Middle East

Damascus/Syria, Jan 12: Missiles fired by Israeli warplanes struck a warehouse at Damascus International Airport late Friday, causing damage but no casualties, a Syrian military official said. The unidentified official was quoted by Syrian state media as saying Israeli aircraft coming from the south fired several missiles at areas near Damascus about 45 minutes before midnight. He said Syrian air

Dubai, Jan 10: India’s Congress party president Rahul Gandhi has arrived in Dubai for a much-anticipated visit to the UAE that will see him address Indian expatriates at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on January 11. An enthusiastic crowd awaits outside the Dubai airport to welcome Congress President @RahulGandhi #RahulGandhiInUAE pic.twitter.com/q36Ob8YxDh — Congress (@INCIndia) January 10

Sydney, Jan 9: The United Nations has found that a teenage woman who fled Saudi Arabia is a legitimate refugee and has asked Australia to take her in, officials in Canberra said Wednesday. “The UNHCR has referred Rahaf Mohammed Al-Qunun to Australia for consideration for refugee resettlement,” the Department of Home Affairs confirmed in a statement. The decision marks a significant victory for the

Bangkok, Jan 7: A Saudi woman being held at Bangkok airport on Monday appealed for asylum and for other passengers to help protest her looming deportation, in desperate tweets from the hotel room where she barricaded herself. The incident comes against the backdrop of intense scrutiny of Saudi Arabia over its investigation and handling of the shocking murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year

Jeddah, Jan 4: Saudi Arabia on Thursday called for a global initiative to combat the recruitment of child soldiers. Ambassador to the US, Prince Khalid bin Salman, said the Arab coalition fighting in Yemen to support the internationally recognised government, regularly encountered children who had been recruited by the Houthi militia. In a series of heartfelt tweets, Prince Khalid said the

Saudi prosecutors will seek the death penalty for at least five people over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the kingdom’s state media reported on Thursday as 11 suspects attended their first court hearing. The state-run Saudi Press Agency and state television gave few details about the hearing and did not name the suspects. However, a statement from prosecutors said the suspects attended the

Abu Dhabi, Jan 3: An Indian expat has won Dh15 million in Big Ticket Abu Dhabi raffle on Thursday. As usual, the list of top 10 winners had most Indians taking away most of the money. Sarath Purushothaman, who had purchased ticket no. 083733 at Big Ticket Abu Dhabi, was announced as the winner of the bumper prize, Dh15 million. The second price, Dh100,000 was won by Indian expat, Jinachandran

Dubai, Dec 30: Rahul Gandhi, the chairperson of All India Congress Committee, will address Indian expats and interact with NRI business tycoons in the region during his two day UAE tour on January 11-12 as part of his international outreach. The visit to the UAE will be his second to the Gulf region this year. In January, Gandhi visited Bahrain shortly after taking over as the Congress chief in

Cairo, Dec 29: Egyptian security forces have killed 40 suspected militants in three separate incidents in North Sinai and Giza, the ministry of interior said on Saturday, a day after a deadly bombing on a Vietnamese tourist bus in Giza killed four people. The ministry did not say whether the suspected militants were connected to Friday's attack, but said its forces killed 30 people during raids on

Cairo, Dec 29: An explosion on Friday targeting a bus carrying Vietnamese tourists on an excursion to the Giza pyramids left four people dead and 10 others wounded, Egyptian authorities said. Three of the tourists were killed along with the tour guide, an Egyptian citizen, Attorney General Nabil Ahmed Sadeq said in a statement. The bus driver and nine other Vietnamese visitors were wounded