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ISIS jihadists defending their last scrap of territory in Syria have no choice but to surrender, a Kurdish-led force said on Monday, ahead of a victory declaration expected within days. The warning by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came as European nations reacted coolly to a US call to repatriate their nationals from Syria, which Germany said would be “extremely difficult”. Diehard ISIS fighters are now trapped in a final patch of territory of less than half a square kilometer (0.2 square miles) in the village of Baghouz near the Iraqi border. From an SDF position hundreds of meters (yards) away, an AFP reporter spotted people moving between white tents inside the last jihadist redoubt, including a woman clad in black and masked men.

BEIRUT:  Lebanon's General Directorate of General Security has censored a caricature of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that was published in the French weekly Courrier International. The directorate covered the caricature with a sticker before allowing the publication to enter Lebanon.  The move has sparked debate on social media, including criticism and questions as to whether the directorate is affiliated with the Shiite group Hezbollah, a close ally of Tehran. There were also questions as to whether such censorship would apply to other leaders who are caricatured by the French newspaper. Journalist Dima Sadek shared the caricature on social media in defiance of the censorship. Journalist

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly considering sending their child to an American school. The royal duo - who married in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in May - are currently preparing for the arrival of their first child, and they are apparently considering sending their first-born to ACS Egham International School in Surrey, South-East England. A source told E! News: "Meghan is also keen for her child to be fully aware of his or her American heritage." The private school used to be known as the American Community School, and offers an American curriculum to students aged 4 to 18. The school is also located relatively close to Frogmore Cottage, which is the future home of the

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, looking to boost ties with Asian allies, arrives in India on Tuesday for a two-day visit amid rising expectations of further investment deals following a high-profile trip to Pakistan. In New Delhi, Prince Mohammed will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is a recipient of Saudi Arabia's highest civilian honour, the King Abdulaziz Sash.  "Trade and investment, defence and security, including counterterrorism, and renewable energy" will be discussed during the crown prince's meeting with Modi on Wednesday, India's foreign ministry said. The two sides are also expected to discuss oil giant Saudi Aramco's investment in refineries in India,

Middle East supermarket chain Choithrams is partnering up with India's Future Consumer Limited (FCL) to bring popular Indian snacks to the UAE market for the first time, the company announced on Monday. At Gulfood in Dubai, the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will see Choithrams initially market, distribute and retail five of Future Consumer's most popular brands, including the ready-to-eat Tasty Treat brand of snacks, sauce and dip brand Sangi's Kitchen, flour brand Desi Atta company, organic and natural food brand Mother Earth and Desi Atta Company, a kitchen essentials brand that produces flour, rice cereals and spices. “These are very large brands within the

Who still remembers, or cares to remember, or cares at all about the "Salman Rushdie affair"?     Thirty years ago, on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1989, the late Ayatollah Khomeini, then the supreme leader of Iran, issued a religious decree, a fatwa, condemning the British Indian novelist Salman Rushdie to death. Up until that fateful decree, the name Salman Rushdie was known only to a community of South Asian literary aficionados admiring a gifted Mumbai-born novelist whose piercing prose and wicked sense of humour had given the world such literary gems as Midnight's Children (1981) and Shame (1983). The book was written and published in English. The ayatollah did not read English. He was