Dubai / WAM The increasingly popular hobby of birdwatching received a major boost in the Arabic-speaking countries with the launch at the Emirates Literature Festival in Dubai of the Arabic version of the standard guidebook, ‘The Birds of the Middle East.’ The English edition, by British-based Richard Porter, the Middle East Adviser to the international conservation organisation BirdLife International, and ...

  Sharjah / WAM The Ministry of Interior (MoI) warned of suspicious messages through social networking that promote narcotic drugs. In a statement, the ministry said that it has recently noticed that some UAE residents have been receiving random calls on their personal phones and messages via WhatsApp. “These contacts from foreign countries include messages from Pakistan that carry pictures of narcotic ...

  Sharjah / WAM Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council, announced the launch of the International Government Communication Centre (IGCC), ahead of the 6th International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) 2017, which will be held from March, 22-23 in Sharjah, with the attendance of more than 2,500 world leaders, influencers and international experts. The first platform ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business   His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), on Saturday announced that Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) has successfully transformed into a preferred integrated destination for IT companies and entrepreneurs, and an exemplary pioneer of the smart city model. The announcement followed the release of DSOA’s yearly results ...

  Bloomberg Prime Minister Narendra Modi has swept to victory in a key state election with a resounding win that will allow his Bharatiya Janata Party to push forward with its economic reform agenda and enter the national polls in 2019 as favorites. Modi’s BJP has won 227 seats in Uttar Pradesh’s 403-member assembly, according to the Election Commission of ...

  NEW DELHI / AP Maoist rebels on Saturday shot and killed at least 11 Indian paramilitary soldiers in an ambush in central India, police said. The attack also left three soldiers wounded in the rebel-infested Sukma forest area in Chattisgarh state, top police officer R.K. Vij said. It wasn’t clear if any rebels were killed or injured when the ...

  SEOUL / AP Carrying flags and candles and cheering jubilantly, tens of thousands of South Koreans occupied a boulevard in downtown Seoul on Saturday to celebrate the ouster of President Park Geun-hye, a day after the Constitutional Court removed her from office over a corruption scandal that consumed the nation for months. Meanwhile, in a nearby grass square, a ...

  KUALA LUMPUR / AP Malaysia’s foreign minister said on Saturday that the government hopes to begin formal talks with North Korea in the “next few days” on solving a diplomatic dispute that has seen the two countries bar each other’s citizens from leaving. The dispute stems from the mysterious poisoning death of the estranged half brother of North Korean ...

  ISTANBUL / AP Turkey’s coast guard says it has prevented 48 Syrian migrants from reaching Greece. In a statement on its official website, the Turkish Coast Guard said the migrants on a rubber dinghy were stopped after a tip. Aerial footage accompanying the statement shows the dinghy at sea followed by the rescue operation off the coast of Kusadasi ...

  KABUL / AP An Afghan official says at least eight members of the security forces have been killed by two other policemen in southern Zabul province. Gul Islam Seyal, spokesman for the provincial governor, said Saturday that both attackers fled the area after attacking their colleagues late Friday night. He said the two policemen also took all the weapons ...