Middle East

Damascus, Sept 2: The Syrian Army on Sunday said that the explosions at munitions dump in Mezzeh air base earlier in the day were caused by a short circuit, and not an Israeli missile attack targeted at the airbase situated in the west of Damascus. The statement from the army came after two explosions were heard at the airbase, China's state-run news agency, Xinhua, reported. Scores of activists

Riyadh, Sept 1: A Saudi official hinted Friday the kingdom was moving forward with a plan to dig a canal that would turn the neighbouring Qatari peninsula into an island, amid a diplomatic feud between the Gulf nations. "I am impatiently waiting for details on the implementation of the Salwa island project, a great, historic project that will change the geography of the region," Saud al-Qahtani, a

Jeddah, Aug 31: Sixty-nine percent of state employees do not have access to the code of conduct and ethics for public service, according to a survey by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha). A random sample of 4,723 employees was surveyed in eight government agencies in five regions: Riyadh, the Eastern Province, Makkah, Tabuk and Asir. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed said their

Dubai, Aug 30: A day after seeking help from the public in finding an Indian man who had gone missing, Ajman Police on Wednesday said that the man has been found. Mohiey Al Dean Mohammad, 47, was found in a Dubai hospital. "His family has been informed. Ajman Police expresses thanks to the society for helping to locate the man," the police announced on their Instagram handle. Mohiey had left his

Dubai, Aug 29: Three Saudi royals have been appointed to the International Olympic Committee, it was announced on Wednesday. The three are Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud, Vice Chairman of the General Sports Authority (GSA) of Saudi Arabi, Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud, Vice President of Planning and Development for the GSA, and Prince Fahad bin Juluwe bin Abdulaziz, Executive

Pentagon, Aug 29: The US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said on Tuesday that Iran would be “held accountable” for its reckless behavior in the region. He was speaking as a string of senior American officials offered fresh warnings about Tehran’s aggressive foreign policy and the effect it has on destabilizing the Middle East. Mattis said that Iran had been “put on notice” that its “continued

New Delhi, Aug 28: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has adopted a powerful stance in empowering women, setting new standards based on a model drawn from the vision of founding father of the Arab country, late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. This approach perpetuates in the current leadership's vision for the future, whereby women stand as active partners and contributors in the country's

Jeddah, Aug 28: The Arab coalition on Monday accused the Houthi militia of putting “pressures” on UN humanitarian organizations operating in Yemen. Spokesman Col Turki Al-Maliki called on them not to remain silent on abuses committed by the the Iran-backed militants. “We call on UN organizations in Yemen to be neutral and not tolerate violations,” he said, at e news conference in Riyadh. The

Jeddah, Aug 27: King Salman sent a thank-you note to Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saud bin Naif, interior minister and chairman of the Supreme Hajj Committee, congratulating him for Al-Adha and the success of this year’s Hajj. The king said that the comprehensive security, regulatory and traffic plans for this year’s Hajj allowed 2.3 million pilgrims “to perform their duties with ease, security and

Dubai, Aug 26: Bahrain will be the next country to implement five per cent value-added tax (VAT) after the UAE and Saudi Arabia as part of the GCC framework agreed between the six states, according to tax experts. David Stevens, VAT implementation leader, EY, expects Bahrain, Qatar and Oman to implement in early 2019 - though no firm dates have been set yet - with Kuwait likely to be the last