The mountainous city of Taif is only seventy kilometres away from the holy city of Makkah, and the missile that targeted Taif two days ago is a new and dangerous development in the war in Yemen. It confirms that the conflict in Yemen is a regional one. It also strengthens Saudi Arabia’s argume
Mosul is the promised land where the great battle is expected to take place. It is also the second largest city in Iraq. For nearly two years, the world has been waiting for the crucial fight between Iraqi forces and the international coalition on one side, and ISIS fighters on the other. The battle
Baghdad, Ankara– One day after the Turkish parliament voted to extend the army’s military mandates in Bashiqa camp in Iraq, the Iraqi parliament rejected the extension in a majority vote and called for a review of relations with Turkey. The lawmakers also asked the government of Iraq to file a compl
Washington- Masoud Ahmad, director of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia department, told Asharq Al-Awsat that The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) will have economic repercussions but it was still too early to determine them; yet the International Monetary Fund is discussing th
Washington–Tension escalated between Washington and Moscow regarding Russia’s intensifying military preparations in Syria especially after the announcement of the suspension of participation in bilateral channels established to sustain the cessation of hostilities. A State Department spokesman said
Aden- The Yemeni national delegation to peace talks expressed readiness to cooperate with U.N. Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed in a quest to achieve peace and halt the bloodshed of the Yemeni people. Houthis, on the other hand, refused to participate in peace talks unless two conditi
Twenty suspects, including Turkish soldiers and a deputy governor, have landed in jail pending trial, accused of belonging to a “sleeper cell” to be activated if the July military coup attempt had been successful, state-run Anadolu news Agency said Thursday. The move followed Wednesday&#
Cairo–Following OPEC’s historic agreement at the Algiers meeting to cut down production, oil demand was on the rise, reaching $52 per barrel. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said U.S. crude stockpiles fell last week despite slow refinery activity while oil inventories increased. C
Riyadh – The United Nations praised Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for the major efforts deployed in humanitarian relief, through the King Salman Humanitarian and Aid Relief Center (KSRELIEF). Visiting U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien l
A passenger’s overheating, smoking Samsung smartphone forced the evacuation of a Southwest Airlines jet that was preparing to take off Wednesday from the Louisville airport in the U.S. State of Kentucky. The incident raised fresh trouble for Samsung, which saw its new Galaxy Note 7 device recalled l
London – U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon criticized the little progress achieved by Iran in improving human rights under President Hassan Rouhani’s tenure, stressing that he was “deeply troubled” by the “alarming rate of executions” and arbitrary arrests and detentions perpetrated by the Iranian
Riyadh, New York, Abu Dhabi- A high-ranking U.S. official told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iran is responsible for actions that are shaking the stability of Yemen and that the U.S. along with its partners will cooperate to restrain Tehran from these actions. The official, who preferred to remain anonymous,
At least 29 Turkish-backed Syrian rebels were killed in a blast claimed by ISIS at a border crossing with Turkey on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and witnesses said. The Britain-based monitoring group said it was unclear what caused the blast at the Atme crossing between Turkey a
Madinah–Prince Faisal Bin Salman, Emir of Madinah, announced on Wednesday that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman is keen on the completion of the expansion of the Prophet’s Mosque (Masjid Nabawi) and its associated projects in Madinah. The emir said that the King is closely following
Rabat-Moroccan Interior Minister Mohamed Hasad has revealed that the public prosecution and the local administrations on campaigns of the legislative elections, scheduled for Friday, have received less than 100 complaints within the first ten days of the campaign. Complaints, however, had reached 50
Washington, Dubai – Bruce Riedel, prominent American researcher and senior advisor to four U.S. presidents since Georges Bush the father, said that the United States would be harmed by the consequences of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA). In an article published on the website o
The Scottish-born winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry took a jab Wednesday at U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has bragged that he was “smart” to avoid paying taxes. “I am not very smart. The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) will run off with a third of it,” sa
Riyadh– Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz received at his office in al-Yamamah Palace the Ambassador of Republic of France to Saudi Arabia, Bertrand Besancenot. The diplomat came to bid the King farewell on the occasion of the end of his tenure as his country’s ambass
Riyadh-Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister met with President of the Republic of Maldives Abdulla Yamin Abdul Gayoom and the accompanying delegation. During the meeting, the two discussed means of cooperation between the two
Abu Dhabi-The United Arab Emirates has welcomed the statement issued by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemning the attack by the Houthi militias and Saleh’s group on its civilian aid ship ‘Swift’ near Bab al-Mandeb. “This condemnation from the international community
