Former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s decision to join the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 was “not justified”, according to the UK’s long-awaited Iraq War inquiry. Although he described Saddam Hussein as “undoubtedly a brutal dictator”, Sir John Chilcot, whom ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown chose to head
NATO envoys will hold a further formal meeting with Russia on July 13, days after the alliance’s summit in Warsaw, in a sign Washington and Moscow want to defuse tensions in Europe. The forum bringing together Russia and its former Cold War adversary NATO last met in April after an almost two-
Turkish authorities currently are on the watch out for two suspected ISIS militants thought to be linked to last week’s Istanbul airport attack and believed to be in keeping a low profile near the border with Syria, a Turkish newspaper reported on Wednesday. Turkey has made over 30 arrests for
Italy recently made 11 arrests against people accused of crimes linked to public events, including last year’s Milan commercial Expo, and channeling money they collected to the Sicilian mafia, police said in a statement on Wednesday. Seven people were taken into custody and four others put und
Britain’s blue-chip share index fell on Wednesday, with a sharp sell-off in retail and property-related stocks outpacing a rally in precious metals miners after prices of safe-haven gold hit a two-year peak. The FTSE 100 fell 0.5 percent by 0846 GMT. The internationally-exposed FTSE 100 has pa
The Syrian military has unilaterally declared a 72-hour “regime of calm” covering the whole country from 1 a.m. on Wednesday (2200 GMT Tuesday), state media report, although fighting and air attacks have been reported since then. The military high command said in a statement that “
Cairo- Enhancing economic ties, Qatar Petroleum and France’s oil giant, Total, signed an agreement to create a new company that will develop and operate one of the world’s largest oil fields located in the Arab Gulf , Al-Shaheen offshore oil field. A Development and Fiscal Agreement (DFA) was also s
Mogadishu- A new parliament will be announced next month in Somalia consisting of an Upper House and a Lower House (House of the People). Somalia has not had a popularly-elected government since 1969. The new Federal Parliament of Somalia, encompassing six states, is considered a first since indepen
At least six Yemeni troops and around 20 militant attackers were killed on Wednesday in an assault on a military base near the international airport of Yemen’s southern city of Aden, security sources said. Troops surrounded the headquarters building where between 15 and 20 of the attackers wer
Saleh, staged a broad abduction spree, kidnapping Imams of grand mosques in each of Al Hudaydah, Dhamar, Amranand Sanaa. Imams of nearby mosques were forced to flee in fear of being a victim to militia kidnap and torture. Imam is an Islamic leadership position and is most commonly in the context of
South African Paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to six years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend. He was taken to jail immediately on Wednesday after being sentenced for the 2013 murder of Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius stood and faced Judge Thokozile Masipa as she annou
Beirut-The Syrian crisis faces a political and military turning point with the international alliances reviewing their stances, particularly Turkey’s relationship with Russia and Israel, and the disputes between the Syrian regime and their allies expressed lately by head of Syrian regime Bashar Assa
Donald Trump has praised late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein for killing off “terrorists,” reprising previous comments in support of dictators in the Middle East and drawing a sharp retort from his rival Hillary Clinton. The United States “shouldn’t have destabilized” Ir
Barack Obama delivered a forceful plea Tuesday for Hillary Clinton to succeed him as president, praising the character of his former secretary of state just hours after his FBI director blasted her handling of classified material. Shirt sleeves rolled up in campaign form, Obama, returning to a swing
London-The terrorist attack against the Prophet’s Mosque in Makkah on Monday stirred feelings of anger and sadness among Muslims who vehemently condemned violence at the Holy Mosque. The big flow of comments on social media outlets, including Facebook and Twitter, reflected reactions of shock at the
Makkah-In a speech marking Eid Al Fitr, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz warned his country would strike with an “iron fist” against people who preyed on youth vulnerable to extremism, a day after suicide bombers struck three cities in an apparently coordinated campaign of attacks. King Salman also stated
It is known as the flight to safety, yet it may be leading the global economy toward fresh danger. In the week since Britain stunned the world with its vote to quit the European Union, coloring markets in uncertainty, investors have dumped much that seems risky — the pound, the euro and shares on st
The British vote by a narrow majority to leave the European Union is not the end of the world — but it does show us how we can get there. A major European power, a longtime defender of liberal democracy, pluralism and free markets, falls under the sway of a few cynical politicians who see […]
Jeddah-Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz received condolences and solidarity messages from Islamic and Arab leaders, as well as high-ranking political and religious figures in the wake of the string of explosions that rocked Saudi Arabia on Monday. King Salman received a te
Riyadh-The terrorist attacks that targeted the Prophet’s Mosque, Jeddah and Qatif, were orchestrated by ISIS in Syria in its usual attempts to attack Saudi Arabia, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. The sources said on Tuesday that ISIS members inside the Kingdom had no choice but to e
