MIDDLE EAST

Syria road crash kills 32, including Iraqis: state media

2:45 pm March 8, 2020

Damascus: At least 32 people died Saturday after a fuel tanker crashed into two buses and several other vehicles on a road connecting the Syrian capital to Homs province, state media reported. A break failure caused the tanker to crash into 15 vehicles and two large buses carrying several Iraqi passengers, said Interior Minister Mohammad […]

Coronavirus outbreak: Kuwait suspends flights from India, 6 other countries

7:30 pm March 7, 2020

New Delhi: Kuwait on Saturday suspended operations of all flights to and from India and six other countries in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The General Administration of Civil Administration has issued a circular to airlines operating at Kuwait International Airport in this regard. The watchdog has decided to suspend “all flights to and […]

Saudi Arabia reopens area around sacred Kaaba amid virus measures

7:26 pm March 7, 2020

Mecca: Saudi Arabia reopened Saturday the area around the sacred Kaaba in Mecca’s Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site, reversing one of a series of measures introduced to combat the coronavirus outbreak. Saudi authorities this week suspended the year-round umrah pilgrimage, during which worshippers circle the Kaaba seven times, and also announced the temporary closure of […]

COVID surge, vaccine shortages spread beyond India’s borders

Kabul victims describe scenes of carnage after attack

7:19 pm March 7, 2020

Kabul: Kabul was reeling Saturday after Islamic State jihadists killed 32 people and wounded dozens more, with injured survivors describing scenes of terror as gunmen opened fire in the deadliest attack to hit Afghanistan since a US-Taliban deal. The attack at a crowded gathering in the capital has raised questions about Afghanistan’s abysmal security situation […]

US Syria envoy urges European support for Turkey

7:28 pm March 5, 2020

Istanbul: A senior US official on Thursday urged Europe to support Turkey’s military operation in Syria, where it has lost more than 50 soldiers trying to hold back a Russian-backed offensive on Idlib. “One of the principles that the president (Donald Trump) and the US Congress share is that there should be a collective effort, […]