Middle East

Gaza City, Nov 29: A medical aid group says the vast number of patients treated for gunshot wounds from months of violent border protests have overwhelmed Gaza’s health care system. Doctors Without Borders says that thousands are in danger of infection and disability because Gaza hospitals cannot adequately treat them. Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers have been organizing weekly border protests since

Beirut, Nov 28: A local official in Raqqa says more than 500 bodies have so far been exhumed from one of the largest mass graves discovered near the Syrian city, once the capital of the Daesh group’s self-styled caliphate. Raqqa was liberated in a US-backed campaign that ended more than a year ago, but rescuers and recovery teams continue to locate mass graves around the northern city. More than a

Bengaluru, Nov 28: Schools in Bengaluru are not happy with the HRD ministry’s circular on capping the weight of bags carried by class 1-10 students. They are, in fact, demanding a comprehensive study and reworking of the curriculum and also want the Centre to frame guidelines to redesign school bags. According to the institutions, the fancy school bags themselves are as much a burden on the

Singapore, Nov 27: Oil slipped on Tuesday, pulled down by record Saudi Arabian production even as OPEC's top producer pushes for supply cuts ahead of the group's meeting in Austria next week. International Brent crude oil futures (LCOc1) briefly dipped below $60 per barrel before rising back to $60.33 at 0520 GMT, down 15 cents, or 0.3 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate

Dubai, Nov 25: The United Arab Emirates will offer long-term visas to rich property investors, senior scientists and entrepreneurs in an effort to support its economy and real estate market, which have been hurt by low oil prices. Until now, visas for foreigners to live in the Arab world's second biggest economy have generally been valid for only a few years, and have depended on the main visa

Tehran, Nov 25: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged Muslims worldwide on Saturday to unite against the United States and assured Saudis they were “brothers” who had nothing to fear from Tehran. US President Donald Trump abandoned a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between major powers and Tehran in May and has since reimposed crippling unilateral sanaction. “What the United States wants of (the

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday called Israel a "cancerous tumour" established by Western countries to advance their interests in the Middle East. Iran's leaders frequently condemn Israel and predict its demise, but Rouhani rarely employs such rhetoric. Addressing an annual Islamic Unity Conference on Saturday, Rouhani said "one of the ominous results of World War II was the formation

Dubai, Nov 24: The Ras Al Khaimah Police in the United Arab Emirates have announced cash prize for students who report drug dealers to the authorities. The force's general commander Major-General Ali Abdullah bin Alwan Al Nuaimi made the announcement on behalf of Sheikh Mohammed bin Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince of Ras Al Khaimah, during the second edition of the anti-narcotics student

Manama, Nov 24: Polling stations opened on Saturday at 8 am (0500 GMT) across Bahrain for 2018 parliamentary elections, Bahrain news agency reported. Polls will remain open until 8pm (1700 GMT). The government said 506 candidates are running in the election, including the highest number of female candidates. It expects a higher voter turnout than in 2014, which it put at 53 percent.

Jeddah, Nov 22: The commitment of the Kingdom and ally United Arab Emirates to the Yemeni people is historic and will endure, the Saudi ambassador to the US said Wednesday. “KSA and UAE have always been and will always be committed to our brothers in Yemen,” Prince Khalid bin Salman said in a Tweet. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia and the UAE announced a $500 million package for Yemen in response to the