Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia drew 27 million foreign tourists in 2023 and has more than doubled its goal for the end of the decade, an official said on Tuesday. The announcement came less than five years after the Gulf kingdom fully opened up to tourism and as fears persist...
WHO warns new cancer cases will rise to 35 million by 2050
Geneva, Switzerland - The number of new cancer cases will rise to more than 35 million in 2050 -- 77 percent higher than the figure in 2022, the World Health Organization's cancer agency warned Thursday. The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) cited tobacco, alcohol, obesity and air pollution...Mocktail mania in Saudi, where dry January lasts all year
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - The concept was controversial: a pop-up bar offering bellinis and spritzes that, while non-alcoholic, were served in chilled cocktail glasses in the capital of teetotalling Saudi Arabia. But although customers were initially wary of the experiment -– which coincided with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a...Iraq police arrest more than 200 in raids on ‘illegal casinos’
Baghdad, Iraq--Iraqi police arrested overnight almost 200 people in raids on illegal casinos where alcohol was served in defiance of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the interior ministry said Tuesday. The raids targeted four locations in Baghdad where games of blackjack and roulette had been underway, ministry spokesman Saad Maan...Iraq customs orders enforcement of alcohol import ban
In spite of divisions over the legislation, Iraq's customs department has given orders to begin enforcing a ban on alcohol imports that became law last month. The specialist retail stores dominating alcohol sales in absence of bars or licensed restaurants however remained open for business, at least in Baghdad.
All events in UAE serving alcohol need CID clearance from Feb 15
The permit can be applied for by the hotel on behalf of the event organizer or client for a fee of $340 per event and per day.World Cup without booze makes atmosphere less aggressive, more family friendly
Some say the absence of booze in stadiums and its limited availability elsewhere in the Arab nation has detracted from the atmosphere inside and outside stadiums.‘FIFA to earn around $700 million due to Qatar World Cup’
"All in all this World Cup will generate for FIFA around $600-$700 million more than the last World Cup," he said ahead of the Sunday's opening match between Qatar and Ecuador.
Fans can survive without beer in World Cup, says FIFA official
DOHA, QATAR - FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Saturday that World Cup fans can survive for three hours a day without beer after sales were banned around stadiums. "I think personally if for three hours a day you cannot drink a beer, you will survive," he told his opening press...
Qatar set to handle 1.5m FIFA Cup fans, challenges
Hotels, condominiums, cruise ship cabins, and even desert camps have all stepped up to accommodate the overflow of tourists as the Gulf country is getting ready for the event.
High taxes take fizz out of Turkey’s cafes
In a waterfront Istanbul neighborhood that once buzzed with cafe and pub life, there are now only empty tables after nearly 50 percent tax hikes on alcohol.
Jordan removes customs fees on more than half of imports
Cars, alcohol, and tobacco would not be exempted from customs fees, Jordanian Finance Minister Mohammad al-Ississ has said.
