Pope Francis, making the first trip by a pontiff to Iraq, made an impassioned call yesterday for an end to the militant violence, fratricide and religious strife that has plagued the country for decades, saying peacemakers should finally be given a chance.

His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah departed on Thursday for the United States for regular medical tests, Kuwait news agency (KUNA) reported.

Surrounded by thousands of live scorpions in a labouratory deep in Egypt's Western Desert, Ahmed Abu al-Seoud carefully handles one of the curved-tailed arachnids before extracting a drop of its venom.

A mall in Bahrain has been letting food trucks and stalls feeling the financial pressure of the Covid-19 pandemic use its car park for free in an effort to boost local businesses.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor said yesterday her office will formally investigate war crimes in the Palestinian Territories, a move welcomed by the Palestinian Authority and denounced by Israel.

At least 10 rockets hit a military base in western Iraq hosting US-led coalition troops on Wednesday, security sources said, two days before Pope Francis's historic visit to the country.

Saudi Arabia’s health ministry has ruled that only people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 will be allowed to attend the Haj this year, Saudi newspaper Okaz reported on Monday.

The Palestinian Authority yesterday confirmed that it diverted some Covid-19 vaccination doses meant for medical workers to VIPs as critics charged but said this involved a small fraction of inoculations.

Famine could become part of war-torn Yemen’s “reality” in 2021, the UN warned yesterday, after a donor conference raising funds to keep millions from starvation fell short by over half.

The brand lives in the hearts and minds of consumers, and brand loyalty is an invaluable asset as the battle for customers intensifies.

Gunmen in Nigeria yesterday released 27 teenage boys who were kidnapped from their school last week in the northern state of Niger, while security forces continued to search for more than 300 schoolgirls abducted in a nearby state.

Tunisia’s main parliamentary bloc Ennahdha rallied thousands of people yesterday in a demonstration of support for the government amid a tug-of-war with President Kais Saied.