RAMALLAH: Palestinians were among the migrants whose boat sank in deep waters about 50 miles from the Greek coastal town of Pylos on Wednesday.
At least 80 migrants lost their lives in the shipwreck. Rescuers scoured the seas off Greece on Thursday as hopes of survivors dwindled and fears grew that hundreds more, including children, may have drowned inside the crowded fishing vessel’s hold.
Reports suggest that between 400 and 750 people had packed the fishing boat, which departed the Libyan port of Tobruk and capsized and sank early in the morning.

BEIRUT: Protesters vandalized the facades of several banks and set tires alight in a suburb about 8 km east of Beirut on Thursday, frustrated at being denied access to their money.
The attacks targeted branches of Bank Audi, Bank of Beirut and Byblos Bank in Sin El-Fil in Mount Lebanon Governorate. Soldiers and internal security forces were deployed at several banks in Beirut out of fear of similar attacks.

LONDON: The two remaining Britons who died in a boat fire in Egypt have been named, Sky News reported.
Stephen Hill and Paul Darling were killed along with fellow Briton Christina Quinn when their vessel, the Hurricane, burst into flames following a reported electrical fault.
They were part of a group of 15 qualified divers who had booked a weeklong trip together. The 12 who escaped were on deck taking part in a briefing, while the three Britons had been asleep in their cabins.

DUBAI: Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah recently received visiting UAE Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

During the meeting in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, they discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation between the UAE and the Southeast Asian nation in several sectors.

They also spoke about King Sultan’s visit to the Emirates in February, and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan’s trip to Malaysia in May.

BAGHDAD: Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani arrived in Baghdad on Thursday on an official visit to discuss regional political matters and enhance bilateral relations, the government said in a statement.
Qatar’s Emir is visiting Baghdad on an invitation by the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani, said a government spokesman, Basim Al-Awadi.
During the emir’s visit, Iraq and Qatar will sign memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to expand cooperation on investment and energy projects, Awadi said.