London, Reuters—Britons went to vote on Thursday in the tightest election for decades; one that could cause government gridlock, push the world’s fifth-largest economy closer to leaving the European Union and stoke a second attempt by Scotland to break away. Final opinion polls showed Pr
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—In a clear reference to Iran, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz warned of the danger the Arab world faces from “foreign ambitions,” during his opening speech at the 15th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) advisory summit in Riyadh on Tuesday. Saudi Arabi
Beirut, AP—Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad acknowledged on Wednesday what he said were recent “setbacks” in the war against rebels trying to topple him, promising a comeback by his troops entangled in heavy fighting with rebels in northern Syria. The rare admission of defeat follows a s
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s Houthi movement has stepped up restrictions on senior government officials and tribal figures suspected of backing President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, whom the Shi’ite group has driven into exile, a high-profile Sana’a official told Asharq Al-Awsat. The government offic
Kabul, AP—An Afghan court on Wednesday convicted and sentenced four men to death for their role in the brutal mob killing of a woman in Kabul in March—a slaying that shocked the nation and spurred calls for authorities to ensure women’s rights to equality and protection from violence. The sent
I feel sad that, as a journalist who was born and raised in Lebanon, and whose journalistic career has taken me to almost all the world’s continents, I have only visited one border point between Lebanon and Israel: the Naqoura UN post. However, friends and relatives who have visited the border area,
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Members from Yemen’s ruling General People’s Congress (GPC) party, who are mainly based in Europe and the Gulf, will hold a “last minute” meeting in Cairo to formulate a stance towards the legitimate President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a Yemeni official
We know little about the circumstances surrounding the majority of present or past events, be they wars, treaties, detentions, assassinations, or states of concord and discord. The reason being that the main actors do not tell the reality of the roles they played, either to protect their interests,
Beirut, AP—One of two major hospitals in Syria’s violence-torn northern city, Aleppo, has suspended its operations after it was bombed at least twice last week, the international aid organization Doctors Without Borders said Monday. The city, once Syria’s commercial hub, has been divided
Kigali, Reuters—Rwanda’s foreign minister said on Tuesday she was concerned about neighboring Burundi’s clampdown on more than a week of protests against its president’s decision to seek a third term in office. President Pierre Nkurunziza’s announcement that he would stand in
When the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) captured Iraq’s second city Mosul in June of 2014, the event brought to the fore the power of the extremist group’s propaganda machine and how it had paved the way for its lightning advance across northern Iraq and its capture of the city, which took p
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Libyan Air Force launched a series of airstrikes against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) positions in the eastern city of Derna on Saturday, the stronghold of a number of extremist groups currently operating in the war-torn country. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on Su
Jerusalem, Reuters—Images of Israeli police firing stun grenades are usually set in the West Bank and involve Palestinian protesters. But on Sunday the situation was quite different—riot police battling thousands of Ethiopian Jews in the center of Tel Aviv. The spark was a week-old video showi
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s ruling General People’s Congress (GPC) party has announced it is backing the internationally recognized government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, directing a powerful blow to his rival and former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. In a statement issued by the GPC’s s
London, Reuters—Prime Minister David Cameron is Britain’s most popular major party leader and his Conservative Party the most trusted on the economy after helping revive it. But win or lose a knife-edge election this week, his career hangs by a thread. If he loses, it’s over instantly. A
I recently visited Cuba, as I wanted to see this country—one that almost caused a third world war, and which along with North Korea is the world’s last remaining insular communist nation—before it finally begins to open up to the world and become like other countries. While I was t
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraq’s parliament has rejected a proposal by the US Congress to bypass the Baghdad government and directly arm Sunni and Kurdish groups in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), with Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi labeling the initiative a bid t
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—The rebuilding of the beleaguered Yemeni armed forces will be among the top priorities during an upcoming conference on Yemen due to take place in the Saudi capital Riyadh later this month, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday. The sources, who requested anonymity, said t
Rome, Reuters—Nearly 3,700 migrants were rescued from boats near the coast of Libya on Saturday and early Sunday and more rescue operations were expected during the day as people smugglers took advantage of calm seas, Italy’s coast guard said. All of those rescued were being brought back to It
Just as there was an Operation Decisive Storm against what is happening in Yemen, a conflict that took place outside of Saudi Arabia’s borders, we need a Decisive Storm to confront what is happening inside its borders. The battle that is taking place inside Saudi Arabia compliments the battle that i
