Middle East

Vatican City, Feb 7: Pope Francis says his pilgrimage this week to the United Arab Emirates wrote a “new page in history of the dialogue between Christianity and Islam” and in promoting world peace based on brotherhood. Telling pilgrims at the Vatican Wednesday about making the first-ever papal trip to the Arabian Peninsula, Francis described his encounter with leaders of Islam as a counterpoint

Doha, Feb 5: Qatar is running out of time to stamp out widespread serious labour abuse for tens of thousands of migrant workers before hosting the 2022 World Cup, Amnesty International warned Tuesday. The human rights group said in a yet another critical labour report that despite well-publicised "nascent reforms", Qatar risks breaking its promise to the world to deliver meaningful change before

Abu Dhabi, Feb 5: Thousands of Catholics will take part Tuesday in the biggest worship of any non-Islamic faith in the Gulf region, when they attend a mass led by Pope Francis at Sheikh Zayed Sports City Stadium. The gates opened at 5 a.m. to allow for the vast numbers of faithful to arrive into the area where Pope Francis will lead the ceremony from 10:30 a.m.. A 120-strong choir selected from

Jeddah, Feb 4: The General Authority of Meteorology and Environmental Protection in Saudi Arabia has said that thunderstorms and rain are expected over the regions of Makkah, Najran and the Eastern Region. The authority warned residents in Makkah of thunder rains accompanied by dust-lifting winds in the city and its nearby areas, including Taif, Turba, Al-Khorma, Meysan, and Beni Saad. Thunder

Abu Dhabi, Feb 4: His Holiness Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday evening to begin his historic visit to the United Arab Emirates. He was received at the airport by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and His Eminence Dr Ahmad Al Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar Al

Jeddah, Feb 2: Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yemen on Thursday asked the UN Security Council to increase pressure on Houthi militias to respect a cease-fire deal. In a letter, the three governments accused the militias of violating the agreement in the port city of Hodeidah 970 times since it came into force on Dec. 18, 2018. They asked the council to “impress upon the Houthis, and their Iranian

Riyadh, Jan 31: Saudi investigators have recovered assets worth more than $106 billion in an anti-corruption crackdown ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the royal court said on Wednesday. The funds are in the form of property, companies, cash and other assets surrendered by senior princes, ministers and top businessmen who were under investigation. In the anti-corruption campaign

Riyadh, Jan 29: Almost half a trillion dollars of investment and 1.6 million jobs are in the pipeline for Saudi Arabia under an ambitious industrial program launched on Monday in the presence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A slew of deals was announced across four key economic sectors — mining, industry, logistics and energy — at an event held at Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton hotel. The National

Dubai International (DXB) retained its position as the world's busiest airport for international customer numbers for the fifth consecutive year with annual traffic for 2018 surpassing 89.1 million. Aside from record traffic numbers, DXB enjoyed a banner year for customer service with shorter wait times and new retail and food and beverage offerings all of which are summarised in Dubai Airports

Ramallah, Jan 28: Palestinian Territories: Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah on Monday offered to resign, his spokesman said, amid efforts by president Mahmud Abbas to form a new government. Such bids are seen as part of attempts by Abbas to further isolate his political rivals Hamas amid a deepening of a decade-long split in Palestinian politics. Hamdallah has “put his government at the