Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut their diplomatic relations with Qatar on Monday to preserve their national security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism. The four countries also decided to close their borders for all Qatari transportation. They gave Qatari diplom
Eight members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were killed in eastern Turkey during a security operation in the area, reported the state-run Anadolu Agency on Sunday. Security forces were searching for another militant who was believed to be on the run after the operation, the governor
North Korea condemned on Sunday the latest United Nations sanctions against it, saying that they were aimed at hindering its efforts to strengthen its nuclear power. The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously adopted a US-drafted resolution imposing new targeted sanctions on a handful of North Ko
Mosul – Dozens of people have been killed as they fled the ISIS-held Zanjili neighborhood in the Iraqi city of Mosul, Iraqi sources said according to a Reuters report. The bodies of dozens of civilians killed in the past two days while fleeing ISIS lay on Saturday in a street close to the fron
Ramallah – In an effort to raise awareness on their plight, Palestinians launched an online campaign with the hashtag “#Occupation is” on various media portals. The campaign, launched in English and Arabic, seeks to shed light on how occupation affects individual Palestinians. It was kicked off to m
Apple’s Siri voice assistant role may be expanded to cover a larger variety of apps as the technology company seeks to fend off competition from Amazon’s Alexa service. Currently, Apple’s Siri works with only six types of app: ride-hailing and sharing; messaging and calling; photo search; paym
Taiz – The humanitarian relief coalition in Yemen’s Taiz province announced that 131 people were killed and 320 wounded, including women and children, in May in the ongoing war the Houthi militia and Saleh insurgents are waging in the area. It said that 736 families have been displaced from their ho
Riyadh – Saudi international trade expert Fawaz al-Alamy revealed that Saudi Arabia continues to reap the rewards of its adoption of free trade principles and market economy, becoming the third fastest growing economy in the world – after China and India – and playing globalization in its favo
Three attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing revelers nearby on Saturday night, killing at least seven people as Prime Minister Theresa May called for a revision of the country’s counterterrorism strategy. “We believe we are experiencing a new trend in the thre
Cairo – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi emphasized the importance of the historical ties with Sudan, stressing the need to continue on strengthening and developing them. He made his remarks during a meeting with the Sudanese Foreign Minister, Ibrahim Ghandour, who is currently visiting Cairo
Ramallah – Denmark announced that it will halt the funding of civil Palestinian groups in wake of Israeli accusations that some of these organizations promote “terrorism”. Danish Ambassador to Israel Jesper Vahr said on Saturday that his country will discontinue the financing of Palestinian non-gove
Beirut – The Syrian regime has pushed military reinforcements to the southern front ahead of a strategic battle aimed at cementing its presence in the areas it controls in the city of Dara’a. Opposition sources in the south told Asharq Al-Awsat that its forces are getting prepared for the battle, no
Ankara – Ankara officially revealed for the first time some details of its proposals to liberate Syria’s Raqqa city from ISIS. The plan relies on Arab forces instead of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said during a television interview on Friday that
Brazilian police announced on Saturday the arrest of a close aide of President Michel Temer in the latest development in the corruption scandal that has rocked the country and threatened to impeach the head of state. Former MP Rodrigo Rocha Loures, a close aide and friend of Temer, was detained at h
The Iranian government has a clear goal of creating a reality that is suitable for it when it comes to determining the fate of Syria and later expanding its role in Iraq. To this end, Iran is leading the Iraqi militias, others that it has established and groups that it has influence over to Syria [&
St. Petersburg – Saudi Aramco will globally invest in the production of gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid al-Falih. Speaking at the 21st St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday during a session enti
Riyadh – Abdulraqeeb Saif Fateh, Yemen’s minister of local administration, said that the number of cholera cases is likely to increase amidst the absence of environmental sanitation, especially in insurgents-held regions – including Sana’a. The Yemeni minister told Asharq Al-Awsat that t
Brussels – Belgium’s federal general prosecution announced on Friday that it was charging a 30-year-old Belgian detainee of being linked to the 2015 Paris attacks after he was initially arrested for being involved in the March 22, 2016 Brussels assault. Yassine Atar, 30, was formally charged “on acc
Ankara – As the trials of the suspects linked to the failed July 2016 coup, Turkish security forces arrested on Saturday Birol Erdem, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim’s chief adviser and a former senior justice ministry official, on charges of belonging to the movement of US-based Muslim cleric
Jeddah – Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Abu Dhabi crown prince and deputy commander of the UAE Armed Forces, concluded his visit to Saudi Arabia, leaving on Saturday as Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, bade him farewell
