Middle East

Jeddah, Jan 9: The brave police officer who shot and killed two Daesh-linked terrorists has been hailed as a hero by Saudi citizens and the international media. The UK-based Daily Mail has cited his bravery, saying that “despite the terrorists being armed with machine guns, an officer shoots them [the two terrorists] with a pistol.” “Hero police officer shoots dead two ISIS terrorists wearing

Abu Dhabi, Jan 8: The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has called for a prayer for rain, or Salaat al Istisqaa, to be performed at all mosques and prayer areas across the UAE at 7:30, Tuesday morning. The prayer follows the Sunnah (practices, customs and traditions) of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). He called for supplicating God to send rain, mercy and abundance

Jeddah, Jan 8: Two terrorists were killed on Saturday after a shootout with Saudi security forces in a district north of the capital Riyadh. Acting on a tip-off that the wanted terrorists were present at a villa in the Al-Yasmeen district, security forces cordoned off the area and asked the extremists to surrender, security sources told Arab News. The militants, who were armed with Kalashnikov

Makkah, Jan 7: Some 311,000 pilgrims used the Haj Metro last season, with zero technical malfunctions and a high level of satisfaction with the system, an official report has said. Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal received a Makkah Development Authority evaluation of the operation of the Mashaer Railway, known as the Haj Metro, covering last year’s busiest pilgrimage season. It found there were

Jeddah, Jan 6: The Middle East’s top tech investors are hopeful the region’s Internet businesses are in for a boost, after Apple confirmed its participation in a $100 billion Saudi-backed mega fund. The iPhone maker on Wednesday confirmed its plan to invest $1 billion in a tech fund being set up by SoftBank Group Corp, according to reports. The Japanese telecoms group was previously said to be in

Dubai, Jan 5: An Arab opposition group has claimed two pipeline bombings in Iran’s oil-rich south and threatened to launch more attacks in the coming year as the country tries to boost production following the nuclear deal with world powers. Iranian Interior Ministry spokesman Salman Samani later denied the claim by the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, which said it bombed the

Cairo, Jan 4: A report alleging human rights violations in Yemen by Houthi rebels has recorded 949 cases of damaged public property and 2,673 instances of private property damage, the Saudi Embassy here reported on Tuesday. The damage varied between complete and partial by bombardment from Houthi militants and loyalists of deposed President Abdullah Saleh against civilian homes and government and

Riyadh, Jan 3: The Cabinet, chaired by King Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday, expressed appreciation for his order to organize a Kingdom-wide fundraising campaign to provide humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people. The Cabinet praised the king’s directive to allocate SR100 million ($26.7 million) for the campaign, his donation of SR20 million ($5.3 million), Crown Prince

Beirut, Jan 2: Syrian government warplanes resumed their bombardment of a rebel-held valley near Damascus on Sunday after nearly 24 hours with no air raids, a rebel official and monitors said, during the third day of a fragile cease-fire. The truce deal, brokered by Russia and Turkey which back opposing sides in the conflict and welcomed unanimously by the United Nations Security Council, has been

Jeddah, Dec 31: Security measures have been tightened in global capitals ahead of tonight’s New Year celebrations, amid heightened fears after a spate of terror attacks. Security experts said however the barricades, road closures and deployment of heavily armed police in many cities is more a show of force than an effective means to thwart an attack. As the world ushers in 2017, security will be