KUWAIT CITY:

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Washington Studies Institute revealed that 30 Kuwaiti Shiites have joined the “Popular Rally” militia in Iraq and fighting alongside the group, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

According to a researcher at the institute, Brandon Wallace, over 150 GCC nationals are fighting alongside the group. He said Bahrain has the highest number of recruits with 40 fighters, followed by Kuwait. He expressed concern over the training of non-Iraqis within the Iraq territories.

Unconfirmed report indicates the members of Bahrainbased Saraya Al-Mukhtar are

RIYADH:

More than 1.4 million Muslims have so far arrived in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, authorities said Thursday, with the annual pilgrimage marked by the return of Iranians after Tehran’s boycott last year.

More than two million people are expected to participate in this year’s Hajj, a pillar of Islam that capable Muslims must perform at least once in their lives, which starts next week. (AFP)

DUBAI:

Bahraini authorities say they have arrested seven people allegedly linked to a Shiite militant group.

The Ministry of Interior said on Thursday that those arrested were part of a 10-person cell “suspected of carrying out terrorist activities.” It says the cell is led by Hussain Ali Ahmed Dawood, who is believed to be in Iran and who is a leader in the Ashtar Brigade, which has claimed past bombings and attacks in the tiny Gulf nation. (AP)

LONDON:

Two Singaporeans, one of whom is transgender, have been sentenced to one year in prison in the United Arab Emirates for charges linked to their appearance, a rights group said Thursday.

“Two Singapore nationals have been sentenced to one year in prison in Abu Dhabi after being arrested on charges linked to inappropriate behaviour over their clothing,” said Radha Stirling, head of the London-based nonprofit Detained in Dubai and managing partner at the Stirling Haigh law firm. (AFP)

CAIRO:

Egypt’s Interior Ministry says security forces have killed two members of a group with suspected links to the Muslim Brotherhood in a shootout at their hideout northwest of Cairo.

The ministry says the suspects were among the “most prominent cadres” of the Hasm movement, a group that routinely targets Egyptian security forces in bombings and drive-by shootings (AP)

KHARTOUM:

Russia’s ambassador to Sudan, veteran diplomat Mirgayas Shirinsky, was found dead in the swimming pool at his Khartoum home on Wednesday, Sudanese and Russian officials said.

“The Russian ambassador died this evening at his Khartoum residence,” the Sudanese foreign ministry said in a statement, without giving a cause of death.

“He was found dead in the swimming pool of his residence at 7:05 pm (16:05 GMT),” police spokesman Omar al-Mokhtar told AFP. (AFP)

WASHINGTON:

No fewer than 16 Americans were hurt in what has previously been dubbed an acoustic attack on the US mission in Cuba, the State Department said Thursday.

Spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters that the attacks appear to have ceased, but that several US government employees required treatment.

“We can confirm that at least 16 US government employees, members of our embassy community, have experienced some kind of symptoms,” she said. (AFP)