Middle East

Dec 24: Israeli forces have indefinitely closed down the northern entrance to the occupied West Bank twin cities of Ramallah and al-Bireh. On Saturday night, amid ongoing protests over US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) decided to close off the DCO checkpoint that connects

Riyadh, Dec 23: A total of 253,086 people have been arrested in five weeks since the start of the ongoing crackdown against violators of residency and labor regulations in the Kingdom. The coordinated security crackdown, as part of the Nation Without Illegal Expats campaign, started on Nov. 15. Until Thursday, Dec. 21, 136,997 people were arrested for violating residency laws, 83,151 for violating

Riyadh, Dec 21: Saudi Arabia will begin issuing tourist visas in the first quarter of 2018, its top tourism official said, a first for the kingdom as it undergoes major economic and social reforms. Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz said that "all government approvals" are in place for the launch of electronic visas next year to "all nationals whose countries allow their citizens to visit"

Dubai, Dec 21: Indian missions in the UAE have urged blue-collared workers to completely refrain from bringing medicines that are restricted in the UAE. Often Indian workers are detained for possession of illegal drugs, especially sleeping pills or painkillers, which don't have a prescription that has been attested by the UAE Embassy in India. Speaking to a gathering of 400 workers, Indian

Dec 20: The killing of a Palestinian farmer by Israeli settlers in a northern West Bank village last month has left his family in mourning while fighting an ongoing legal battle to save their home, which is slated for demolition. Mahmoud al-Zaal's eight-member family live in Qusra, a village encircled by illegal settlements and outposts south of the city of Nablus. An Israeli settler from a nearby

Riyadh, Dec 19: Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a Yemeni rebel missile over Riyadh on Tuesday. “Ballistic missile intercepted over Riyadh,” the Coalition battling Yemen’s Houthi rebels said in a statement. It was the second Houthi missile attack on Riyadh in the past two months. The missile was supplied to Houthis by Iran. On Thursday, US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley presented

Dubai, Dec 19: Rainfall has been reported from some parts of Dubai this morning. According to the National Centre for Metrology(NCM), moderate rainfall was reported in Jebel Ali. NCM has stated that the rain, cloudy skies and wind is expected to continue today, but will be less blustery and wet than the past few days. And those who are not enjoying it so much should start feeling a respite from

Jerusalem, Dec 18: Israeli aircraft targeted a Hamas facility in the northern Gaza Strip early Monday, claiming that two rockets fired from the Palestinian enclave struck southern Israel. “In response to the rockets launched toward southern Israel, IAF (Israel air force) aircraft targeted a Hamas training compound in the northern Gaza Strip,” a statement from the military said. On Sunday night

Doha, Dec 18: Oil-rich Qatar on Monday celebrated its National Day amid the ongoing Gulf diplomatic crisis, which appears to have created a greater sense unity among the nation’s 2.5 million residents. The annual holiday is observed on December 18 to mark the date in 1878 when Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani succeeded his father as the emir and led the country towards unity. Qatar's foreign

Heavy rains hit Dubai, Al Ain, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and some other parts of UAE on Sunday, flooding streets in Kalba areas. The weather department has sounded the alarm and asked residents to be cautious while out near the sea. "It is not advisable to go swimming or venture out to the mountains till Monday. The weather conditions are very unstable and we are closely monitoring the situation,"