London- With the beginning of the pilgrimage season and in a sign of Tehran’s escalation approach, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reaffirmed his country’s previous policies and called on using the Hajj rituals to take a stance against the United States’ presence in the reg
Mecca – Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Mohammed Benten revealed on Sunday that the first Iranian pilgrims had started arriving in the Kingdom to perform the annual Hajj rites. He stressed that the ministry has completed preparations of all Hajj services for the pilgrims, including Iranians, wh
Erbil- The Supreme Council for the Referendum in Kurdistan has decided at the end of its meeting on Sunday, under the supervision of President of Masoud Barzani, to reactivate the region’s parliament, form a committee to negotiate with Baghdad and establish a secretariat for the council responsible
Four men accused of plotting to bring down a plane planned to use poisonous gas or a crude bomb disguised as a meat mincer, reports said Monday, as stricter screening of passengers and luggage at Australian airports stayed in place indefinitely. The ramped up security procedures were put in place af
Beirut – The first phase of the implementation of a deal between Hezbollah and Al-Nusra Front began on Sunday, as the two groups exchanged the bodies of fighters as part of a ceasefire in the Lebanese border town of Arsal. Hezbollah’s military media outlet reported that the implementation of the fir
Moscow- Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered on Sunday 755 American diplomats to leave the Russian territories in response to the US Senate vote last Thursday to slap new sanctions on Moscow. The Russian President also ruled out any positive developments in the relations with Washington anytime
US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe discussed on Monday the latest North Korean missile test, urging the international community to deter Pyongyang against its “escalation.” “President Donald J. Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan to address N
Bahrain – The Arab quartet boycotting Qatar announced its readiness to hold dialogue with Doha, if the latter acknowledged its compliance with the list of 13 demands, previously submitted by the Kuwaiti mediator, and stopped its support to terrorism. The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, B
Brussels- The summer vacation in the EU institutions, NATO in Brussels, and most of the government, legislative, and local Belgian institutions has kicked off. European media outlets in Brussels said the traffic congestion on highways of many European countries is disastrous, and that Saturday was a
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared victory on Monday in the elections for a new Constituent Assembly that would rewrite the constitution and virtually give him unlimited power. The opposition had boycotted the elections, which were strongly condemned by the international community. In a sp
London- The electoral and administrative division laws of the “Democratic Federal System of Northern Syria” established during meetings held by Kurdish groups in the country’s northwestern town of Rmelan, reveal an expansion of the self-administrative system to three provinces including Arab-majorit
London- While women adore shopping and have no trouble spending hours in comparing items and staring at stores vitrines, most men complain about being obliged to wait for their spouses hours-long in crowded markets. This might be a stereotypical image, but, for many, it is a reality. “Miserable Men”
Mosul- Iraqi merchants and shoppers jostle in the lively open-air market of Gogjali on the eastern edges of Mosul, their voices often drowned out by the honking horns of cars. “Mosul will never be the same again,” sighs Yunes Abdullah, a 60-year-old former soldier who set up a stall to r
Vienna- Home delivery services have gradually grew. Rental and delivery of alive chicken is a new service created by Fabian Gutcher in Vienna. Customers can rent them through a special website or directly buy them from a farm in the governorate of Lower Austria. The idea is that some people prefer t
Jeddah – Deputy Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Mohammed bin Salman received on Sunday head of the Iraqi Sadr Movement Moqtada al-Sadr, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The two officials, who met in Jeddah, discussed Saudi-Iraqi ties and several issues of common interest. The me
Washington, London- The FDA is seeking to cut nicotine in cigarettes, trying to make them less addictive. According to the German News Agency (DPA), FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said: “We should create a world with “non-addictive” cigarettes by reducing nicotine levels.” Gottlieb has issued his d
US Ambassador to Yemen Matthew H. Tueller expressed on Sunday Washington’s determination to play a bigger leadership role in resolving the Yemeni crisis. In a 40-minute phone conference, Tueller said that Houthi armed militias leading a coup are the chief obstacle up against finding a true set
The Qatar central bank’s net international reserves plunged by $10.4 billion in June to $24.4 billion because of economic sanctions imposed by other Arab states, central bank data showed on Sunday. Reserves hit their lowest level in at least five years. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates,
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt on Sunday held a meeting in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, over the ongoing crisis with the gulf’s gas-rich peninsula, Qatar. Unanimously, the quartet agreed to the need on Qatar halting all support and financing of
US forces successfully test-fired on Sunday a missile interception system in hopes of later installing it on the Korean peninsula, military officials said. The announcement came a few days after North Korea’s second test of an ICBM. In the American test of the so-called THAAD system, a medium-
