Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemeni political parties seeking to participate in the forthcoming Riyadh dialogue must announce their rejection of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Houthi rebels in order to attend the talks aimed at finding a political solution to the crisis in Yemen, a Yemeni
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Saudi Arabian Oil Company, better known as Saudi Aramco, has announced major restructuring, with the state oil giant unveiling a new supreme council and making Amin Hassan Nasser acting president and CEO “until further notice.” The 10-member Supreme Council of the Saudi A
Beirut, Reuters—The death toll from an air strike by US-led forces on the northern Syrian province of Aleppo on Friday has risen to 52 including seven children, a group monitoring the conflict said on Saturday. US and Arab forces have been carrying out almost daily air raids against hardline Islamis
Kabul, AP—The trial of 49 suspects, including 19 police officers, on charges relating to the mob killing of an Afghan woman began in the capital, Kabul, on Saturday. The opening of the trial at Afghanistan’s Primary Court was broadcast live on nationwide television. The suspects all face charg
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Syrian domestic opposition mainstay Louay Hussein has said that he took the decision to leave Syria after becoming convinced that the Assad regime is nothing more than a “militia” and is incapable of negotiating to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis. Speaki
In two weeks’ time President Barack Obama is scheduled to host a summit at Camp David with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states. The event comes at a time when the Middle East is experiencing multi-layered turmoil as has not been seen for more than a century. The turmoil,
Amman and Beirut, Reuters—Islamist rebels and the Syrian army fought fierce battles in Latakia province overnight close to President Bashar Al-Assad’s ancestral home, the army and rebels said, after weeks of insurgent gains in the country’s northwest. Rebels seeking to topple Assad have
Istanbul, Reuters—Istanbul went into a security lockdown on Friday as thousands of Turkish police manned barricades and closed off streets to traffic to stop May Day rallies at the central Taksim Square, a symbolic point for anti-government protests. Citing security concerns, authorities shut down m
Even as Saudi Arabia fights a war along its borders, the Kingdom has achieved greater national stability by continuing its strategy of transferring power to the second and even third generation of the House of Saud. What is happening outside Saudi Arabia’s borders is not important, even if the unres
A week ago, the UN’s envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, defied everyone by insisting that Iran be invited to a proposed international conference on Syria, saying: “The United Nations and myself have the right and will be inviting everyone, including Iran.” Dear Mr. de Mistura, a question, if I may:
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudis pledged their allegiance on Wednesday to new Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Naif and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who were both appointed by royal decree. The decisions to appoint the new princes came as part of 25 royal decrees issued by Custodian of the Two Ho
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—US Secretary of State John Kerry bid farewell to his Saudi counterpart Prince Saud Al-Faisal on Wednesday, hailing him as “not just . . . the planet’s longest-serving foreign minister but also among the wisest.” “During four decades at the highest levels
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia and two global aerospace giants, US-based Lockheed Martin and French satellite launch company Arianespace, announced on Tuesday they have signed deals to build and launch two new communications satellites and boost future Saudi satellite endeavors. At a news conf
Jaber Crossing, Jordan, AP—Jordan’s overland trade has largely been paralyzed by recent border attacks from insurgents in neighboring Syria and Iraq—a spillover of regional turmoil threatening a close Western ally that has thus far succeeded in fending off Islamic militants. The violence has f
Kathmandu, AP—Under a steady morning drizzle, hundreds of people lined up Thursday in Kathmandu hoping to board free government-provided buses to rural parts of the quake-hit country as food aid began to reach remote villages near the epicenter. Tens of thousands of people have left the capital sinc
Washington, DC and Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Pentagon on Tuesday accused Iran of “provocative behavior” after the naval wing of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, the same day the Saudi-led coalition
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz has named a new Crown Prince and Deputy Crown Prince as part of a string of royal decrees issued on Tuesday, which also saw the appointment of a new foreign minister. Interior Minister Prince Mohammed Bin Naif was named Crown Prince, repl
Aside from accusations leveled against former UN envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar by Yemen’s politicians—who have said he lied to the UN Security Council and sought to legitimize the Houthi coup, as well as blaming him for the current catastrophic situation in Yemen—the simple truth is that the Moroccan
Manama, Reuters—When FIFA President Sepp Blatter addresses delegates at the 26th Asian Football Confederation congress on Thursday at least four men watching him are likely to be imagining themselves standing in his shoes in the future. Three of them are campaigning now to end Blatter’s 17-yea
United Nations, Reuters—The European Union sought to reassure Libya on Tuesday that any action being considered by the 28-nation bloc to stem the deadly flow of migrants across the Mediterranean should not be perceived as an attack against the Libyan people. After up to 900 people drowned trying to
