Middle East

Mosul, Mar 22: Almost 100 people, mostly women and children, died Thursday as a ferry packed with families celebrating Kurdish New Year sank in a swollen river in the former Daesh stronghold of Mosul, in Iraq’s worst accident in years. There was an outpouring of grief among residents who only this year resumed the annual festivities on the banks of the Tigris after the northern city’s recapture

Dubai, Mar 21: A company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said an employee was fired and deported after he allegedly celebrated the mass killing of Muslims in New Zealand last week. At least 50 people were killed and dozens wounded by a lone gunman at two mosques in Christchurch on Friday in what is the country's worst modern mass shooting. Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, a suspected white

Riyadh, Mar 20: Saudi Arabia launched an ambitious $23 billion project on Tuesday to create vast open green areas in the capital, Riyadh, including the world’s biggest city park. Construction will begin this year on four schemes — King Salman Park, Sports Boulevard, Green Riyadh and Riyadh Art — which will create sustainable communities, drive action against climate change and provide up to 70,000

Occupied Jerusalem, Mar 20: A new ad with an elegantly dressed minister using "fascist" perfume drew online outrage on Tuesday, the latest in a social media war ahead of an Israeli election that has also featured a flatulent hippo. Israeli law prevents political ads from being aired on television until two weeks before the April 9 election, so parties have flooded social media with clips instead

Beirut, Mar 18: Eight years of war in Syria have left more than 370,000 people dead including 112,000 civilians, a monitor said on Friday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of sources across the country, said more than 21,000 children and 13,000 women were among the dead. The conflict flared after unprecedented anti-government protests in the southern city of Daraa on

Abu Dhabi, Mar 18: President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a cable of condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, on the death of Princess Al Bandari bint Abdulrahman bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Sheikh Khalifa expressed his heartfelt grief and sympathy with King Salman and prayed to Allah Almighty to rest

Mumbai, Mar 18: Jet Airways has grounded its operations at Abu Dhabi Airport from Monday for an indefinite period, citing operational reasons. Abu Dhabi is one of the two international hubs of Jet Airways. Dutch capital Amsterdam is the European gateway for the airline for its operations to Europe and beyond. "Jet Airways has cancelled all their flights from Abu Dhabi with immediate effect from

Ramallah, Mar 17: The attacks occurred near the Ariel junction southwest of Nablus, and the Israeli regime said they were believed to have been carried out by a Palestinian. “One Israeli is dead,” Israeli army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said, adding that the assailant “appears to be Palestinian.” Israeli media earlier reported that an assailant stabbed a regime soldier and

Dubai, Mar 15: When Dubai resident Heba Adeeb woke up on Friday morning, she thought another deadly earthquake has struck Christchurch, New Zealand. She was stirred by hundreds of messages in her WhatsApp inbox but it was a more jolting news as her father was one of those shot by the lone gunman who attacked two mosques and left almost 50 people killed and scores more injured. Still shocked by the

Beirut, Mar 14: Russian air strikes killed at least 13 civilians, including six children, Wednesday in Idlib province, in the first such raids since a September truce deal, a monitor said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said around 60 people were also wounded in the air strikes that struck several areas in the northwestern province, which is Syria's last major rebel bastion