London – Iranian lawmakers came under fire after a number of members of the Parliament rushed to take photos with EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini. Mogherini visited Tehran on Saturday for the country’s presidential inauguration of President Hasan Rouhani’s second term. Shortly afte
London, San Francisco- Researchers in Germany have successfully developed new “smart” solar sunglasses that can generate power from the solar cells in their lenses. The solar cells supply a microprocessor and two displays with electric power, displaying the solar illumination intensity and ambient t
The ISIS terrorist organization was established after the collapse of a series of coexistence trials. It changed maps and tore borders apart, and maps are like buildings, they always need maintenance. Negligence speeds up their demise with walls cracking and doors breaking down. Factionalism policie
London – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) killed two militants in clashes with gunmen in the northwest of the country. Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the Guards ground forces, said that four militants were also wounded and some military material was confiscated, t
Saudi Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz issued on Monday a decree to host the relatives of Palestinian martyrs for the annual Hajj pilgrimage, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). For the ninth year in a row, Saudi Arabia will cover the Hajj expenses of 1,000 relatives of
Baghdad – A Baghdad court sentenced on Sunday a former governor of the Salaheddine province to jail, the first such ruling against a high-ranking official since 2003. Ahmed Abdullah al-Jabouri was sentenced to three years in prison on corruption charges. This is the first such verdict since the US o
Manama- Bahrain’s Interior Minister Lieutenant General Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said that Qatar poses a threat to the security of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as it adopts a discrete policy and harbors extremist and terrorist elements. “There are many facts that condemn the Qatari
North Korea rejected on Monday the latest sanctions imposed by the United Nations, deeming them a “violent violation of our sovereignty”, Pyongyang said in a statement carried by its official Korea Central News Agency. It insisted that the sanctions will not deter it from developing its nuclea
Riyadh- ISIS was planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia before the security authorities succeeded in foiling them by arresting one of the organization’s most dangerous terrorists. A Saudi court on Sunday sentenced an ISIS member to 20 years of imprisonment for plotting terror attack
Jeddah – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called on Iran to be more “clear” in its investigation into the attacks against the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad in early 2016. The OIC General Secretariat urged Iranian authorities for more cooperation in the probes as i
Manama– A recent report published by Bahrain’s Economic Development Board (EDB) revealed that growth in the non-oil sector of Bahrain’s economy reached 4.4 percent in the first quarter of 2017, compared to 3.7 percent during 2016. The report said that growth was powered by strong performance across
Mecca – The number of Qatari Hajj pilgrims has risen in 2017 compared to 2016, revealed informed sources to Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday. They said that 2,400 Qatari pilgrims are expected to perform the Hajj this year, compared to 1,200 in 2016, adding that the tents that will receive them in the holy
London- The British government issued new guidelines on Sunday requiring manufacturers of internet-connected vehicles to put in place tougher cyber protections to ensure they are better shielded against hackers. The government said it was concerned that smart vehicles, which allow drivers to do thin
Cairo – The Commander of the Libyan Army, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, arrived in Cairo on Sunday on a surprise visit, while UN Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salameh met with Libyan Speaker Aqila Saleh on the second day of his visit to the country. In a brief statement, Haftar’s office said the official a
Ramallah- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he would gradually stop paying up to $1.5 billion a year for Gaza Strip if Hamas refused to hand over the territory to the current Palestinian government. Abbas called on Hamas to accept his initiative of the “appeal of Jerusalem”, stressing that he
Tel Aviv – Despite being the Arab channel that hosts Israeli government and army spokespersons the most, Israel plans to revoke media credentials of al-Jazeera TV journalists. Communications Minister Ayoub Kara, the only Arab minister in Benjamin Netenyahu’s government, issued an order to close Jaze
Beirut- Head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) MP Walid Jumblatt did not attend a ceremony on Sunday to inaugurate “Our Lady of the Hill” Church in Mount Lebanon’s Deir al-Qamar during the anniversary of the “Mountain Reconciliation” that saw a historic promise o
Geneva- Former war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte announced on Sunday she is quitting a United Nations commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria because it “does absolutely nothing”. Del Ponte, 70, who prosecuted war crimes in Rwanda and former Yugoslavia, told a panel dis
A group of around 20 men attacked on early Sunday a military base in Venezuela’s third largest city, as President Nicolas Maduro vowed to lay down the “maximum penalty” against the perpetrators. Led by an army officer, the group made off with weapons after a three-hour attack on the Paramacay base i
Bahrain’s Rose Chelimo became on Sunday the first Arab to win a gold medal at the IAAF World Championships that are hosted by London. The Kenyan-born runner edged veteran Edna Kiplagat to win the women’s marathon in 2hr 27min 11sec. Kiplagat hit 40km a second ahead, but Chelimo kicked in the l
