Kuwait Lawyer Seeks Ban On Expat Drivers
A Kuwaiti lawyer filed a lawsuit Monday seeking a temporary driving ban on millions of expatriates to ease traffic congestion in the oil-rich Gulf state. Lawyer Mohammad al-Ansari called for a...
Tag: Western Asia
Banksy West Bank Hotel To Receive First Guests
Secretive British street artist Banksy's hotel next to Israel's controversial separation wall was due to welcome its first customers Monday, two weeks after its surprise launch. The Walled-Off Hotel...
Avoiding Risky Sea Journey, Syrian Refugees Head To Italy ‘pronto’
Just before midnight in a sleepy district of Beirut, dozens of Syrian refugees huddle in small groups around bulging suitcases, clutching their pinging cellphones and one-way tickets to Italy. They...
Evacuation of Last Rebel-Held District of Syria’s Homs Begins
Hundreds of rebels and civilians began leaving the last opposition-held district of Syria's Homs on Saturday under a controversial deal that will bring the whole city under government control. The...
UN Official Resigns Over Israel Apartheid Report
The head of the United Nations' West Asia commission, Rima Khalaf, has resigned over what she described as the pressure to withdraw a report that was critical of Israel. The report accused Israel of...
UN Official Says Quitting Over ‘Israel Apartheid’ Report
Jordanian UN official Rima Khalaf announced her resignation Friday, saying the secretary general had asked her to withdraw a report in which she accused Israel of being an "apartheid state". Khalaf,...
From Syria To Paris, Music Provides Haven For ‘Refugees of Rap’
Staccato lyrics may be no match for Bashar al-Assad's military firepower, but two brothers, who fled to Paris from Syria and perform as "Refugees of Rap", find sniping with words a liberating...
Conjoined Twin Sisters Born In West Bank Share One Heart
A Palestinian woman gave birth on Thursday to conjoined twin sisters who share a heart, her husband said, as he launched an urgent search for funds to pay for their surgical separation abroad. "My...
US Demands UN Pull Report Accusing Israel of Apartheid
The United States on Wednesday demanded that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres withdraw a report by a UN body accusing Israel of imposing apartheid on the Palestinians. Guterres distanced himself...
Russian-Backed Talks On Syria Flop After Rebel No-Show
Russian-led peace efforts for Syria foundered Wednesday as a third round of talks ended with no progress after rebels refused to show up to a meeting in Kazakhstan. Regime supporters Russia and Iran...
Bombs Rock Damascus As War Enters Seventh Year
Two suicide bombings hit Damascus Wednesday including an attack at a central courthouse that killed at least 32 people, as Syria's war entered its seventh year with the regime now claiming the upper...
Suicide Bomber Targets Damascus Courthouse
Dozens of people have been killed or injured in a suicide bomb attack at the main court building in the Syrian capital Damascus, state media report. State TV said a militant had blown himself up...
Syria’s Kurds Hit Catwalk To Promote Traditional Attire
In a shimmering dress, Efin Hissu strides confidently down a runway to the beat of Kurdish music at a fashion show in northeast Syria showcasing a revival of the minority's traditional clothing. Her...
Saudi To Boost ‘decent and Proper’ Jobs For Women
Saudi Arabia is aiming for a major boost in female employment in the conservative Islamic kingdom but women need not go to an office, the labour ministry said. "Telework" and work from home will...
Syria Regime Bombed Damascus Water Source
The Syrian government intentionally bombed the Ain al-Fijeh spring in December, leaving more than five million people in Damascus without access to water, a UN probe said Tuesday, as it branded the...
Syria Opposition Agrees Final Evacuation From Homs District
Syria's government and opposition said Monday they had agreed a Russian-supervised deal to complete the evacuation of fighters and civilians from the last rebel-held part of Homs city. The new...
‘Fighting Extremism’ Top Priority
Syria's future will be decided only after "getting rid of extremists" and achieving political reconciliation, the country's President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview published Monday. As the war...
Syria War: 2016 Deadliest Year Yet For Children, Says Unicef
Syria’s children “hit rock bottom” in 2016, with more killed than in any other year of the civil war, the United Nations children’s organisation says. At least 652 children died – 255 of...
Violence Against Syria’s Children ‘at Its Worst’ In 2016
Violence against children in war-ravaged Syria was "at its worst" in 2016, the UN's children's agency said Monday as the conflict nears its seventh year. UNICEF said that cases of children being...
Ex-Qaeda Affiliate In Syria Claims Damascus Bombings
Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front on Sunday said in a statement it was behind twin bombings targeting Shiite pilgrims in the centre of Damascus that killed 74 people. "On...