Middle East

Kuwait, Jul 4: Qatar has responded to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia-led Arab alliance, which gave Doha an extra 48 hours to decide, officials confirmed on Tuesday. The decision was made after Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani arrived in Kuwait late Monday, reports Xinhua news agency. The minister was carrying a handwritten letter from Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim

Kuwait, Jul 4: Qatar has delivered its response to a list of 13 demands from Saudi Arabia and three other Arab countries that cut have ties with it and imposed a land, air and sea embargo amid a major diplomatic crisis. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's foreign minister, was received by Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah on Monday to hand over a letter from Qatar's emir

Doha, Jul 3: Saudi Arabia and three allies boycotting Qatar have agreed to a request by Kuwait to extend by 48 hours Sunday's deadline for Doha to comply with a set of demands, according to a joint statement on Saudi state news agency SPA. Kuwait had received a response by Qatar to a list of 13 demands presented to it by a Saudi-led bloc of Arab countries, Kuwait's state news agency KUNA said on

Rome, Jul 2: Qatar's foreign minister has said Doha will not meet any of the 13 demands made by Saudi Arabia and its allies, offering instead "a proper condition for a dialogue" to resolve the Gulf crisis. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, speaking at the news conference in the Italian capital Rome on Saturday, said the list "was meant to be rejected", pointing to the fact that it arrived

London/Dubai, Jul 1: Several British banks said on Friday they had stopped dealing in Qatari riyals, as the diplomatic crisis surrounding the tiny Gulf country disrupted overseas trading of its currency. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and travel links with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism and courting regional foe Iran, in

Mosul, Jun 30: The Islamic State’s “state of falsehood” has come to an end, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Thursday, after his troops captured the wrecked historic mosque of Mosul from where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared himself “Caliph” three years ago. “The return of the al-Nuri Mosque and the al-Hadba minaret to the fold of the nation marks the end of the Daesh state of falsehood

Riyadh, Jun 30: A campaign that allows residency and labor law violators to leave Saudi Arabia without penalty has been extended by 30 days, according to the Kingdom’s state news agency. The extension is from June 25, 2017 or 1 Shawwal 1438 in the Hijri calendar. The General Directorate of Passports said the grace period under the “A Nation Without Violations” campaign would be extended for people

Sharjah, Jun 29: A massive fire erupted in a lubricants and oil plant of a factory located in Sharjah Industrial Area No. 10 on Wednesday. No causalities have been reported. Firefighters from various Sharjah fire stations controlled the blaze in four hours and prevented the flames from spreading to nearby warehouses. Col Sami Al Naqabi, Director General of Sharjah Civil Defense, said that the

Jeddah, Jun 28: A report by a leading think-tank has raised questions about Qatar’s suitability to host the 2022 World Cup. The report, prepared by the Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee (SAPRAC), documents in detail “how a corrupt state is sponsoring terrorism and sports at the same time.” The report quotes senior US officials as saying Qatar is “the most two-faced nation in the

Riyadh, Jun 27: Shoura Council Speaker Abdullah Al-Asheikh said the Kingdom has placed serving pilgrims among its top priorities. In remarks on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Al-Asheikh said serving the guests of Allah rests on the Kingdom’s deep belief that it is an honor and responsibility it has pledged to bear in the quest for reward from Allah Almighty