headquartered exchange said in September last year that it was granted a provisional (non-operational) approval for virtual asset exchange services in Dubai for retail, qualified investors, and institutional users. ⁠ ⁠ This marked an "essential milestone" for the company to securing full operational approval in the emirate, it said then.⁠ ⁠ The cryptocurrency exchange on Friday reported a loss of over 400,000 ETH — the second-largest cryptocurrency network by market value after Bitcoin. Key crypto players came together to support the company. This "unprecedented show of solidarity" could lead to stronger industry-wide measures to counter and prevent future hacking incidents, Bybit said.⁠ ⁠ Visit our KT link in the bio 🔗 and click on this post to read the complete article.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #Khaleejtimes #Bybit #VARA #VASP #Cryptocurrency #Cyrptowallet⁠

"I hope to one day be the astronaut who will plant the UAE flag on the moon," said Noora AlMatrooshi, the first Emirati female astronaut, during her talk with students at the American Academy for Girls in Dubai on Friday.⁠ ⁠ When asked about working in a traditionally male-dominated field, AlMatrooshi emphasised that “space exploration is no longer limited to men” and stressed the growing role of women in the industry.⁠ ⁠ The pioneering Emirati astronaut shared her aspirations to inspire young Emiratis to pursue careers as astronauts in the space corps.⁠ ⁠ To read the full story, click the link in the bio. ⁠ ⁠ #nooraalmatrooshi #emirati #astronaut #dubai #femaleastronaut #uae #khaleejtimes

Ramesh Cidambi, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free and Chairman of the tournament’s Organising Committee, was brimming with pride while reflecting on that historic occasion.⁠ ⁠ “It was iconic. You need good fortune to have an idea like that and to have iconic players like Andre Agassi and Roger Federer who were here for the tournament,” Cidambi said.⁠ ⁠ “It caught fire in the imagination of the people. I think many things came together and it’s a nice milestone when we think of the evolution of the tournament over the years.”⁠ ⁠ To read the full story, click the link in the bio. ⁠ ⁠ #andreagassi #rogerfederer #tennis #burjalarab #helipad #dubai #khaleejtimes

Grooving in sync, Kamal Kumar, a blue-collar worker from India, matched steps to the pulsating beats of the hit Indian film song Pushpa. He impressed the audience and judges with his performance and won the recent Smart Idol contest 2025 in the dance category.⁠ ⁠ Another contestant, Baljit Singh, a 42-year-old Indian technician who works in Abu Dhabi, won first prize in the music category and also brought home Dh5,000 cash prize. He trained in Indian classical music but was not able to pursue it professionally.⁠ ⁠ Launched in 2013, the Smart Idol contest is one of the most sought-after performing arts programmes for the blue-collar community in the UAE, conducted by SmartLife Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in Dubai. Kumar and Singh were this year’s big winners.⁠ ⁠ To read the full story, click the link in the bio. ⁠ ⁠ #smartidol2025 #artsprogramme #competition #bluecollarworkers #uae #khaleejtimes

Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange Bybit lost $1.5 billion (approximately Dh5.51 billion) worth of digital assets as hackers carried out a "sophisticated attack". This marks the biggest such heist in the industry's history.⁠ ⁠ The situation has led to a "surge" in withdrawal requests, but they have not been halted, the company said.⁠ ⁠ Calling it the "worst hack possibly in the history of any medians (banks, crypto, finance)", CEO and founder Ben Zhou said all Bybit functions remain functional. The withdrawal system is now fully back to normal, with people able to "withdraw any amount and experience no delays".⁠ ⁠ To read the full story, click the link in the bio. ⁠ ⁠ #bubit #cryptocurrency #cryptotheft #benzhou #dubai #khaleejtimes

Four printing presses in Dubai were closed for printing illegal massage cards, Dubai Police announced on Saturday. Authorities showed photos of staff who were arrested and said “anyone involved with these printing presses could face legal consequences.” Dubai Police advised against contacting the numbers found on the massage cards, as doing so could expose individuals to risks such as theft or extortion from those involved in these illegal activities. To read the full story, click the link in the bio. #massagecards #dubaipolice #illegalactivity #dubai #khaleejtimes