Istanbul, Asharq Al-Awsat—Prior to 2011 Turkey was enjoying a resurgence in its relationship with its neighbors in the region and its popularity on the Arab street after years in the doldrums. But with the eruption of the wave of protests and revolutions dubbed the “Arab Spring” at the s
Luhansk, Ukraine, AP—Intense artillery exchanges between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists persisted on Monday around a strategic town in eastern Ukraine—fighting that threatens to dash a ceasefire deal brokered by European leaders last week. Under a ceasefire agreemen
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—In another sign of growing sectarian tensions in Iraq, two of the largest Sunni-majority blocs in the Iraqi parliament announced on Sunday they intend to begin negotiating with Shi’ite volunteer militias directly in a bid to persuade them to hand over members suspected of co
Sana’a and Washington, DC, Asharq Al-Awsat—The UN Security Council on Sunday unanimously adopted a resolution demanding the Shi’ite Houthi movement give up power in Yemen, responding to earlier calls from Gulf states for the Council to take decisive action on the crisis currently gripping the countr
Copenhagen, AP—Two men suspected of helping the gunman behind the deadly attacks in Copenhagen faced a court hearing Monday as Danes mourned the victims of a shooting spree that authorities said may have been inspired by last month’s terror attacks in Paris. The defense lawyer for one of the s
Cairo, Reuters—Egypt’s air force bombed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) targets inside Libya on Monday, a day after the group released a video showed the beheading of 21 Egyptians there, marking an escalation in Cairo’s battle against militants. It was the first time Egypt confirm
Last week, a hashtag on Twitter was able to embarrass the entire US media. Users of the social media website from around the world used #MuslimLivesMatter to express their anger at the US media for not picking up on the story of three young Muslims in North Carolina—23-year-old Syrian trainee
Every year since 1980, Iranians have held an annual celebration of Ayatollah Khomeini’s 1979 revolution. However, with the passage of time the number of Iranians who reject the revolution and believe it was the worst historical setback in the history of their country has increased. Year after year,
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Iraqi government must do more to rein in the actions of volunteer militias throughout the country, Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister Saleh Al-Mutlaq told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday, following the abduction and killing of a prominent Sunni tribal chief on Friday evening. “The
Riyadh and Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has called on the UN to take immediate action to end the crisis currently gripping Yemen, at the same time that two Gulf states joined the growing list of countries pulling their diplomats out of the country. In a statement releas
Beirut, Reuters—Intense clashes in southern Syria have killed scores of pro-government and insurgent fighters in the past week, a group monitoring Syria’s war said on Sunday, forecasting even fiercer violence as the weather clears. Syria’s army and allied combatants from Lebanon’s
Donetsk and Artemivsk, Reuters—Guns fell abruptly silent at midnight across much of eastern Ukraine in line with a ceasefire agreement, although periodic shooting near a front-line railway junction showed that the truce was fragile. Reuters journalists in Donetsk, the main rebel stronghold, said art
Copenhagen, AP—Danish police shot and killed a man early Sunday suspected of carrying out shooting attacks at a free speech event and then at a Copenhagen synagogue, killing two men, including a member of Denmark’s Jewish community. Five police officers were also wounded in the attacks. Offici
In March 2014 Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior issued a list of groups banned from operating within the Kingdom. The list, which was issued as part of a royal order, included groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS,) Al-Qaeda, the Al-Nusra Front, Hezbollah in Saudi Arabia and the
One civilian was killed and three police were wounded on Saturday in shooting at a public meeting in the Danish capital Copenhagen attended by the controversial Swedish artist Lars Vilks, police and the Danish Ritzau news agency reported. Danish police confirmed one civilian had been killed in a sho
Anbar, Asharq Al-Awsat—Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters have now taken control of large parts of the strategic Anbar town of Al-Baghdadi—55 miles west of the provincial capital Ramadi—amid fears that the jihadist group is seeking to overrun the nearby Ain Al-Assad ai
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s southern tribes will discuss the formation of a unified command on Monday, a senior tribal official said, as Al-Qaeda-linked militants lay siege to another military base in the south. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the leader of Hadhramaut tribal alliance Omar Ben Habri
Beirut, Reuters—Lebanon’s former prime minister Saad Al-Hariri arrived back in the country overnight on a rare visit and will make a speech on Saturday to mark the 10th anniversary of his father Rafik’s assassination, Lebanese media said. He will speak at a ceremony dedicated to his fath
Artemivsk, Ukraine, AP—Russian-backed separatists mounted a vicious assault Friday in eastern Ukraine ahead of a weekend ceasefire deadline, pummeling a strategic railway hub with wave upon wave of shelling in a last-minute grab for territory. At least 26 people were killed across the region. The fi
Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—After four months of incessant fighting, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has finally been driven out of Kobani, but with much of the Syrian border town in ruins and its population dispersed, the fight for the future of the city has just begun. Relief and celeb
