London, AP—Thousands marched in central London Saturday to protest against British government austerity programs and spending cuts in a massive show of force meant to win attention to the plight of the poor. The march began with a festive mood. Red flares exploded as the rally got underway at the Ba
Riyadh’s recent efforts to restore warmth to its ties with Moscow must have surprised some and raised eyebrows among others. At the same time, the step may have enthused those who have waited for such rapprochement to happen. Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s official visit to Ru
Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat—UN-brokered talks between Yemen’s rivals ended on Friday without reaching a ceasefire deal with Yemen’s exiled Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin blaming Houthi rebels for stalling progress. “We really came here with a big hope and still we are optimistic that we will go into
St. Petersburg, Asharq Al-Awsat—Russia’s President Vladimir Putin received Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in St. Petersburg on Thursday. Putin welcomed Prince Mohammed, emphasizing the significance of relations between Moscow and Riyadh. The Russian president renewed his invi
Although the next US presidential election is more than a year away, the campaign for the White House is already under way with even greater intensity than four years ago. Because there is no incumbent standing for re-election, the field is wide open for a range of political sensibilities to compete
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—The governor of Nineveh and several senior Iraqi military figures are among the most prominent names who will be indicted by the official committee investigating the takeover of Iraq’s second city, Mosul, last year by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Asharq Al-Aws
One of the problems the West has faced with the Arab world during the Arab Spring era has been its misinterpretation of the situation in Egypt. The scenario in that country has strayed off the path Western think-tanks hoped, or at least predicted, it would follow based on the findings of a new gener
Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat—A new Palestinian cabinet consisting of members with links to factions from across the political spectrum will replace the technocratic, national unity government that resigned on Wednesday, a presidential adviser told Asharq Al-Awsat. Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdal
Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman arrived in Russia on Wednesday on an official visit, according to a statement by the Royal Court. The visit comes at the behest of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz following an invitation from R
The massacre recently committed by Al-Nusra Front elements in the village of Qalb Lozeh, in Idlib province in northwestern Syria, could not have come at a worse time, given the way the Syrian uprising is moving, and how it is developing. Here, I am not talking about how tragic the incident is, becau
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia’s stock market, the Tadawul, on Monday opened to foreign investors, a long-awaited move for the Middle East’s largest bourse. Despite a market capitalization of 585 billion US dollars, this is the first time the Tadawul has opened to foreign direct investment. Sm
Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat—Hamas and Israel are close to agreeing on a five-year truce plan, after two weeks of continued discussions between both sides, informed sources have told Asharq Al-Awsat. The plan, proposed by Qatar and supported by Turkey as well as a number of EU countries and the UN, wou
Cairo, Reuters—An Egyptian court sentenced former President Mohamed Mursi to a life sentence of 25 years in prison on Tuesday in a case related to conspiring with foreign groups. The general guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohammed Badie was also sentenced to 25 years in jail in the same case. In to
It was as if everyone was sorely in need of the surprise which the Turkish people delivered on June 7, when they dealt a severe blow to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the polls. The Kurds certainly needed it, in order to prove that they are not [
Beirut and Akçakale, Reuters—The Syrian–Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia said on Monday it had seized a major road that brought reinforcements from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) de facto capital of Raqqa, enabling YPG fighters to lay siege to the extremist group&#
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—A high-level Turkish official has warned the country’s opposition parties that their attempts to “humiliate” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan were “unacceptable” and would not lead to a coalition government. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the official criticized the conditions ma
Pretoria, Geneva and Johannesburg, Reuters—A South African judge barred Sudan’s indicted president from leaving the country on Sunday, in a deepening rift between Africa and the West over what Pretoria called anti-poor country bias in the International Criminal Court (ICC). President Omar Al-B
London and Amman, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraq’s government continues to sideline confessional and ethnic minorities in the country, according to a senior Iraqi official. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday, the official, who heads a prominent political bloc in the country, said the current government o
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Disputes between the Houthi movement currently in control of large parts of Yemen and their ally, ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, are threatening to derail peace talks due to take place in Geneva on Monday between the Shi’ite movement and Yemen’s internationally recognized g
About a year ago, US President Barack Obama attempted to justify Washington’s different approach on the crises in Iraq and Syria. While drones, military consultants, and arms have been sent to Iraq, only humanitarian aid—blankets, medicines, supplies—have been sent to Syria. Back then, O
