Middle East

Qatar to abolish exit system for workers

Qatar could agree a deal within a fortnight to abolish its controversial exit visa system, which requires workers to obtain their employers'
Hamas accuses PA over PM killing bid

Gaza's Islamist leaders Hamas on Saturday publicly accused the rival Palestinian Authority (PA) of planning an assassination attempt against the head
Duterte says Kuwait work ban 'permanent'

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday said the temporary ban on Filipinos going to work in Kuwait is now permanent,
SDF fighters killed; villages seized

Rare clashes broke out yesterday between Syrian regime forces and a US-backed alliance in the east of the country, killing six alliance
'Iran's terrorism' must stop

New US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo underscored the need for unity in the Gulf during a brief visit to the Saudi capital on Sunday as
Saudi-led raid kills 50 Yemen rebels

A Saudi-led coalition air strike has killed dozens of Yemeni insurgents including two commanders, state media said yesterday, in
Turkey hands jail sentences to journalists

A Turkish court on Wednesday convicted journalists from the opposition Cumhuriyet daily for helping outlawed "terrorist" organisations but editors remained defiant vowing their "honourable" journalism would not stop.
Unite against US

Iran's supreme leader called on Muslim nations to unite against the United States, saying Tehran would never yield to "bullying," state television reported yesterday.
Saudi Arabia executes 48 in 2018: HRW

Saudi Arabia has executed 48 people in the past four months, half on non-violent drug charges, Human Rights Watch said, urging the
Palestinian journalist shot at Gaza protest dies of wounds

A Palestinian journalist shot two weeks ago by Israeli forces on the Gaza border has died, Israeli and Palestinian sources say, the second journalist killed in a month of unrest.
Indonesia's ex-speaker gets 15 years for graft

An Indonesian court yesterday jailed a former speaker of parliament for 15 years for his role in causing state losses of around $170
21 dead in NE Nigeria Boko Haram attacks

Suspected Boko Haram militants killed 21 people in separate attacks in a remote northeastern region of Nigeria, security officials and a
Remain in deal or 'face severe consequences'

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called on US President Donald Trump to uphold the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six
Saudi air strikes kill 20 at Yemen wedding

Air strikes by a Saudi-led military coalition killed at least 20 people attending a wedding in a village in northwestern Yemen late on
Afghan girl disguises herself as a boy to please parents

Sitara Wafadar yearns for long hair like other girls. Instead, the Afghan teenager has disguised herself as a boy for more than a
Saudi-led air strikes kill at least 20 at Yemen wedding

Air strikes by a Saudi-led military coalition killed at least 20 people attending a wedding in a village in northwestern Yemen, residents and medical sources say.
Armenia detains anti-govt protest leader

Armenia yesterday detained anti-government protest leader Nikol Pashinyan, prosecutors said, shortly after Prime Minister Serzh
'Toy drone' near Saudi palaces causes panic

Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry yesterday instructed drone enthusiasts to obtain permission to fly the devices until regulations were finalised, a day
Israel denies Mossad's role in rocket expert's murder

Israel's defence minister yesterday said a Palestinian scientist shot dead in Malaysia was a rocket expert and "no saint", but dismissed
India to have sexual offenders' data base to monitor crimes

For the first time, India will have a sexual offenders' database to monitor and track those convicted of such crimes, joining eight
Cinema returns to Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia hosted its first public film screening in over 35 years on Friday showing Hollywood blockbuster action film "Black Panther".
OPCW team visits Douma

Inspectors from the world's chemical arms watchdog arrived yesterday in the Syrian town of Douma, where an alleged chemical attack
Iran vows 'expected, unexpected' moves

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani yesterday said Iran's atomic agency was ready with "expected and unexpected" reactions if the United
Palestinian scholar killed in Malaysia

The family of a Palestinian professor and Hamas member yesterday accused Israel's Mossad spy agency of killing him on the streets of
Qatar joins Gulf war games in apparent compromise

Qatari forces participated in joint military exercises that ended in Saudi Arabia this week, in an apparent sign of some compromise among US-allied Arab states locked in a nearly year-long dispute.
Israeli fire near Gaza border injures five

Five Palestinians were injured by Israeli fire along the Gaza border yesterday, the health ministry in the Palestinian enclave said, with
Inspectors' visit delayed

A UN security team was fired at on Tuesday while on a reconnaissance mission in the Syrian town of Douma to prepare the deployment
Saudi boss forced maid to drink bleach

A Philippine domestic worker has been hospitalised in Saudi Arabia after her employer allegedly forced her to drink household bleach,
Russia blocks Syria probe

Western countries yesterday accused Moscow of preventing inspectors from reaching the site of a suspected poison gas attack in Syria
Egypt extends state of emergency

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi extended for three months from Saturday a state of emergency for the fourth time since it was first