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More than a year before the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, approved a secret campaign to silence dissenters, the New York Times has reported. The campaign included surveillance, kidnapping, detention and torture of Saudis, said the report published on Sunday citing the US officials who have read classified intelligence reports about the effort. American officials referred to it as the Saudi Rapid Intervention Group, the Times said. One of the victims of this group was a university lecturer who reported on the situation of women and was tortured last year, prompting her to attempt suicide. Saudi Arabia has a long

Kerala, India - Since the 1970s, the southern Indian state of Kerala has enjoyed opportunities stemming from its proximity to wealthy countries in the Gulf, around 2,500km away. About two million Kerala natives, predominantly Muslim working-age men, currently work in the region, mainly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.  "The financial contribution of migration to Kerala is unimaginable," said Irudaya Rajan, author and expert in Kerala's Gulf migration. The men's wives, locally known as "Gulf wives", number around one million. Left behind, they struggle with loneliness. Their husbands might visit once every three years.  According to Rajan, 80 percent of women do not travel to visit their partners

Kim Kardashian West and Paris Hilton reunited for a belated birthday party. Photo: Instagram The 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' star partied with the heiress and socialite over the weekend and they documented the whole thing on social media. Photo: Instagram Speaking in a video clip, she said: "Happy birthday, Paris ... even though your birthday was ... months ago, this is how she celebrates. Months ... months and months. But she deserves it." Photo: Instagram And Paris captioned a video: "Love you @KimKardashian ... So much fun celebrating my birthday with you at #ClubParis" Photo: Instagram Paris previously insisted she is "incredibly proud" of Kim and she is "happy" for her reality TV star

ADEN (Reuters) - Yemen's Huthi group said they were building their ballistic capabilities and their forces stand ready to strike Riyadh and Abu Dhabi if implementation of a UN peace deal in the port city of Hodeidah is breached. A spokesman of the Houthi forces said the group has a “stockpile of missiles” and the group can hit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the two Gulf states leading the coalition backing the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, whenever the military command decides on the timing. “We have intelligence asserting that the enemy is preparing for an escalation in Hodeidah and we are following their movements closely. Our forces stand ready for any requested and

In 1979, Haji Daoud Nabi escaped the Soviet-Afghan war and took his young family to safety in New Zealand. Almost 40 years later, on Friday, he was shot and killed at Al Noor mosque in Christchurch. The first named victim of the massacre, Nabi ran an Afghan Association and spent his life trying to help refugees start new lives, making sure they were fed and protected. "He used to make them feel at home," his 43-year-old son Omar, told Al Jazeera on the telephone from Christchurch. Along with some of the other 48 people who were killed on Friday, including children, Nabi's funeral will be held on Saturday. "My father lived all his life in this country [New Zealand] and will be buried here," said

President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a cable of condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, on the death of Princes Al-Bandari bint Abdulrahman bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Sheikh Khalifa expressed his heartfelt grief and sympathy with King Salman and prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the soul of the deceased in peace and to grant her an abode in Paradise. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai; and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, also dispatched