DUBAI: President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi issued a decree on Thursday evening appointing new foreign and finance ministers in a cabinet reshuffle to lead the key state institutions. In a statement, the president's office, based in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh, said that Hadi appointed Ahmed Obaid Al-Fadhli as governor of the Central Bank of…
WASHINGTON: The United States has imposed sanctions on Iran's central bank, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday, nearly a week after attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia that some US officials have pinned on Tehran.Trump did not give any other details about the sanctions.US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, also speaking to reporters,…
DUBAI: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Abu Dhabi on Thursday for further talks with Gulf allies about responding to major attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure which he has denounced as an “act of war” by Iran. And Pompeo arrived in the UAE capital as Iran's foreign minister warned that any attack on…
DUBAI: The United States wants a peaceful solution after attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities blamed on Iran, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday, after Iran raised the prospect of "all-out war". Pompeo’s comments came after talks in Abu Dhabi with Gulf allies about responding to the attacks which he has denounced as…
BEIRUT: A Lebanese government investigation has concluded that two Israeli drones that crashed in the Lebanese capital last month were on an attack mission, one of them armed with 4.5 kilograms of explosives.Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab says investigations show the drones took off from gunboats in the Mediterranean Sea Aug. 25 before one drone…
JERUSALEM: Israel’s Arab coalition appears poised to emerge as the main opposition bloc following Tuesday’s election, a historic first that would grant a new platform to a long-marginalized minority.Near-complete results Wednesday indicated the Joint List won about a dozen seats in the 120-member assembly, coming third after the Blue and White party of former military…
ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip said Wednesday that up to three million Syrian refugees could be returned to a “safe zone” it is seeking to establish in northern Syria.Turkey is home to more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees — the highest number in the world — and there have been signs of a public backlash…
CAIRO: Nine suspected extremists including a commander have been killed in shootouts with police in suburbs of the Egyptian capital, the interior ministry said Wednesday.Police raids to the east and south of Cairo targeted hideouts of “terrorist elements,” it said in a statement.Those killed included “a commander of the Liwa Al-Thawra” extremist group, it added.The…
Egypt orders trial for Italian ex-honorary consul charged with smuggling artefacts CAIRO: Egypt has ordered Italy’s former honorary consul to stand trial in absentia over charges of attempting to smuggle thousands of artefacts out of the country, the public prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.Ladislav Otakar Skakal, Italy’s former honorary consul in Luxor, attempted last year…
TUNIS: Law professor Kais Saied and detained media mogul Nabil Karoui are set to advance to the next round of Tunisia's presidential elections, the electoral board said Tuesday.Saied gained 18.4 percent of votes and Karoui 15.6 percent, it said, giving them places in a runoff likely to be held early next month.
TUNIS: Law professor Kais Saied and detained media mogul Nabil Karoui are set to advance to the next round of Tunisia's presidential elections, the electoral board said Tuesday.Saied gained 18.4 percent of votes and Karoui 15.6 percent, it said, giving them places in a runoff likely to be held early next month.
CAIRO: France’s foreign minister has arrived in Sudan to meet with the African country’s new leaders, weeks after the formation of the first civilian-led government since the military ousted former President Omar Al-Bashir in April.Sudan’s state-run news agency said Jean-Yves Le Drian landed in the capital, Khartoum, on Monday. He’s the second top western diplomat…
TEHRAN: Iran has seized a boat suspected of being used to smuggle fuel and arrested its 11 crew members near a vital oil shipping lane, state television reported on Monday.A naval patrol of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intercepted the vessel carrying 250,000 liters of fuel near the Strait of Hormuz, state TV’s website said,…
TUNIS, Tunisia: A jailed media magnate and an independent outsider appeared likely to face off in Tunisia’s presidential runoff, after a roller coaster first-round race in the country that unleashed the Arab Spring pro-democracy uprisings. Official preliminary results are expected in the next couple of days from Sunday’s voting, in which corruption, unemployment and Islamic…
WASHINGTON: An American senator has called for Washington to consider an attack on Iranian oil facilities as pressure grows in the US for a firm response to the Saudi Aramco strikes. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the drone attacks on Saturday against the Abqaiq oil processing plant and the Khurais oil field.…
WASHINGTON: An American senator has called for Washington to consider an attack on Iranian oil facilities as pressure grows in the US for a firm response to the Saudi Aramco strikes. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the drone attacks on Saturday against the Abqaiq oil processing plant and the Khurais oil field.…
TRIPOLI: In a country splintered by conflict and propaganda wars, Libya’s journalists are caught in the crossfire between battle fronts and partisan employers, exposing them to risks on the ground. Fighting that erupted in early April when eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive on the capital Tripoli has only exacerbated the cleavages in the…
TEHRAN: An Iranian football fan who set herself ablaze and died after being arrested for trying to enter a stadium had “confessed her mistake” when she was questioned, the judiciary said Saturday.Sahar Khodayari, dubbed “blue girl” because of the colors of the team she supported, Esteghlal FC, was reportedly detained when she tried to enter…
Arab Parliament president praises King Salman’s position on Israel’s Jordan valley threat RIYADH: The president of the Arab Parliament has praised King Salman’s position on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that he will annex the Jordan Valley if he is re-elected on Tuesday.Mishaal bin Fahm Al-Salami also welcomed King Salman’s call for an emergency…
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Saturday confirmed that Hamza bin Laden, the son and designated heir of Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, was killed in a counter-terrorism operation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.US media reported in late July and early August, citing intelligence officials, that the younger Bin Laden had been killed sometime in the last…
