Middle East
Bangladesh to initiate safe return of citizens from Lebanon
The government has taken an initiative to ensure the safe return of Bangladeshis in phases, who got stuck in troubled Lebanon, with the first batch's likely arrival on October 21
Israeli air strikes hit Beirut, south Lebanon
An Israeli airstrike yesterday destroyed the municipal headquarters in Nabatieh, a major town in south Lebanon, killing the mayor and at least five others as they met to coordinate aid for those suffering from war.
Strikes hits south Beirut after Israeli military evacuation order
Strikes hit south Beirut on Wednesday, an AFP journalist saw, less than an hour after the Israeli military ordered residents to leave part of the Lebanese capital
Israeli strikes across Gaza kill 50 Palestinians
Israeli military strikes killed at least 50 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces tightened their squeeze around Jabalia in the north of the enclave yesterday, amid fierce battles with Hamas-led fighters.
Hezbollah fires rockets at Israeli targets
Hezbollah said it targeted an Israeli naval base yesterday, a day after a drone strike killed four soldiers in the deadliest attack on Israel since the war in Lebanon began.
Israel steps up military pressure in north Gaza
Palestinian medics said yesterday that at least 10 people were killed and 30 injured by Israeli tank shells that hit a food distribution centre in northern Gaza’s Jabalia, with casualties including women and children.
IMAGES OF LIVING THINGS in afghanistan / Taliban vow to enforce media ban
Afghanistan’s Taliban morality ministry yesterday pledged to implement a law banning news media from publishing images of all living things, with journalists told the rule will be gradually enforced.
US to send anti-missile system and troops to Israel, Pentagon says
US President Joe Biden said the move was meant "to defend Israel," which is weighing an expected retaliation against Iran after Tehran fired more than 180 missiles at Israel on Oct 1
Saudi Arabia plans for fresh round of talks with Iran
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Saturday the kingdom was looking to schedule a fifth round of direct talks with rival Iran despite a “lack of substantive progress” so far, and urged Tehran to change its behaviour in the region.
Israel PM sees Iran nuke deal ‘shortly’
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett yesterday said that Iran may “shortly” agree a new nuclear deal with major powers but warned it will be weaker than the original 2015 agreement.
Abbas, Pelosi hold rare West Bank meet
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas met with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Thursday for talks on reviving a two-state solution to the conflict, Abbas’s office said.
Israel fires on new drone from Lebanon
Israel’s military said its air defences fired at an unmanned aerial vehicle that had crossed into its airspace from Lebanon yesterday, the second such incident in as many days.
Kuwait allows women to serve in army, but without guns
Kuwaiti women are angry after the military, having allowed female soldiers in combat roles, decided they need the permission of a male guardian and banned them from carrying weapons.
Thousands of Saudi women apply to drive trains
A job advert to recruit 30 female train drivers in Saudi Arabia has attracted 28,000 applicants, highlighting the scale of pent up demand as the conservative kingdom opens up more opportunities to women.
Saudi coalition hits Yemen capital
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen yesterday destroyed a communications system used for drone attacks and located near the telecoms ministry in Sanaa, it said in a statement.
Vienna talks ‘complicated’
Iran yesterday said talks with world powers in Vienna to restore the 2015 nuclear deal are “complicated and difficult” but have not hit an impasse.
Biden order ‘atrocity against Afghans’
Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has called a White House order to unfreeze $3.5bn in Afghan assets held in the United States for families of 9/11 victims an atrocity against the Afghan people.
‘Nothing for the poor’
Hundreds of people in Sweida, a Druze-majority city in southwestern Syria, have taken to the streets for a fifth day to decry corruption and worsening living standards, according to activists.