Middle East

Jeddah/New York/Aleppo, Dec 14: A Syrian regime’s offensive in Aleppo, backed by Russia and Iran, was over, Russia’s UN envoy said on Tuesday as the US described the violence in the besieged city as “modern evil.” Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said an agreement had been struck for opposition fighters to evacuate the northwestern city and he said civilians would be unharmed, despite western and UN

Riyadh, Dec 13: Police in the Saudi capital said today they had arrested a woman for taking off her veil in public and posting pictures of her daring action on Twitter. Police spokesman Fawaz al-Maiman did not name the woman, but several websites identified her as Malak al-Shehri, who triggered a huge backlash on social media after posing without the hijab in a main Riyadh street last month

Ras Al Khaimah, Dec 12: A 57-year old Arab woman succumbed to fatal injuries and burns she received in a big fire that erupted in her house here in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah early on Sunday. The victim's 62-year-old husband was 90 to 100 per cent burnt due to the massive flames which engulfed the entire house, and totally damaged some rooms in the house. The central operations room of the RAK

Dubai, Dec 11: The Ministry of Presidential Affairs has mourned the death of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid bin Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, who passed away on Sunday. The Ministry prayed to God to rest the soul of the deceased in peace and grant his family patience and solace to bear their loss.

Washington, Dec 10: President-elect Donald Trump shut down some of his companies in the days after the election, including four that appeared connected to a possible Saudi Arabia business venture, according to corporate registrations in Delaware. News of the move comes days before Trump was expected to describe changes he is making to his businesses to avoid potential conflicts of interest as the

Manama, Dec 8: British Prime Minister Theresa May was the star of the show at the 37th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit on Wednesday. The first woman and first British leader to address a GCC summit, May told the assembled leaders: “Gulf security is our security. I want to assure you that I am clear-eyed about the threat that Iran poses to the Gulf and to the wider Middle East. “We in the UK

Dubai, Dec 7: Three men were allegedly involved in embezzling Dh 997,179 after hacking into a bank customer's account, the Court of First Instance was told on Monday. According to prosecution records, the three men, all Indians, aided and abetted other suspects at large in applying for a SIM card in that customer' name at a telecommunication service provider. They faked the victim's signature on

Manama, Dec 7: Regional security and economy top the list of issues being discussed at the two-day Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit taking place in the Bahraini capital. In the opening session of the 37th GCC summit, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman commended the council’s achievements since the previous meeting, including the establishment of the GCC Commission of Economic and

Doha, Dec 6: The visit of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to Doha on Monday was widely covered by Qatari newspapers, which talked about Qatar and Saudi Arabia devising together a vision for the region’s future, one that will meet the needs and interests of the GCC people, and the Arab world in general, and ensure stability, well-being and prosperity. This historic visit is welcomed

Riyadh, Dec 5: Saudi Arabia and Peru, a South American nation with a high human development index, are working on a comprehensive framework agreement to boost cooperation in all sectors following the opening of the Saudi Embassy in the Peruvian capital Lima last year. The proposed accord will cover economy, trade, investment, culture and other areas of cooperation. “Negotiations for this framework