Arab today

GST draft bills tabled in Parliament; peg peak rate at 40%

New Delhi - Arab today

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday introduced in Lok Sabha four bills on Goods and Services Tax, providing for a maximum GST rate of 40 per cent, an anti-profiteering authority and arrests for evading taxes. With this, rollout of GST - the biggest tax reform since independence - has entered the last lap and its passage by Parliament will paveRead more

Loud explosion heard in residential building in Russia’s St. Petersburg

Moscow - Arab Today

A loud explosion has been heard from a residential building in Russia’s St. Petersburg close to the site where explosives were found earlier, witnesses told local media. No one was hurt during the explosion, RIA news agency reported citing emergencies ministry. source: ِِِAlarabiya Read more

UN envoy calls on powers to salvage Syrian ceasefire

Geneva - Arab today

U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura called on Russia, Turkey and Iran on Saturday to salvage the tattered ceasefire in Syria that would also help keep peace talks on track. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies, Russia, Iran and Shi'ite militias from nearby countries, are seeking to staunch the biggest rebel assault in months, which began this weekRead more

France’s Le Pen attacked as Macron passes first debate test

PARIS - Arab today

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen came under assault from all sides in a presidential election debate that provided a test of centrist Emmanuel Macron’s ambitions to be leader. Le Pen and Macron, the two leading candidates according to opinion polls with just over a month to go before voting begins, traded barbs in the televised debate watched by nearlyRead more

Syria will attend Geneva peace talks

Damascus - Arab today

Syrian government representatives will attend upcoming peace talks in Geneva, Russia's state RIA news agency reported on Monday, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. Bogdanov said Moscow hoped that Syrian armed opposition would be able to attend the peace talks. Bogdanov also said the United Nations' Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, would visit Moscow ahead of theRead more

Turkey dispute timing could be plus for Dutch PM Mark Rutte

Turkey - Arab today

Just days away from a national election in which he hopes to secure a third term in office, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte did not want to be seen as backing down to Turkish threats. Rutte enraged Ankara by refusing to let Turkey's foreign minister land in the Netherlands on Saturday and denying the country's family and social policiesRead more

China says 20,000 Myanmar refugees have fled across border

Laukkai - Arab today

More than 20,000 people from Myanmar have fled across the border into China, the Chinese government said Thursday, following months of violence between ethnic rebel groups and government forces, including fighting this week that killed at least 30 people. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China is calling for an immediate cease-fire, and that authorities in the borderRead more

Daesh imposes ‘Afghan dress’ in Syria’s Raqqa

Beirut - Arab today

The Daesh group has imposed an “Afghan-style” dress code on men in its Syrian stronghold Raqqa to help its fighters blend into the civilian population, a monitor and activists said on Monday. “For more than two weeks, Afghan-style clothing ... has been imposed by Daesh,” said Abu Mohammad, an activist with the “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently” group. “Anyone whoRead more

Ex-general shakes off dark past to run for Indonesia presidency

Jakarta - Arab today

Indonesian presidential contender Prabowo Subianto ordered the abduction of democracy activists in the dying days of dictator Suharto’s rule, was once refused entry to the US over rights abuses, and used to be married to one of the strongman’s daughters. But the ex-general’s dark past has done little to stop his charge for the country’s top job, and he isRead more

Seeking to secure Sinai, Egypt builds closer ties with Hamas

Cairo, Gaza - Arab today

After years of strained relations, Egypt is moving closer to Hamas in Gaza, offering concessions on trade and free movement in return for moves to secure the border against Daesh fighters who have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers in northern Sinai. Egypt has been at odds with Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, since a crackdown by Cairo onRead more