Middle East

Kuwait, Jul 11: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has arrived in Kuwait at the start of a four-day visit to Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to help seek a resolution to the ongoing Gulf crisis. On Monday evening, Tillerson met with the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah and other senior Kuwaiti officials to discuss the ongoing efforts to resolve the Gulf dispute. "We are trying to

Kuwait City, Jul 10: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is expected to arrive in Kuwait on Monday to help seek a resolution to the crisis between Qatar and four Arab states. Tillerson will "meet with senior Kuwait officials to discuss the ongoing efforts to resolve the Gulf dispute", the state department said in a statement. His presence in the region leaves open the possibility that he may try

Mosul, Jul 9: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory in the "liberated" city of Mosul today, his office said, in the biggest defeat yet for the Islamic State group. Abadi "arrives in the liberated city of Mosul and congratulates the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory," his office said in a statement. The announcement comes after a gruelling

Jeddah, Jul 9: King Salman on Saturday vowed to punish those who dare to harm Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Press Agency reported. In phone calls to the relatives of the policemen who where killed in Qatif this week, the king said Saudi Arabia was firmly determined to face whoever dares to harm the stability and security of the nation and hold them accountable. On Saturday morning, a security patrol in

Muscat, Jul 8: The Central Bank of Oman ordered all local commercial banks and exchange companies to trade the Qatari riyal at the official exchange rate. "The Central Bank of Oman will also accept Qatari riyals and provide exchange services if needed," the statement said. The Qatari currency came under pressure as Gulf commercial banks began to hold off on dealing with Qatari banks because of the

Jeddah, Jul 7: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have vowed to take 'political, economic and legal measures' after Qatar's refusal to accept a list of demands presented by the four countries. In a joint statement released late on Thursday, the Saudi-led group also blamed Qatar for "continuing to seek to sabotage and undermine the security and stability in the Gulf region".

Cairo, Jul 6: Four Arab states calling for combating terrorism vowed Wednesday to maintain their boycott of Qatar, criticizing its “negative” response to their list of demands to end the diplomatic crisis. Doha’s response, they said, was “not serious” and betrayed Qatar’s “failure” to realize the gravity of the situation. The announcement followed a meeting by foreign ministers from the four

Jeddah, Jul 5: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain have received Qatar’s response to their collective demands for restoring relations and that they “will respond to it in a timely manner,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said early Wednesday. The Saudi foreign ministry also said on Twitter that Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir received from Kuwaiti State Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Sabah

Kuwait, Jul 4: Qatar has responded to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia-led Arab alliance, which gave Doha an extra 48 hours to decide, officials confirmed on Tuesday. The decision was made after Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani arrived in Kuwait late Monday, reports Xinhua news agency. The minister was carrying a handwritten letter from Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim

Kuwait, Jul 4: Qatar has delivered its response to a list of 13 demands from Saudi Arabia and three other Arab countries that cut have ties with it and imposed a land, air and sea embargo amid a major diplomatic crisis. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's foreign minister, was received by Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah on Monday to hand over a letter from Qatar's emir