Middle East

Riyadh, Dec 17: Saudi Arabia rejects the position of the US Senate, blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday. On Thursday, the US Senate passed a resolution that blamed the Saudi Crown Prince for Khashoggi’s assassination, and also warned the kingdom against purchasing arms from Russia or

Dubai, Dec 14: A 22-year-old popular Indian guitarist has been found dead in his apartment in Dubai, a media report said on Friday. Himanshu Sharma, popularly known as Shaggy, was found dead at his apartment in Garhoud, about 14 kilometres from Dubai on Wednesday. The Dubai Police have confirmed Sharma's death. The police have referred his body to the forensic medicine department and the report

Riyadh, Dec 13: The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman, with the attendance of crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman deputy premier Minister of Defense and the Chairman of The Red Sea Development Company, received a team from The Red Sea Development Company led by John Pagano, the CEO of the company on Tuesday, at ARQA Palace in Riyadh. Mr. Pagano delivered to the King a visual presentation

Washington, Dec 12: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he stood by Saudi Arabia's crown prince despite a CIA assessment that he ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and pleas from US senators for Trump to condemn the kingdom's de facto ruler. Trump refused to comment on whether Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was complicit in the murder, but he provided perhaps his most

Riyadh, Dec 12: Saudi audiences have been treated to a 10-day feast of classical music, including the world premiere of the Arabic translation of the lyrics of Schubert’s “Winter Journey” romantic song cycle. The performances took place at the German diplomatic missions in Riyadh and Jeddah, the French Consulate General in Jeddah, the Goethe Institute in Riyadh and KAUST in Thuwal. The musicians

Abu Dhabi, Dec 10: The 40th session of the GCC summit will be held in the UAE, according to a communique issued at the end of the 39th summit in Riyadh. King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and King of Saudi Arabia, chaired the 39th session of the council in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the

Riyadh, Dec 9: Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will not be attending the upcoming Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit. A delegation headed by Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi will represent the country at the summit. According to Al Jazeera, the GCC summit which is going to be held in Riyadh on Sunday comes amid an ongoing blockade on Qatar

Riyadh, Dec 9: The Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) annual summit was set to open in Riyadh on Sunday, with regional unity imperilled by a bitter row with Qatar and the host, Saudi Arabia, facing a diplomatic crisis over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The one-day annual gathering of leaders from the six member states is expected to focus on security issues, including the Yemen war and

An Air India Express flight -- IX715 -- from Kannur to Abu Dhabi landed in the UAE capital at 12.30pm. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu had on Sunday commissioned the Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL). The first flight, IX715, was flagged off by the chief guests at 10am. All 180 passengers received a gift each from KIAL. This is the

Tehran, Dec 8: President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday warned Western countries that they will face a massive influx of drugs if Iran becomes weakened by US sanctions. Rouhani spoke in Tehran at a six-nation conference on fighting terrorism attended by parliament speakers of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, China and Russia. In remarks broadcast on state TV, Rouhani said a weakened Iran would be