Jeddah and Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iran’s ambassador to Sana’a and his deputy left for Tehran late on Monday—a step that has fueled speculation about whether the Islamic Republic will close its embassy in Yemen. Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday denied claims it was considering closing its embassy
Diyarbakir (Turkey), Reuters—Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu appealed for calm on Tuesday after crowds angered by renewed Kurdish militant violence attacked newspapers and offices of a pro-Kurdish political party. The unrest took place after Kurdish militants killed 15 police officers in two
Sana’a and Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—More Arab forces from the anti-Houthi coalition led by Saudi Arabia are heading to Yemen, as the date for an impending operation to liberate the country’s capital Sana’a fast approaches, a high-level Yemeni source told Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday. The source, who req
Russia’s Vladimir Putin is never tired. He is still actively promoting a “peace deal” in Syria that keeps Bashar Al-Assad and those backing him as an integral part of the “solution” to Syria’s crisis, although the only “solution” Assad has sought since March 2011 is best described by “escaping forwa
Cairo, AP—Egypt’s agriculture minister was detained on Monday shortly after resigning from his post amid a corruption investigation involving him and others allegedly receiving bribes worth over 1 million US dollars, the country’s acting prosecutor general said. The detention of Agricult
Even political alliances have shelf lives, and sometimes see a decline in fortunes. It is for this reason that Saudi Arabia and the United States have chosen not to rely solely on the length of their unique seven-decade relationship, but have also formed an new and innovative understanding of the pa
Jeddah, Sana’a and Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Iranian embassy in Yemen’s capital Sana’a is offering financial, strategic, and military advisory support to the Houthi rebels in country, Yemen’s Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin said on Sunday. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Yassin said Iran’s embassy in
Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat—Relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States remain as strong as ever and are entering a new stage, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz said in a statement as he wrapped up his historic visit to Washington late on Saturday. During the visit
Baghdad, Reuters/Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraq’s top Shi’ite Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, on Friday called for the prosecution of the most senior officials suspected of corruption and for the retrieval of stolen state funds. Sistani, whose word few Iraqi politicians would openly
Riyadh and Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Forces of the Saudi-led coalition targeting the Houthis in Yemen are regrouping in the central Yemeni province of Ma’rib, following Friday’s deadly attack by Houthi rebels which killed dozens of coalition troops. Coalition spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri told Asha
Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia’s economy is capable of withstanding global economic crises and the current drop in oil prices, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz said on Friday during his visit to Washington. Speaking at an event hosted by the US–Saudi Arabia
I was recently on a trip to Europe and waited for three hours at the Calais train station before I was able to reach the UK. Due to the delays caused by large numbers of migrants in Calais, I arrived in London after midnight. Such chaos obstructing railway activity is no longer unusual since the [&h
Hegyeshalom (Hungary) and Vienna, Reuters—Austria and Germany threw open their borders to thousands of exhausted migrants on Saturday, bused to the Hungarian border by a right-wing government that had tried to stop them but was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers reaching Europe’s frontiers. Left
Until a few months ago hardly anyone had heard of Jeremy Corbyn. And those who had, this writer among them, knew him only as an eccentric “champagne-and-caviar Socialist” member of the British House of Commons. At an age when you are not considered to be somebody unless you are on TV, Corbyn, denied
Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdulaziz met with US President Barack Obama at the White House on Friday in his first official visit to the United States since becoming King. The two leaders discussed regional issues, including efforts to fight the Islamic State of Iraq a
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s exiled President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi is set to appoint a new prime minister and reduce the number of ministries “within the next few days”, a government source has said, in a cabinet reshuffle aimed at “reducing costs and bureaucracy.” Speaking to Ashar
By choosing the United States to be the destination of his first visit since acceding to the Saudi throne, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz has dismissed speculation that the honeymoon between Washington and Riyadh is coming to an end. Both countries have changed their sta
[inset_left]The PersianAlexander Ilichevsky610 pagesMoscow, 2015[/inset_left] Ever wondered what happened to those thick Russian novels with dramatis personae large enough to populate the whole of Siberia? Well, decades of revolution, terror, war, and semi-chaos left little time for Russian novelist
Washington and Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat—Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz arrives in Washington on Thursday to meet with President Barack Obama and US officials, on his first visit to the United States since acceding to the Saudi throne. The Saudi Royal Palace issued a state
Ankara, Reuters—Iran’s Supreme Leader said on Thursday he favored a parliamentary vote on its nuclear deal reached with world powers and called for sanctions against Tehran to be lifted completely rather than suspended, state television reported. President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatist whose 20
