Costly, ineffective distraction

A $320m floating pier built for delivering aid has been attached to Gaza’s shore and began being used to deliver aid on Friday, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) says. Washington has provided billions of dollars in aid as well as weapons that Israel has used in Gaza since October 7.
18 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Oil tanker hit by missile off Yemen

A crude oil tanker was hit by a missile off the coast of Yemen’s southwestern city of Mokha overlooking the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, maritime security firm Ambrey said yesterday.
18 May 2024, 18:00 PM

India, Iran sign deal to develop port project

India and Iran yesterday signed a 10-year contract to develop and equip the strategic Chabahar port in Iran as India seeks to grow trade in west and central Asia.
13 May 2024, 18:00 PM

UAE hits out at Netanyahu for saying it could help run Gaza

The United Arab Emirates hit out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday after the Israeli leader said the Gulf state could be involved in aiding a future government in Gaza after the war. 
11 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Iran conservatives tighten grip in parliament vote

Iran’s conservatives and ultra-conservatives clinched more seats in a partial rerun of the country’s parliamentary elections, official results showed yesterday, tightening their hold on the chamber. 
11 May 2024, 18:00 PM

UNGA backs Palestinian bid for membership

The United Nations General Assembly yesterday backed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member by recognising it as qualified to join and recommending the UN Security Council “reconsider the matter favourably.”
10 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Pro-Gaza Protest: Encampment dismantled at the MIT

Police early yesterday dismantled a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and moved to clear protesters from University of Pennsylvania’s campus in Philadelphia, just hours after police tear-gassed protesters and took down an encampment at the University of Arizona.
10 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Israel closure of Gaza crossings ‘crippling’ aid: UN

Israel’s closure of key crossings into Gaza has cut off the main entry point for aid, and particularly fuel, rendering humanitarian operations all but impossible, a senior UN official warned.
10 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Iran frees seven crew from Portuguese ship seized in Gulf

Iran yesterday freed seven of the 25 crew on a Portuguese-flagged ship seized in the Gulf on April 13, Portugal’s foreign ministry said.
9 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Battles rage around Rafah

Israel bombarded the overcrowded Gaza city of Rafah, as talks resumed yesterday in Cairo aimed at agreeing the terms of a truce in the seven-month offensive.
8 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Gaza ‘choked off’ from aid

The two main crossings into the southern Gaza Strip remain shut, virtually cutting off the enclave from outside aid with very few stores stationed inside, said UN agencies yesterday.
7 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Israel plays down Hamas nod to ceasefire, hits Rafah

Israel played down the likelihood of a ceasefire in Gaza yesterday after Hamas said it had accepted a proposal from mediators, even as residents fled the city of Rafah in fear of an Israeli assault.
6 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Yemen rebels dismantle US-Israel ‘spy’ network

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said yesterday they had exposed a “spy” network aiding the United States and Israel and arrested suspected members of it.
6 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Hopes for Gaza truce appear slim

Prospects for a Gaza ceasefire appeared slim yesterday as Hamas reiterated its demand for an end to the offensive in exchange for the freeing of hostages, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly ruled that out.
5 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Pro-Palestinian Protest: Students set up camp at Ireland’s Trinity College

Students at Trinity College Dublin protesting Israel’s offensive in Gaza have built an encampment that forced the university to restrict campus access yesterday and close the Book of Kells exhibition, one of Ireland’s top tourist attractions.
4 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Yemen rebels threaten to widen ship attacks to Mediterranean

Yemen’s Houthi rebels threatened to extend their attacks on Israel-bound shipping to the Mediterranean after months of strikes on vessels in the Red Sea.
4 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Hopes of Gaza ceasefire rise

Hamas negotiators yesterday began intensified talks on a possible Gaza truce that would see a halt to the fighting and the return to Israel of some hostages, a Hamas official told Reuters, with the CIA director already present in Cairo for the indirect diplomacy.
4 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Rafah assault ‘could lead to a bloodbath’

An Israeli military incursion into Gaza’s southern city of Rafah could lead to a “bloodbath”, the World Health Organization warned Friday, announcing contingency plans.
4 May 2024, 18:00 PM

Heavy rain returns to desert UAE

Schools and many offices were closed across the United Arab Emirates yesterday as heavy rains returned to the desert country just two weeks after record downpours that experts linked to climate change.
2 May 2024, 18:00 PM