Saudi Arabia concludes 20-nation military exercise 'North Thunder'

Saudi Arabia concludes major military exercise of 20 Arab and Islamic nations

At least 20 countries from Arab and Islamic countries participated in the North Thunder war games in the northern region of the kingdom RIYADH (Saudi Arabia) – Saudi Arabia concluded a major... Read more »

Bahrain, Sudan sever ties with Iran, UAE reduces number of diplomats

Bahrain, Sudan sever ties with Iran following Saudi Arabia while UAE reduces number of diplomats, widening Middle East conflict Bahrain and Sudan, both close allies of Saudi Arabia, have joined the kingdom and cut... Read more »
Shiites carrying a placard with an image of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr at a protest in Srinagar, in the disputed region of Kashmir, on Saturday. Credit Dar Yasin/Associated Press

Saudi Arabia breaks off Diplomatic ties with Iran over cleric’s execution

Tensions sparked by cleric’s execution raise alarm about growing hostilities in regional battle for influence between two countries Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic relations with Iran as tensions between the two long-time regional... Read more »
Firefighters arrive at the scene of the Saudi Arabian embassy which was torched by members of an angry mob in Tehran. Photo: EPA

Angry Iranian protesters ransack and torch Saudi Embassy after mass execution

Iran leader sees ‘divine vengeance’ for Saudi cleric execution Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi Embassy in Tehran early on Sunday as Shi’ite Muslim Iran reacted with fury to Saudi Arabia’s execution of... Read more »

Saudi Arabia executes 47 for ‘terrorism’, including top Shia cleric

Region anger was growing tonight after Saudi Arabia announced the execution of 47 prisoners accused of terrorism charges, including a Muslim Shi’ite cleric RIYADH: Saudi Arabia executed 47 people on Saturday for... Read more »

Iranian Revolutionary Guards fired rockets near U.S. warships in Gulf

Iranian Revolutionary Guards launched rockets near the U.S. aircraft-carrier Harry S. Truman and other warships as they were entering the Gulf on Saturday, giving only brief notice in a “highly provocative” act,... Read more »
Saudi civil defence agency workers at the hospital after the fire. Photograph: Reuters

At least 25 dead in fire at Saudi Arabia’s Hospital

At least 25 killed and 100 people injured after blaze breaks out at Jazan hospital in Saudi Arabia JAZAN (Saudi Arabia) – A fire at a hospital in Saudi Arabia has killed at... Read more »
Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman announced a new Islamic coalition to combat terrorism.

Saudi Arabia forms 34-state Islamic coalition to fight Terrorism

List of coalition countries include Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Malaysia, and Pakistan, among others; Iran absent from alliance RIYADH (Saudi Arabia) – Saudi Arabia on Tuesday formed a 34-state military coalition to combat terrorism,... Read more »
Women line up to vote at a girls high school in North Jeddah. Photo: WALL STREET JOURNAL

Saudi women voted for first time and won 17 seats in historic election

In first poll in which women can vote and be candidates, female winners are declared across the conservative kingdom RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — At least 17 Saudi women have won seats on local... Read more »

32 ISIS militants killed in airstrikes in Syria

UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 32 ISIS fighters dead and 40 more injured in Raqqa province on Sunday At least 32 Islamic State fighters have been killed and 40 more... Read more »
Over 4,000 civilians killed in anti-ISIS bombing in Iraq and Syria since 2014

Over 4,000 civilians killed in anti-ISIS bombing in Iraq and Syria since 2014

More than 4,000 civilians have been killed  during 2014 – 2015 by “indiscriminate bombardments” targetted at ISIS (or Daesh militant group) by Iraqi, Syrian, U.S.-led and Russian military aircraft in Iraq and Syria,... Read more »
Muslims and Jews sharing meal together in Hummus cafe in Israel.

Hummus Restaurant offers discount to Jews and Arabs who dine together

Share Hummus for Peace A restaurant near the coastal city of Netanya in Israel recently started offering 50 percent off each plate of the chickpea paste at tables seating Jews and Arabs... Read more »
Teenage student, who was arrested in Texas after taking a homemade clock to school, accepts scholarship offer in Doha

US clock kid Ahmed is moving to Qatar to study

Teenage student, who was arrested in Texas after taking a homemade clock to school, accepts scholarship offer in Doha The 14-year-old Muslim boy, Ahmed Mohamed, who was arrested for bringing science project... Read more »
Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims on the first day of Eid al-Adha, in Mina near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, September 24, 2015. Photo: AP

More than 700 pilgrims killed, 719 injured during Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia

More than 700 people are crushed to death and 719 injured in stampede during Muslim Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia MINA (Saudi Arabia) – According to latest reports, at least 717 people... Read more »
A policeman stands inside the al-Balili mosque after two suicide bombings at the mosque during Eid al-Adha prayers in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Bomb blast during Eid prayers in Yemen kill at least 25

SANAA (Yemen) – A suicide bomber blew himself up during prayers at a mosque for the Eid al-Adha holiday on Thursday, killing 25 people in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, security officials said. Dozens... Read more »

Pakistan calls for UN, OIC roles to solve Kashmir & Mideast disputes

UNITED NATIONS: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in cooperation with the United Nations, has the potential to deal with the decades-old Kashmir and the Middle East disputes, a top Pakistani diplomat... Read more »
Former Saudi Foreign Minister and veteran diplomat Prince Saud al-Faisal dies at the age of 75

Glowing tributes pour in for veteran Saudi diplomat, Prince Saud Al-Faisal

World leaders joined Saudi Arabia on Friday in mourning the demise of the world’s longest-serving foreign minister, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, who passed away on Thursday in Los Angeles. Western and Arab leaders... Read more »

Syria Refugee Crisis worsens as four million forced to flee: UNHCR

With the fighting dragging into its fifth year the number of Syrians who have fled into neighboring countries to escape the civil war has reached more than 4 million and the number... Read more »
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki, standing, at a treaty-signing ceremony at the Vatican on Friday. Photo credit: L’Ossservatore Romano via AP

Vatican formally recognizes Palestinian state, Israel irked

Vatican signs first treaty with ‘State of Palestine,’ backs two-state solution VATICAN CITY — The Vatican on Friday signed a treaty with the “state of Palestine,” a development that the church hopes will... Read more »

Why did Saudi Arabia intervene in Yemen?

By Mohammed Khalid Alyahya While Iran’s destructive influence in Yemen is as alarming to Saudi Arabia as its meddling in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, Saudi Arabia’s decision to intervene militarily in Yemen... Read more »
Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi, center, and members of the anti-Islamic State coalition meet in Paris, France, to discuss strategy in fighting the jihadists who have made key battlefield advances in recent weeks in Iraq and Syria, Tuesday, June 2, 2015.

Anti-ISIS coalition makes little progress at Paris meeting

Iraqi PM terms rise of ISIS global ‘failure’, calls for more support against ISIS The Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has described the rapid advance of Isis as a “failure of the... Read more »
Julie Bishop

FM Julie Bishop calls on US-led coalition to include Iran in strategic Paris talks

Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has called for Iran to be included in the strategic talks between the US and its allies on how to confront Islamic State. The international conference is... Read more »
A policeman carries out an inspection after the explosion at the al-Anoud mosque. Photograph: Faisal al-Nasser /Reuters

At least 4 killed in bomb attack outside mosque in Saudi Arabia

Second Saudi Arabia suicide bombing fuels ISIS campaign fears Attacker detonates bomb in car park of Shia mosque in Dammam, killing four people a week after suicide blast kills 21 at another... Read more »

Israeli military launch airstrikes in Gaza after rocket attack

The Israeli military has launched airstrikes on what it called the “terror infrastructure” in Gaza, following an earlier rocket attack on Israeli territory which the IDF blames on Hamas. Four targets identified... Read more »