Asia

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazimi survived an assassination attempt by drone attack tonight on his residence in Baghdad, the AP reported. According to two official sources, seven of the prime minister's bodyguards were injured in the attack on the heavily guarded Green Zone in the Iraqi capital.

Showcasing traditional dance, music and arts, Iraq's Babylon International Festival has attracted thousands of fans for the first time in two war-scarred decades.

"It's a great joy. We haven't seen a festival like this for years," said Shaima, 45, visiting the event at the ancient archeological site with her two daughters.

St. Pierre Church, considered a pilgrimage place for Christians and believed to be the world's first cave church by some sources, hosted over 62,000 visitors so far in 2021.

Located at the skirts of Mont Habib Neccar in Turkey's southern province of Hatay, the church was a meeting point for the believers of Jesus in the 1930s.

It thus confirmed the presence of American troops on the island, which China considers its territory.

Turkey's Investment Office and Finance Office opened branches in the Qatar Financial Centre located in the Gulf country's capital Doha.

Qatari businesses will now have access to the many advantages that these offices offer, said Mehmet Göksu, the Turkish ambassador in Qatar, during the opening ceremony.

Archaeologists in Iraq revealed on Oct. 24 their discovery of a large-scale wine factory from the rule of the Assyrian kings 2,700 years ago, along with stunning monumental rock-carved royal reliefs.

Top crude exporter Saudi Arabia will aim to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2060, its de facto ruler said on Oct. 23, days before the COP26 global climate summit.

The kingdom, one of the world's biggest polluters, said it would also join a global effort to cut methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

Linet, a well-known name in Turkish pop and Middle Eastern music, has confessed that she was a deserter in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) while chatting with her fans during the opening of an entertainment venue in Istanbul.

Chinese military exercises near Taiwan are targeted at forces promoting the island's formal independence and are a "just" move to protect peace and stability, China's Taiwan Affairs Office said on Oct. 13.

It also said the exercises are aimed at interference by external forces.

This country is not internationally recognized, and China regards it as part of its territory.
Chinese air force incursions into Taiwan's air defence identification zone