Middle East

Iran targets Israeli positions across Syrian frontier

Iranian forces in Syria shells Israeli army outposts across the Syrian frontier overnight, Israel says, prompting one of the heaviest Israeli strikes in Syria since its civil war began in 2011.
Revive Middle East peace process

President Abdul Hamid yesterday urged all concerned to revive the Middle East peace process and adopt a constructive approach to it under a two-state solution.
Transition in the Middle East: Transition to what?

Transition is the name of the game in the Middle East and North Africa. The question is, transition to what?
Madness in the Middle East - Is Lebanon in the firing line?

Just as news started to come out that the Syrian Arab Army was on the verge of liberating the city of Abu Kamal, destroying the last Islamic State stronghold in Syria, rekindling hope that the region may yet see some semblance of stability...
The Middle East: It will only get worse

As Saudi Arabia reels from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's crackdown on the kingdom's elite, indications are that the Saudi-Iranian proxy war is heating up.
Is South Asia the new Middle East?

The Middle East is often viewed as a region waylaid by feelings of collective humiliation and violent rivalries, both between and within countries.
Date palm shows hope

Cultivated in the Bengal region since time immemorial, the native sugar date palm, locally called 'khejurer gachh', is well-appreciated,
Widening gulf between Gulf countries

Tension is again rising in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia and its allies (mainly other Gulf countries) abruptly cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism in the region.
The fight for Jihadi leadership

The fight between al-Qa'ida and the Islamic State (IS) has been going on since 2006 when the latter split from al-Qa'ida and declared
Iran general warns Bahrain after Shia cleric stripped of citizenship

The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards has suggested there could be armed resistance in Bahrain after the Sunni Muslim-ruled kingdom's top Shia cleric was stripped of his citizenship.
Dead Sea drying: A new low-point for Earth

The Dead Sea, the salty lake located at the lowest point on Earth, is gradually shrinking under the heat of the Middle Eastern sun. For those who live on its shores it's a slow-motion crisis - but finding extra water to sustain the sea will be a huge challenge.
The Middle East Iftar bonanza

Six days into Ramadan and the iftar bazaars are catching heat! Spoons flying, knives slicing and the heat rising. It is time to take our culinary skills a notch up. Try your hands at some Middle Eastern dishes for a change from the fried and crunchy delicacies.
80% of world’s city dwellers breathing bad air: UN

Over 80 percent of the world’s city dwellers breathe poor quality air, with Dhaka being the third most polluted, increasing their risk of lung cancer and other life-threatening diseases, a new World Health Organization (WHO) report warns.
Who really does Saudi Arabia's housework?

Disagreements about who should do housework blew up on Twitter in Saudi Arabia this week, and offered some insight into popular attitudes in the country.
OIC Summit calls for unity

The Muslim world needs to develop a common denominator of issues over which no Muslim country will differ. Had the Muslim nations been united, the Palestinian issue would have been resolved long ago.
Italy rescues 910 boat migrants, nearly 600 saved off Libya

Nearly 600 migrants mostly from sub-Saharan African countries and Bangladesh are rescued by Libyan coast guards.
Attacks hit Syria as truce takes hold

The first major truce in Syria's five-year civil war comes into effect, but Syrian TV says shells hit residential areas of the capital, Damascus.
Russia rejects Syria war crimes claim

Russia says it "categorically rejects" accusations of war crimes over the bombing of hospitals in Syria.
US Middle East policy

American foreign policy is not what it used to be, at least when it comes to the Middle East.
Syria rebels pledge to keep fighting

Rebel groups in Syria have told the BBC they will not stop fighting because they do not believe that Russia will end its bombing campaign in support of the government.
Pakistan lifts Houbara bustard hunting ban

Pakistan's supreme court lifts a ban on the hunting of a rare bird, the Houbara bustard.
Iran says new US sanctions illegitimate

Iran says new US curbs on the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile programme were illegitimate, vowing to continue developing its conventional military deterrent.
Saudi-Iran spat incites sectarianism

The Arab Spring had deeply destabilised the Middle East. A new dimension was added to the existing instability on January 4, 2016, when the (Sunni) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) severed diplomatic ties with (Shia) Iran.
Aid for starving Syria village advanced

Aid including one month's worth of food and medicine can reach for 40,000 people trapped in Madaya, a besieged Syrian village as early as Sunday morning, the World Food Programme says.
How the Saudi king benefits from a cleric's execution

Saudi Arabia's execution of Shia cleric Nimr-al-Nimr, alongside 46 others, mostly al Qaeda members, has sparked a crisis with Iran.
Egypt to remain in Saudi coalition but won’t join military action

Though Egypt joins the Saudi-led 34-nation Islamic Military Coalition against terrorism and violent extremism, it will not join any military action, says its envoy in Bangladesh.
Kuwait recalls envoy as region feuds

Kuwait says it is recalling its ambassador to Iran as a regional row over the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia deepens.
US warns Saudi execution of Shia cleric could fuel tensions

US expresses concern that Saudi Arabia's execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr could further exacerbate sectarian rivalry in the Middle East.
Sex claim: Israel deputy PM resigns

Israel's Interior Minister Silvan Shalom has resigned after a series of sexual harassment allegations.
Expats won’t be affected by IS for Saudi coalition: Minister

Expatriates living in Middle East will not be affected by Islamic State (IS) because of Bangladesh’s allegiance to Saudi’s Islamic military coalition, commented Nurul Islam, minister for expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment.