LONDON: Rio Ferdinand has signed a one-year contract extension with Manchester United, the Premier League champions announced on Thursday.   The 34-year-old centre-back, who signed from Leeds United in 2002, announced his retirement from international football last week and says he is eager to start work with new manager David Moyes.   "I am delighted to have signed for another

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has announced another death from the SARS-like novel coronavirus (nCoV) in its central al-Qassim region, bringing the total number of deaths in the kingdom to 17. A non-Saudi, whose nationality and age were not given, died on Tuesday, the Health Ministry said on its website late on Wednesday. It said he had been admitted to a hospital in al-Qassim several days ago with an &q

MANILA: Philippine authorities Thursday reacted angrily over 'Da Vinci Code' author Dan Brown's portrayal of Manila as "the gates of hell" in his latest novel. The book "Inferno" includes a character who describes the capital as a city of horrible traffic jams, suffocating pollution, massive poverty and a thriving child sex trade. The chairman of the governmen

BAALBEK, Lebanon: Seventy-five fighters from Lebanon's Hezbollah have been killed in Syria since they first became involved in the country's war months ago, a source close to the Shiite militant group said on Thursday.   "There have been 57 killed and 18 others who have died of their wounds since the start of its (Hezbollah's) participation in the war in Syria,&quo

DOHA: The Qatar Exchange down on Thursday 37.28 points or 0.41 percent to 9,048.62 points from the previous closing of 9,085.90 points. The volume of shares traded fell to 7,601,195 from 10,195,678 Wednesday, and the value of shares decreased to QR321,847,502.96 from QR346,502,883.46 Wednesday. Among the top losers were Qatar National Bank whose share dropped 0.63 percent to QR143.10,

UNITED NATIONS: China has offered to send more than 500 soldiers to the UN force seeking to contain Islamist militants in Mali in what would be its biggest contribution to UN peacekeeping, diplomats said.   The move could be a bid to overcome tensions with the West over the Syria conflict and to strengthen Beijing's relations in Africa, where it is a major buyer of oil and othe

TUNIS: Tunisia is in talks with Qatar over a deposit in Tunis' central bank "with easy conditions" Prime Minister Ali Larayedh said on Thursday. "Qatari officials have shown their willingness to support us," he told a news conference. He did not give details on the amount being discussed but some officials sources have said it could be around $1 billion. Larayedh,

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Minister of Health Mohammad Barrak Al-Haifi has announced that the GCC health ministers have approved the Kuwaiti declaration on fighting non-contagious chronic diseases, as an action plan for the cooperation council for the arab states of the Gulf (GCC) member states. The approval was made on the sidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO) annual meeting being held in Gene

DOHA: HE the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Maj.Gen. Hamad Bin Ali Al Attiyah conferred here on Thursday with Iraqi Defence Minister Dr. Saadoun Al-Dulaimi, who is now visiting Qatar. They discussed a lot of issues with a special emphasis on the military affairs. A number of senior army officers attend the meeting. The Iraqi Defence Minister arrived in Doha earlier Wednesday on a mult

KATHMANDU: Five climbers, including the first Hungarian to scale Mount Everest, are missing and feared dead on Nepal's treacherous Kangchenjunga mountain, tourism officials said Thursday. The climbers two from Hungary, two from Nepal and one from South Korea went missing on Monday afternoon as they attempted to climb the 8,586-metre (28,169-foot) peak, the officials said. "We are no

Picture taken on April 28, 2008 in Paris, shows Franco-Greek singer and songwriter Georges Moustaki posing for a photograph at his home.   PARIS: French singer and composer Georges Moustaki, who sang in several languages and whose romantic ballads won him global fame, died on Thursday at the age of 79, his entourage said.   Born on May 3, 1934 to an immigrant Europe

DOHA: President of the Republic of Senegal Macky Sall left Doha on Thursday morning, wrapping up a several-days state visit to Qatar. The Senegalese President and his accompanying delegation were seen off upon departure at Doha International Airport by HE Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari and HE Senegalese Ambassador to Qatar Sheikh Tijani Cisse. (QNA)

TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Fighting in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli killed at least six people overnight, as supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad clashed, a security source said on Thursday. "Very violent fighting took place last night until 5:00 am (0200 GMT) that killed six people and wounded 40. The clashes and shelling affected several areas of the city, incl

MUMBAI: Indian search engine Just Dial's initial public offer to raise $174 million was oversubscribed nearly 12 times in what marked the country's biggest IPO this year, stock exchange data showed Thursday.   The figures were released after the share offer, one of the largest to date by an Indian Internet firm, closed Wednesday.   The Mumbai-based firm, which

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs, G.L Peiris has met with HE Qatar's Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Saeed bin Abdullah Al Mansouri, on the occasion of the expiry of his tour of duty in the country. During the audience, the Sri Lankan Minister voiced thanks and appreciation for whatever assistances qatar has offered Sri Lanka in the various domains. G.L Peiris also highly praised an

KABUL: A Turkish restaurant owner kidnapped 11 days ago in Kabul was freed in an overnight raid by elite commandos from Afghanistan's intelligence agency, officials said Thursday.   The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said it had rescued the man from a house on the outskirts of the  capital and handed him over to the Turkish embassy.   He was taken host

DOHA: HH the Deputy Emir and Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has received a written message addressed to HH the emir sheikh hamad bin khalifa al thani from Eritrean President Isaias Afewerk. The message, handed over by Eritrean Ambassador to Qatar HE Ali Ibrahim Ahmed, during an audience with HH the Deputy Emir and Heir Apparent at the Emiri Diwan office here on Thursday,

DUBAI: An international media watchdog has criticised a UAE court decision to uphold a 10-month jail sentence for a user of microblogging website Twitter who posted about the trial of 94 Islamists.   Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also called for the immediate release of another man it said was arrested in the United Arab Emirates this month on similar charges.   RSF

DOHA: HH the Deputy Emir and Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, met at his Emiri Diwan Office here on Thursday visiting Iraqi Defence Minister Dr. Saadoun Al-Dulaimi and his accompanying delegation. The iraqi minister called on HH the Deputy Emir and Heir Apparent on the occasion of his current visit to Qatar. The iraqi defence minister arrived in Doha earlier Wednesday on a mult

TOKYO: Tokyo share prices plunged more than seven percent Thursday on record volumes as investors rushed to take profit following weak Chinese data and after months of climbing. The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange closed down 7.32 percent, or 1,143.28 points, to 14,483.98, while the Topix index of all first-section issues was down 6.87 percent, or 87.69 points, at 1,188.34. Trad