Riyadh – A New Zealand Diplomat confirmed his country’s willingness to boost its political and economic relations with Saudi Arabia to a strategic level. He revealed that talks were held between New Zealand Associate Trade Minister Todd McClay and his Saudi counterpart Minister of Commerce and
Tunisia, London- Tunisia is passing through a “state of economic emergency”, the Minister of Development, Investment and International Cooperation, Fadhel Abdelkafi warned on Wednesday, calling on foreigners to pump investments into Tunisia. Tunisia will host on the 29th and 30th of November an inte
When Walid Al-Muallem said that the Syrian regime was ready to participate in a national unity government, the US Secretary of State rejected that idea saying that “the Assad regime’s remarks are almost meaningless at this time”. Meanwhile, Hassan Nasrallah announced that “There are no p
Cairo- Libyan General Khalifa Haftar said, in a statement, that his country needs a leader possessing a wide military experience, and expressed again rejection of the U.N.-backed Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA). France, for its part, announced that it will host a meeting on Libya next wee
London and New York – News reports had revealed that Walt Disney Co. may be another potential bidder for Twitter Inc., the struggling social-media service. The Wall Street Journal newspaper reported informed sources saying that Twitter, with a stock-market value of about $20 billion, has also held p
Washington – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry threatened his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov of suspending any cooperation regarding Syrian crisis, if Russia doesn’t halt assaults in Aleppo, Syria. Secretary Kerry admitted it would be “diplomatic malpractice” to abandon talks with Ru
Algiers – The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) approved on Wednesday a preliminary deal to cut oil production for the first time in eight years. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada, Qatar’s energy minister and current president of OPEC, announced the deal after several hou
Erbil- A Kurdish high-level delegation headed by Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region, will travel to Baghdad to discuss several topics including the battle of Mosul and Erbil-Baghdad relations. Barzani’s Media Advisor Kifah Mahmoud told Asharq Al-Awsat that, during his visit to I
Riyadh – Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG), issued a decision to appoint Battal Al-Qoos as editor in chief of the sports daily newspaper, Arriyadhiah, effective as of September 29. Commenti
Sam Allardyce’s reign is over, the buffoon paying the price for hawking himself around only a few weeks after landing the England job. he cartoonist Mike Stokoe neatly sums up the madness of the England job with a wonderful little sketch that hangs from one of the walls of the National Football Muse
In July last year, I wrote an article entitled “How Will Our Region Look Come November 2016?” on this page. Of course what I meant then was the end of Barack Obama’s second term in the White House. In that article I pointed to how Washington made ISIS a pivotal justification to speed up the [&hellip
Dammam – Royal Saudi Navy is preparing to hold exercises “Gulf Shield 1” in the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Oman Sea as of next week. Royal Saudi Navy Commander Abdullah al-Sultan said that “Gulf Shield 1” will include ships, planes, marines and other personnel taking part. Sultan said that “Gulf Sh
Paris – France is seeking a U.N. Security Council resolution for a ceasefire in Aleppo, adding that any country opposing it would be deemed complicit in war crimes. French sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that it is crucial to exert all political efforts to force Russia on pressuring th
Cairo- U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has announced on Wednesday that attacks on hospitals in Aleppo are war crimes, commenting on targeting the two biggest hospitals in the east of the city which is seized by the opposition. The situation in Aleppo is worse than a slaughterhouse, Ban Ki-moon ha
Beijing- The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) has ruled that China has no ‘historical rights’ in the South China Sea and that its activities in it violates Philippines’ sovereign rights. China, however, rejects this case while both countries have pledged to improve their relations. On 20 Septemb
Washington- The members of the House and Senate voted against the veto of the U.S. President Barack Obama on JASTA bill, (Justice against Sponsors of Terrorism Act). The Senate approved the override on a 97-1 vote, with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid the lone Senator voting to sustain the preside
Tunisia – The International Arab Film Festival held in Gabès, Tunisia, has witnessed the competition of 53 movies over awards that will be introduced during its second edition. The festival organizes two contests: the first is a contest of long films which will include 12 movies and the second
Riyadh – Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, received New Zealand Minister of Trade Todd McCLay at his office in Riyadh on Wednesday. The two discussed bilateral relations and a number of issues of mutual concern for both countries. Both ministers
Bratislava, Brussels – France and Germany are leading a campaign to find a European joint defense force, however, Britain has opposed the military integration long ago and will maintain an opinion in the European matter till it’s through with Brexit, which is expected to take years. EU m
The United States announced on Wednesday that President Obama had approved sending an additional 600 new troops to Iraq to assist local forces in the battle to retake Mosul from ISIS that is expected later this year. “American President Barack Obama was consulted on a request from the Iraqi go
