World news

Massive demonstration against Modi outside the Madison Square Garden

New York City: When Modi was addressing to Indians at Madison Sqare Garden in New York City, there was a quite different scene outside the Madison Square. People in large number were shouting slogans against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi carrying in their hands placards, banners and posters wh

British fighter jets fly over Iraq, ‘ready to strike’

RAF Akrotiri: Two British jets were flying over Iraq and were ready to hit targets on Saturday, their first mission since parliament authorized strikes against IS, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said. A Reuters witness at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus saw two Tornado jets leaving the facility at 0725 GMT

US Court issues summons against Indian PM Modi ahead of his arrival

New York City, New York: The US Federal Court for the Southern District of New York todayissued summons against the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his role in the massacres committed in Gujarat during 2002, when he was Chief Minister of the Indian state. Mr. Modi is expected to arrive in th

Hamas, Fatah agree on return of unity government in Gaza

CAIRO: Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah said they reached an agreement for the return of their unity government in Gaza ahead of crucial negotiations with Israel next month. The Palestinian rivals had set up a unity government of independents in June but it never took hold, with Palesti

Fighters advance in Syria despite US-led air raids

DAMASCUS: US planes pounded Islamic State positions in Syria for a second day on Wednesday, but the strikes did not halt the fighters’ advance in a Kurdish area where fleeing refugees told of villages burned and captives beheaded. Syrian Kurds said Islamic State had responded to US attacks by int

KSA joins airstrikes to crush IS

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia's air force participated in US-led bombing strikes against the so-called Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria on Tuesday as part of global efforts to eliminate terrorism, an official source said. “The Saudi Royal Air Force participated in the military operations against IS i

130,000 Syrian refugees fleeing ISIS seek refuge in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey –  Some 130,000 Kurdish refugees fleeing ISIS have crossed the border from Syria into Turkey in the past four days, Turkey's deputy prime minister said Monday as fighting raged close to Turkey's southern border. The minister, Numan Kurtulmus, warned that Turkey was facing "a refuge

Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai declared winner in Afghan presidential poll

KABUL: Afghanistan's election commission on Sunday has named Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai as the winner of the country's presidential election, but the commission did not release final vote figures. The commission's announcement came hours after Ghani Ahmadzai signed a power sharing agreement with oppon

Pilgrims being tested for Ebola at Jeddah airport

RIYADH: ARAB NEWS Pilgrims arriving at the King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) are being screened, tested and given preventive medication against the Ebola virus. Fahd Al-Ghazwi, supervisor of the preventive center at the airport, told a local newspaper that a medical team wearing protecti

John Kerry and the Afghan Stalemate

Three months after Afghanistan’s presidential election and two months after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry brokered an agreement to resolve the dispute that arose from it, the country’s new president has yet to take office. Announcement of the official winner keeps getting delayed. Afghanista

France carries out first Iraq airstrike

PARIS: French jets carried out their first air strike against IS in Iraq Friday, successfully destroying their target, President Francois Hollande announced, vowing that more operations would follow. “This morning at 9:40, our Rafale planes carried out a first strike against a logistics depot of

US: Assad broke chemical arms agreement

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of breaking the terms of a global pact on chemical weapons by unleashing chlorine gas this year. “We believe there is evidence of Assad’s use of chlorine, which when you use it — despite it not being on

Isil seizes 21 villages in northern Syria

Beirut: Isil fighters captured villages and besieged a Kurdish city in northern Syria near the border with Turkey on Thursday in a major assault that prompted a commander to appeal for military aid from other Kurds in the region. With the United States planning to expand military action against

Murder case registered against Nawaz Sharif, ministers

ISLAMABAD: A murder case has been registered against Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his brother and Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, three federal ministers and top police officials over the alleged killing of two persons during last month's clashes between the police and anti-government

Changing Pakistan: Tardy MPs thrown off jet

ISLAMABAD: Angry Pakistani passengers have forced two lawmakers off a plane for delaying its departure by almost two hours. A video covering the drama was posted online. Irate passengers decided to take matters into their own hands this time — aiming a string of invective toward the country’s for

World hunger easing but 1 in 9 people undernourished: UN

ROME: The number of hungry people in the world has fallen sharply over the past decade but 805 million, or one in nine of the global population, still do not have enough to eat, three UN food and agriculture agencies said on Tuesday. The number of chronically undernourished people dropped by more

China opens smartphone sidewalk lane

Beijing: Taking a cue from an American TV programme, the Chinese city of Chongqing has created a smartphone sidewalk lane, seemingly offering a path for those too engrossed in messaging and tweeting to watch where they’re going. But the property manager says it’s intended to be ironic — to remi

Devastated Gaza children back to school amid tears

GAZA CITY: As hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children returned to school in Gaza on Sunday, Azhar recited a poem eulogizing her father, killed by Israeli shelling in the enclave’s recent conflict. “Daddy, what can I tell you, if I say I love you it’s not enough,” the nine-year-old, who was