author - oman observer

RABAT: Morocco coach Walid Regragui said he wants his team to break "the curse of the African Cup" as he named his 27-man squad for next month's Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday.It is 47 years since...

AL JAZIRA STATE: The rapid advance of Sudanese paramilitaries has intensified calls on civilians to carry arms, raising the spectre of the eight-month conflict between rival generals transforming into...

YANGON: China's Embassy in Myanmar on Thursday asked its citizens to leave a northern district along the countries' shared border, citing heightened security risks as ethnic minority armed groups...

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un urged his party to "accelerate" war preparations including its nuclear programme, state media said Thursday.The comments came just a week after Kim warned...

BERN: Marco Chiesa said Thursday he was stepping down as head of the hard right Swiss People's Party, which comfortably topped Switzerland's general election in October.Chiesa, 49, has led the SVP...

GAZA: Israeli forces on Thursday heavily bombed the besieged Gaza Strip as the centre of fierce combat moves steadily south, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering.The...

GAZA: The Gaza Strip's health ministry said war with Israel has killed more than 21,320, as Israel kept pounding the besieged territory with air strikes and shelling.The World Health Organization...

Blacksmith Yoshihiro Yauji pulls a piece of glowing metal from the forge in a Japanese village, continuing a tradition dating back centuries to when the region was renowned for crafting swords carried...

Colombian superstar Shakira's Caribbean home city of Barranquilla unveiled a 6.5-meter (21.3-foot) hip-swaying statue in her honor on Tuesday. The towering bronze and aluminum creation depicts the...

LONDON: Manchester City came from behind to beat Everton 3-1 on their return from the Club World Cup on Wednesday, moving five points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.Pep Guardiola's men,...

MELBOURNE: Mitchell Marsh hit a counter-attacking 96 in a fighting rescue mission with a dogged Steve Smith on Thursday to help Australia build a 241-run lead and regain control of the second Test...

SEOUL: Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min was named in South Korea's Asian Cup squad on Thursday and coach Jurgen Klinsmann said it was "about time" they ended their 64-year continental title...

Jakarta: The death toll after an explosion at a Chinese-funded nickel-processing plant in eastern Indonesia over the weekend has risen to 18 with dozens still being treated in hospital, a police...

Israeli strikes in Gaza killed more than 200 people in 24 hours, authorities said Saturday, as the United States again pressed its ally to do more to protect civilians. Despite growing calls for...

TOKYO: Japan loosened arms export controls on Friday, for the first time in nearly a decade, a move that would enable the US ally to sell domestically made Patriot missile defence systems to...

LONDON: Britain's economy unexpectedly shrank in the third quarter and flatlined in the previous three months, official data showed Friday, raising fears of a recession before an election due next...

ANNE CHAONThe tall light brown hats worn by whirling dervishes are as intriguing as the elliptical dance performed in honour of the Sufi poet and mystic Rumi. In Konya, a sprawling city in Turkey's...

LONDON: Danny Welbeck's late equaliser denied Crystal Palace a first Premier League win in seven games as Brighton salvaged a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park on Thursday. Jordan Ayew headed the Eagles into...

THE HAGUE: Four-time European champions Ajax have "reached an historic low" following its shock 3-2 cup defeat at the hands of an amateur club, capping a horror season for the once-mighty Amsterdam...

LOS ANGELES: The Detroit Pistons inched closer to NBA ignominy on Thursday as they dropped a 119-111 decision to the Utah Jazz on their home floor for a 25th straight defeat.The Pistons are now one...