Middle East

Gaziantep, Mar 3: Al Jazeera has obtained satellite imagery from areas inside Eastern Ghouta, showing the destruction continuous government bombardment has caused. The Damascus suburb has been targeted by relentless attacks since the Syrian government, aided by Russia, launched an air offensive on the largely rural area outside the capital on February 18. The comparative images, provided to Al

Riyadh, Mar 2: Saudi Arabia began issuing licenses Thursday to operate cinemas in the kingdom ahead of their reopening after a decades-long ban was lifted as part of a far-reaching liberalization drive. The move is another step toward opening the Saudi market to regional and international theater chains, which have long eyed the kingdom as the Middle East’s last untapped mass market. The culture

Jeddah, Mar 1: Saudi Arabia’s crown prince says the anti-corruption drive launched late last year is the “shock therapy” that the Kingdom needs to root out widespread graft. “You have a body that has cancer everywhere, the cancer of corruption. You need to have chemo, the shock of chemo, or the cancer will eat the body,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told The Washington Post in an interview

Syrian media have released new footage showing Israeli-made weapons discovered by government troops in areas newly liberated from Daesh terrorists in the eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr. The video shows a cache of rockets, mortars, tank shells and other ammunition that terrorists left behind in the cities of Bukamal and Mayadin. Officials say Israeli-manufactured weapons are among the discovered

Jeddah, Feb 27: Intolerance toward others and the wrong thinking which does not believe in diversity or freedom of choice is responsible for global conflicts, a conference of religious and cultural leaders in Vienna heard on Monday. The event was organized by the King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue. Speaking at the opening session of the conference

Riyadh, Feb 26: Gen. Abdul Rahman bin Saleh Al-Bunyan, chief of staff of the Saudi armed forces, inaugurated a major defense exhibition on Sunday on behalf of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. On behalf of Turkey, the guest-of-honor country at the Armed Forces Exhibition for Diversity of Requirements and Capabilities (AFED 2018), Prof. Ismail Demir, chief of the Turkish defense industry

London, Feb 23: Adel Al-Jubeir, Saudi minister of foreign affairs, said on Thursday that the nuclear deal with Iran was unacceptable because Tehran could not be trusted to not produce a nuclear bomb in the future. The so-called “sunset clause” in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) means that in eight to ten years’ time Iran could manufacture a nuclear bomb “within weeks.” Addressing

Beirut, Feb 22: Desperate residents trapped in Eastern Ghouta waited for their “turn to die” on Wednesday beneath one of the most intense bombardments of the Syrian war. UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein described the assault by Syrian regime forces as a “monstrous campaign of annihilation” against the opposition-held territory on the edge of Damascus. At least 310 people have been

Riyadh, Feb 21: The Saudi Cabinet has expressed the Kingdom’s eagerness for stability in Iraq and its permanent stand with all its sects and parties based on the teachings of Islam and the two countries’ historic relations. Chaired by King Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace on Tuesday, the Cabinet also announced the allocation of $1 billion for the reconstruction projects in Iraq in addition to another

London, Feb 20: Saudi Arabia is set to host its first Arab Fashion Week next month as part of a push to support aspiring Saudi designers and drive growth in the sector. Princess Noura bint Faisal, honorary president of the Arab Fashion Council (AFC), announced the news to a small group of industry insiders and journalists in London on Monday morning. Reading a letter from the General Entertainment