A report by French intelligence services blames the regime of Bashar al-Assad for a suspected chemical attack in rebel-held Idlib province in northern Syria that killed 87 people, Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Wednesday. The analysis of samples taken at the scene of the April 4 attack in t
Tel Aviv – Israel on Tuesday appointed the first-ever female judge to serve in the country’s Sharia court system. The unanimous appointment of Hana Khatib, hailed by some Arab lawmakers as “historic,” was carried out by the Committee to Elect Sharia Judges, known as Qadis, which is headed by J
Turkish authorities detained overnight over 1,000 people suspected of links to US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen who is accused of orchestrating the failed July coup, the interior minister said on Wednesday. A total of 1,009 suspects have so far been detained in raids in 72 provinces across the countr
London – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei destroyed growing foreign hopes, when he strictly warned Tehran’s six presidential candidates from running their campaigns on promises to establish relations with foreign states. Their eyes must not fall beyond Iranian borders, Khamenei addressed the
Brussels – Civil Liberties Committee of European Parliament approved amendments to migration laws and reception conditions for asylum-seekers. It announced that asylum seekers should be able to work in countries of the European Union (EU) no later than two months after applying for asylum, instead o
Beirut – The Lebanese Army Command announced on Tuesday that it was intensifying its “preemptive” attacks against extremist bases and locations on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal. The offensive coincided with the arrival of a new batch of American weapons to the army. The carg
London-The seventh meeting of the Iran-P5+1 Joint Commission, which monitors the implementation of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers, convened in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Tuesday. The meeting of the commission tasked with monitoring the implementation of the agreement, k
Beirut – As the date of the upcoming legislative session to extend Parliament’s term approaches, chances of an agreement over a new electoral law seem to be fading away. In the wake of conflicting draft-laws submitted by different political figures and groups, and disagreements between allies and op
Tel Aviv – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sparked an unprecedented diplomatic crisis with Germany when he refused to meet on Tuesday with the European country’s visiting foreign minister in Tel Aviv. Netanyahu canceled the scheduled meeting with Sigmar Gabriel, as the latter announced tha
Guantanamo – Al Qaeda’s leader Abdul Hadi al Iraqi at his cell in Guantanamo Bay detention camp refused female prison wardens walking him to pre-trial hearings. Nashwan Abdulrazaq Abdulbaqi, who later gained fame under his Qaeda-given alias, Iraqi, appealed to his legal defense that he retains
Kuwait- Kuwait officially started implementing a new mandatory military service law on Tuesday under the name of “National Service,” that was signed by Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on May 4, 2015. Chief of the National Service Authority Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Salem Al-Omairi announced tha
New York – UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was planning to relaunch negotiations over the Western Sahara dispute “with a new spirit.” The UN Security Council is expected to vote Thursday on a draft resolution backing a UN bid to re-start talks on settling the decades-old Western Sahara
Tel Aviv – New figures announced by the Israeli army revealed on Wednesday the failure of its plan to reduce the number of desertions. The figures showed that some 7,000 soldiers desert the army, either due to illness or faking an illness, before the end of their military service. According to the M
Riyadh – The Council of Economic Affairs and Development held a meeting Monday evening at Al-Yamama Palace in Riyadh. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Chairman of the Council of Economic Affair
Riyadh – Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior chaired a meeting of the Political and Security Affairs Council at al-Yamamah palace in Riyadh. During the meeting, the council listened to a political and security briefing on a number of issues, in addit
Riyadh – Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz received at his palace in Riyadh on Wednesday former King of Spain Juan Carlos. At the outset of the meeting, the former Spanish King shook hands with Saudi officials and princes who were present at the meeting, before attend
Dubai – Egyptian Tourism Minister Yehia Rashed has said that in 2016 Arab tourism to the country represented 36.3 percent of the total tourist traffic to Egypt, which is more than one third of the total traffic. Saudi Arabia ranked first amongst incoming Arab tourists, with a total of 507,000
New York, London – Hillary Clinton who avoided the spotlight after her elections defeat in November, made a surprise appearance at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival as a jury member to discuss illegal elephant poaching. Clinton’s participation followed the premiere of the virtual reality
Riyadh, Geneva – International donors pledged to offer $1.1 billion during Tuesday’s high-level event, raising more than half of the $2.1 billion needed to address the humanitarian crisis in the country during 2017. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he was optimistic that
London – “A Small Death” by the Saudi author Mohammed Hasan Alwan was named the winner of the 10th International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF). In a ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, Alwan received the $50,000 International prize for Arabic fiction for “A Small Death”, his fictional account of the
