Iran has sought to expand its influence in Pakistan where people did not often differentiate between Shiites and Sunnis and they intermarried without objections on the grounds of doctrine before Khomeini’s revolution in 1979. However, since the advent of the Khomeini revolution Shitte mullahs
The EU executive arm has slapped a $150 million fine on two Japanese car part producers for running a cartel to fix prices for alternators and starters for over half a decade. Three firms ran the cartel, Mitsubishi Electric (Melco), Hitachi and Denso, but Denso was not fined as it exposed the anti-c
An explosion at offices used by an ultraconservative militant group in northern Syria left at least seven people dead, opposition activists said. The Local Coordination Committees said a car bomb blew up in close proximity to a building used by the Ahrar al-Sham group in the city of Aleppo on Monday
After invitations to the third Geneva peace talks set for Jan. 29 were sent out on Tuesday, a third party’s participant in the negotiations has become certain. A delegation assembled from a Russian underwritten list, that includes members of the “Syrian Democratic Forces” will be joining both the re
Spanish police arrested nine people accused of being connected to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by the Interior Ministry. The PKK, which is struggling for sovereignty for Turkey’s Kurds, is deemed a terrorist group in the eyes of Turkey, the Un
According to Yemeni Minister of Information and Mass Media, Dr. Mohamed Abdul Majeed Qubaty, a group of Houthi militants managed to block the Asharq Al-Awsat’s electronic web portal, in an attempt with former President Ali Abdullah Saleh to keep the citizens of Yemen in the dark. Qubaty told Asharq
Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense chaired a meeting of the high-ranking military officials, who discussed the current military situation in the southern region. He also made a video call, from the center of operations of the grou
Russian President Vladimir Putin is to chair, on Wednesday, a government meeting over a plan that is worth 1.7 trillion rouble ($22 billion) aiming at protecting the Russian economy from major economic crises, according to a report by the RBC daily newspaper, citing government sources. At least 737
The unfolding Syrian crisis is now looking more and more like a carbon copy of the Palestinian crisis. Almost all the ‘constants’ of world powers towards the near east in the aftermath of the First World War remain unchanged. We are still living the same religious, cultural, interest-based considera
DUBAI – An appeals court has overturned a suspended prison sentence against Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah, a senior member of the ruling family and a power broker in international sport, local media reported on Tuesday. A court last month convicted Sheikh Ahmad of disrespect to the public pro
AMMAN/BEIRUT – The United Nations invited Syria’s government and opposition to peace talks in Geneva on Friday, but it remained unclear whether Saudi-backed opponents of President Bashar al-Assad would overcome their objections to attending. The U.N. Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de M
BERLIN – Qatar’s football association is suing former German soccer chief Theo Zwanziger for calling the Gulf nation a “cancer on world football” following its successful World Cup bid, Duesseldorf’s regional court`said on Tuesday. Zwanziger, who headed the German footb
PRAGUE – The European Union should be ready with alternative plans to reinforce its borders until Turkey and Greece do more to reduce the number of refugees streaming into the bloc, the Czech and Slovak prime ministers said on Tuesday. Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has called a meeting
LONDON – Oil rose towards $31 a barrel on Tuesday, lifted by hopes that OPEC and non-OPEC producers may be edging closer to a deal to tackle one of the biggest supply gluts in decades. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is making renewed calls for rival producers to cut supp
MOSCOW – Moscow does not want to take back refugees who crossed into Norway from Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday in a dispute over 5,400 migrants that Oslo wants to deport. Norway’s right-wing government toughened policies for asylum seekers in December and
BEIRUT – The Syrian Kurdish PYD party expects to be invited to peace talks planned later this week in Geneva, but it is not yet clear in what capacity they will be there, the party’s joint leader Saleh Muslim said on Tuesday. “We will be invited, but we still don’t know in wh
AMMAN/BEIRUT – The Syrian opposition cast doubt on whether it would go to peace talks planned for Friday, throwing U.N. diplomatic efforts into question as it accused the United States of adopting unacceptable Iranian and Russian ideas for solving the conflict. The Saudi-backed opposition was
BEIRUT – A bomb attack claimed by ISIS in the Syrian government-controlled city of Homs kiled at least 24 people on Tuesday. The governor of Homs said the first of two explosions was caused by a car bomb which targeted a security checkpoint. A suicide bomber then set off an explosive belt, sta
Oil prices have risen above $30 a barrel today, lifted by hopes that OPEC and non-OPEC producers may be edging closer to a deal to tackle one of the biggest supply surpluses in decades. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is making renewed calls for rival producers to cut supply al
The Saudi Minister of Health and the Chairman of the Board at Saudi Aramco Khalid Al-Falih stressed that Saudi Arabia has the strength to survive the current decline in oil prices “for a very long period of time” due to the fact that Saudi Arabia is one of the lowest cost producers. Not only that, [
