Asharq Al-Awsat Editorial

Editorial desk and wire-service reports (AFP, Reuters, AP) as published in the Asharq Al-Awsat English Edition. This archive preserves the original text (2005–2017); attribution appears in the article dateline where provided by the source.

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World

Zebari: 40,000 Civilians Killed in Mosul Battle

London- More than 40,000 civilians were killed in the devastating battle to retake the northern Iraqi city of Mosul from ISIS, according to intelligence reports revealed to Britain’s The Independent – a death toll far higher than previous estimates. Many bodies are still buried under the rubble and

Turkey’s Budget Deficit Hits $7 Billion in H1

Ankara- Turkey ran a budget deficit of 25.2 billion Turkish Liras (about $7 billion) during the first half of this year, in addition to $3.3 billion that were pumped by the government to stimulate the economy. The budget deficit in June stood at 13.7 billion liras (approximately $3.9 billion), compa

Al-Mekhlafi: Even UN Staff Need Visa to Enter Yemen

Jeddah– Yemeni Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Abdel-Malak Al-Mekhlafi said that a number of persons have illegally entered Yemen, through some United Nations flights operating in Sanaa, without prior permission from the legitimate government. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, the

Oldest Emoji in the World Found in Turkey

Ankara- Archaeologists in southeastern Turkey have discovered a pot vase dating back to 3700 years, featuring what is believed to be the world’s oldest smiley face emoji. The ancient emoji was found in the Karkamis site, in Gaziantep, close to the border with Syria. Turkish media outlets reported Ni

Artificial Sweeteners May Lead to Weight Gain

London- Artificial sweeteners or sugar alternatives added to dozens of food and medical products, from cough syrups sold without a medical prescription, to sugar-free diet cokes, may cause weight gain, according to a recent study. The study said consuming drinks with artificial sugar can lead to a h

World

KSrelief Repatriates 316 Stranded Somalis

Aden- King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid (KSrelief) has continued to repatriate stranded Somalis to their country, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The 11th batch, representing 316 stranded Somalis, left Yemen on Wednesday heading for Somalia, under a direct supervision of the Intern

World

Iran’s Nuclear Deal Is Two Years Old

“An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last” (Winston Churchill) Marking two years since Iran’s nuclear deal (JCPOA), we would be badly mistaken if we assumed that the ‘architects’ of Barack Obama’s policy of handing over the keys of the Middle East to Tehran rulers feel a

Washington Seeks Fairer US-China Trade Relations

Washington launched the first round of trade talks with China since Donald Trump took office in an unusually blunt manner Wednesday, demanding more “fair, equitable and reciprocal” relationship, with more access to American made goods and services. “If this were just the natural pr

World

Change is Coming at the ECB

The European Central Bank is wrestling with how to exit the super-accommodative policy that’s dominated Mario Draghi’s tenure as president. In trying to determine the path of this off-ramp, it might be instructive to look backward. To December of last year, to be precise. That’s wh