Middle East

Damascus, Dec 28: The United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus Thursday, the latest sign of efforts to bring the Syrian government back into the Arab fold. The UAE broke ties with Syria in February 2012, as the repression of nationwide protests demanding regime change was escalating into a devastating war. Nearly seven years later, the Emirati flag was raised again during a ceremony

Moscow, Dec 27: A royal decree to reshuffle the Saudi Cabinet, headed by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, was issued on Thursday, local media reported. According to the Al Arabiya broadcaster, under this decree, Ibrahim al-Assaf, former Saudi finance minister, became the country's foreign minister, while Adel al-Jubeir, who used to be the foreign minister, was appointed as the minister of

Abu Dhabi, Dec 27: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has announced the resumption of diplomatic service at the Embassy of the UAE in Damascus, Syria. The Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy has begun discharging his duty from today. The ministry said that the move underscores the UAE government's keenness to restore relations between the two brotherly countries to their

Abu Dhabi, Dec 25: The first pictures of a princess of United Arab Emirates (UAE), who had reportedly made an abortive bid to run away months back, have been released by the government in an apparent effort to show that she was doing well. In three low-resolution photographs released by the UAE's Foreign Ministry, Sheikha Latifa, daughter of UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Riyadh, Dec 23: Prayers were held Sunday for Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, a senior member of the royal family who supported women's rights and once led a group of dissident princes, who died at the age of 87. Prince Talal was an older brother to King Salman and the father of businessman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. He is the son of the founder and first ruler of modern Saudi Arabia, the late King

Turkey has hit out at Israel's "lawless occupation" of Palestinian territory after the Israeli prime minister accused Turkey of "massacres" against Kurds in a new war of words. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu labelled Benjamin Netanyahu "a cold-blooded killer of modern times", in a Tweet on Sunday, adding that the prime minister was "responsible for massacres of thousands of innocent

Sharjah, Dec 21: Ibrahim Al Jarwan, member of the Arab Union for Space and Astronomy Sciences, AUAS, said that on Saturday, December 22, 2018, the Sun will be directly over the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere, which occurs when the Sun reaches its most southerly declination of -23.5 degrees. Al Jarwan added that either December 20, 21, 22 or 23, will be the longest midnight of the

Jerusalem, Dec 21: Israel will escalate its fight against Iranian-aligned forces in Syria after the withdrawal of US troops from the country, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today. Some Israeli officials have said US President Donald Trump's move, announced yesterday, could help Iran by removing a US garrison that stems the movement of Iranian forces and weaponry into Syria from

Riyadh, Dec 19: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced its biggest-ever budget — with spending set to increase by around 7 percent — in a move aimed at boosting the economy, while also reducing the deficit. However, analysts cautioned that the 2019 budget is based on oil prices far higher than today — which could prove an obstacle in hitting targets. Government spending is projected to rise to SR 1.106

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal has upheld the decision to impose a fine of Dh300,000 against a social media influencer who was recently convicted of slander. The Emirati man had posted a video on Instagram insulting an Emirati social media personality who goes by the name “Kashoona”. The court also ordered for the video clip to be deleted, the defendant’s social media account be closed