London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Dignitaries are gathering in Riyadh today for the funeral of the late Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, as tributes pour in from across the world. US President Barack Obama paid his respects to the Saudi monarch, praising King Abdullah’s commitment to strong US-Saudi ties, “
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi nationals across the Kingdom are mourning the passing of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz following his death in the early hours of Friday morning. He is succeeded by King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who in his first statement as Saudi Arabia’s new monarch pledged to
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Houthi fighters have boosted their military presence near Yemen’s western Ma’rib province ahead of a feared advance into the strategic energy hub following the resignation of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and his government. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the conditi
London, Asharq Al-Awsat-Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has passed away and been succeeded to the throne by Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s Royal Court announced on Friday. The new Saudi monarch, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, called
Anbar, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has converted more than 1,500 schools in Iraq’s western-most Anbar province into military barracks, local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday. Anbar residents have also complained of a worsening humanitarian crisis in the p
As some have long feared, the Obama administration is working to change the mood music on Syria. Leaks to the media in Washington now harp on the theme of “maybe Bashar Al-Assad is part of the solution.” The New York Times, a staunch Obama supporter, suggests that Assad’s removal, a condition set by
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi has resigned as Yemen’s president following a prolonged standoff with Shi’ite Houthi rebels, presidential adviser Sultan Atwani announced late Thursday. The decision to resign was made after Houthi gunmen failed to honor an agreement
Iran has long been one of the few countries where poetry enjoys mass popularity. So, it came as no surprise that the death earlier this week of the poet Moshfeq Kashani was treated as a major event with a special message from Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei paying tribute to the poet and miles of coverag
Frankfurt, Reuters—The European Central Bank took the ultimate policy leap on Thursday, launching a government bond-buying program which will pump hundreds of billions of new money into a sagging euro zone economy. The ECB said it would buy government bonds from this March until the end of September
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Representatives of the main Syrian opposition factions will be meeting in Cairo between Thursday and Saturday in an attempt to agree on common positions ahead of talks on the Syria conflict in Moscow set to begin later this month. The Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA
Kiev, Reuters—At least eight civilians were killed on Thursday when a shell or mortar hit a public transport stop in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, regional officials and eyewitnesses said. The strike, which wrecked a trolleybus and blew out windows nearby, followed a night
London, Reuters—The US-led coalition fighting Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) could need up to two years to expel the militant group from Iraq whose own forces are still months away from launching proper combat operations, Britain’s foreign minister warned on Thursday. Speaking before h
Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraqi military and Kurdish forces launched coordinated attacks on Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) positions around the city of Mosul on Wednesday, ahead of a widely-anticipated major military offensive to liberate the city expected later this year. Kurdish Peshmer
What the Houthi militia—or Ansar Allah as they like to call themselves—has done in Yemen amounts to a fully-fledged coup d’état. It is a coup against Yemen’s constitution and people; above all, it is a coup against the historical and cultural identity of Yemen. After a string
Sana’a, AP/Asharq Al-Awsat—Shi’ite rebels holding Yemen’s president captive in his home reached a deal with the US-backed leader on Wednesday to end a violent standoff in the capital, fueling fears that a key ally in the battle against Al-Qaeda has been sidelined. The late-night agreement, whi
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—The delay of a long-awaited official report on the British government’s decision to join the US-led war with Iraq in 2003 sparked outcry among legislators and political activists on Wednesday. In a letter addressed to the British Prime Minister David Cameron, the chair of the
Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—Kurdish Peshmerga forces are moving towards greater independence from the central government Baghdad, Peshmerga Ministry Secretary-General Lt. Gen. Jabbar Yawar said earlier this week. In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, Yawar said: “We are continuing to organize, train, equ
Jerusalem, AP—A Palestinian man stabbed nine people on a bus in central Tel Aviv on Wednesday, wounding four of them seriously before he was chased down, shot and arrested by Israeli police in an attack praised by the Islamic militant Hamas group. The assault, described by police as a “terror
Sana’a, Reuters/Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s Houthi fighters took up guard at President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi’s home on Wednesday but said they had not toppled him, after two days of fighting that have put the Shi’ite group in all but total control of the capital. The Houthis, wh
Washington, AP—President Barack Obama, undaunted by the new Republican majority in Congress, unveiled an ambitious progressive agenda in his State of the Union speech, proposing tax increases for the wealthiest Americans coupled with more breaks for the country’s shrinking middle class. Republ
