World / Middle East

Bahrain sentences man to death for bomb attack: Prosecutor 31 Dec 2015 - 04:02 pm

DUBAI: A Bahraini man was sentenced to death on Thursday for a bomb attack last year that killed a policemen and a civilian...

Mauritania detains alleged slave masters 31 Dec 2015 - 03:39 pm

Slavery is deeply entrenched in Mauritania, where Berber Arab Moors enslaved local black populations centuries ago. AFP Nouakchott: A Mauritanian court has remanded...

Erdogan says Turkey killed 3,100 PKK rebels in 2015 31 Dec 2015 - 03:32 pm

Istanbul: Turkish security forces killed 3,100 Kurdish militants in 2015, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured) said Thursday, vowing no let-up in a relentless...

Hundreds of flights cancelled as Istanbul hit by heavy snow 31 Dec 2015 - 12:31 pm

ISTANBUL: Hundreds of flights in and out of Turkey were cancelled for Thursday and Friday at Istanbul's two airports after the city was...

Iran denies it fired rockets near US warships in Gulf 31 Dec 2015 - 11:52 am

File picture of a rocket being fired from an Iranian military boat during Velayat-90 war game on Sea of Oman near the Strait...

Gunmen kill senior militia leader in Yemen's Aden: Residents 31 Dec 2015 - 11:09 am

Senior Yemeni militia leader Ahmed al-Idrisi (Right) ADEN: Unknown gunmen shot and killed a senior Yemeni militia leader and four people travelling in...

Israeli military on alert for possible ISIS attack 31 Dec 2015 - 10:23 am

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are preparing for the possibility of a substantial attack on the Israel-Syria border, following the recent attacks in...

Quake jolts Iran's Kerman province 31 Dec 2015 - 10:07 am

Tehran: An earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale shook Ravar city in the southern Iran province of Kerman early Thursday. Iran's Seismological...

Syria releases opposition figures held on way to Riyadh meeting: party 31 Dec 2015 - 08:20 am

Munir al-Bitar (L), Ahmad al-Asrawi (R) Damascus: Syrian authorities have released two prominent members of the domestic opposition who were arrested on Wednesday...

Facebook’s Free Basics service suspended in Egypt 31 Dec 2015 - 01:53 am

CAIRO: A Facebook-sponsored service that offers limited free Internet access was suspended in Egypt on Wednesday after a permit required from the government...

U.S. preparing new sanctions over Iran’s ballistic missile program: sources 31 Dec 2015 - 01:49 am

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration is preparing new sanctions on international companies and individuals over Iran’s ballistic missile program, sources familiar with the situation...

Nine killed, at least 25 injured in three blasts in northeast Syria: monitor 31 Dec 2015 - 01:29 am

Beirut: At least nine people were killed and more than 25 injured when explosions struck three restaurants in the northeastern Syrian city of...

Iraqi FM says could use military option against Turkey if forced 31 Dec 2015 - 12:00 am

Ibrahim al-Jaafari BAGHDAD: Iraq’s foreign minister said on Wednesday it could resort to military means if forced to defend itself from what it...

Moscow demands arrest of rebel for 'murder' of Russian warplane pilot 31 Dec 2015 - 12:00 am

Alparslan Celik Moscow, Dec 30, 2015 (AFP) - Moscow on Wednesday called for Ankara to arrest a rebel it claims killed the pilot...

Syria arrests two opposition figures heading for Lebanon: monitors 31 Dec 2015 - 12:00 am

BEIRUT, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Syrian authorities arrested two members of the country’s internal opposition on Wednesday as they were traveling to Lebanon,...

Thousands of homes destroyed in Iraq's Ramadi: official 30 Dec 2015 - 06:51 pm

A destroyed building is seen near a government complex in the city of Ramadi, December 28, 2015. REUTERS Baghdad: Months of fighting in...

Israel plays down US spying scandal 30 Dec 2015 - 06:48 pm

Yuval Steinitz Jerusalem: An Israeli minister and close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought Wednesday to play down revelations the United States...