Palestinians criticise Israel’s decision to suspend peace talks

Palestinian leaders responded on Thursday to Israel’s decision to break off US-brokered peace talks, criticising the move.

Israel decided to pull out came after the two rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah signed an accord on Wednesday agreeing to work together to create a coalition government. After seven years of division, the two factions say they now intend to hold elections later in the year and form a unity government for Gaza and the West Bank.

Gaza’s Hamas prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh, said Israel’s response was disappointing but no surprise:

“The Israeli position was expected. This is occupation, and absolutely they do not want the Palestinian people to be united and want the division to continue,” Haniyeh said.

Palestinian legislator, Mustafa Barghouti, who had helped broker a deal between the two Palestinian factions accused Israel of being inconsistent.

“The Israeli statement against this unity agreement is very strange, when we are divided Mr. Netanyahu claims that he can not find a Palestinian that can represent all Palestinians and thus he cannot make peace and when we are united he claims that he cannot make peace with a unified Palestinian front, “ said Barghouti.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been leading the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations, said both sides needed to make compromises.

“Well, there is always a way forward but the leaders have to make a compromise necessary to do that, We may see a way forward but if they are not willing to make the compromises necessary to make peace it will be elusive”.

A deadline for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement had been set for April 29 after nine months of negotiations,

President Uhuru Kenyatta, arrives in Doha for state visit

President Uhuru Kenyatta shares a word with Deputy President William Ruto and Majority Leader in Parliament Aden Duale at JKIA before his departure for a three day State visit to Qatar. During the visit, he will meet the Emir of Qatar and other Qatari government officials where they are expected to discuss issues of mutual cooperation. Photo\PSCU. 

In Summary

• During the visit, he will meet the Emir of Qatar and other Qatari government officials where they are expected to discuss issues of mutual cooperation.

• On Tuesday, President Kenyatta will meet Qatari Energy Minister, Mohamed Saleh Al–Sada, and senior officials from the energy sector in Doha.

• On Wednesday, the President will meet the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and Qatari Transport Minister Jassim Seif Al-Sulaiti.

President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in Doha Monday evening to start a three-day State visit.

During the visit, he will meet the Emir of Qatar and other Qatari government officials where they are expected to discuss issues of mutual cooperation.

The plane carrying the President and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta touched down at Doha International Airport shortly before 6.00pm.

They were received by senior officials of the Qatari government and Kenyans living and working in Doha led by Kenya's Ambassador Galma Boru.

On Tuesday, President Kenyatta will meet Qatari Energy Minister, Mohamed Saleh Al–Sada, and senior officials from the energy sector in Doha.

He will also separately meet with Qatari Defence Minister, Hamad Bin Ali Al Attiyah, Qatari business community and representatives of Kenyans diaspora.

On Wednesday, the President will meet the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani and Qatari Transport Minister Jassim Seif Al-Sulaiti among other engagements.

Death toll from US drone strikes rises to 30 in Yemen

ADEN, Yemen, April 20 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of multiple U. S. drone strikes launched on Sunday against a training camp of al- Qaida militants in Yemen's southern province of Abyan has risen to 30 while leaving many others injured, a senior official told Xinhua.

The U.S. drone struck a training camp and convoy composed of four vehicles carrying armed terrorists with multiple air strikes in Abyan, killing up to 30 al-Qaida militants and injuring dozens others, the local military official said on condition of anonymity.

The early morning attacks on al-Qaida's training sites took place in Abyan's mountainous region of Mahfad, and resulted in dozens being killed and many injured, including local commanders of the terrorist group, the source said.

"The death toll from the U.S. drone airstrikes has risen to 30, " another security official in Abyan told Xinhua anonymously, updating the earlier death toll of 5.

Military helicopter gunships of the Yemeni air forces were still continuing shelling in Mahfad's valley and Azzan region in neighboring Shabwa province, considered bastions of al-Qaida militants, he added.

An official of intelligence department in Abyan confirmed to Xinhua that "there are confirmed reports that dozens of terrorists including some important commanders and foreigners were killed during the intensified bombing."

The Supreme Security Committee in Yemen issued a statement saying that "multiple successful air strikes targeted al-Qaida hideouts killing dozens of foreign and Yemeni militants in a rugged region between Abyan and Shabwa provinces."

Kuwait shuts papers for breaking 'coup tape' media blackout

Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah (2R) arrives to attend a parliament session at Kuwait's national assembly in Kuwait City on April 15,2014. Sabah told MPs that a videotape allegedly showing former senior officials plotting a coup was "tampered with," parliament speaker Marzouk al-Ghanem said after a secret session. A Kuwaiti judge Sunday ordered two newspapers to close for two weeks for breaking a news blackout on a videotape allegedly showing former senior officials plotting a coup. AFP/PHOTO  

In Summary

• The order against the independent Al-Watan and Alam Al-Youm newspapers was issued after the information ministry filed a complaint, the source said.

• Local media have said the former officials in the videotape include a senior member of the ruling family, without elaborating. The government informed parliament it will hand over all the tapes and related documents to the public prosecution, which is currently conducting an investigation.

KUWAIT CITY,

A Kuwaiti judge Sunday ordered two newspapers to close for two weeks for breaking a news blackout on a videotape allegedly showing former senior officials plotting a coup, a legal source told AFP.

The order against the independent Al-Watan and Alam Al-Youm newspapers was issued after the information ministry filed a complaint, the source said.

The videotape has shaken the Gulf state, prompting an investigation and parliament to hold a secret debate on the issue.

Kuwait's attorney general ordered a blackout on news relating to the tape, while the royal court has called for calm.

Following parliament's debate, parliamentary speaker Marzouk al-Ghanem on Tuesday said the prime minister had told MPs that the videotape had been "tampered with" and not reliable.

Local media have said the former officials in the videotape include a senior member of the ruling family, without elaborating.

The government informed parliament it will hand over all the tapes and related documents to the public prosecution, which is currently conducting an investigation.

The Al-Sabah ruling family has been in power in Kuwait for more than 250 years.

But since 2006, Kuwait has been rocked by a series of political disputes between the Sabah-controlled government and MPs, and occasionally between members of the ruling family.

About a dozen governments have been formed and parliament has been dissolved on six occasions.

Since parliamentary elections last July, when pro-government candidates won a majority after an opposition boycott, Kuwait's political scene has been relatively calm.

Iran vaccines production reaches surplus level

The Head of Iran’s Pasteur Institute has said vaccine production now has reached surplus levels.

Dr Mostafa Qhanei told Mehr News that the institute successfully acquired international vaccine export license.

He added that no vaccine had ever been exported abroad so far; “but now the demand for vaccines inside the country is met and the institute will export restricted number of vaccines abroad,” he said.

Ghanei asserted that vaccine export to the European countries provided a barometer for Iranian product quality.

Karaj Pasteur Institute was awarded EU’s CE 1023 certificate in 2012 and MDQA – Medical Device and QA Services from Britain – representative of European Association of Authorized Representatives will be Pasteur’s sales representative.

33 killed in violent attacks in Iraq

BAGHDAD, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-three people were killed and 36 wounded in separate violent attacks across Iraq on Wednesday ahead of the country's first parliamentary elections since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in late 2011.

A soldier and two army recruits were killed and ten other recruits wounded when a suicide bomber blew up his explosive vest near a crowd of young men who gathered to sign up to join the Iraqi army at a recruitment center near the city of Baladruz, just east of Diyala's provincial capital city of Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, a provincial police source said.

The attack could cause further casualty among the recruits, but the soldier sacrificed himself by putting his arms around the attacker and taking him to detonate his explosives away from the crowd, the source said.

In a separate incident, three soldiers were killed by gunmen who attacked their car at a village near the city of Tuz-Khurmato, some 90 km east of Salahudin's provincial capital city of Tikrit, a provincial police source said.

Also in Salahudin province, gunmen blew up a crude oil pipeline in al-Fatha area in east of the city of Baiji, some 200 km north of Baghdad, causing large quantity of oil spill into the nearby Tigris River, a provincial police source said.

The pipeline carries crude oil produced from Ajil Oilfield in east of the provincial capital city of Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad, to the refinery in Baiji. A huge fire occurred at the scene, while the oil leak caused pollution in Tigris river that forces many water facilities to stop working in the cities to the south of the leak, the source added.

In Anbar province, four civilians were killed and seven others injured by airstrikes and artillery shelling on several neighborhoods in the besieged city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad, a medical source from the city hospital said.

Anbar province has been the scene of fierce clashes that flared up after Iraqi police dismantled an anti-government protest site outside Ramadi in late December last year.

Near Baghdad, five people were killed and four wounded when a sticky bomb attached to a minibus was detonated in Abu Ghraib area, some 25 km west of Baghdad, a local police source said.

In Baghdad, at least two people were killed and eight others injured when a car bomb was detonated in Karrada district in central the Iraqi capital in the afternoon, a police source said.

In Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, a police colonel was shot dead and his son wounded when his house was attacked by gunmen in the city of Qaiyara, some 50 km south of the provincial capital city of Mosul, a police source said.

Earlier in the day, Nineveh was the scene of other deadly attacks in which 15 people were killed overnight in separate attacks by insurgents across the province.

The deadliest attack occurred late Wednesday when dozens of gunmen attacked an army base in al-Mahallabiyah area in the west of the provincial capital city Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, an army source said. The battle between the attackers and soldiers caused 13 people killed, including five soldiers, and five others wounded, the source added.

In a separate incident, a soldier was killed and another wounded when a roadside bomb struck their foot patrol in eastern Mosul, a provincial police source said.

Also in Mosul, gunmen broke into a shop and shot dead the owner from Shabak minority, the source said.

Shabak people are a Shiite minority group living in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, particularly around Mosul.

The violence came less than two weeks ahead of the landmark parliamentary elections on April 30, the first in the country since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in late 2011

Iran Navy to unveil Fateh submarine: Cmdr.

Iranian indigenous submarines (file photo)

Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says the indigenous Fateh (Conqueror) submarine will be unveiled in the current Iranian calendar year (ending March 20, 2015).

Sayyari made the remark on Friday while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony marking the National Army Day.

He said that Iran has started building the Khalij-e Fars (Persian Gulf) destroyer, which can carry out operations in high seas and can be used to train naval staff in international missions.  

 He added that the construction of different types of Jamaran-class, Paykan (Arrow)-class and Bow (Kaman)-class destroyers is also underway.

In recent years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing important military equipment and systems.

Iran has so far launched different classes of indigenous advanced submarines including Fateh, Ghadir, Qaem, Nahang, Tareq and Sina.

The Iranian Navy put its first domestically-built destroyer, Jamaran, in the waters of the Persian Gulf in February 2010. The 1,420-ton destroyer is equipped with modern radar systems and other electronic warfare capabilities and has a top speed of up to 30 knots and a helipad. The vessel, equipped with torpedoes and modern naval cannons, also features highly advanced anti-aircraft, anti-surface and anti-subsurface missile systems.

In February, Sayyari said that the Iranian Navy attained self-sufficiency in manufacturing different destroyers, including torpedo-launching ones.

Iran says its military might poses no threat to other countries, stating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.

AR/HJL/HMV

Iran to surprise enemies with new missile: Cmdr.

This file photo shows Iran’s domestically developed and manufactured Sayyad-2 (Hunter-2) missile.

A high-ranking Iranian military commander says the Islamic Republic is developing a new version of the powerful and high-precision Sayyad (Hunter) missile to be mounted on indigenous S-200 missile defense systems.

Commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili said on Friday that Iranian defense experts are working on the development of Sayyad-3 missile.

He added that the mid-range, high altitude and solid-fuel Sayyad-2 missile has proven successful in locating and hitting even small aerial targets.

Sayyad-2 surface-to-air missile is said to have a maximum range of between 200 and 350 kilometers. It has been designed based on state-of-the-art technology, which can destroy different types of helicopters, drones and targets with small radar cross-section, high speed and maneuverability within its operational range. It was first tested in April 2011, and is currently in the Iranian Armed Forces’ inventory.

In November 2010, Iran successfully test-fired its domestically designed and manufactured S-200 missile defense system.

It is a very long-range, medium-to-high altitude surface-to-air missile (SAM) system designed to defend large areas from bomber attacks or other strategic aircraft. Each battalion has 6 single-rail missile launchers and fire control radars. It can be linked to other, longer-range radar systems.

Each missile is launched by 4 solid-fueled strap-on rocket boosters. Maximum ranges are between 200 and 350 kilometers depending on the model.

Esmaili further noted on Friday that a new missile has been mounted on Mersad (Ambush) missile system, which is being used at Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base. He said the missile “will surprise the enemy on the battlefield.”

The state-of-the-art technology used in Mersad links it to other anti-aircraft batteries and provides it with the unique ability to combat electronic warfare.

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and has attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.

Tehran has repeatedly assured other nations that its military might poses no threat to other countries since the Islamic Republic’s defense doctrine is based entirely on deterrence.

MP/HJL/HMV

Building catches fire in busy Bur Dubai area

Heavy smoke can be seen billowing from the building, and the front facade of the building looks completely charred.

A huge fire has been reported at a building in Bur Dubai area.

According to a surfer on Facebook, the Al Musalla branch of Ravi Restaurant has caught fire. Khaleej Times is yet to independently confirm this.

Heavy smoke can be seen billowing from the building, and the front facade of the building looks completely charred.







Photo by KT reader Siraj Ibrahim via Facebook.

Emirates opens A380 Experience at Dubai Mall

Located at The Village at The Dubai Mall, the Emirates A380 Experience introduces visitors to the flight deck of the world’s most modern aircraft.

Visitors to The Dubai Mall can now connect with aviation like never before, thanks to Emirates airline. Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates Group, on Monday officially launched the newest Emirates Official Store and the Emirates A380 Experience — the Middle East’s first public A380 flight simulator — at the shopping destination.


Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed and Captain Moataz Al Swaini inside the A380 flight simulator at The Village, The Dubai Mall on Monday. — KT photo by Juidin Bernarrd

Located at The Village at The Dubai Mall, the Emirates A380 Experience introduces visitors to the flight deck of the world’s most modern aircraft, allowing guests to experience the thrill of landing and taking off from 12 of the world’s busiest airports in different weather conditions.   Adding to the excitement, guests will be scored on how well they navigate the aircraft, allowing them to compete against family and friends.   This is the airline’s second such project, having launched the Emirates Aviation Experience in London last year to a strong public reception.

“Emirates is the largest operator of the A380 with 47 in our fleet, and it is an immensely popular aircraft with our customers. We are delighted to present aviation enthusiasts with another unique perspective to the world’s largest passenger aircraft with the Emirates A380 Experience. Based on what we’ve seen in the UK, we believe the Emirates A380 Experience will be a very popular activity for mall visitors as well as for team building activity from corporate groups,” said Shaikh Ahmed.

“By bringing the Emirates A380 Experience and the Emirates Official Store to The Dubai Mall, we aim to connect with a broader audience in a high-traffic lifestyle environment and provide them with a piece of the Emirates brand experience regardless of when they next travel,” he added.

Guests of the Emirates A380 Experience will have the chance to fly past Paris’ historic sites, soar over the canals of Amsterdam, and take in Hong Kong’s unmistakable cityscape, all on high-definition screens.

Just steps away, the newest Emirates Official Store carries the airline’s full range of merchandise — everything from model aircraft and clothing to the Little Travellers collection and travel accessories and will stock the full line of football shirts from the airline’s global sponsorships.  The store is the airline’s 10th retail location in the region, and its first outlet in a mall.

Starting as a line of corporate giveaways, Emirates has progressively developed its range of branded merchandise eventually launching its first Emirates Official Store in 1996. Emirates merchandise has grown in both range and popularity, and can be found being used, worn, collected and displayed by its customers and fans around the world.

Iraq's deputy prime minister survives assassination attempt, officials say

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's deputy prime minister escaped an assassination attempt in which militants dressed as soldiers opened fire on his convoy west of Baghdad on Friday, according to an Iraqi lawmaker and a statement from the deputy premier's office.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack — the latest violence as the country heads toward crucial parliamentary elections on April 30. But Islamic militants have in the past frequently targeted officials in their effort to undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Sunni lawmaker Talal al-Zobaie said he was accompanying Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq, also a Sunni, and several other government officials on a visit to the villages in the Abu Graib area, west of the Iraqi capital, when the attack took place on Friday.

FILE - In this May 1, 2013 file photo, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq gives an interview to The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq. An Iraqi lawmaker says the country's Deputy Prime Minister, Saleh al-Mutlaq escaped an assassination attempt in which militants dressed as soldiers opened fire at his convoy west of Baghdad. The attack was the latest in Iraq as the country heads toward crucial parliamentary elections on April 30. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim, File)

A group of armed men in army uniforms and driving military vehicles opened fire at their convoy, triggering a shootout with guards and soldiers protecting al-Mutlaq, said al-Zobaie.

Three of al-Mutlaq's guards were wounded in the shootout and the attackers fled the scene, the lawmaker added.

According to a statement from al-Mutlaq's office, the officials were inspecting flood damages to the area after militants from an al-Qaida-splinter group overrun territory in and around the nearby city of Fallujah and shut off a water dam.

Both al-Zobaie and al-Mutlaq have in the past called on politicians across Iraq's religious and ethnic spectrum to put aside their differences and focus on protecting the nation.

Also on Friday, a roadside bomb struck a minibus outside the northern city of Mosul, killing one civilian and wounding six.

Violence has surged in Iraq since last year, with the country weathering its deadliest bout of violence since it pulled back from the brink of civil war in 2008.

The April 30 balloting will be Iraq's first since the 2011 U.S. troop pullout.

More than 9,000 candidates will vie for 328 seats in parliament, but there will be no balloting in parts of the Sunni-dominated Anbar province, which is engulfed in clashes between security forces and the Islamic militants.

The militants have seized and are continuing to hold parts of the provincial capital, Ramadi, and nearly all of the nearby city of Fallujah.

FILE - In this Feb. 25, 2010 file photo, Sunni lawmaker Saleh al-Mutlaq speaks to reporters in Baghdad, Iraq. An Iraqi lawmaker says the country's Deputy Prime Minister, Saleh al-Mutlaq escaped an assassination attempt in which militants dressed as soldiers opened fire at his convoy west of Baghdad. The attack was the latest in Iraq as the country heads toward crucial parliamentary elections on April 30, 2014. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)

Billionaire Roman Abramovich 'books all 111 rooms of luxury Israeli hotel for Passover holiday'

• Roman Abramovich will reportedly host family and friends at the hotel between Sunday and Thursday next week for the Jewish holiday

• Booking all 111 rooms supposedly cost $450,000

• The banquet will take place in a specially constructed tent in the desert

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has booked all 111-rooms in the Beresheet Hotel in the Israeli desert resort of Mitzpe Ramon for next week's Jewish Passover holiday, a source close to the hotel told the Daily Mail.

Mr. Abramovich, who is Jewish, will reportedly fly to Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv in his private jet on Sunday with his partner Darya Zhukova and their children Aaron and Leah, and travel by limousine to the hotel.

It is believed he will host family and friends at the hotel between Sunday and Thursday - at an estimated cost of $450,000 - and that the highlight of the vacation will be a Passover banquet in a tent specially constructed in the desert.

During the Passover banquet Jews traditionally recount the story of the Exodus from Egypt and the source claimed Mr. Abramovich wants to be close to where the biblical action actually took place.

Beresheet Hotel has a stunning view of the 500 metre-deep Ramon Crater, the world's largest crater created by erosion.

Roman Abramovich and his partner Darya Zhukova will supposedly stay in the hotel next week

Mr. Abramovich is going one better than the last time he spent Passover in Israel, in 2009, when he only he only rented an entire floor of 36 rooms in the Royal Beach Hotel in the Red Sea resort of Eilat.

The Beresheet Hotel is one of Israel's top resorts and has supposedly been fully booked by the oligarch

Mr. Abramovich is a frequent visitor to Israel. In the past year alone he has been to the country five times, including visits to technology incubators in Tel Aviv with a view to investing in high-tech startups and attending a fundraising event for an organization that carries out archeological excavations, which he supports financially.

Ms. Zhukova is a billionaire in her own right. A fashion designer and businesswoman, she was born in Russia but raised in California by her Jewish mother after her parents divorced.

13 killed, dozens wounded in Baghdad car bombings

At least 13 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a number of car bombings targeting mostly Shia neighborhoods in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

According to Iraqi officials, the bomb attacks took place early Wednesday.

One of the blasts went off in Sadr City, a Shia-dominated district in Baghdad, causing an unknown number of casualties.

Three people lost their lives in a bombing attack in central Baghdad, while 11 others were wounded.

In the capital’s Kazimiyah district, at least three people died and nine were injured.

Similar attacks also hit areas of Shaab, Shammaiya, Karrada and Maamil, leaving seven dead and many others wounded.

Although no group immediately claimed responsibility, such attacks are usually carried out by al-Qaeda-linked militant groups.

This comes a day after 12 civilians were killed in separate car bomb attacks across the country.

Violence has been on the rise in Iraq as the country prepares for parliamentary elections later this month.

The rise in violence in Iraq has left over 2,400 people dead so far this year.

Analysts say terrorist groups such as the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant are coming to Iraq from neighboring Syria and Saudi Arabia to undermine security in the country.

The government in Iraq has blamed Riyadh for the chaos, saying the Saudi regime is funding and arming militants fighting against forces in the country’s western areas.

Israeli forces attack protesters near Ramallah

Violent clashes have erupted near the West Bank city of Ramallah between Israeli forces and protesters demanding the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Palestinian demonstrators staged a protest rally outside Ofer prison to voice their outrage at Tel Aviv’s refusal to go ahead with the promised release of 26 Palestinian inmates.

The prisoners were supposed to be freed as part of US-brokered talks between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli regime.

Tel Aviv had promised to free the inmates and in exchange, the Palestinian Authority (PA) pledged to freeze all moves to seek membership in UN organizations until April 2014.

The Palestinian officials resumed their approach to international agencies after Israel refused to release the prisoners and responded by applying to join 15 world bodies on April 1.

Israel has threatened to slap the PA with punitive measures, including a more severe economic blockade, if it keeps up efforts to join the UN agencies.

On Thursday, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) denounced Tel Aviv for its “habit of evading agreements and conventions it has signed,” saying the basis for future talks with the Israeli regime must change.

Since the resumption of the direct talks last July, Palestinians have objected to a number of Israeli requests, including continuation of the regime’s illegal settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The PA also refuses to recognize Israel as a "Jewish state," saying it would not accept any agreement with the regime which refrains from the recognition of East al-Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

MRS/AB/SS

Iraq steps up security measures ahead of general elections

Iraq has tightened security across the country ahead of the general elections scheduled for later this month, the first such vote since the withdrawal of US troops in late 2011, Press TV reports.
Security measures have been stepped up in and around Baghdad, especially in what is known as the Baghdad Belts - an area that encircles the capital and includes the provinces of Salahuddin, Baghdad, Diyala, Babil, Wasit and Anbar.

Iraqi security forces have increased arrests in the area in the run-up to elections, following attempts made by al-Qaeda and its affiliated group known as the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to penetrate into the capital.

    “There are terrorist organizations threatening us on a daily basis…. We know that al-Qaeda is trying to just prevent us from voting, but we will go through the democratic process,” said an Iraqi man in Baghdad.

“The government is trying to tackle the terrorism issue the best they can. They have also had a meeting with the world leaders [to seek] cooperation for the elimination of terrorist organizations,” another Baghdad resident stated.

The stepped-up security measures come amid allegations by some Sunni political parties, accusing the government of clamping down on Sunnis as a whole, not only al-Qaeda and its affiliated militant groups.

But political analyst, Ayad Ashor, dismissed these allegations, referring to the cooperation between government forces and an alliance of Sunni groups in the restive province of Anbar, where the army has been battling al-Qaeda-linked terrorists since December 2013.

“In the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, Sunni tribes are working together with the army against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Terrorism has no religion,” he said.

Certain businesses around the Baghdad Belts have reportedly asked their employees to take some time off out of fear for al-Qaeda attacks. They say they will go back to work next week.

Violence in Iraq has hit record height since 2008, leaving over 2,200 people dead so far this year.

MRS/SS

British tourist jailed for seven months in Dubai for running naked through corridors of holiday apartment block after getting drunk on rum in posh hotel

• British tourist accused of being drunk and running naked through building

• Richard Stabler, 33, entered reception in only his underwear

• Stripped off in a 'naked protest' and was arrested in Dubai hotel

• He has admitted drinking alcohol but denies committing an indecent act

Surrounded by grinning, bikini-clad girls, Richard Stabler looks as though he is having the time of his life as an expatriate in Dubai.

But the high-flying British executive is about to be forced to swap the yacht for a prison cell – after falling foul of the country’s strict Islamic laws.

Company director Stabler, 33, has been sentenced to seven months in a Dubai jail and deportation thanks to an alcohol-fuelled argument that saw him streak naked through his apartment block.

Company director Richard Stabler, 33, who had been guzzling drinks at a pre-Christmas knees-up at the five star Le Meridien Mina Seyahi hotel when he got drunk and rowdy

Stabler started arguing with his friends, in a row that continued when the group got back to his upmarket beachside apartment on the Palm Jumeirah, the manmade island shaped like a palm tree

The businessman had polished off eight glasses of rum during a pre-Christmas knees-up at the five-star Le Meridien Mina Seyahi hotel when he started to fight with some of his friends.

The row continued when the group got back to his upmarket beachside apartment on the Palm Jumeirah – a manmade island shaped like a palm tree – and Stabler stripped off in what a court was later told was a ‘naked protest’.

A security guard from his building, who gave evidence at Dubai’s Court of Misdemeanours, said: ‘He was making noise and arguing with the other security guards when I came.

‘I called our control room to contact police and then followed him to the second floor where I found that he had taken off his underwear and stood there in the brightly lit corridor, completely naked.’

The guard claimed that Stabler – nicknamed ‘The Stabiliser’  by his friends – went on to  walk through the apartment’s reception area wearing only  his underwear.

When the guard tried to calm him down, Stabler pushed him to one side and ran up the stairs, where he proceeded to ‘cause chaos’, according to witnesses. Stabler – who has been running recruitment agency Binding Partnerships with fellow Briton James Binding for four years – was then said to have tried to hide behind a gate.

The 33-year-old British man has been jailed for running naked through the corridors of a building on the Palm Jumeirah (file picture)

The tourist was drinking at Le Meridien Mina Sey hotel (pictured) before returning to his accommodation on the Palm Jumeirah

He was eventually persuaded to come out and get dressed by police officers who arrived to arrest him half an hour later.

The court heard Stabler told police at the time: ‘I had eight glasses of rum and then left the hotel. I went to my building and then I can’t remember anything. I can’t remember if I stood naked or not.’

But he denied running through the corridor naked at his court hearing last week.

His lawyer Salha Khalifa said: ‘He was inside his apartment when police knocked on the door and was wearing white shorts.’ Stabler pleaded guilty to drinking alcohol without a licence but denied committing an indecent act in public.

Stabler had been arguing with the security guards for a while before he suddenly decided to take off his remaining clothes, causing him to be arrested

Stabler moved to Dubai in 2009 and has been co-running his company for nearly four years

He was not in court yesterday for the judgment, which was handed down as a written verdict from judge Adeel Abdelfatteh Jabreel.

While he managed to avoid the maximum penalty of three years in jail, the judge decided to sentence him to six months in jail for indecency and one month for drinking – a warning to British expatriates to observe the United Arab Emirates’ Islamic laws. Drinking alcohol carries a maximum jail term of up to six months, although judges recently have opted to issue fines.

Stabler studied at Rawlett Community Sports College in Staffordshire and has a degree in biological sciences from Manchester Metropolitan University.

He will be deported as soon as he has completed his sentence.

Bahrain police clash with protesters after funeral

Bahraini police have fired tear gas and birdshot at protesters following a funeral procession in a Shia village south of the capital, Manama.
The clashes took place in the village of al-Eker outside the capital on Thursday.

Witnesses said more than 100 young men, some throwing petrol bombs, skirmished with the police after the funeral of Hussein Sharaf, a Bahraini who died on Tuesday in an explosion at his home. He died while in hiding after having been sentenced to life in prison in absentia.

Since mid-February 2011, thousands of pro-democracy protesters have held numerous demonstrations on the streets of Bahrain, calling for the Al Khalifa royal family to relinquish power.

On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates invaded the country to assist the Bahraini government in its crackdown on peaceful protesters.

UK-based rights group Amnesty International has voiced concern that Bahraini authorities could be using the anti-government unrest to intensify crackdown on protesters.

The Thursday violence preceded the Formula One Grand Prix.

The 2011 turmoil forced the cancellation of the race in that year, but the event went ahead in 2012 and 2013, despite continuing unrest. This year's race is due to take place on April 4-6.

HN/MHB/SS

Saudi royal family could pay for restoration of Roman monuments

Deal brokered by mayor of Rome could see Saudi Arabia provide millions of euros to restore neglected sites in exchange for loans of priceless artworks

The government in Riyadh have shown a particular interest in in the Emperor Augustus's mausoleum, a giant, circular structure located near the Tiber River Photo: Alamy

A training barracks used by Roman gladiators and the 2,000-year-old mausoleum of the Emperor Augustus could be restored with money from the Saudi royal family, in the latest effort by Italy to secure funding for its crumbling cultural heritage.

In a deal brokered by Ignazio Marino, the mayor of Rome, the Saudi royals are to provide millions of euros to pay for the restoration of some of the capital's neglected monuments.

The government in Riyadh has been presented with a dossier of nine historic sites to choose from, with greatest interest said to be in the Emperor Augustus's mausoleum, a giant, circular structure near the Tiber River that has been virtually abandoned for decades.

Rome had hoped to have the huge brick monument restored and opened to the public this year to coincide with the 2000th anniversary of the emperor's death.

At least €4 million (£3.3m) is needed for the job: half has been pledged by Italy's ministry of cultural heritage and now there are hopes that the Saudis will chip in the rest.

Other sites in desperate need of attention include the remains of the Ludus Magnus, a gladiatorial training school in ancient Rome that was connected to the Colosseum by an underground passageway.

Gladiators would walk through the torch-lit tunnel and emerge on the sand-covered floor of the amphitheatre, an experience portrayed in Ridley Scott's epic film Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe.

Under the deal negotiated with Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, a Saudi prince and the country's tourism minister, Rome is also seeking €6 million to restore to their former glory the Seven Halls, an ancient Roman cistern that once supplied a bath complex built under the Emperor Trajan.

In return for Saudi largesse, the mayor has agreed to loan to Riyadh priceless art works from Rome's Capitoline Museums.

"We have many works and we are not able to put them all on display because there is not enough space," Mr Marino said.

The Saudis are reported to be particularly keen to borrow The Dying Gaul, a marble sculpture of a naked Celtic warrior slumped on his fallen shield with a sword wound to his chest.

Described as one of antiquity's most renowned works, it is an ancient Roman copy of a Greek work from the third century BC and was viewed by 750,000 people when it recently went on display for three months at the National Gallery of Washington.

With sites like Pompeii deteriorating alarmingly as walls and even entire villas collapse, and with a public debt of €2 trillion, Italy is looking to private companies and foreign benefactors to come to the rescue of its cultural heritage.

Last week the fashion company Bulgari announced that it would provide €1.5 million to pay for the sprucing up of the Spanish Steps in Rome, the shoe makers Tod's is paying for the cleaning of the Colosseum and Fendi has agreed to fund repairs to the Trevi Fountain.

British woman jailed in Iran 'fears execution'

Roya Saberi Negad Nobakht was jailed for posting derogatory comments about the Iranian government on Facebook

Roya Saberi Negad Nobahkt Photo: MEN SYNDICATION

Concerns are growing for a British woman imprisoned in Iran after her husband said he feared she was facing execution.

Roya Saberi Negad Nobahkt, 47, was arrested during a visit to see family in Iran five months ago and jailed after posting derogatory comments about the government on Facebook.

She has been charged with "insulting Islamic sanctities", a crime that can carry the death penalty, and is being held in the notoriously harsh Evin prison in Teheran.

Her husband Daryoush Taghipoor, who is currently in Iran, said she confessed to the crime "under duress".

Mr Taghipoor told the Manchester Evening News: "She has lost three stone and is frightened, she is scared the government will kill her."

The Foreign Office told the Independent newspaper it is "urgently" looking into her case, but Britain currently has no embassy in Iran, complicating any negotiations.

The couple, from Stockport, have dual British-Iranian nationality.

Bomb attacks in Iraq kill eight, injure 25

File photo shows a car bomb explosion in Iraq.

At least eight people have been killed and 25 others wounded in a series of bombings in Iraq, as the country prepares for parliamentary elections later this month.

In the deadliest attack on Wednesday, a bomber detonated his explosives in the town of Riyadh, about 300 kilometers (180 miles) northwest of the capital, Baghdad, killing five army recruits and wounding 14 others, police Col. Fatah Rasheed said.

The recruits were waiting in line at the gate of a military base to apply for jobs early in the morning, he added.

In another incident, a bomb explosion killed two people and wounded six on a commercial street in the town of Madain, about 20 kilometers (14 miles) southeast of the capital, police said.

In western Baghdad, police said a bomb blast on a busy street killed one person and wounded five.

Medical personnel confirmed all the casualty figures.

The string of fatal bombings comes as Iraq begins preparing for the parliamentary elections slated for April 30.

Experts and politicians say terrorist groups such as the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are coming to Iraq from neighboring Syria and Saudi Arabia to undermine security in the country.

According to reports, nearly 2,200 people have been killed in acts of violence in Iraq so far this year.

The United Nations says about 400,000 people have been displaced this year due to the ongoing violence in Anbar, expressing "grave concern" about the presence of al-Qaeda-inspired militants in the western province.

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