Asian Lite News Archive

Category: Arab News

  • ISIS controlled refineries hit in Syria

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    The United States, along with its Arab allies, has continued airstrikes on positions of the Islamic State  group in Syria by targeting oil facilities controlled by the militants. The US Central Command, in charge of American military operations in the Middle East, said Wednesday that the raids were carried out by fighter planes and cruise…

  • Arab countries support US on ISIS mission

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      Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have promised to stand alongside the US “until the end” in its fight against the Islamic State (IS) Sunni radical group, a day after launching coordinated attacks on the group in Syria. US President Barak Obama received the support in a meeting Tuesday…

  • Clashes Al Aqsa mosque

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      Dozens of masked Palestinian protestors clashed with police Wednesday morning in the Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, as the holy site was opened to Jewish visitors ahead of the Jewish New Year, the police said. Police units stormed the compound after firecrackers were thrown at police officers at the nearby Mugrabim Gate, Xinhua reported…

  • Bin Laden’s son-in-law gets life in prison

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    A son-in-law of Osama bin Laden was Tuesday sentenced to life in prison after being convicted on terrorism charges. US district judge Lewis Kaplan sentenced Suleiman Abu Ghaith, a 48-year-old Kuwaiti imam, for conspiracy to murder Americans and conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist group. Abu Ghaith, who was extradited last year after…

  • US-led airstrikes in Syria kills ISIS militants

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    At least 70 Islamic State (IS) Sunni extremist militants were killed and 300 more were wounded in airstrikes on Syrian territory launched by warplanes of the US-led international coalition Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. SOHR indicated that the militants were killed in bomb attacks that targeted their positions in the northern…

  • Jordan confirms its part in Syria airstrikes

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      Jordan announced  that its warplanes took part in the US-led air operation against the Islamic State (IS) jihadis in northern Syria. In a statement reported by the official news agency Petra, a source at army headquarters said that the Jordanian air force destroyed “several targets”. Without mentioning Syria, the statement said that the strikes…

  • Israeli kills suspected murderers of Jewish teens

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    Two Palestinians suspected of having kidnapped and murdered three Jewish teenagers in June have been killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli security forces in the West Bank early Tuesday, the Israeli military confirmed. Acting on intelligence information, soldiers and police officers surrounded a building in Hebron where Marwan Kawasme and Amer Abu Aysha,…

  • US informed Syria in advance on strikes

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      Washington had informed Syria of airstrikes against positions of the Islamic State (IS) in Syria before these strikes started, the Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement Tuesday. The statement said that Syria’s envoy to the UN was informed Monday about the commencement of the US-led airstrikes against IS positions in Syria’s northern province…

  • US begins air strikes on ISIS Syria

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    The US and allies, said to include Arab nations, Tuesday launched the first airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria. The Arab nations include Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE, with Qatar playing a supporting role. The strikes were aimed at the IS’s stronghold of Raqqa in eastern Syria. “Fighter and bomber jets…

  • Turkey accused of hampering refugee inflow

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      Turkish authorities are hindering the access of sick and wounded Syrian Kurdish refugees fleeing Syria due to the cruelty and brutality of Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported . The SOHR added that border guards were slowing down entry procedures by forcing the refugees to wait for…

  • Iraq against foreign ground troops

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    Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said  that Iraq rejects the presence of foreign ground troops in the country to fight the Islamic State (IS) militant group. “Abadi renewed rejection of any ground intervention in Iraq,” a statement from Abadi’s office quoted him as saying during a meeting with Australian Defence Minister David Johnston in Baghdad.…

  • Israel approves rebuilding plan near Gaza

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    The Israeli cabinet Sunday approved a $360 million development initiative for the communities in the country’s south, near the Gaza border, who were hit hard in the recent bloody conflict between Israel and the Hamas. “This is the largest investment that Israel has ever made in this area,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a…

  • Syria condemns US coalition

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    Syria has criticised the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS) militant group, accused it of lacking the “true will” necessary to confront terrorism in the region. “The US’ move to form an alliance outside the framework of the UN Security Council to fight the IS does not reflect a true will to confront terrorism,”…

  • Kerry meets Iranian foreign minister

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     US Secretary of State John Kerry met his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in New York over the current round of nuclear talks. Kerry Sunday said that the resumption of talks between Iran and the P5+1 group — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US — is an opportunity to work towards a comprehensive…

  • Kuwait beefs up security against ISIS threat

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    Kuwait has undertaken new security measures to combat the militants of Islamic State (IS) Sunni extremist group in the Gulf nation, media reported. Kuwaiti Deputy PM and Interior Minister Shaikh Mohammed al-Khalid announced a new security team comprising 80 officers from the criminal investigation department and national security sector, to pursue the extremist group, MENA…

  • Iran can help tackle IS: Kerry

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    US Secretary of State John Kerry has said Iran can play a role in confronting and destroying the Islamic State (IS) militants. Addressing the UN Security Council on Iraq Friday, Kerry said there was a role for every country in the world to defeat what he described as a “militant cult masquerading as a religious…

  • No Rouhani-Obama meeting: Iran

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    Iranian Deputy Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi said Saturday that there are no plans for a meeting between President Hassan Rouhani and his American counterpart Barack Obama during the ongoing 69th UN General Assembly session in New York. Araqchi said that nuclear enrichment is a key issue in the ongoing talks with…

  • Egyptian pleads guilty in US embassy bombings

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    An Egyptian has pleaded guilty in a court here to charges of helping plan the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 people, a media report said Saturday. Adel Abdul Bary, 54, Friday pleaded guilty to three counts, including threatening to kill, injure or destroy property by means of an…

  • France begins attacks on ISIS

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    France’s President Francois Hollande said Friday French jets have launched first airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq where they seized major towns and threatened the region’s security. “This morning, at 9.40 a.m., our Rafale jets launched the first strike against a logistics depot of the terrorists,” Hollande said in a statement issued…

  • Google brings Pyramids home

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    If you are yet to experience the wonders of the ancient world still surviving in Egypt, you can now turn into a virtual visitor — thanks to Google Street View — and explore the pyramids from the comforts of your home. Google has unveiled navigable images of the ancient monument and other Egyptian attractions –…

  • World Heritage sites damaged in Syria

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      In war-torn Syria, five of six World Heritage sites now “exhibit significant damage” and some structures have been “reduced to rubble”, reveals new high-resolution satellite image analysis. The damaged Syria’s World Heritage sites are: the Ancient City of Bosra, the Ancient Site of Palmyra, the Ancient Villages of Northern Syria, and two castles –…

  • Iran slams US policies against ISIS

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     The US has adopted double standards in its fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, a senior Iranian official said Thursday. “The new US policy on the ground toward the IS is still ‘duplicitous’,” Press TV quoted Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, as saying. His remarks came after…

  • Over 100 killed in Iraq airstrikes

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    Over 100 people were killed and 79 others wounded in Iraq Thursday in US air strikes and clashes between the Iraqi security forces and insurgent militants, including those with the Islamic State(IS), officials and security sources said. In Iraq’s northern province of Nineveh, US airstrikes hit an IS training centre at the college of agriculture…

  • Young British Muslims Rap ISIS

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    Young British Muslims, have come together to launch a social media campaign against ISIS using #notinmyname, to register their revulsion and rejection of the terrorist group’s actions which they claim are in the name of Islam. The campaign, which gives a voice to young Muslims united against the rhetoric of hate and extremism propagated by…

  • Qatar vows to improve workers conditions

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     Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has vowed to promote reforms improving the condition of immigrants working on infrastructure for the 2022 Soccer World Cup that will be held in Qatar. In a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin Wednesday, the emir admitted that “mistakes” had been…

  • US Strategy toward the Islamic State

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    Jon B. Alterman says the new U.S. policy is more than merely a military strategy, it is much more military than it should be. Recalibrating the policy should be an immediate priority of the administration After trying hard to downplay policy in Syria and Iraq, the Obama White House has dived in. The recorded beheadings of…

  • UN announces pact on rebuilding Gaza

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    The United Nations Tuesday announced an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip, devastated in the recent Israeli military offensive. The pact will allow urgent reconstruction work to be carried out in Gaza, while ensuring that materials entering the area will not be used for other purposes, Robert…

  • Iraqi troops retake villages

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    Iraqi security forces Tuesday recaptured several villages in heavy clashes with extremist insurgent groups, while US warplanes expanded their airstrikes and pounded Islamic State militants near Iraq’s capital Baghdad. A senior Iraqi security spokesman said the US air force carried out the first airstrike under a new anti-IS plan on positions of the IS militants…

  • US air strikes target ISIS in Iraq

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      A US airstrike was carried out near Iraqi capital Baghdad which marked a new phase in the fight against Islamic State (IS). US Central Command said in a statement that it was the first strike as part of “expanded efforts” to help Iraqi forces on the offensive against IS, CNN reported Tuesday. Monday’s airstrike…

  • Paris meet pledges military aid to Iraq

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    Representatives of 29 countries, including the five member of the UN Security Council, agreed Monday to provide Iraqi authorities with “any means necessary including military assistance” to help in cracking down on the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, France’s foreign ministry said. “All participants underscored the urgent need to remove Daesh (or IS) from the…

  • Libya rejects talks with Islamist group

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    Libyan Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni has ruled out any negotiations with the Libya Dawn Islamist armed alliance, saying the government will launch new assaults to wipe it out. Sky News Arabia TV reported Monday that al-Thinni accused Libya Dawn of committing crimes against humanity, adding the armed group does not represent the Libyan people, according…

  • Israeli military slams its soldiers

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    The Israeli military Sunday sharply criticised a conscientious objection letter sent by 43 veterans of an elite intelligence unit who refused to serve their duty due to Israel’s surveillance and information gathering tactics. Military spokesperson Brig-Gen. Moti Almoz wrote online Sunday that the group used their military service “to express political opinions” in the letter…

  • Netanyahu eyes big money for defence

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    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday said he was supporting an increase in defence spending in the upcoming 2015 budget in opposition to the stance of the finance minister, which may lead to the collapse of his political coalition. “The billions we’ve invested in Israel’s defence in recent years saved the Israeli economy… Due to…

  • Israel now targets fishermen

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    Israeli gunboats Sunday opened fire at Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza coast in a breach of the truce reached late last month. According to the Palestinian fishermen syndicate, Israeli gunboats have been opening fire daily at fishing boats, MENA reported. A long-term truce in Gaza was agreed with Israel Aug 26. The ceasefire mediated by Egypt…

  • Gaza children return to schools

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    Schools reopened across the Gaza Strip Sunday following a three-week delay due to damage caused by an Israeli offensive on the enclave that ended late last month. As many as 700,000 school children went back to their schools at the end of a long summer vacation, which included 50 days of the Israeli war on…

  • Sharjah woos Indian tourists

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    After a successful campaign in Europe, the UAE emirate Sharjah will launch an India Road Show Sep 15-22 to woo tourists. The 2014 road show in India is being hosted by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority in cooperation with Air Arabia airline and Sharjah’s hotel and tourism industry. The promotional campaign will see…

  • Rebels advance in Syria

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    Armed militant groups, including Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, advanced in Syria’s southern province of Qunaitera, as the Syrian troops stripped the rebels of key towns in the central province of Hama, activists said Saturday. The Nusra Fighters and like-minded groups were advancing in Qunaitera, at the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the Syrian Observatory…

  • Kerry calls for global coalition against ISIS

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    US Secretary of State John Kerry Saturday said a global coalition was essential to defeat Sunni militant group Islamic State (IS). Kerry also stressed that a concerted effort must be made to choke off financing for the militant group and prevent foreign jihadis from joining its ranks in Iraq and Syria. “An international coalition is…

  • Hamas rejects direct talks with Israel

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     Deputy chief of the Islamic Hamas movement in Gaza, Ismail Haneya, said Saturday that his movement is not intending to hold direct talks with Israel. “Hamas won’t hold direct talks with Israel,” Haneya said in a meeting with Palestinian reporters in Gaza. Haneya was reacting to an earlier statement made by senior Hamas leader Musa…

  • Saeed Naqvi on Arab coalition against ISIS

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    Saeed Naqvi says Obama’s new coalition against the ISIS forces is willing to wound and yet afraid to strike  As soon as President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced his intention to lead a Coalition of the Willing to “degrade and destroy” the ISIS, his core coalition partners began to fidget and reach out for the…

  • Erdogan Needs A Spasm Of Lucidity

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    Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU, comment on Erdogan’s elevation to new post to remain in power The ascendancy of Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the presidency places Turkey on a trajectory that could usher in a new era unlike any other since the founding…

  • Holy Gaga rocks Dubai

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    The eccentric pop star Lady Gaga buried her wild past to deliver a subdued performance at Dubai. This is her first-ever performance in the Arab world. “They used to tell me I was crazy, I would never come to the Middle East. They were wrong, they were the judgmental ones,” Gaga told her legions of fans…

  • 10 Arab to states join forces against ISIS

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    Ten Arab countries, including six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, and the US have agreed to combine forces to destroy the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group wherever they exist in Iraq and Syria. A joint statement was issued after the meeting Thursday that was chaired by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal. It…

  • Iran doubtful of US coalition

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      There are serious ambiguities in the real intention of an emerging so-called international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, Iran’s foreign ministry said Thursday. The formation of an international coalition against IS militants was raised by the US at the end of the NATO summit in Wales, Britain. “There are doubts about…

  • Kerry arrives in Baghdad for talks

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    US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Iraq’s capital Baghdad Wednesday for talks with Iraqi leaders for building up an anti-terrorism campaign, media reported. Kerry is expected to meet top Iraqi leaders, including new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, to discuss forming a broad coalition against the Islamic State (IS) Sunni extremist organisation, an Al…

  • Israeli storms Ramallah refugee camp

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    A Palestinian was shot dead early Wednesday when an Israeli army force stormed a Palestinian refugee camp near Ramallah in the West Bank, a source said. The medical source said that Eassa al-Qatari, a 23-year-old man of al-Am’ari refugee camp, was killed after a gun shot by Israeli soldiers hit him in the back. Witnesses…

  • UK unveils Sharia Compliant Student Loans

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    The British Government will introduce Sharia compliant student loans enabling more Muslim students to go to University. The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills has responded to the results of a consultation that they carried out earlier this year into the feasibility and demand of proposals to introduce a Sharia compliant form of student financing.…

  • Saudi Arabia to host summit to combat ISIS

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    Representatives from the US, Turkey and several Arab countries will meet this week in Saudi Arabia to discuss ways to combat the Islamic State (IS) Sunni extremist organisation and other terrorist groups, media reported Tuesday. The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that the meeting would be held Thursday in Jeddah with the participation of the…

  • Abu Dhabi to be resident friendly

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    Residents of Abu Dhabi will enjoy easy access to high-quality community facilities and services in the coming few years under new standards unveiled on Sunday by the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC). The new Abu Dhabi Community Facility Planning Standards (CFPS) sets out the specific social, educational, cultural, recreational and healthcare facilities that must…

  • Israel wants deployment in Gaza

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    The Israeli foreign ministry has proposed the deployment of an international force in the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of Operation Protective Edge, the Ha’aretz daily reported Sunday. The proposal, submitted in a document to a security cabinet meeting Aug. 21, called for an international force to be deployed in the strip to help make…