No country in the world was as patient with Qatar’s political transgressions as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and UAE have been for the past two decades. For 21 years, Qatar disregarded all concepts of Gulf unity and neighborly behavior. Twenty-one years and the repercussions of Qatar’s policies are worsen
London – Following Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt announced severing ties with Qatar, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Bahram Ghasemi, called on Gulf states to “renounce tension through dialogue.” Other Tehran officials tried to build bridges with Doha by attacking countries that
Ankara – A court in the western Turkish city of Izmir on Monday sentenced two Afghans for being pro-ISIS and for carrying out reconnaissance in favor of the terrorist organization, preparing for a terrorist attack. Security sources said the anti-terrorist and intelligence forces of the Izmir S
Algeria – The foreign ministers of Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt have held a tripartite meeting on Monday in Algeria, to discuss the situation in Libya and find a political solution for the crisis in order to tackle later security issues, especially combating ISIS. The meeting, which will end tod
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation revoked on Tuesday all operating licenses granted to Qatar Airways as part of the Kingdom’s severing of diplomatic ties with its neighbor. It also announced that all of its offices in Saudi Arabia will be closed within 48 hours, reported the S
Baghdad – As the battle for the city of Mosul draws to its end with the expulsion of ISIS, conflicting views have started to emerge on whether the militants should be pursued beyond Iraq’s borders, specifically inside Syria. Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, Sunni political forces and Moqtada al-Sadr’
Moscow – The establishment of de-escalation zones in Syria is not a precursor to the partition of the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday, adding that these areas will lead to a full ceasefire throughout Syria. He denied all claims that initiators of de-escalation zones will
Aden – Saudi-led Arab coalition fighters carried out air raids on military positions controlled by coupists in the vicinity of the “Presidential Palace” in Sanaa, in keep with intensifying clashes in Jawf and Shabwa and Hajjah. Eyewitnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat that battles are by far the most
Some trade banks in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have halted transactions with Qatari banks in wake of the diplomatic row in the region, banking sources told Reuters on Tuesday. The Qatari currency has since come under pressure. Bahraini banks were also delaying business with Qatari ban
Mosul – Men, women and children walk down a main road in west Mosul with arms full and carts loaded, but they are not among the people fleeing fighting in the city. The operation to retake Mosul from ISIS has pushed hundreds of thousands of residents to flee their homes – leaving behind belong
London, Washington – The White House said on Monday that US President Donald Trump is committed to working to deescalate tensions in Gulf after some countries broke ties with Qatar. The United States does not want to see a “permanent rift” among Gulf countries, a senior US administ
Jeddah – Qatari Emir’s inflammatory statements, which were blamed by the Qatari media on an alleged “cyber hacking”, were only a mere indication of the long crisis between the Arab peninsula and its neighbors, due to its controversial policies that have threatened the region’s stability and unity. Q
Jeddah – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, who is also the kingdom’s Deputy Premier and Interior Minister, confirmed the government headed by King Salman bin Abdulaziz is keen on facilitating and advancing the affairs of citizens and residents wherever they may be. The Custo
Washington – US President Donald Trump on Monday called for a stricter version of the travel ban and a hearing session before the Supreme Court. In a series of morning tweets on his official Twitter account, Trump described the revised travel ban as a “watered down” version of the first and criticiz
Beirut – The Lebanese authorities are beginning to tighten the noose around extremist groups and those associated with them. The Lebanese army, in cooperation with security agencies, has been pursuing suspected ISIS members active on the internal scene, cracking down on lone wolves and dismantling t
Manama – Isa Award for Services to Humanity (2015-2017) was awarded to Children’s Cancer Hospital of Egypt 57357(CCHE). It is the first time the award goes directly to a humanitarian organization, as the two previous awards honored people who had outstanding humanitarian and charity contributi
Riyadh – Amid a wave of negative economic inhibitors threatening Qatar’s national budget, the financial sector is set out to be most affected eventually resulting in an economic, trade and investment meltdown. The collapse is an inevitable result of Saudi Arabia severing ties with Doha,
Erbil – Civilians living under siege in the remaining ISIS-held neighborhoods of Iraq’s Mosul are under extreme danger, warned the United Nations children’s agency on Monday. About 100,000 children are trapped in extremely dangerous conditions, warned the UN Children Fund as fierce battl
Ankara – Turkey said on Monday that it was “saddened” by the Arab and Islamic countries’ decision to sever diplomatic ties with Qatar, saying it was ready to mediate with them to “reach a solution to the crisis.” The Turkish Foreign Ministry hoped in a statement that members of the Gulf Cooperation
Manama – The Bahraini Information Affairs Ministry suspended Al Wasat newspaper until further notice. According to the ministry, the suspension decision followed the newspaper’s recurrent violation of the law, the spread of materials stirring divisions within the community, and undermining the
