DUBAI/JERUSALEM: Explosions echoed over an Iranian city on Friday in what sources described as an Israeli attack, but Tehran played down the incident and indicated it had no plans for retaliation — a response that appeared gauged toward averting region-wide war. The limited scale of the attack and Iran’s muted response both appeared to signal … Read more
BEIRUT: Daesh group militants have “executed” eight Syria soldiers following an ambush, a war monitor said Sunday, reporting 14 troops killed by the jihadists in recent days.
AMMAN: Thousands of Jordanians marched to the Israeli embassy in Amman on Wednesday for the fourth consecutive day in an outpouring of anger at Israel’s brutal war on Gaza. “The people demand the end of Wadi Araba,” some chanted, referring to Jordan’s 1994 peace treaty with Israel. Hundreds of security personal stationed nearby by the heavily fortified … Read more
Kandahar: A suicide bombing killed three people and wounded 12 others on Thursday in the Afghan city of Kandahar, a provincial official said, in an attack Taliban authorities said was carried out by the Daesh group. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the interior ministry said a “preliminary report shows that this crime … Read more
President Vladimir Putin basked in an election victory that was never in doubt, as officials said Monday that he had won his fifth term with a record number of votes, underlining the Russian leader’s total control of the country’s political system. After facing only token challengers and harshly suppressing opposition voices, Putin was set to … Read more
Why Syrian refugees are returning from host countries — despite fear of persecution LONDON: Faced with a multitude of economic, safety and regulatory challenges in neighboring countries, hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who fled the civil war have returned home, despite the grim security and humanitarian situation that awaits them. For many, this decision … Read more
MOGADISHU, Somalia: Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency said Tuesday it has for the first time managed to shut down 20 WhatsApp groups allegedly operated by the extremist group Al-Shabab for extortion and intimidation. NISA in a statement said its cyber division had identified what it described as the virtual hubs for illicit activities by … Read more
MANILA: Nine Islamist militants including three suspects in a Catholic mass bombing in the southern Philippines have been killed in a clash with troops, the military said Saturday. Army soldiers shot it out with about 15 Dawlah Islamiyah suspects hiding out at a mountain farm close to the remote southern municipality of Piagapo on Thursday, … Read more
COLOMBO: In a first for Sri Lanka’s Navy, the first batch of women has joined its naval academy to train as officers. Female personnel began to receive Navy assignments in 2022, but until now it was only for sea duty. This week, six women were in the group of 66 cadets who received letters of … Read more
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi reiterated his plea for Lebanon to remain neutral on Monday amid continuing hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israel forces. In his Christmas sermon, the patriarch spoke about “the families afflicted by the genocidal war on Gaza and our families in southern Lebanon because of the extension of this ill-fated and … Read more