An Iranian passenger plane with 150 people on board skidded off the airport runway in Iran's Ahwaz province on Monday, Al Arabiya reported citing social media sources. The Caspian Airlines aircraft, which derailed off the runway and landed in the middle of the streets, was reportedly arriving from Tehran. Video footage showed passengers being evacuated from the plane, which appeared to be stationary in a field near a road. Provincial airport director Mohammad Reza Rezanian said all of the passengers had been safely taken off the plane.

Gabi Germanos, the lawyer for Nancy Ajram's husband Fady al-Hashem, has denied that his client was engaged in any negotiations with the family of Mohamed al-Mousa, who was killed by Hashem in an alleged home invasion earlier in January. “We are awaiting the decision of the investigating judge, Nicolas Mansour, who will complete investigations with witnesses and study (the) evidence. Then, the judiciary will have the final say in this case,” Hashem said, according to Sky News Arabia. Social media sites have been buzzing over the past two days over reports about Mousa's family requesting half a million dollars from the family of Nancy Ajram over the killing their son. The development came hours

Abu Dhabi's efforts to become one of the world's top sports tourism destination in 2019 have not stopped, nor has its excellence in hosting international and continental sporting events. Abu Dhabi achieved a new record in the sport of fishing, as the Abu Dhabi Grand Fishing Tournament for King Fish and Cobia announced the sale of a kingfish for US$54,000, or some AED200,000, during an auction held at the end of the competition in Abu Dhabi. The competition was held under the patronage of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Adviser to the UAE President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, and with the monitoring of Sheikh Mohammed

Iranian singer Amirhossein Maghsoudloo, known as “Amir Tataloo,” was arrested in Turkey at Tehran's request on Tuesday, and risks being extradited to Iran, according to his social media. “They said the Iranian government wants me,” Tataloo wrote in an Instagram post, after an earlier post showing him in handcuffs. Iran's police spokesman confirmed Tataloo's arrest by Turkish police at the regime's request.

Iranian officials and satellite images suggest the Islamic Republic is preparing to a launch a satellite into space after three major failures last year, the latest for a program which the US claims helps Tehran advance its ballistic missile program. Satellite images from San Francisco-based Planet Labs Inc. that have been annotated by experts at Middlebury Institute of International Studies show work at a launch pad at the Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Iran's Semnan province.

R&B singer Lizzo kicked off the Grammy Awards show on Sunday, dedicating the night to basketball star Kobe Bryant, whose death in a helicopter accident earlier in the day threw a cloud over music's biggest night. “Tonight is for Kobe” said Lizzo, going into a medley of the title song from her album “Cuz I Love You” and hit single “Truth Hurts.” The Grammy Awards show was taking place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the home of Bryant's team the Los Angeles Lakers. “We are literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built,” said Alicia Keys. “We never imagined in a million years wed have to start the show like this.” R&B newcomer Lizzo started the night by winning three

BEIRUT (AP) - The Islamic State group's self-styled “caliphate” across parts of Iraq and Syria seemed largely defeated last year, with the loss of its territory, the killing of its founder in a U.S. raid and an unprecedented crackdown on its social media propaganda machine. But tensions between the United States and Iran and the resulting clash over the U.S. military presence in the region provide a comeback opportunity for the extremist group, whose remnants have been gradually building up a guerrilla campaign over the past year, experts say. American troops in Iraq had to pause their operations against IS for nearly two weeks amid the tensions. From the other side, Iranian-backed Iraqi militiamen