President Barack Obama approved a drone strike that killed the Taliban leader because he was overseeing plans for new attacks on American targets in the Afghan capital, U.S. officials have said. U.S. forces targeted Mullah Akhtar Mansour because he was plotting attacks that posed “specific imm
Cairo-Helen Clark, the former prime minister of New Zealand and its candidate for the post of United Nations Secretary-General, said that she is qualified and has enough experience to replace U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon. Clark told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the fight against terrorism requires the c
New York-United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of dozens of civilians in the Syrian coastal cities of Jableh and Tartous. A statement attributable to his spokesperson said that the Secretary-General “takes note with great concern of t
London-London’s Night Tube service will launch on August 19 on Fridays and Saturdays after a delay caused by union protests, Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced. “Our latest statistics show that more than half of underground travelers use the system after 10:00 pm,” a spokesman for Transport for Lo
Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi is a leading figure in the field of political Islam. He is one of a few leaders, like the late Sudanese leader Hassan Al-Turabi, that has a presence and influence that can be used to change the course of Islamic movements and governments, and save them from themselves in add
British people would be voting to “self-destruct” if they choose to leave the European Union, British Prime Minister David Cameron said. Leaving the EU would be economic self-destruction for Britain, shattering stability, Cameron explained on Monday, presenting a finance ministry report warning of r
Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) is participating in “Anatolian Eagle – 4” Military Training hosted by Turkey for about 20 days. This is the fourth representation of Saudi Arabia at one of the largest military exercises of its kind. A group of RSAF arrived at Konya airbase yesterday to partake in the “A
Pope Francis on Monday embraced the grand imam of Al-Azhar, the highest seat of Sunni Muslim center of learning, in a sign that a five-year suspension of important Catholic-Muslim ties was over. As Sheik Ahmed el-Tayeb arrived for his audience in the Apostolic Palace, Francis said that the fact that
Dubai-By going back to the history, we can say that sectarianism in the Islamic and Arab world was almost non-existent during the first and second Abbasids reign. Ever since, religious institutions evolved and co-existed. During certain exceptional times, differences aroused between sects as part of
Brent oil prices fell for a fourth consecutive session on Monday after Iran insisted it would not freeze crude output, bringing back investor attention to a global glut. Deputy Oil Minister Rokneddin Javadi said on Sunday that Iran has no plans to freeze the level of its oil production and exports,
A pair of suicide bombings claimed by ISIS militants killed at least 45 people and injured scores of others in Yemen’s southern city of Aden on Monday, security officials said. They said the bombings targeted young men seeking to join the army. One suicide car bomber targeted a line outside an
The UN envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh confirmed in an exclusive statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Yemeni peace negotiations in Kuwait which resume today are proceeding at a good pace and are making significant progress. He also indicated that Gulf support is responsible for the success of the
A series of rare explosions killed more than 120 people in the Syrian coastal cities of Jableh and Tartous on Monday, monitors said, in a regime-controlled area that hosts Russian forces. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks in the Mediterranean cities that have up to now escaped the worst of
Riyadh- Promoting security efforts spent on rooting out extremist ideology, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia launched a cartoon competition offered to counter extremism. The Interior Ministry of Saudi Arabia officially kicked off the cartoon contest headlined “Cartoons Against Extremism.” The ministry wi
Beirut-The battle to liberate Raqqa, ISIS’ stronghold in Syria, is “imminent” after an amendment to the military plan was approved during a short visit made by head of U.S. central command Army Gen Joseph Votel to Syria on Saturday, informed Syrian sources confirmed on Sunday. The sources told Ashar
Iraqi forces clashed with ISIS militants near Fallujah on Monday, pushing them from some agricultural areas outside the city at the start of a military offensive aimed at freeing it from the terrorist group. Police 1st Lt. Ahmed Mahdi Salih said Monday that the ground fighting is taking place around
Outgoing U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Monday called on government and business leaders, aid groups and donors to commit to halving the number of displaced civilians by 2030. “We are here to shape a different future,” Ban said in a speech at the start of a two-day humanitarian summit in Ista
U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Monday during his first visit to Vietnam that Washington will fully lift a half-century-old embargo on sales of lethal arms to the communist country, underlining warming relations between the former foes amid rising tensions with Beijing over the South China
Algiers- Former U.N.-Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi has said that Syria is not just in danger of division but is under the threat of Somalization. “Iranian influence there is stronger than the Russian influence,” Brahimi said on Sunday during a lecture held at Algeria’s National Assembly on Ar
Jeddah- Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz held a meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn after hosting his reception earlier Sunday at Al Salam Palace in Jeddah. Bilateral affairs, cooperation among the two countries in all spheres and sectors, development an
