MIDDLE EAST

Taliban aim to sign deal/withdrawal agreement with the US by end of January month: report

Afghan official says Taliban abducted 26 peace activists

7:46 pm December 25, 2019

Kabul: The Taliban ambushed a peace convoy in western Afghanistan and abducted 26 activists, members of a peace movement, a police spokesman said Wednesday. The insurgents staged the ambush in the district of Bala Buluk in Farah province on Tuesday. The Taliban forced the six-vehicle convoy to a halt, then got into the cars and […]

Emirates airline says president to step down

11:17 pm December 24, 2019

Dubai: Tim Clark, president of Emirates, the Middle East’s biggest carrier, will step down from his position after 16 years in June 2020, the airline said Tuesday. “We can confirm Sir Tim’s retirement… in June 2020,” a spokesperson told AFP, without elaborating. Clark, 70, joined Emirates in 1985, when it began operations with two leased […]

Thousands protest in Iraq as deadline for new PM looms

10:06 pm December 22, 2019

Diwaniyah (Iraq): Thousands of protesters blocked roads and public buildings in southern Iraq Sunday, as the latest deadline for choosing a new prime minister loomed. Anti-government rallies have rocked Baghdad and the Shiite-majority south since October 1, with demonstrators calling for a complete overhaul of a regime they deem corrupt and inefficient. “The revolution continues!” […]

Afghanistan’s Ghani wins majority in presidential poll: preliminary results

10:03 pm December 22, 2019

Kabul: Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani was on track to win a second term Sunday, after election officials announced he had scored a majority in presidential elections. According to the Independent Election Commission, Ghani won 50.64 percent of the vote in the September 28 poll, while his rival Abdullah Abdullah scored 39.52 percent. Candidates have the […]

Iran says ready for more US prisoner swaps

11:06 pm December 9, 2019

Tehran: Iran said Monday it was open to more prisoner swaps with the US while stressing an exchange at the weekend was not the result of formal negotiations with its arch-foe. US President Donald Trump thanked Iran for what he called a “very fair negotiation” after an American scholar was released Saturday in exchange for […]