MIDDLE EAST

US forces hit Taliban with airstrikes in Helmand province

Iran denies Taliban were paid bounties to target US troops

11:46 pm August 18, 2020

Tehran: Iran on Tuesday denied reports it paid Taliban fighters to target US forces and allies in Afghanistan. In a statement carried by Iranian media, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh called the claims “entirely false” and said the US tries to hide its “miscalculations” in Afghanistan by resorting to propaganda. On Monday, media reports said US intelligence agencies assessed that Iran […]

Syria says US forces clash with Syrian troops, killing 1

11:44 pm August 17, 2020

Damascus: US forces clashed with Syrian troops in the northeast on Monday, killing at least one soldier and wounding two others, state media said, while the US military said it responded to small arms fire near a Syrian checkpoint. Tensions have been rising in northeastern Syria in recent months as the Syrian military has cut off American access to several areas. […]

Telephone service begins between UAE, Israel amid deal

4:34 pm August 16, 2020

Dubai: Telephone service between the United Arab Emirates and Israel has begun as the two countries open diplomatic ties. Associated Press journalists in Jerusalem and Dubai were able to call each other from both landline and cellular phones on Sunday. Officials in Israel and the UAE did not immediately acknowledge the lines had begun working. Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced Thursday they are establishing full diplomatic relations in a […]

Pope again updates Vatican legal code amid scrutiny, probes

Pope urges Nile states to continue talks over disputed dam

11:48 pm August 15, 2020

Cairo: Pope Francis on Saturday urged Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to continue talks to resolve their years-long dispute over a massive dam Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile that has led to sharp regional tensions and fears of military conflict. Francis, speaking to a crowd gathered at St. Peter’s Square on an official Catholic feast day, said he was closely following negotiations between the three […]

CMS holds Global Interfaith Convention to promote communal harmony

In historic breakthrough, UAE and Israel establish diplomatic ties

11:36 pm August 13, 2020

Dubai: In a major diplomatic breakthrough, the UAE on Thursday became the first Gulf country and the third in the Arab world to establish diplomatic relations with Israel as part of a deal to halt the controversial annexation of parts of the West Bank that Palestinians see as a part of their future state. US President Donald Trump took to Twitter to break the news […]