BenArmani

Baghdad, Iraq - On a recent morning, at the foot of a towering building known as the Turkish restaurant in Baghdad's Tahrir Square, a man dressed in black rallied a small audience, calling for an end to the United States' presence in Iraq. "Blue caps against American interference," the crowd clamoured, wielding batons and metal rods underneath a clear, blue sky. More: Al-Sadr supporters take...

Puneh Gorji and Arash Pourzarabi were married in Iran on January 1. A week later, the newlyweds were returning to Canada to resume their studies at the University of Alberta in Edmonton when their plane was shot down over the Iranian capital, Tehran. All 176 people on board the Ukrainian airliner were killed. "When I saw the name of my niece on the list of the victims,...

The first round of talks between military representatives of Libya's internationally-recognised government and eastern-based military commander Khalifa Haftar aimed at achieving a lasting ceasefire have ended with no breakthrough, the UN has said. Five senior officers from the UN-brokered GNA and five others from Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) convened this week in the Swiss city of Geneva amid renewed international efforts to end...

India-based low-cost airline GoAir will launch daily direct flights between the Indian city of Mumbai and Doha from March 19, it is learnt. According to information available in the bookings section of the GoAir website, flight G8 7 is scheduled to depart Mumbai at 5.50pm and arrive in Doha at 7.30pm, with a total duration of four hours and 10...

The cloud cover is expected to increase gradually over the country from this evening and there is a chance of scattered rain until Wednesday, February 12, the Qatar Met department tweeted Saturday (see graphic). For Sunday, the weather office has said strong winds are expected in some places by the afternoon. Similar conditions are also likely offshore along with high...

The Qatar Charity (QC) Centre for Community Development for expatriate Asian communities in Qatar, Friends Cultural Centre (FCC), organised more than 50 events, including educational, cultural, sports, recreational activities, empowerment programmes and Ramadan projects, for workers and low-income people, children and those with special needs in 2019. These initiatives benefited some 25,000 people, QC said in a statement. FCC, by organising these activities, aimed to teach the participants...

A Supermoon will illuminate the Qatar sky today, Qatar Calendar House (QCH) has said. This full moon will be different from others as it will be bigger and brighter, hence called  a Supermoon, a statement from QCH said. This is the first Supermoon of 2020, according to information available online. The Supermoon phenomenon occurs when the moon is in its full moon...

Through its innovative saving account, Misk, Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) has awarded more than 100 winners with cash prizes in its third edition so far. The Misk account is part of the bank’s ongoing efforts to promote positive financial habits and encourage individuals to save money, QIB said in a statement. All the draws are held in the presence of official...

The ninth edition of Halal Qatar Festival at Katara – the Cultural Village continued to attract big crowds, including children, with its array of traditional competitions as well as educational and recreational activities. The festival aims to highlight the rich Qatari and Gulf heritage in an enjoyable atmosphere. It provides a unique platform to showcase and acquire the best...

Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry has said, part of a spike in violence after the United States announced a controversial Middle East plan. The death brings to five the number killed in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem since US President Donald Trump angered the Palestinians with his plan released last...

Turkey has sent nearly 150 vehicles with commandos and ammunition to reinforce its 12 observation posts in Idlib, Syria's last rebel-held region, according to Turkish state news agency Anadolu. The entry of the Turkish convoy, at least the second in a week, on Friday followed an increase in fighting in northwestern Idlib province and a rare deadly clash between Turkish and Syrian government forces. The...

Iraqi activists and anti-government protesters have welcomed the speech of top Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in which he has condemned the security forces for failing to protect the protesters killed in clashes in the southern city of Najaf this week. Iraq's anti-government protesters were looking for support from the country's top religious leader after followers of populist Shia...

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is working with a socialite friend of Kim Kardashian West to secure its latest deal. Carla DiBello, an entrepreneur who’s close to the reality television star, is advising on the Public Investment Fund’s proposed acquisition of Premier League soccer team Newcastle United, people with knowledge of the matter said. DiBello is working on the deal alongside...

China’s central bank will step up support for the economy to cushion the blow from a coronavirus outbreak, but activity is expected to recover once the virus is brought under control, one of its deputy governors said yesterday. The People’s Bank of China is closely watching the impact of the outbreak on the world’s second-largest economy, and is preparing policy...