Middle East

Jeddah, Jul 26: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced that pilgrims have started arriving in the Kingdom via land, air and sea ports. On Sunday, 325 pilgrims arrived at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah on the first Hajj flight from Pakistan, while three other Hajj flights from Pakistan arrived in Madinah with 651 pilgrims on board. More international flights followed. The

Madinah, Jul 25: The Haj 2017 season has begun, with the first flights arriving from Pakistan on Monday. The first group of 329 pilgrims from Islamabad arrived at Prince Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Madinah. The group was received by Sajid Yousafani, director general of the Pakistan Haj Mission; Asif Memon, deputy consul general; and Ashraf Lanja, joint secretary at the Ministry of Religious

The last couple of weeks have seen daily demonstrations and confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories. Tensions have risen in occupied East Jerusalem's Old City after Israel shut down al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the first time since 1969, after a deadly gun battle between Palestinian citizens of Israel and Israeli forces. The attack, which took

Kabul, Jul 24: At least 24 people have been killed and more than 40 wounded after a suicide car bomb targeted Afghanistan's capital Kabul, police said. The target of Monday's attack was unclear, Najib Danish, a police spokesman, told AFP news agency, adding that the casualty toll could rise. The attack came just before 7am and took place close to the house of Hazara leader Mohammed Mohaqeq. Al

Jerusalem, Jul 23: Two Palestinians have died in separate incidents after clashes with Israeli security forces in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Oday Nawajaa, 17, died of his injuries on Saturday after being hit by Israeli live fire at al-Eizariya town east of Jerusalem, the ministry said. Palestinian leader freezes contact with Israel Another Palestinian

Lebanon, Jul 23: A Lebanese mediator was killed on Saturday in a second day of fighting between the powerful Hezbollah group and fighters near the border with Syria, the official news agency ANI said. "Ahmad al-Fliti, who was mediating between fighters and Hezbollah...was wounded when his car was hit by shelling of unknown origin in Juruod Arsal," ANI said. "He later succumbed to his wounds."

Doha, Jul 22: The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has said that his country is ready for dialogue to resolve a diplomatic crisis with a Saudi-led group, but stressed that any solution to the crisis must respect his country's sovereignty. "We are open to dialogue to resolve the outstanding problems [so long as Qatar's] sovereignty is respected," Sheikh Tamim said in a televised

Jeddah, Jul 21: King Salman on Thursday decreed the consolidation of the counterterrorism and domestic intelligence services under a new body named the Presidency of State Security. The new state security agency will be headed by intelligence chief Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed Al-Howairini, who will hold the rank of a minister. In a series of royal decrees, King Salman also appointed Abdullah bin

Washington, Jul 20: Iran continues to be the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, the Trump administration said on Wednesday. In its annual Country Reports on Terrorism, the State Department said Iran was the world’s “foremost” state sponsor of terrorism in 2016, a dubious distinction the country has held for many years. It said Tehran was firm in its backing of proxies that have

Doha, Jul 19: Qatar has announced that it is considering legal action against four Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, demanding compensation for losses incurred owing to the ongoing blockade. Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar's economy minister, met on Tuesday the heads of international trade organisations in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss the case for compensation. Qatar has