Saudi Arabia’s Governor of Makkah Region and Chairman of the Central Hajj Committee Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz affirmed the keenness of the Kingdom’s government to serve Hajj pilgrims, provide them with all possible services, ensure their comfort and make this journey to the Holy La
Two security members were killed in a suicide attack on a police station in western Algeria after one officer jumped on the attacker to protect his colleagues from the blast, state news agency APS and police said on Thursday. In the attack early on Thursday morning, an armed militant wearing a suici
Seven people were wounded when an explosion targeted a bus carrying prison personnel in the Turkish coastal province of Izmir on Thursday, and authorities were investigating a possible terrorist attack, the local mayor said. The bus was hit as it passed a garbage container at around 7:40 a.m, Levent
The UN peacekeeping operation in Lebanon, UNIFIL, was extended Wednesday with new directions to conduct more patrols with the Lebanese army and report when peacekeepers run into roadblocks in “Hezbollah” strongholds in the South. The Security Council unanimously approved the plan for the mission, ex
Britain will give Nigeria aid worth £200 million over five years to help it cope with its eight-year insurgency being waged by Boko Haram militants, the foreign ministry in London said Wednesday. “In Maiduguri I met casualties of Boko Haram violence, including bomb and gunshot victims, and saw
Footballers Abou Diaby, Demba Ba and Jacques Faty performing Umrah after arriving for Hajj pilgrimage, tweeted IlmFeed on Wednesday. “IlmFeed,” is a London-based group which focuses on documenting and posting positive stories about Islam and Muslims, inspiring articles, Islamic history a
A team from King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid has inspected projects being financed and implemented by it through the World Food Program (WFP) in Aden governorate, said the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). During the inspection, the team was briefed on the progress of work in several food
Indians returned an estimated 15.4 trillion rupees ($242 billion) in high-currency bills removed from circulation, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its annual report out on Wednesday. By rendering 500 and 1,000 rupees illegal in one stroke and imposing restrictions on how the money could be r
Scientists sent off a warning on “bigger and stronger” storms coming, as the devastating intensity of hurricanes such Harvey, a monster storm that swamped Huston, matched global warming trends. Among the many climate factors that play a role in hurricanes such as Harvey are rising seas,
Some 2 million people are expected to travel across the globe to eat, sleep and pray in unison from Wednesday, as the annual Islamic pilgrimage of Hajj gets underway in Mecca. For billions of Muslims who are physically and financially able, Hajj is a mandatory act of worship. But the religious celeb
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres paid a visit to Hamas-controled Gaza on Wednesday as the Palestinian movement called on Israel to end its siege of the coastal strip. This marked the first visit by the UN chief to the strip since taking office and as international concerns have grow
President Donald Trump visited the Harvey disaster zone in Texas on Tuesday to survey damage from the first major natural disaster to test his leadership in a crisis, as the battered US Gulf Coast girded for another hit from the huge storm. Trump, speaking in Corpus Christi near where Harvey first c
The United Nations condemned North Korea’s “outrageous” firing of a ballistic missile over Japan as the communist country’s leader called for more weapons launches targeting the Pacific Ocean despite China’s claims that it was working with other members of the Security Council on a
School playgrounds across Syria are being transformed into vegetable gardens where children whose diets have been devastated by six years of war can learn to grow – and then eat – aubergines, lettuces, peppers, cabbages and cucumbers. Traditional Syrian cuisine is typical of the region, and ri
The World Bank urged the Middle East and North Africa on Tuesday to take “urgent” action to prevent the negative consequences of inadequate supply of water and sanitation. It said that the region loses about $21 billion over these issues, saying that urgent action will prevent detrimental ripple eff
Two people were killed and four injured when a man went on a shooting spree at a public library in the US state of New Mexico. The gunman surrendered after the shooting Monday and was taken into custody without incident after police entered the Clovis-Carver Public Library, authorities and elected o
As Aung San Suu Kyi launched a national struggle against decades of harsh military rule, one medical student worked tirelessly at her side, facing down gun-wielding soldiers trying to crush the surging pro-democracy movement. For her activism and loyalty, Ma Thida suffered six years of mostly solita
Renault-Nissan announced on Tuesday that it will collaborate with China’s Dongfeng Motor to build electric cars in the world’s biggest auto market. The new joint venture, called eGT New Energy Automotive Co, will be owned 25 percent each by Nissan and Renault with Dongfeng owning 50 percent, Nissan
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein condemned on Tuesday the violence that has erupted in Myanmar’s volatile Rakhine State, urging the authorities to uphold international law. He warned all sides against fueling further violence, saying Myanmar authorities s
At least five people were killed on Tuesday in a suicide bombing at a bank in the Afghan capital Kabul. Eight people were wounded in the blast at a Kabul Bank branch that is close to the heavily protected US embassy, the Interior Ministry announced. At the site of the blast, debris and twisted metal
