UAE to test self driving cars on streets

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be the first country in the Middle East and the second globally to test self-driving cars on its streets, the UAE Prime Minister and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid announced on Tuesday.

"The UAE will be the first country in the Middle East and the second globally to test self-driving cars on its streets," Sheikh Mohammed said on Twitter.

The United Kingdom (UK) recently became the first country in the world to allow driver-less cars on roads. The UAE approved a temporary licence to test self-driving vehicles on the country's roads, after the plan was authorised by the cabinet.

The ministry will submit a report to the cabinet for permanent approval in the future, if it adopts the technology in co-ordination with relevant authorities, Sheikh Mohammed said. Sheikh Mohammed also approved the conditions for granting residency to retired foreigners in the UAE, where retirees can continue to stay in the country after their retirement.

“We welcome everyone to our country,” the Ruler of Dubai said. The UAE approved plans for residents aged 55 or over to secure a five-year retirement visa, if they met certain requirements.

Under the new conditions approved by the UAE cabinet, non-citizens with at least one property worth Dh1 million (Rs46,390,070) or a bank deposit of no less than Dh1 million or an active annual income of at least Dh180,000 (Rs8,350,212) are eligible to apply for the visa.