MIDDLE EAST

Azerbaijan reports attack on its troops in Nagorno-Karabakh

4:00 pm December 28, 2020

Baku: Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said Monday its army units have been attacked by “an illegal Armenian armed group” in Nagorno-Karabakh, killing one Azerbaijani serviceman and wounding another. The ministry said the attack took place in the Khojavend region on Sunday afternoon and was thwarted, leaving all six attackers dead. The statement comes just hours after […]

CMS holds Global Interfaith Convention to promote communal harmony

Relative of Blackwater victim in Iraq says pardons ‘unfair’

10:46 pm December 24, 2020

Baghdad : Faris Fadel had just one word to describe the recent pardoning by the Trump administration of four private security contractors convicted of killing Iraqi civilians — including his brother — in a public square 13 years ago: Unfair. Fadel’s brother, Osama Abbas, had been on his way to work that fateful day. He had just crossed a street […]

Worried Morocco bans parties to stem holiday virus spread

6:24 pm December 24, 2020

Rabat: Morocco has imposed a curfew, closed restaurants in major cities and banned public and private gatherings for three weeks — including the usually festive New Year’s Eve — to curb the spread of the virus. The curfew between 9 pm and 6 am went into effect Wednesday night and is set to last until Jan. 13. […]

UAE Islamic body OKs vaccines even with pork

2:37 pm December 23, 2020

Dubai : The United Arab Emirates’ highest Islamic authority, the UAE Fatwa Council, has ruled that coronavirus vaccines are permissible for Muslims even if they contain pork gelatin. The ruling follows growing alarm that the use of pork gelatin, a common vaccine ingredient, may hamper vaccination among Muslims who consider the consumption of pork products ”haram”, or forbidden under Islamic law. If there […]

Israeli High Court hears challenge to Jewish nation law

4:20 pm December 22, 2020

Jerusalem: The Israeli Supreme Court on Tuesday was hearing a case against a contentious law that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people, marking the beginning of a landmark challenge against legislation that opponents say discriminates against minorities. Critics say the law further downgrades the status of Israel’s Arab minority, which makes up around 20 per cent of […]