The Turkish central bank announced on Thursday that it was raising its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points in defiance of President Tayyip Erdogan’s drive for cheaper credit and increasing borrowing costs for the first time in nearly three years. The lira, which has lost some 14 percent
Aden– A Yemeni child escaped an abduction attempt when an assailant tried to kidnap him on a street in Sana’a last Sunday. The boy, Mohammed, is the son of Murad al-Gharati who heads Tamkeen organization in Yemen. The incident happened when a car without a license plate approached Mohammed seeking d
London- Philip Hammond has delivered his first Autumn Statement since being appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer in July. A set piece in the parliamentary calendar, the Autumn Statement is generally used by governments to provide an incremental update on economic and fiscal policy. But given tha
Riyadh-Houthi militias and forces loyal to ousted former President Ali Abdullah Saleh continue randomly targeting civilians in Saudi border cities to cause maximum casualties among innocent citizens from women to children and elderly. Human rights activists are questioning the reason behind the susp
Washington – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen South Carolina governor Nikki Haley as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. With that, Haley becomes the first woman with a senior post in his administration. In a statement, the president-elect said: “Governor Haley has a proven track reco
Beirut- Consultations held on the sidelines of Independence Day celebrations on Tuesday gave a new impetus to the efforts exerted by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri to form Lebanon’s new government. “The atmosphere over the cabinet formation is positive,” Speaker Nabih Berri was quoted as sayin
European Parliament President Martin Schulz said Thursday that he will not seek a new mandate and instead go into German politics, where he could become the main opponent to Chancellor Angela Merkel in next year’s elections. Schulz, a Social Democrat (SPD), made the impromptu statement at the
The Turkish army blamed the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad for an air strike on Thursday in northern Syria that killed three soldiers and wounded 10, it said in a statement. “In the air strike assessed to have been by Syrian regime forces, three of our heroic soldiers were killed and 10 woun
London- Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has accused the U.S. administration of violating the nuclear deal. He warned Wednesday that Tehran will retaliate if Washington renews sanctions next month. Last week, the U.S. Congress approved a bill — with 419 votes in favor and one against – that
Manama – A Bahraini court sentenced six people to life in prison for being involved in terrorist activities including planting a bomb, targeting security officers, and jeopardizing Bahrain’s security and stability. Chief Prosecutor Hamad Shaheen said the High Criminal Court sentenced six suspe
Beirut- Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani said that his country supported Lebanon and hoped the Lebanese leaders would overcome problems preventing the formation of the Cabinet. The Qatari minister visited Baabda Palace on Wednesday and met with President Michel Aoun to cong
Washington-The United States on Tuesday named a French veteran of the Foreign Legion as a suspect in the planning of bloody attacks in Paris and Brussels. The U.S. sanctioned Abdelilah Himich, also known as Abu Suleiman al-Faransi, a Moroccan-born French national accused of plotting the November 201
Paris – French authorities have released two of the seven suspects arrested in weekend police raids, which broke up a terror ring plotting an attack, a judicial source told Agence France Presse. The source said that the two men released on Tuesday were among three suspects held in Marseille. They we
Paris– French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has said his country would host a high-level ministerial meeting in December to discuss the means to end the bloodshed in war-torn Syria. The meeting will gather foreign ministers of countries supporting the moderate Syrian opposition, including the U
Tunis- Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi’s recent announcement, in which he confirmed that U.S. surveillance drones were flying over the Tunisian-Libyan border, has sparked a major political debate, as lawmakers called on the government to clarify U.S. reports on such a mission. In a televised in
Riyadh- Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received at his palace on Wednesday King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, the chairman of the World Scout Foundation (WSF), and his accompanying delegation. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques welcomed the Swedish King and the a
An explosion killed two people and wounded more than a dozen outside a local government building in the southern Turkish city of Adana on Thursday, weeks after the United States warned extremist groups were planning attacks. Video footage showed a vehicle ablaze in the car park outside the governor’
Riyadh– Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG) Chairman Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan issued a decision to assign Lebanese journalist Ghassan Charbel as the editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper effective Nov. 24, 2016. “The appointment complies with the future vision of the Sa
London- A review of press releases published on the Trump Organization website shows that 15 of 25 new acquisitions or joint ventures announced over the past five years were overseas. These include the purchase of golf courses in Ireland and Scotland. Moves by Donald Trump to ban Muslims from enteri
Cairo-In a surprising but expected step, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw his country from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on his first day in the White House, one of six immediate steps aimed at “putting America first.” This announcement hasn’t su
