Editor of WQ

AirAsia rescuers fail to lift crashed plane fuselage Indonesian rescuers briefly managed to raise the fuselage of crashed AirAsia Flight 8501 from the sea bed before bad weather caused it to sink again. An additional four bodies have been recovered from the wreckage. Rescue crews lifted the fuselage of the crashed AirAsia plane using inflated lifting bags on Saturday before bad...

Qatar overcome Belarus; Spain make it five in five Qatar players including Zarko Markovic (right), Hadi Hamdoon (second from right), Hamad Madadi (centre) and Rafael Capote (left) thank the crowd for their support after the win over Belarus yesterday. PICTURE: Othman al-Samaraee. Defending champions Spain and hosts Qatar registered victories to finish first and second in Group A of the 24th...

HH the Emir offers condolences to King Salman HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani arrives to take part in the funeral of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh HH the Emir offered condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud...

Emir awards Sash of Merit to al-Attiyah HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani yesterday met at Al Wajbah Palace with Nasser al-Attiyah on the occasion of his victory in Dakar Rally, which was held in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires. HH the Emir congratulated al-Attiyah and awarded him the Sash of Merit in appreciation of his efforts...

Air strikes near Damascus kill 32, including 6 children A man carries an injured child after what activists said was shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Assad, in Hamouria main square and market, Eastern Al-Ghouta, near Damascus. Government air strikes on a rebel-held village east of Damascus Friday killed 32 civilians, including six children, a monitoring group said, denouncing what...

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Salman bin Abdulaziz has become Saudi Arabia’s king and Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz was declared the crown prince after King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz passed away, the Royal court announced on Friday. A Royal court statement said Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud received the pledge of allegiance as the country's king from members of the royal family....

World pays tribute to late Saudi King Abdullah U.S. President Barack Obama hailed King Abdullah as a “candid” leader who “had the courage of his convictions.” (AA) World leaders flocked to the Saudi capital Riyadh on Friday to take part in the funeral of late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who passed away in the early hours of the morning. Following the afternoon...

Kyiv says rebels are launching a new Ukraine offensive Kyiv has accused pro-Russian separatists of launching a massive new offensive in eastern Ukraine. This comes as the rebels cement their hold on a long-disputed airport ceded by Ukrainian troops after a long defense. "Russian terrorist groups have essentially violated all prior ceasefire agreements and are assuming their active offensive operations," Ukraine's...

Japan wrings hands as 'Islamic State' deadline passes The "Islamic State" has posted an online warning that the "countdown has begun" for the group to kill a pair of Japanese hostages. The mother of one of them has made a tearful plea on their behalf. The "Islamic State" (IS) posted a video online Friday showing a clock counting down to zero...

'Victory is in sight' in the fight against Ebola Sierra Leone has lifted several anti-Ebola measures which have greatly weakened the nation's economy. President Ernest Koroma was optimistic but urged continued vigilance against the deadly virus. Sierra Leone lifted crippling nationwide restrictions on Friday that had been put in place to stem the tide of the Ebola epidemic amid signs UN...

U.S. pulls top Navy official at Gitmo; inappropriate relationship alleged (CNN) - The commanding officer of the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been relieved of duty "due to loss of confidence" in his "ability to command," the Navy says. At issue is an allegation of an inappropriate relationship, a U.S. military official told CNN. Capt. John R. Nettleton has...

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has died at 90, state TV said early Friday. He had been in a hospital since December suffering from pneumonia. Abdullah, a strong U.S. ally in the fight against al-Qaeda, took power in 2005 after his half-brother King Fahd died. The announcement, which came in statement read by a presenter, was accompanied by video of worshippers at the...

Mass wedding for 60 couples to be held in UAE’s Sharjah At least 170 grooms in a previous mass wedding in the UAE. A mass wedding for 60 couples will be held Thursday in the UAE emirate of Sharjah, the country’s official news agency (WAM) reported. The mass wedding, which will be the fourth in the series, will be held under the...

John Kerry: anti-'IS' coalition 'can do better' Coalition talks have wrapped up in London, with US diplomat John Kerry announcing that "IS" had been partially beaten back in Iraq. Kerry and other politicans warned that the fight was far from over, however. At a meeting of the members of the US-led coalition against the self-styled "Islamic State" (IS) terror group on...