Ankara- Russian tourists have topped the list of foreign visitors to Turkey in the first five months of this year, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has said. According to the ministry’s provisional data, a total of 8,762,509 visitors came to Turkey from more than 100 countries, including Ru
Riyadh- US Ambassador to Yemen Matthew Tueller has stated that Washington doesn’t recognize any Yemeni political entity that doesn’t acknowledge the internationally backed legit government. He added that the US will continue its support to Yemen and the legit government until security, stability and
Dubai- The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has picked a local bank and three foreign lenders as bookrunners for the planned initial public offering (IPO) of its retail unit that could raise $1.5 billion to $2 billion, sources have told Reuters. The listing for ADNOC Distribution, which manage
Two people died early Friday and scores were injured on the island of Kos in Greece when a powerful earthquake shook popular Greek and Turkish holiday destinations in the Aegean Sea. The epicenter of the 6.7 magnitude quake was some 10.3 kilometers south of the major Turkish resort of Bodrum, and 16
Riyadh – International companies are competing to win a Saudi import deal on 1.5 million tons of barley, as the fourth cycle of quotations for 2017 takes place. Over 20 companies have placed bids aiming to cover local demand for barley and to maintain strategic stocks. Saudi Arabia’s main stat
London – Twenty-eight members of the Syrian regime were killed on Thursday and a number of others were injured in an ambush by one of the armed factions in the Eastern Ghouta region near the capital Damascus, announced the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Head of the London-based Observatory Ram
Erbil- President Masoud Barzani, the leader of Iraq’s autonomous region of Kurdistan, has called a parliamentary and presidential election for November which could help ease a long-running political row as the Kurds push for independence from Baghdad. The elections will follow an independence
Dammam, Brussels- Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued on Thursday a decree amending some provisions of a law on combating terrorism, two weeks after Doha signed an accord with Washington on curbing terror financing. The decree, which was issued on Thursday, replaces a 2004 anti
Ramallah – International contacts intensified on Thursday with the aim to reach a compromise over the removal of electronic gates at Al Aqsa Mosque and to reopen the compound to Palestinian worshippers. A Palestinian official, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, said that the Uni
Kuwait – Kuwaiti-Iranian ties have entered a new phase of tensions that have marred their history in recent decades. The tensions erupted in wake of the Kuwaiti government’s decision on Thursday to lower the number of diplomats at the Iranian embassy and expel some 15 Iranian diplomats. The developm
Beirut- The Lebanese government smoothly approved on Thursday the diplomatic appointments after political parties agreed on a quota that divides 74 embassies among their affiliated diplomats and supporters. The decision only faced a shy objection concerning the Future Movement and the Free Patriotic
Lebanon’s “Hezbollah” and the Syrian regime launched on Friday an operation against militants on both sides of the border. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television and its “War Media” social media channels carried announcements of “the start of a military operation to purge Arsa
Baghdad – Saudi Arabia and Iraq agreed on Thursday to reopen the Aarar crossing, the only border crossing between the two countries, and to exchange security and intelligence information between them. The reopening of the border will facilitate the travel of Iraqi Hajj pilgrims, while the secu
Jeddah– Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz issued on Thursday a number of royal decrees, including an order to form a state security directorate that would report to the prime minister. The new body – named the “Presidency of State Security” – will be headed by intelli
Jeddah- Saudi Arabia has announced that Qatari pilgrims will come to perform Hajj rituals by air only via airlines such as Qatar Airways, ensuring that Qataris are welcome – the total number of visas for Umrah pilgrims this year reached a record 6.7 million, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said
Kuwait, London- The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry summoned on Thursday Iran’s ambassador Alireza Enayati to inform him about its decision to expel 15 Iranian diplomats and to shut down the Iranian cultural mission with other affiliated offices in the country. The decision came after 16 terrorist suspects
Nara (Japan) – The dispute over Syria’s “Pearl of the Desert”, Palmyra, has not been limited to the military conflict between Damascus and Moscow and between ISIS, but a cultural competition has emerged between international archaeologists to rebuild the historic city. Palmyra has long occupied the
Abu Dhabi- Etihad Airways has sold its minority stake in European regional carrier Darwin Airline, the first divestment since launching a strategic review last year and just weeks after chief executive James Hogan left the Abu Dhabi-based carrier. Etihad, which held a 33.33 percent stake in Darwin A
Over the past six months, in one way or another, President Donald Trump has kicked several of the cans inherited from Barack Obama down the road. After several attempts at abolishing it, the so-called Obamacare has been kicked into legislative oblivion. Obama’s policy of courting the Castro brothers
Israeli occupation forces on Thursday arrested 15 Palestinians from various West Bank cities, according to a Palestinian source. The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said in a statement that the occupation forces raided the cities of Hebron, Jenin, Tulkarem, Ramallah and Nablus and arrested 15 P
