Middle East

Will Saudi-Iran accord have a domino effect and stabilize the Middle East?

It looks like the bloody war in Yemen, where the Iranians backed the rebel Houthis and Saudi Arabia the internationally recognized government, will come to an end

Untamed global warming risks soaring death toll in middle east: Report

If global warming can be limited to 2C above preindustrial levels, the researchers found that over 80% of those deaths could be avoided

No plans to give more bilateral rights to W Asian carriers: Rajiv Bansal

All West Asian carriers have been asking for additional seats for several years, but India hasn't acquiesced, Bansal said

Saudi Arabia's deal with Iran worries Israel, shakes up Middle East

The news of the rapprochement between long-time regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran sent shockwaves through the Middle East and struck a symbolic blow for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made the threat posed by Tehran a public diplomacy priority and personal crusade. The breakthrough a culmination of more than a year of negotiations in Baghdad and more recent talks in China also became ensnared in Israel's internal politics, reflecting the country's divisions at a moment of national turmoil. The agreement, which gives Iran and Saudi Arabia two months to reopen their respective embassies and re-establish ties after seven years of rupture, more broadly represents one of the most striking shifts in Middle Eastern diplomacy over recent years. In countries like Yemen and Syria, long caught between the Sunni kingdom and the Shiite powerhouse, the announcement stirred cautious optimism. In Israel, it caused disappointment along with a cascade of finger-pointing. O

Middle Eastern companies flock to J&K: Srinagar to house Emaar Mall

LuLu exports Rs 70 crore worth of apples, vegetables, walnuts and saffron

Bangladesh sees robust rise in overseas employment, mostly in Saudi Arabia

Remittance-reliant Bangladesh witnessed a big boom in overseas employment last year amid growing demand of huge workforce particularly in the Middle East and Asian countries, a senior official said

Blinken to travel to Mideast amid US concern over Israel-Palestine violence

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Egypt, Israel and the West Bank this weekend in his first trip to the Middle East this year, amid an escalation in Israeli-Palestinian violence, US concerns over the direction of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government and ongoing issues with Egypt's human rights record. The State Department said on Thursday that Blinken would leave Washington on Saturday for stops in Cairo, Jerusalem and Ramallah. The announcement came just hours after an Israeli raid on suspected terrorists in the West Bank city of Jenin that Palestinian officials say killed nine people in the deadliest such incident this year. After visiting Cairo for talks on Sunday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Blinken will go to Jerusalem and Ramallah on Monday and Tuesday to see Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, the department said. With both Israeli and Palestinian leaders, the secretary will underscore the urgent need for the .

Wipro signs multi-year deal with Finastra for corp banks in Middle East

IT company Wipro on Thursday said it has signed a multi-year digital transformation partnership with fintech firm Finastra for corporate banks in the Middle East. The multi-year engagement will make Wipro the exclusive implementation and go-to-market partner to deploy Finastra's trade finance solutions in the region, a company statement said. "Corporate banks are key players in the sector and are significantly transforming the way they operate to cope with the ever-evolving industry. Reimagining digital services to improve client experiences and rationalizing platform and operations centres to drive efficiencies are key priorities for the sector. "This exclusive partnership with Finastra will enable us to help clients transform into truly digital platform players," Wipro's Regional Head of Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) for Middle East, Mohamad Hamza said. Wipro has been operating in Middle East since last several decades. It is one of the six focus regions that .

Hard truths about soft power

The sub-optimal outcomes of Qatar's image management project hold salutary lessons for India

Here's all you need to know about $300 bn controversial Qatar World Cup

It's set to the biggest sporting event ever held in the Middle East -- and in a conservative, majority-Muslim country to boot.

Change is afoot in Saudi Arabia

The West Asian kingdom is rapidly shedding its image as an insular Islamic state. Nowhere is this change more remarkable than in the status of women

Mideast, North Africa economies resilient, inflation to slow growth: IMF

The economies of Middle Eastern and North African countries were resilient this year, but double-digit inflation is expected to slow growth in 2023, the International Monetary Fund said on Monday. The IMF forecast GDP growth at 5per cent in 2022 for countries in the region. For oil-exporting nations, growth was projected at 5.2 per cent, mainly due to high oil prices and robust GDP growth in other countries, which offset the impact of high food prices. But the rate of growth is expected to slow in 2023, due in part to inflation driven by high food and commodity prices, the report said. And the outlook remained so dire for politically unstable Lebanon and war-scarred Syria that the IMF reported no economic projections for either. Higher energy prices sustained oil-producing nations, such as Saudi Arabia, where economic growth is expected to hit 7.6 per cent this year. Oil exporters are also benefitting from trade diversions caused by the war in Ukraine, as some European countries l

India's Russian oil binge sends West Asian imports to 19-month low

India's imports from the West Asia fell to about 2.2 million bpd, down 16.2% from August

On witness stand, ex-US prez Trump's ally denies foreign influence charge

A California billionaire known as an ally of Donald Trump has used his testimony at his federal trial to question Trump's leadership on foreign policy, saying the former president was clueless about the dynamics in the Middle East. The defendant, Tom Barrack, is accused of using his unique access as a longtime friend of Trump to provide confidential information about the Trump administration to the United Arab Emirates to advance the UAE's foreign policy and business interests. Prosecutors say while UAE officials were consorting with Barrack, they were rewarding him by pouring millions of dollars into his business ventures. Barrack, the onetime chair of Trump's inaugural committee, told a New York City jury on Monday that he considered Trump to be bold and smart businessman, and had backed his candidacy as a political outsider who could be a good thing for the system. However, he testified that he later grew disillusioned because of Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric and other divisive .

Iraq's regional Kurdistan parliament extends legislative term for 1 year

The lawmakers of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region have voted to extend the current four-year legislative term of the regional parliament for one more year

Israeli PM, Jordanian King discuss tensions in Middle East at UNGA meet

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and King Abdullah II of Jordan met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and discussed the tensions in the Middle East region

Russia's recent losses in Ukraine may make Middle East think on realignment

Advance of Ukrainian forces into Russian-held territory in Ukraine has most probably led several Middle East countries, to rethink a possible re-alignment towards Russia and relations with US

Queen's reign saw ages of British rule leave Middle East with mixed legacy

The long reign of Queen Elizabeth II saw large swaths of the world cast off London's rule, but after her death a handful of British-installed monarchies still endure in the Middle East. They have survived decades of war and turmoil and are now seen as bastions of a certain kind of authoritarian stability. When popular uprisings erupted across the region a decade ago in what was known as the Arab Spring, sweeping away regimes with anti-colonial roots, hereditary rulers were largely unscathed. The days of imperial pomp and gunships may be over, but the region's emotional and financial ties to England run deep. Emirs, sultans and kings attend the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. Gulf Arab sovereign wealth has helped reshaped London's skyline. As the son of a British mother, Jordan's King Abdullah II also has familial and cultural ties to Britain. Jordan's ruling Hashemites, who come from the Arabian Peninsula and claim descent from the Prophet Muhammad, launched the revolt agains

Jordan warns about decline in international support for Syrian refugees

Jordan has warned against the noticeable decline in international support extended to refugees in the Middle East and the related UN institutions

Titan to expand Tanishq stores' footprint in the Middle East and N America

Expects 15-20 per cent higher sales in this festive season