Beijing, Reuters—China outlined a strategy to boost its naval reach on Tuesday and held a groundbreaking ceremony for two lighthouses in disputed waters, developments likely to escalate tensions in a region already jittery about Beijing’s maritime ambitions. In a policy document issued by the
Baghdad, AP—Iraq on Tuesday announced the launch of a military operation to drive the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) out of the western Anbar province, where the extremists captured the provincial capital, Ramadi, earlier this month. Iraqi state TV declared the start of the operation, in whi
At the same time that Saudi Arabia is fighting a war on its northern borders against Houthi rebels in Yemen in order to restore political legitimacy to that neighboring country, the Kingdom is also fighting a much more dangerous battle within its own borders—against an enemy which uses Saudi c
Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat—UN-sponsored peace talks between Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Shi’ite Houthi movement in control of large parts of the country have been postponed, the UN has confirmed. UN officials have not divulged why the meeting, scheduled for Thursday in the Swi
New Jersey, Reuters—Mathematician John Nash, a Nobel Prize winner whose longtime struggle with mental illness inspired the movie A Beautiful Mind, was killed in a car crash along with his wife in New Jersey, state police said on Sunday. The couple were in a taxi when the driver lost control, crashed
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah recently slammed those criticizing him, saying: “Anyone who says anything contrary to what is said here is a moron, is blind, and a traitor. The Shi’ites of the American embassy are traitors, agents, and morons. No one can alter our convictions. We won’t be silent a
Beirut, Reuters—Islamic State fighters have executed at least 400 people in Palmyra since capturing the ancient Syrian city four days ago, Syrian state media said on Sunday. It was not immediately possible to verify the account, but it was consistent with reports by activists that the Islamist fight
Cleveland, Reuters—A Cleveland police officer was found not guilty on Saturday in the shooting deaths of an unarmed black man and a woman after a high-speed car chase in 2012, one in a series of cases that have raised questions over police conduct and race relations in the United States. Judge John
In 2003, the Al-Qaeda organization launched a war of terror against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, targeting security headquarters, government infrastructure and residential compounds, particularly those housing foreign nationals. These attacks resulted in the deaths of dozens of Saudi and foreign nat
Baghdad and Beirut, Reuters—A convoy of Shi’ite Muslim militia and Iraqi army forces set out from a base near Ramadi on Saturday to advance on areas held by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a Shi’ite spokesman said, launching a counter-offensive to reverse stunning gains by th
Qatif and Dammam, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia vowed to hunt down those behind the deadly terrorist attack on a Shi’ite mosque in the village of Al-Qadeeh in the eastern province of Qatif on Friday. The blast at the Ali Ibn Abu Talib Mosque in the small town of Al-Qadeeh is the second attack o
Yangon, Myanmar, AP—Navy ships were scouring Southeast Asian waters for boats believed to be carrying thousands of migrants with little food or water, and a top US diplomat said Myanmar needs to shoulder some responsibility for the crisis. That’s something it has been reluctant to do. US Deput
Anyone following the media in the Islamic Republic of Iran these days is likely to be reminded of a slang Persian word that might better describe the political situation in Tehran than any sophisticated terminology. The word is balbashu, which is hard to translate precisely. The closest equivalent i
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—A suicide attack has taken place at a Shi’ite mosque in the eastern province of Qatif resulting in a number of deaths, a Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman confirmed. The details of the attack, along with a confirmed death toll, will be issued in the coming hours, the sp
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Ahmed Gaddaf Al-Dam, cousin and former confidant of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, has warned that the West is “beating the drums of war” and preparing for another military intervention in the North African state. The former Libyan special envoy to Cairo, who
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemeni tribal fighters loyal to legitimate President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi are preparing to launch a ground attack on the Houthi rebel heartland near the southern border of Saudi Arabia, Asharq Al-Awsat has learned. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity,
Istanbul, Reuters—Turkish police launched an operation on Friday to detain dozens of people including businessmen perceived to be supporters of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ally-turned-foe, the Dogan news agency said. Moves against what Erdoğan calls
Washington and Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—The heads of prominent Sunni tribes involved in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq’s Anbar province have welcomed US President Barack Obama’s decision to speed up the support the US is already offering the tribes. Following a
Beirut, Reuters—The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) seized full control of the historic city of Palmyra in central Syria on Thursday, just days after it captured a provincial capital in neighboring Iraq, suggesting momentum is building for the ultra-hardline group. The twin successes pi
Srinagar, India, AP—Hundreds of government forces with automatic weapons patrolled the streets of Indian Kashmir’s main city to stop a rally by separatists to mark the anniversaries of the assassinations of two Kashmiri leaders. The two, Mirwaiz Mohammed Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone, had support
