Dammam- The emiri diwan, or royal court, announced the death of the former emir of Qatar Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the deceased ruler’s grandson, declared three days of mourning. “His highness father Emir Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani passed away on the
London, Jeddah, Aden – A Yemeni government source told Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday that the legitimate government has set three conditions for extending the ceasefire that U.N. Special Envoy Islamil Ould Cheikh Ahmed had requested. The three conditions include: Putting more pressure on rebels to
Manama – The Kingdom of Bahrain announced on Sunday the arrival of the first Gulf security units that will take part in the GCC joint mobilization exercise scheduled to kick-off this week. The drill, titled “Arabian Gulf Sea 1”, was approved by the GCC interior ministers as part of efforts to confro
Riyadh – The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, met on Sunday with the President of the Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, who is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia. Discussions between the two officials focused on bilateral cooperation and latest inter
Riyadh- Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) energy ministers and their Russian counterpart asserted during a meeting in Riyadh Sunday that oil markets are on the way to being re-balanced, but in a slow pace. Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Faleh said the c
Violations to the Yemen ceasefire in its first 24 hours of implementation: Violations registered against foreign territory: 205 attacks recorded against Saudi borderline cities of Jizan and Najraan Violations registered within Yemen territory: 265 in the city of Taiz 116 in the Jaawf region 124 in t
Over seven people were reported killed in a weekend fighting between soldiers from two semi-autonomous regions of Somalia, officials from both sides said on Sunday, sparking fears of wider conflict. The clashes which broke out on Saturday pitted forces from Puntland with those of Galmudug, the lates
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Interior Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz discussed with visiting President of Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro ways of enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries on Sunday. Enhanced ties will encompass all fields, particularly devel
Kurdish fighters claimed that they had recently seized control over the town of Bashiqa near Mosul from ISIS on Sunday as coalition forces pressed their offensive against the jihadists’ last stronghold in Iraq. Masoud Barzani, President of the Iraqi Kurdish region, told U.S. Defense Secretary
London- London City Airport has reopened after emergency services said there was no evidence of a suspected chemical incident which had prompted the evacuation of 500 passengers. Paramedics treated 27 and took two people to hospital after the airport was closed and evacuated on Friday afternoon. The
Dammam – Saudi films bagged four awards at the Gulf Film Festival 2016 held at Abu Dhabi in different categories including short films, short and long documentaries, and animation movies. The GCC’s General Secretary organized the first festival of Gulf filmmakers from 16 to 20 October aiming a
Riyadh- Saudi Capital, Riyadh, is hosting on Sunday a GCC-Russian energy meeting to discuss latest developments in the oil market and tackle prospects of cooperation between Arab Gulf states and Russia in fields of energy. Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Falih, chairman
Ankara- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his call for a “terror-free zone” in the northern part of war-torn Syria on Saturday. He asserted that Turkey had a “goal” of forming “a 5,000-square-kilometer terror-free zone” surrounding Raqqa. Backed by Turkish tanks, special forces and a
Al-Khobar – Bloomberg stated that most requests from the bonds came from U.S. financial institutions, even though the first release of Saudi International Bonds conditioned that no investors buyers are from the U.S. Based on the bulletin issued on October 10, the bonds’ release is open for eligible
Riyadh – Saudi and Chinese armed forces concluded their joint military exercise “Exploration 2016” in the Chinese city of Chengdu which lasted for 15 days. Special Forces of the Royal Saudi Land Forces and their counterparts in the Red Army were involved in the war games and military tactics. The ex
Manama – Royal Saudi Arabian Navy and Royal Bahrain Navy Forces begin their joint maneuvers “Gulf Bridge 17” today, as part of the ongoing military cooperation and defense exchange experience between members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The exercises aim to raise the combat capability, enh
Tunisia- Tunisia plans a bond issue of EUR 1,000 million to finance the state’s budget. This caused a debate in the Tunisian Parliament between government representatives and opposition parties on continuity of foreign borrowing and not relying on own resources. Finance Minister Lamia Zribi said, at
Cairo- In a remarkable development, some armed men have assassinated on Saturday a high-rank officer infront of his house. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi held a meeting for top government officials in which he called for increasing security in vital facilities. A new armed group, from its p
Riyadh- The Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh has issued a preliminary sentence of four years in prison for a Saudi condemned of assisting a Saudi woman, Rima al-Jarish, to escape the security guards and implement her terrorist plan to join her son in the conflicts’ zones beside ISIS. The condemn
Calais (North France)- Many have written about the camp, which is known as “the Jungle,” and was built at the northern area in Calais, whose port is only 42 km away from Britain. French and global media have continuously published pictures of those desperate people living in this camp. Majority of t
