Middle East

Damascus, Sep 5: Syrian air defence systems on Tuesday intercepted five missiles fired by Israeli fighter jets targeting various military sites in the Tartus and Hama provinces. A military source said that the jets entered Syrian airspace via Lebanon's capital city of Beirut, adding that the country's air defences downed five missiles and scrambled the hostile jets, reported the Syrian Arab News

Abu Dhabi, Sept 4: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) said it is in early merger talks with Union National Bank and Al Hilal Bank, which could potentially form a lender with $113 billion (Dh 414.71 billion) in assets. Abu Dhabi has been revamping its economy and pressing ahead with consolidating state-owned entities after two years of low oil prices weighed heavily on its revenues. Two of Abu Dhabi

Jeddah, Sept 3: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture issued a temporary ban on importing living birds, hatching eggs and chicks from Malaysia. Head of the General Livestock Risk Assessment Department, Sanad Al-Harby, said the measure is to follow up on the state of veterinary health in countries around the world. The measure is also intended to study the warning letter

Damascus, Sept 2: The Syrian Army on Sunday said that the explosions at munitions dump in Mezzeh air base earlier in the day were caused by a short circuit, and not an Israeli missile attack targeted at the airbase situated in the west of Damascus. The statement from the army came after two explosions were heard at the airbase, China's state-run news agency, Xinhua, reported. Scores of activists

Riyadh, Sept 1: A Saudi official hinted Friday the kingdom was moving forward with a plan to dig a canal that would turn the neighbouring Qatari peninsula into an island, amid a diplomatic feud between the Gulf nations. "I am impatiently waiting for details on the implementation of the Salwa island project, a great, historic project that will change the geography of the region," Saud al-Qahtani, a

Jeddah, Aug 31: Sixty-nine percent of state employees do not have access to the code of conduct and ethics for public service, according to a survey by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha). A random sample of 4,723 employees was surveyed in eight government agencies in five regions: Riyadh, the Eastern Province, Makkah, Tabuk and Asir. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed said their

Dubai, Aug 30: A day after seeking help from the public in finding an Indian man who had gone missing, Ajman Police on Wednesday said that the man has been found. Mohiey Al Dean Mohammad, 47, was found in a Dubai hospital. "His family has been informed. Ajman Police expresses thanks to the society for helping to locate the man," the police announced on their Instagram handle. Mohiey had left his

Dubai, Aug 29: Three Saudi royals have been appointed to the International Olympic Committee, it was announced on Wednesday. The three are Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud, Vice Chairman of the General Sports Authority (GSA) of Saudi Arabi, Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud, Vice President of Planning and Development for the GSA, and Prince Fahad bin Juluwe bin Abdulaziz, Executive

Pentagon, Aug 29: The US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said on Tuesday that Iran would be “held accountable” for its reckless behavior in the region. He was speaking as a string of senior American officials offered fresh warnings about Tehran’s aggressive foreign policy and the effect it has on destabilizing the Middle East. Mattis said that Iran had been “put on notice” that its “continued

New Delhi, Aug 28: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has adopted a powerful stance in empowering women, setting new standards based on a model drawn from the vision of founding father of the Arab country, late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. This approach perpetuates in the current leadership's vision for the future, whereby women stand as active partners and contributors in the country's