Middle East

Tehran, Dec 8: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said US sanctions were "economic terrorism", as he sought to foster a united front from visiting regional officials on Saturday. Washington has reimposed an oil embargo and other damaging sanctions on Iran since pulling out in May from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers. "America's unjust and illegal sanctions against the

Vienna/New Delhi, Dec 7: Oil cartel OPEC will consider views of world leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who represent the voice of major consuming nations, with seriousness before taking a decision on cutting output to support falling prices, Saudi oil minister Khalid Al Falih said Thursday. India is the world’s third largest oil consuming nation, which is more than 80 per cent

Dubai, Dec 7: Singer Mika Singh was arrested in UAE for allegedly sending "indecent pictures" to a teenaged Brazilian model, according to a media report on Thursday. Singh, who was here to perform at a party, was arrested in UAE after the model lodged a complaint that the singer has sent her inappropriate pictures, Gulf News reported quoting sources. He also promised her a job in a Bollywood movie

Abu Dhabi, Dec 5: India and the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday signed a currency swap agreement to boost investment and enable direct trade without using dollars or other international currencies. The swap is for 200 crore dirhams or Rs. 3,500 crore ($496 million), depending on which central bank requests the amount, an official statement said. "The bilateral currency swap agreement between India

Tehran, Dec 4: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani struck a defiant stance against US sanctions on Tuesday, renewing his threat to cut off international oil sales from the Gulf. "America should know... it is not capable of preventing the export of Iran's oil," Rouhani said at a televised rally in Semnan province. "If it ever tries to do so... no oil will be exported from the Persian Gulf," he added

United Nations, Dec 4: The UN Security Council will meet behind closed doors on Tuesday at the request of France and Britain after they accused Iran of test-firing a medium-range missile at the weekend, diplomats said. The United States said the missile launch on Saturday was a violation of a UN resolution that endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, from which Washington has withdrawn. That

Doha, Dec 3: Qatar is to leave OPEC next month in order for the Gulf state to focus on gas production, Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi announced on Monday. "Qatar has decided to withdraw its membership from OPEC effective January 2019," Kaabi said at a Doha press conference. He added that Qatar would still continue to produce oil but would concentrate on gas production, where it is the biggest

Israeli police are recommending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be indicted in a corruption case involving Israel's telecom giant. Police say on Sunday they have established an evidentiary foundation to charge Netanyahu and his wife Sara with accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust. The case revolves around suspicions that confidants of Netanyahu promoted regulations worth hundreds of

Dubai, Dec 2: In a new historic achievement, the UAE passport has become the strongest passport and now ranked first globally. The exceptional achievement on December 1, 2018, coincides with the 'Year of Zayed' and country's 47th National Day, and is added to country's numerous accomplishments in various domains. في يومنا الوطني المجيد .. توالت إنجازاتنا .. قبل قليل صنف مؤشر passport index جواز

Abu Dhabi, Nov 29: The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (FAIC) on Thursday said the amnesty that had been granted to illegal residents is ending on November 30 and that there will be no more extensions for the initiative. "The amnesty initiative ends on November 30. No more extensions for the scheme," an official from the FAIC told Khaleej Times. Authorities said that they will step