Middle East

Damascus, April 11: The UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, says he has received assurances from Damascus that it will respect his ceasefire plan. Speaking during a visit to Iran, Mr Annan said there could be "improved conditions on the ground" by Thursday morning, if all sides did so. A deadline for Syria to withdraw troops and weaponry from population centres expires on Thursday. But

Dubai, April 11: FNC members took their chance yesterday to ask the Chairman of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments about the possibility of making Friday sermons more topical and more pertinent to the UAE. Sultan Al Shamsi (Ajman) asked: "Why can't the subjects of the Friday sermons revolve around the current reality and situation locally and internationally?" Dr Hamdan Al

Moscow/Paris/Beirut, April 11: Syria's foreign minister told Moscow yesterday Damascus had started withdrawing troops in line with Kofi Annan's peace plan but Russia said the regime should implement the initiative more decisively. The rare visit by Foreign Minister Walid Muallem to Moscow coincided with a deadline under the Annan plan for Syria to withdraw forces from protest cities amid Western

Abu Dhabi, April 11: The UAE’s new permanent representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato), Mohammed Ali Al Naqbi, ambassador to Libya Obaid Mohammed Al Ka’abi and ambassador to Kuwait Ali Ahmed bin Shukr Al Za’abi were sworn in before the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in presence of Shaikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President’s Representative

Dubai, April 10: An Indian father has appealed for help to find his son who went missing along with his car on March 25. Abdul Khader, a businessman from Abu Dhabi, says his son Mohammed Thahseer Berkka, 28, has been missing for more than two weeks. "He is missing with his vehicle and his two mobile phones are switched off. I am worried that he might have been kidnapped," said Mr Khader, who hails

Dubai, April 10: The Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Patrons of the Arts Awards, honoured 47 organisations and individuals for their contributions towards the city’s cultural scene at a prestigious event held on Sunday at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Hotel, in the presence of members of the royal family. In its third edition, the ceremony opened with a delightful musical performance titled

Dubai, April 10: His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, reiterated on Monday his support to steps and measures aimed at facilitating the flow of trade between Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states and removing obstacles in this regard, considering progress in this direction a step forward in transforming the GCC

New Delhi, April 10: India and Qatar on Monday signed agreements in the field of energy, culture, education, finance and legal to strengthen the bilateral ties between the two nations. India's Oil Minister Jaipal Reddy and Qatar's Energy Minister Mohammed Bin Saleh al-Sada inked agreements in the presence of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Dubai, April 9: Dubai’s private schools received the green signal on Sunday to increase fees as the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) announced a new school fees framework. Fee increases for the new academic year will range between three to six per cent this year based on an educational cost index (ECI), which will be announced regularly by the Dubai Statistics Centre (DSC), and the

Cairo, April 9: An Egyptian pipeline supplying gas to the Israeli regime and Jordan has once again been hit by a major explosion, which is the fourteenth attack on the energy link since January 2011. The attack on the gas pipeline, which crosses the Sinai Peninsula, occurred on Monday in the northern Sinai at the entrance of the Mediterranean coastal town of Al-Arish, Reuters reported. No group or