Riyadh- Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs chaired a meeting of the Council at Al-Yamamah Palace on Monday evening. The meeting was devoted to review actions and decisions t
The international coalition against ISIS expressed concern about the group’s “growing influence” in Libya during a meeting in Rome yesterday. However, it did not announce any imminent military action in the country and focused on supporting the political process instead. The US Secretary of State Jo
No sooner had talks that the UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura rushed into announcing as the “official launch” of the non-direct negotiations between the regime’s delegation and that of the supreme negotiating body began, than they were struck by a blow that may be fatal. The Assad regime and th
Washington- On the Democratic side, distinct to all expectations, billionaire Donald Trump was given the second place in Iowa, the first state to vote in the race to choose a Republican nominee for the White House. Texas Senator Ted Cruz marched triumphantly into the Granite State, having vanquished
Ten months after the outbreak of war in Yemen, there are three powers positioned in the country. The first is the government and the Arab coalition forces, the second is the Houthis and the ousted president Saleh, and the third is Al-Qaeda. What has changed since then is the failure of the Houthis a
Tehran- Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Monday criticized the disqualification of reformist candidates by hard-liners from national elections later this month, deepening a dispute between the two factions. The Guardians Council, a vetting body made up of preachers and jurists, excl
Oil prices fell for a second session in Asian trade on Tuesday as concerns about top energy consumer China and rising oil supply lay heavy on markets, even though possible talks between OPEC and Russia on output cuts offered some support. Brent for April delivery had dropped 66 cents to $33.58 a bar
A federal judge has challenged the U.S. government’s move to drop charges against an Iranian man accused of sanctions violations as part of a U.S. prisoner trade arranged with Iran last month. Federal prosecutors filed a motion on Jan. 16 to drop the case against Alireza Moazami Goudarzi, an I
Syrian militant group Jaish al-Islam denied on Tuesday a report by the Russian defense ministry saying that its jets had destroyed a stash of oil products belonging to them in areas they control in the eastern suburbs of the Syrian capital. The group is considered to be the most powerful opposing fa
Members of the Hezbollah militant group were detained on charges of using millions of dollars from the sale of cocaine in the United States and Europe to purchase weapons in Syria, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported on Monday. The United States labels Hezbollah as a terrorist or
Washington- The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is deceiving employees by sending memos of false information to keep operations secret. One internal defense official said that the practice is known as “eyewashing”, though it apparently only happens rarely. How it works is that high-level officials
Jeddah- SAGO, Saudi Grains Organization, and the Public Investment Fund (P I F) are currently studying the timeline plan on sector privatization. Mechanisms on sector privatization by private sector companies in partnership with specialized food industry establishments are also being studied. SAGO D
Amid efforts set to restore life in Al Anbar Governorate after driving out all ISIS militants, the process of making the close-to-leveled Iraqi area habitable once again proves quite difficult. With an estimated 85 percent comprehensive destruction that ruptured through all corners of the governorat
The spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry Counsellor Ahmed Abu Zeid denied that his country is aware of Saudi mediation to restore relations between Cairo and Ankara. Abu Zeid told Asharq Al-Awsat yesterday that “we are not aware” of this matter and indicated that “the Turkish statements about
A security source told Reuters on Monday that the five Czech citizens who went missing in eastern Lebanon in July are now with the Lebanese security services. The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that the five, who went missing in Lebanon last year, were found late on Monday alive and in &
Whilst the UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura announced the “official” beginning of talks that aim to end the civil war yesterday in Geneva, followers of developments noticed UN confusion on the first day of talks despite the fact that it ended with a glimmer of hope – the arrival of the Deputy R
Riyadh- The Shura Council has approved a proposal to extend passport validity to 10 years from the current five-year period for citizens aged above 20 years. The council also approved the amendment on passport fees to be fixed at SR60 for the issuance or renewal on an annual basis and SR50 for the t
Beirut- Lebanese Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri, ruled out the possibility of any positive developments on the suit of presidency, despite the presence of two prime candidates for the elections. Berri, in declarations made to Asharq Al-Awsat, considered that the suit on Lebanese presidential
A Palestinian police officer shot Israeli soldiers at an Israeli army roadblock near the Beit El settlement in the West Bank which is used by important figures. The occupying army said that the officer arrived at the roadblock known as the “Beit El” or “DCO” roadblock in a vehicle and got out before
Mousa Abu Marzook, a senior Hamas official, described Iran as a liar and a fraud in a telephone call that the media is talking about. It is closer to a statement than a leaked telephone call. Hamas says that a large security apparatus like that of Israel must have published the contents of the call.
