Middle East

Beirut, Aug 1: Food access in Syria’s battle-torn Raqqa is now at “a critical turning point,” aid organizations said Monday, with markets shuttered and residents depending fully on their dwindling stockpiles. Raqqa has been gripped by fierce fighting for nearly two months and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have ousted Daesh from half of the northern city. An assessment released Monday by

Dubai, Jul 31: Lead actors of the Bollywood movie ‘Mubarakan’, now playing at theatres in the UAE, visited Thumbay Hospital – Dubai, one of the leading academic hospitals of the region owned and operated by Thumbay Group, on Sunday, 30th July 2017. Bollywood celebrities Anil Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Ileana De Cruz and Athiya Shetty were welcomed at the hospital by Mr. Thumbay Moideen - Founder

Dubai, Jul 31: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, which have tried to isolate Qatar, said on Sunday they would allow Qatari planes to use air corridors in emergencies, but Doha denied it, saying they were spreading "false information". The four countries severed ties with Qatar on 5 June, closed borders - in the sea, land and sky - and imposed economic sanctions, accusing

Dubai, Jul 30: Four Arab states that cut ties with Qatar are refraining for now from imposing more punitive measures against the Gulf state. The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain met in Bahrain's capital, Manama, today to discuss the nearly eight-week-old crisis. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar

Beirut, Jul 30: More than 10,000 displaced Syrians in Lebanon’s mountainous border areas have registered their names to return home, following a local cease-fire between Hezbollah and militants. Double that number is expected to eventually leave the areas around the town of Arsal, a local relief association said, with convoys expected to head back to Syria. The majority of those leaving are

Jul 29: Bollywood stars Anil Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Ileana De Cruz and Athiya Shetty will visit the hospital and meet and interact with fans. Lead actors of the Bollywood Movie ‘Mubarakan’, now playing at theatres in the UAE will visit Thumbay Hospital – Dubai on Sunday, 30th July 2017. Popular Bollywood stars Anil Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Ileana De Cruz and Athiya Shetty will tour the advanced

Washington, Jul 29: The US on Friday imposed new sanctions targeting Iran’s ballistic missile program, one day after Tehran tested a satellite-launch rocket — an act that Washington had called “provocative.” The US Treasury singled out six companies owned or controlled by Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG), which it said was central to Iran’s missile program, freezing their US assets and

Amman, Jul 28: Thousands of worshippers surged into Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday after Israel lifted security measures imposed at the site. Reuters reported at least 113 hurt in scuffles with Israeli police. Chaotic scenes unfolded as police used stun grenades to try to control crowds charging forward when the last gate Muslims use to enter Al-Aqsa was opened after a standoff lasting

Jerusalem, Jul 27: Palestinians have criticised an Israeli legislator who said he would "execute" a Palestinian assailant's family as revenge for an operation that killed three Israelis in an occupied West Bank settlement. In a video posted (Hebrew) over the weekend on his official Facebook account, which has more than 82,000 likes, Israeli Knesset Member MK Oren Hazan said he would demolish the

Jerusalem, Jul 27: Israel has removed more security installations from the entrance to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem after protest and deadly unrest in recent days. Newly installed railings, gates and scaffolding where cameras were previously mounted were removed from the entrance to the compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, reported Al Jazeera early on Thursday. On