• Massive fire destroys prestigious Arab film studio in Egypt

    CAIRO, EGYPT – A major fire here destroyed one of the Arab world's most prestigious and oldest film production houses, founded 80 years ago, an AFP journalist said. Flames overtook the Al-Ahram Studio in Cairo's Giza district, burning everything inside and spreading to three surrounding buildings which were evacuated before the...
  • Israeli strike on a Lebanon house kills five, wounds nine

    Lebanon's official National News Agency said the Israeli strike on a house in the Khirbet Selm area killed a family of four," a couple and their two children, and one other person. Hizbollah and Israel have traded deadly cross-border fire on a near-daily basis since war broke out in October...
  • Israel strike kills 3 Hizbollah-affiliated paramedics in Lebanon

    According to the Hizbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee, three volunteer paramedics died "due to a direct Zionist attack on an emergency centre" in south Lebanon's Adaysseh. The armed group later said its fighters targeted Gesher Haziv "with batches of Katyusha rockets" in retaliation.
  • Israel kills two Hizbollah fighters in drone strike

    A security source said that an Israeli drone shot two guided missiles at the building in Kfar Rumman, near the southern city of Nabatiyeh. At least 273 people have been killed on the Lebanese side since October, most of them Hizbollah fighters but also including 42 civilians, sparking fears of...
  • Yemen-based Houthis fire missiles at ships in Red Sea, says US

    Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired three missiles at two merchant ships in the Red Sea in their latest attack in the commercially vital waterway, the White House said. The report came after the Houthis vowed to keep up their attacks despite repeated US and British strikes against them.
  • Japan quake death toll jumps to 161, 103 missing

    According to authorities in the central Ishikawa region hit by the 7.5-magnitude quake, the number of people unaccounted for fell to 103 from 195. The shock waves toppled buildings, sparked a major fire and triggered tsunami waves over a metre high. Thousands of rescuers have been drafted in from all...
  • Israeli attack on Lebanon kills soldier, wounds three

    The Lebanese army in a statement said that its position was targeted by the "Israeli enemy" on the southern border. The border between Israel and Lebanon has seen intensifying exchanges of fire since the war broke out between Hamas and Israel, mainly involving Iran-backed Hizbollah, raising fears of a broader...
  • Rising global temperatures in focus as COP28 kicks off in Dubai

    Dubai, UAE--Rising sea levels, vanishing Arctic landscapes, fading coral reefs, acidic oceans, and raging forest fires are common occurrences today. Climate change is escalating its aggressive posture before a full scale assault on humanity. A new study found that it costs the world $16.3 million per hour. On November 17,...
  • Son of senior MP among five dead in south Lebanon: Hizbollah

    The group, in a statement, said that Abbas Raad, son of the head of Hizbollah's parliamentary bloc Mohammed Raad, was "martyred on the road to Jerusalem". Later Hizbollah issued separate statements with the identities and photographs of four other fighters who were also killed. The group and Israel have been...
  • 32 killed in fire at ArcelorMittal mine in Kazakhstan

    KARAGANDA, KAZAKHSTAN - A fire at a mine in Kazakhstan owed by steel giant ArcelorMittal killed 32 people on Saturday, with over a dozen still missing and the Central Asian nation working to take over the company's local branch. ArcelorMittal -- listed in Luxembourg -- has a history of deadly disasters...
  • At least 38 injured in police HQ fire in Egypt’s Ismailia

    Flames raged through the multi-storey building that was completely obscured by a massive cloud of smoke before the blaze was brought under control. By dawn, all that remained of the headquarters was a charred shell as emergency services carried out cooling procedures to prevent another fire from breaking out.
  • 100 killed in fire during wedding at Iraq event hall

    At the main hospital in Hamdaniyah -- a predominantly Christian town east of Mosul that is also known as Qaraqosh -- an AFP photographer saw ambulances arriving with sirens blaring and dozens of people gathering in the courtyard to donate blood. People were also seen gathering in front of the...
  • Fire at substation in Iraq sparks nationwide power outage

    Baghdad, Iraq--A fire at an electricity substation in southern Iraq triggered a nationwide power outage Saturday, authorities said, just as demand peaks amid the searing summer heat. Electricity is a sensitive political issue in Iraq as despite the country's huge oil reserves, its dilapidated power grid is incapable of meeting peak demand...
  • Rockets, shells kill at least 20 civilians in Sudan

    According to lawyers and medics, rocket fire on residential areas of one of Darfur's main cities and shelling near hospitals in North Kordofan state killed at least 20 civilians. The doctors' union said that shells had struck near four hospitals killing four civilians. In the South Darfur rocket fired killed...
  • DEWA exhorts customers to take ‘measures’ in order to avoid fire

    Dubai, UAE--Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has called on the public to take all necessary measures to avoid the risk of fire due to misuse of electrical appliances and connections with increasing temperatures in summer or failure to conduct periodic maintenance. DEWA called on customers to use its smart...
  • Sudan ceasefire extended as gunfire rages, aid trickles in

    Many residents said they could hear gunfire after dark on Monday, shortly before the ceasefire extension was announced. Earlier, they reported street battles in northern Khartoum, as well as artillery fire in the south of the city, where a plume of grey smoke was visible. The persistent fighting has impeded...
  • Fire in Dubai apartment building kills 16, injures 9

    Dubai, United Arab Emirates--A fire in a residential building in Dubai killed 16 people and injured nine others in the wealthy Gulf emirate, local media reported. The fire broke out at midday Saturday on the fourth floor of the building in the Al-Ras neighbourhood in the old part of the city....
  • Three officials sacked after second fire at Baghdad airport in three days

    The latest fire came after three people were lightly hurt on Tuesday when a blaze broke out in a refreshments area in the departures lounge of one of the terminals.
  • Air India Express plane evacuated after engine fire in Oman

    Footage aired by Omani TV showed smoke billowing from the plane, which had been taxiing for departure for Kochi in India's south, as passengers streamed across the tarmac. Some of the 141 passengers received "minor bruises", the airline said
  • Algeria fire crews rein in blazes that left 38 dead

    Deadly fires have become an annual scourge in Algeria, where climate change has turned large areas of forest into a tinderbox in the blistering summer months.
  • Turkey grapples with fires from plastic recycling plants

    Although Turkey has become the leading importer of European plastic waste after China banned imports in 2018 but according to expert only 20 to 30 percent of imported plastic waste is recyclable.
  • Erdogan replaces agriculture minister of Turkey

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appointed Vahit Kirisci as minister of agriculture and forestry after the resignation of Bekir Pakdemirli.
  • Dubai Maritime City launches $38 million infrastructure project

    DP World’s purpose-built maritime hub, Dubai Maritime City (DMC), has launched an infrastructure project at a cost of AED140 million ($38 million). An official statement said the project is part of “ongoing efforts to boost Dubai’s economy and enhance the efficiency of the logistics sector”. The infrastructure project includes developing...
  • UAE warns of reprisals for ‘Houthi attack’ on Abu Dhabi

    The United Arab Emirates threatened reprisals against Yemen's Houthi rebels after suspected drone strikes killed three people in Abu Dhabi on Monday. "The UAE reserves the right to respond to these terrorist attacks and this heinous criminal escalation," a foreign ministry statement said.
  • 10 injured in fire at Kuwait’s largest refinery, operations unaffected

    A fire at a gas liquefaction unit in Kuwait's largest refinery Friday left 10 people injured before it was put out, the plant's operator said. The blaze "erupted during maintenance work" on the unit at Mina al-Ahmadi refinery, 40 kilometres (25 miles) south of Kuwait City, state-owned Kuwait National Petroleum...
  • Top 10 weather disasters cost $20bn more than last year: NGO

    Each year, UK charity Christian Aid calculates the cost of weather incidents like flooding, fires, and heat waves according to insurance claims. In 2020, it found the world's 10 costliest weather disasters caused $150 billion in damage, making this year's total an increase of 13 percent.
  • Iraqi cleric Sadr’s bloc declared biggest election winner

    Iraq's Shiite Muslim firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr was Tuesday confirmed the biggest winner of last month's parliamentary election that had sparked charges of voter fraud from pro-Iranian factions. Sadr's movement won 73 out of the assembly's 329 seats, the election commission said.
  • Oil-waste fire in Dubai under control

    Dubai Civil Defense on Monday, October 18 brought under control a fire that had broken out at an oil waste disposal site in the Jebel Ali Industrial area in Dubai. The fire, which has broken out late in the morning, was brought under control by 2:40 pm.
  • Israel strikes Gaza after fire balloons

    Israeli army said fighter jets struck a Hamas military compound used for manufacturing weapons.
  • Oil tanker blows up in fire on Makkah-Jeddah expressway

    A speeding car rammed into an oil tanker, causing the tanker to explode into a ball of fire on the Makkah-Jeddah expressway. At least ten more vehicles also caught fire.
  • Israeli fire kills Palestinian boy in West Bank

    On Monday, Israel launched airstrikes against Gaza after incendiary balloons launched from the strip started fires in the country’s south. Israel frequently responds to balloon launches with air strikes, including after such devices were used on August 6.
  • Four dead as forest fires rage in Lebanon, Syria, Turkey

    The fire in Syria spread from Lebanon, while Turkey saw a separate series of blazes; in all, four people have been reported dead.