The early flourish of right-wing tycoon Donald Trump and veteran progressive Senator Bernie Sanders in the US Presidential primaries has been impressive. On the other side of the Atlantic, the “Old Labour” left-winger Jeremy Corbyn is creating shock waves in the race for the Labour leadership. In fa
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Former Iraqi prime minister Nuri Al-Maliki on Tuesday rejected a report implicating him in the fall of Iraq’s second city Mosul to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in June 2014. In a post on his official Facebook page, Maliki said the findings of the parliamentary
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Syria’s western-backed opposition on Tuesday welcomed the United Nations’ recent push for peace in Syria, but demanded further clarifications about some of the outstanding issues, including the fate of President Bashar Al-Assad. In a rare show of unity, the UN Security Counci
Ankara, Reuters—Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will formally give up trying to form the next government on Tuesday after weeks of coalition talks failed, raising the prospect of a fractious interim administration leading the country to a new election. Davutoğlu had been trying to find a juni
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemeni Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houhi issued directives on Sunday calling on senior commanders to implement a state of emergency in different parts of Yemen, including the group’s northern stronghold of Saada Province, activists and residents told Asharq Al-Awsat. Speakin
Before the ink had even dried on comments made by Iranian officials regarding the recent Gulf–Iranian dialogue, Kuwaiti authorities made the announcement that they had intercepted a Hezbollah-linked terrorist cell that had transported weapons into the country via Iran. And at the same time tha
Sana’a and Al-Hudaydah, Asharq Al-Awsat—Western military experts have been involved in training Yemeni military commanders and intelligence operatives loyal to the country’s internationally recognized government, in preparation for an imminent operation to liberate the capital Sana’a from Houthi mil
Baghdad, Reuters—Iraq’s parliament on Monday referred to the judiciary a report calling for the trial of former prime minister Nuri Al-Maliki and dozens of other top officials in connection with the fall of Mosul to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) last year, two lawmakers said. Lawm
Aden and Al-Hudaydah, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s internationally recognized government is planning to declare the southern port city of Aden as the country’s capital for the next five years, according to the city’s governor. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday, Nayef Al-Bakri said this was due to A
Confusing between end results and facts produces myths. This has been especially evident in much of the news that has circulated lately regarding impending changes in the region. According to these reports the situation in Syria is starting to improve and Russia is finally altering its attitude towa
Baghdad, AP—Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants on Sunday launched an attack against government troops outside the militant-held city of Fallujah, killing at least 17 troops, officials said. Four suicide attackers drove explosives-laden military vehicles into government forces’ ba
Sana’a and Al-Hudaydah, Asharq Al-Awsat—Forces loyal to Yemen’s exiled President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi said on Friday they had captured most of the western city of Taiz after fierce clashes with Houthi militants and forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The pro-Hadi fighters, known as Po
Benghazi and Cairo, Reuters/Asharq Al-Awsat—At least 46 people have been killed in clashes between Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a rival Islamist group and forces loyal to the official government in two Libyan cities, residents and medics said on Friday. The fighting typifies the chaos in
Ankara, Reuters—Turkey’s nationalist opposition made clear on Friday it would not roll over and back a minority government, making President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s aim of taking the country to a snap election with the ruling party in control look increasingly difficult. Talks on forming
Those who are sucked into big adversarial situations in history always run a number of risks. However, the biggest risk, I believe, is to have an evil adversary and end up looking, behaving and even thinking like them. If that happens to anyone, they could be sure that even if they win many battles,
Riyadh and Aden, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s exiled President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi has approved a plan to liberate Sana’a from Houthi rebels, a presidential adviser said, despite earlier reports that the Iran-backed militants were considering pulling out of the capital. Abdulaziz Jabari, a Hadi advise
London, Reuters—European shares bounced on Thursday after a 4 percent fall this week, tracking global equities higher on efforts by China’s central bank to slow the sharp descent of the yuan that has rocked markets worldwide. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index was up 1.2 percent at 1,534.
In August 2013 Egypt was in a state of alert: supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood were protesting at Rabaa Al-Adawiya Square in Cairo and at Al-Nahda Square in Giza while the rest of the Egyptians were deeply angered by the Islamist group and its violent methods. At the time, Adly Mansour was Egypt
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s Houthi movement is considering withdrawing from Sana’a and handing over government facilities to state authorities, Asharq Al-Awsat has learned. The Houthis’ Security Committee held a meeting in Sana’a on Monday to discuss the possibility of pulling out of the capital
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Early last month, Rear Admiral Habiballah Sayyari, the Commander of Iranian Navy, visited Russia at the head of a top-level delegation that included the navy’s Technical Commander Rear Admiral Abbas Zamani. Ostensibly, the group had come to visit the International Maritime De
