Middle East

Doha, Oct 29: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived Doha in Qatar on Sunday beginning her two-nation visit to the Gulf region. During her stay, Ms Swaraj will call on Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and will hold delegation level talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. She will also interact with the Indian

Doha, Oct 28: Long-awaited reform of Qatar's controversial exit visa system, which requires foreign workers to obtain their bosses' permission to leave the country, came into force on Sunday, the government said. "Law No. 13 of 2018... regulating the entry, exit and residency of expatriates is being implemented starting today," the interior ministry announced on Twitter. Qatar announced in

Dahuk, Oct 28: The 26-year-old Yazidi mother faces a heartbreaking choice. Her family is preparing to emigrate from Iraq to Australia and start a new life after the suffering Daesh wreaked on their small religious minority. She is desperate to go with them, but there is also someone she can’t bear to leave behind: Her 2-year-old daughter, Maria, fathered by the Daesh fighter who enslaved her. She

Manama, Oct 27: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Saturday that those behind the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi would be prosecuted in the kingdom and that the investigation would take time. Jubeir told a security summit in Bahrain that Riyadh’s relations with the United States were “ironclad” amid what he described as “media hysteria” over the killing of Khashoggi at

Gaza City, Oct 27: A barrage of rockets from Gaza hit Israel during the night, the army said on Saturday, hours after five Palestinians were killed during clashes on the Israeli border, in a flareup that could jeopardise truce efforts. The largest projectile attacks in months and the border fatalities came despite talk of progress towards an Egyptian-brokered deal to end months of often violent

New Delhi, Oct 27: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will travel to Qatar and Kuwait from October 28 to 31 in pursuit of India's objective of enhanced engagement with the Gulf region. She will have engagements in Qatar on October 28 and 29 and Kuwait on October 30 and 31, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. During her visit to Qatar, Swaraj will interact with her

Dubai, Oct 26: The Dubai Fitness Challenge makes an energetic comeback today. Were you one of the many residents who woke up to a text message from 'Faz3' on Friday morning? If so, then you were one of the thousands to be personally invited to take part in the Dubai Fitness Challenge by none other than Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai

Riyadh, Oct 24: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince on October 24 denounced the murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi as a “heinous crime”, insisting the kingdom was cooperating with Turkish authorities and “justice will prevail”. “The crime was very painful to all Saudis. And it is painful, heinous to every human being in the world,” Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in his first comments since the murder of

Dubai, Oct 23: More than 25 deals worth more than $50 billion have been signed at Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, including 12 “mega deals.” One of the deals signed was for the second phase of Haramain high-speed railway. Public transport projects, including the development of Saudi Land Bridge project, are also among the raft of deals signed. An MoU between Saudi Aramco and Halliburton

Doha, Oct 21: A surprise thunderstormstruck Qatar on Saturday, causing widespread flash floods due to torrential rains, bringing parts of the tiny Gulf nation to a standstill. In Abu Hamor suburb of capital Doha, 84 mm of rainfall was recorded in less than six hours, easily surpassing the country's average annual rainfall of 77 mm. With this, the desert country received almost a year's downpour in