Asharq Al-Awsat, Cairo—Having spent over 25 years as a tour guide in Egypt, archaeologist and Egyptologist Bassam Al-Shamaa believes ancient Egyptian mummies should not be exhibited in museums and is calling for them to be returned to their tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, where they were
Taipei, Reuters—A TransAsia Airways plane with 58 passengers and crew on board cartwheeled into a river shortly after taking off from a downtown Taipei airport on Wednesday, killing at least 16 people and leaving about a dozen missing, officials said. As many as 28 people appeared to have survived t
It is worth reexamining the reaction of Hamas and some of its allies to an Egyptian court’s decision last week to designate the Islamist group’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, as a terrorist organization. Ultimately, this is simply a legal decision; the case is subject to retrial or appeal l
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Cairo is preparing to amend its anti-terrorism laws, including new penalties for terror-related crimes, high-level Egyptian official sources informed Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday. The new anti-terror law will include a new, more stringent and expansive definition of terror
Cairo, AP—A video released online Tuesday purportedly shows a Jordanian pilot captured by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) extremist group being burned to death. The Associated Press was not immediately able to confirm the authenticity of the video, which was released on militant websites
Geneva and Beirut, Reuters—The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has declared itself “extremely concerned” by photographs showing its food parcels being handed out in Syria with Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) logos on them. Images circulating on social media show food bei
Kiev, Bloomberg News—Ukraine evacuated civilians from a strategically important junction in the country’s east as the worsening fighting with pro-Russian rebels led to calls for a military buildup on both sides. Germany said the European Union may slap new sanctions on Russia if the crisis wor
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia is looking to overhaul its costly subsidies system, an informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday, at the same time that the governor of the Kingdom’s central bank said the system was “distorting and inefficient” and needed to be reformed. Reform of the count
Tunis, Asharq Al-Awsat—Tunisian Prime Minister-designate Habib Essid’s proposed national unity government has come under fire for its inclusion of Ennahda ministers, political sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday. The proposed cabinet, named on Monday, is the second cabinet line-up to be nam
Anbar, Asharq Al-Awsat—Tribes in Iraq’s western-most province of Anbar have announced a new joint coalition to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the region. ISIS is in control of approximately 85 percent of Anbar, Iraq’s largest province, with Sunni tribes seeking to fo
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—A rift has emerged between the Houthi movement and its alleged ally former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, according to sources, as the deadline set by the group for resolving the country’s current power vacuum approaches. The Houthis have given the country’s political f
The Hague, Netherlands, AP—The United Nations’ top court ruled Tuesday that Serbia and Croatia did not commit genocide against each other’s people during the bloody 1990s wars sparked by the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. The ruling could help put to rest lingering animosities between
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraqi MPs for Diyala province, including Speaker of Parliament Salim Al-Jabouri, have received death threats warning them to stop all investigations into a massacre that took place in a village in the region last week, according to one MP from the province. Around 70 Sunni m
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Anyone with an interest in newspapers is bound to be impressed when strolling in one of Tehran’s boulevards—they are dotted with kiosks selling a range of publications. Tehran may be one of the last major capitals where newsstands remain a part of the urban landscape. Dependi
The current debate about the actual size of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) highlights just how murky the situation is in Syria, and how easily propaganda is marketed by both sides. The Syrian regime is pushing the idea that the opposition is divided and has been wiped out, while the opposition says it i
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Twenty-one mosques around the United Kingdom welcomed visitors from other faiths on Sunday as part of a nationwide initiative organized to ease tensions following recent terror attacks in Paris and rising anti-Muslim sentiment in the country. The event, dubbed ‘Visit My Mosqu
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Oil prices will rise gradually over the next five years to reach just over 70 US dollars a barrel in 2019, a senior official at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted on Sunday. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Raja Al-Marzouqi, the IMF’s departmental adviser on the Midd
Baghdad and Anbar, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi has declared the Karrada region of Baghdad an arms-free zone, following reports of violent unrest caused by volunteer militias in the area. In a press statement, Gen. Saad Muin, the official spokesman for the Baghdad Operations
Sana’a, AP—Yemen’s Shi’ite rebels who overran the capital, Sana’a, are demanding their militia becomes part of the country’s army and police force as a precondition for talks on releasing the nation’s president and Cabinet members from house arrest, a senior polit
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia’s new cabinet and provincial governors were sworn in in the presence of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz on Sunday at the Yamama Palace in Riyadh. This follows a Royal Decree issued by King Salman on Thursday appointing the country’s ne
