A personal letter from the former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden reveals his suspicions that an electronic tracking chip was implanted in his wife’s mouth. The letter that was made available by the American CIA is one of 113 documents obtained by the United States after bin Laden was assassinated i
To the Cartesian mentality of the west every question can have only two answers: “yes” or “no”. Further east, however, other possibilities emerge. Arabs might answer a question with a curt “God knows best.” The Iranians have their own word for escaping the “yes” or “no” dichotomy, “bari”, which, rou
The Moroccan Interior Ministry yesterday revealed information about the existence of a “terrorist cell” that had been preparing biological attacks and was uncovered two weeks ago. The sources said that “the materials that were seized were lethal biological substances and members of the cell had plan
Beirut-Lebanon’s Hezbollah has failed yesterday to convince the Lebanese government to condemn the Gulf and Arab stance, which classified Hezbollah a terrorist organization. Thus, putting Tammam Salam’s government at the edge of the cliff according to what one of the ministers told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Riyadh-Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, received on Thursday a telephone call from the US Secretary of State John Kerry. During the phone call, they discussed the latest developments in the region and joint efforts that should
The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdul Aziz who is also the Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister began an official visit to France yesterday at the invitation of the French Prime Minister Manuel Valls. The visit is also at the directive of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Ki
A plan outlined by the European Commission on Friday to restore the fraying 26-nation Schengen open border area by year-end, cautioning that it would cost the European economy up to 18 billion euros ($19.7 bln) a year shall the passport-free travel collapses. The EU executive recommended no new meas
Khobar-Key members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries intend to meet with other producers in Russia on March 20 to renew talks on an agreement to cap oil output, Nigeria’s Petroleum Minister said. There will be a “dramatic price movement” when the meeting takes place, Nigerian Mini
Crude cargoes are progressively flowing more towards Europe where shipping costs are lower and prices are higher, a fact that have turned the region into a magnetic hunting field of attraction to those concerned in selling light sweet oil, with U.S oil inventories reaching all-time highs. It was sta
Ramallah- None of those who signed Oslo I Accord back in 1993, supposedly to last 5 years and end with Palestinian independence, thought that the accord would turn into a curse for the Palestinians. Today, 23 years after the man who signed the Accord, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, is trying t
No important updates took place in Paris talks, in regard of getting fragile peace deal back on board, stated Ukraine’s foreign minister on Thursday, as he stressed that until security is restored; there could be no election in the rebel-held Donbass region. Germany and France, peace deal planners,
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff reacted angrily on Thursday at the leaking of testimony to the media after a newsweekly published allegations that link both, her and her mentor, ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to a giant corruption probe roiling Brazil. Senator Delcidio do Amaral, ruling
-America’s Service Sector Contracts for First Time Since 2013 – Brazil Slumps at Even Faster Pace – China Manufacturing Services Slowdown – Eurozone Business Sees Worst Month in a Year Global economy-business activity had endured its worst rate in over three years in February in sp
For the first time in months, children are finally playing outside again among the rubble in the Syrian city of Aleppo. People are wandering the streets and going to the shops securely thanks to a partial halt to the war. People strongly doubt that peace will take hold, yet, for now, they are reliev
Riyadh-Informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Saudi Arabia is heading towards privatizing electricity sector and shifting towards solar and alternative energy in the framework of its efforts to reduce the use of fossil fuels in production rates. Sources added that the Public Authority for Electr
Riyadh-The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud held, at his palace in Riyadh, official talks with the Prime Minister of Malaysia Mohamed Najib Abdul Razak. The Malaysian PM and HRH King Salman reviewed the current cooperation relations between the two countries in all
Jeddah- Yemen is no different than other Arab countries, as for four years Yemen has experienced Iranian intervention in form of funds and artillery. Tehran has hinged on proxies throughout the region to put on a center role in the Yemeni insurgency, in which Iranian proxies direct militant boot cam
The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday collectively passed resolutions on establishing an international tribunal that trials Bashar al-Assad for the war crimes committed against the people of Syria and that condemns minorities’ genocides in Syria. The bill also indicts ISIS for crimes
Tunisia-The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab Interior Ministers gathering in Tunisia declared Lebanon’s Hezbollah a “terrorist” organization on Wednesday, amplifying pressure on the Iran-allied group that exerts influence in Lebanon and plays a key role in the Syrian crisis fighting
Google announced on Thursday that its engineers were working with U.N. child agency UNICEF to build a platform that aims to map and predict potential outbreaks of the Zika virus, linked to birth defects among children in Brazil. Alphabet Inc’s Google said in a statement it was providing a $1 m
