Middle East Travel News

I apologize. I took a musical interlude from my generally news-driven working life recently and spent a very pleasant evening combining two passions, art and opera.

After being closed for several hours Thursday morning, the main roads to Jerusalem from the Tel Aviv and Modi'in areas roads 1 and 443 - were reopened Thursday afternoon.

When I think of Nelson Mandela, I don't really think of Mandela the president. I think of Mandiba the political prisoner, and the man whose writing gave me courage behind bars.

The Jerusalem municipality announced that all classes would be suspended, while Hebrew University released a statement indicating that there would be no instruction on Thursday.

They escaped their war-torn country, but in refugee camps in Lebanon, few are able to attend school, read books - or even play A few Syrian refugee children were recently able to attend school after the Lebanese government and international aid agencies instituted a second shift of classes at some Lebanese schools.

PLO Executive Committee member Saeb Erekat expressed "strong dissatisfaction with the response given by the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry regarding complaints made by the State of Palestine on the issue," according to a statement issued by the PLO.

Stanley Fischer, who led the Bank of Israel for eight years until he stepped down in June, has been asked to be the Federal Reserve's next vice chair once Janet Yellen takes over as chief of the U.S. central bank, a source familiar with the issue said on Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled plans to speak in person to the biennial meeting of the Union for Reform Judaism.

Directors of Business West, Clive Wray, left, and James Monk, flying the flag for the West of England, with a gift of the Bristol Pound for Oman The visit from support organisation Business West and auto parts distributor Flying Penguin Enterprises follows a visit from an Omani delegation this year.

Devout Jews worship at the Western Wall in Jerusalem - all that is left of the Second Temple destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock marks the site where Jews believe Abraham was preparing to sacrifice his son Isaac and where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad journeyed to heaven.

Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers, during meeting with Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jabir al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait.

Two Israeli-American researchers received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on Tuesday in Stockholm, Sweden.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel visited the Combined Air and Space Operations Center in the tiny Persian Gulf nation of Qatar on Tuesday morning, the last leg of a tour that has also taken him to Bahrain, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

ME Hotels is gaining a ton of worldwide publicity in travel and design media by commissioning celebrity architects to design the interiors of its new properties.

By David Miliband Britain's Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee After spending just three days with refugees and aid workers in Lebanon and Turkey, the apocalyptic nature of the Syria crisis is all too apparent: more than 100,000 deaths, nine million people displaced, two million children out ... (more)

LIALI Jewellery, leading retailer of fine jewellery in the UAE, sets the pace this festive season by unfurling its ravishing Red Carpet collection! Designed specifically for those special moments under the limelight, it features exclusive, high end pieces such as one-of-a-kind double and three-row diamond necklaces, bewitching chandelier earrings ... (more)

DOHA: From January 1, Qatari passport holders can travel to the UK with an Electronic Visa Waiver document.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is returning to the Mideast for more peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and then will travel on to Vietnam and the Philippines, the State Department said Monday.

Rotana has been recognised for its continuous efforts and success by attaining a special achievement award for the World's Leading Business Hotel Brand at the World Travel Awards, the premier global awards event that promotes excellence in the travel and tourism industry.

Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority on Monday signed a water-sharing agreement that includes the building of a desalination plant on the Gulf of Aqaba and a pilot study for a pipeline linking the Red Sea with the Dead Sea, the World Bank said.