It seems that international politics is managed to some extent by impressions, regardless of the facts on the ground or trying to understand what is going on, and this is the impression that is generated by the position of many in the west about the Egyptian developments after the 30th of June and t
FIFA had banned Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini from football for eight years, as the two had been investigated by the body’s Ethics Committee amid the corruption scandal that has shaken up football governance in recent months. FIFA Ethics Committee considered that they demonstrated an “abusiv
For all those who don’t know, Illumina is one of the leading developers, manufacturers, and marketers of biological tools and integrated systems for large-scale analysis of genetic variation and function. Reuters reported that the Gene sequencing company Illumina Inc. is going after the next big adv
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that a Syrian suicide bomber is responsible for an attack which killed ten people so far, including foreigners in the heart of Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet tourist district on Jan 12, Reuters reported. Two senior Turkish security officials told Reuters
The former Lebanese president Michel Suleiman criticised the “negative” role that Iran is playing in his country, adding that Iran “did not provide anything tangible for Lebanon, rather it just provided friendship and intentions”. He commented in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that Hezbollah is a
Cairo- Turkish mediation opened up between prime minister- designate of the Government of National Accord of Libya, Fayez al-Sarraj, and former President of the General National Congress of Libya Nouri Abusahmain, who is currently in Tripoli, Libya. Asharq Al-Awsat learnt that al-Sarraj had arrived
The World Health Organization has requested the Syrian government to grant it permission to send mobile clinics and medical teams to the besieged town of Madaya to assess the degree of malnutrition and evacuate severe cases, its representative said on Tuesday. After months of blockade, an aid convoy
Dammam- Pressures on the Iranian regime have intensified especially after the diplomatic procedures taken by several other countries towards Tehran in their protest against the assaults on Saudi Embassy and its Public Consulate in Iran. Jordan called on Iran’s ambassador to Amman on Wednesday
As international condemnation of the attacks that targeted the Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad continues, Iran’s stance continues to retreat; the authorities were forced to abandon plans to name streets after Nimr Al-Nimr and a second security official was dismissed in two days. The
The Minister of Justice in Saudi Arabia and the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Dr Walid al-Samaani, has refuted allegations on the presence of mentally ill or underage individuals among the 47 convicts who were executed on the 2nd of January 2016. Al-Samaani told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Saud
A Kuwaiti court pronounced death sentence on two men accused of spying for Iran and Hezbollah on Tuesday, a Reuters witness said. The convicts were also involved in the possession of weapons. One of the men given the death penalty was an Iranian convicted in absentia, and the other was a Kuwaiti who
ZURICH- Lionel Messi reclaimed the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for the world player of the year on Monday, after watching his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo walk off with the prize for the previous two years. The Barcelona and Argentina forward finished ahead of Ronaldo and Brazil forward Neymar as
“Our friends by necessity”. This is how Max Boots, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times describes Saudi Arabia in an article regarding the latest diplomatic tussle between Riyadh and Tehran. His advice is that although Americans don’t like Saudi Arabia, the Obama administration should back Riyadh a
I have had the honour of knowing two exceptional men, both of whom passed away with undying love for their birthplace: Damascus. They were my former professor and mentor Professor Yusuf Ibish, and the great Arab poet Nizar Qabbani. For those interested in Arabic literature throughout the world, Qabb
It is not surprising that the Syrian regime is deliberately starving thousands of people because it practiced this in the cellars of its prisons and against its opponents as a policy over a period of forty years of rule. Brutality is not alien to Iran whose generals manage the war in Syria on the gr
The British Royal Air Force has used Brimstone missiles against ISIS in Syria for the first time on Sunday as four Brimstone missiles were deployed on two missions. One missile was used near Raqqa, targeting an ISIS supply truck, and three missiles were used in an attack on the Omar oilfield. Spokes
Spain (AP) — Barcelona striker Luis Suarez was suspended Friday for two Copa del Rey matches for insulting rival players. One of football’s most divisive figures, Luis Alberto Suarez Díaz born Jan 24, 1987, is an extremely gifted player who is famous by an inability to stay out of trouble. His
Reuters reported the death of Legendary British rock star David Bowie this Sunday. The songwriter who launched the “ziggy-stardust” died of cancer on January 10, aged 69. “David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer,” read a s
French Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bertrand Besancenot, confirmed that Paris supports Riyadh and strongly condemns the Iranian attack on the Saudi Embassy and its Consulate in Iran. He pointed out that this behaviour was a clear violation of the Vienna Convention, and was the reason b
Iranian officials’ standpoints on the execution of 47 terrorists in Saudi Arabia, and going as far as provoking Basij units to attack diplomatic Saudi missions in Iran, have put forth several questions on to how genuine is Iran’s position against capital punishment really is. Tehran has set a
