London, Asharq Al-Awsat—“Thank you, press!” That was one of the placards carried by many during the mammoth demonstrations across France last week in a show of support for freedom of expression. Triggered by the brutal assassination of cartoonists from the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo on January 7
My late friend Saleh Al-Azaz was undergoing cancer treatment in Houston when the September 11 attacks, which shocked American society, happened. We were worried that these terrible events would affect the American public’s attitudes to the country’s Muslim residents, students and tourist
Kiev, Reuters—Ukrainian troops recaptured almost all the territory of Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine they had lost to separatists in recent weeks, even as thousands gathered in Kiev for a state-sponsored peace march on Sunday. The offensive brought fighting close to the big industrial city of Do
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Lebanese leaders sought to distance themselves from recent comments by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on the situation in Bahrain over the weekend, claiming that Nasrallah’s statements were his personal views and did not reflect official policy. Lebanese Foreign Minister G
Tripoli Reuters—Libya’s rival parliament decided on Sunday that it would attend UN-sponsored peace talks only if they were held inside Libya, officials said. Nearly four years after a NATO-backed revolt ousted Muammar Gaddafi, Libya is in turmoil. Two rival governments and two parliaments are
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Turkey is facing increased security risks due to the easy movement across its borders of fighters seeking to join extremist organizations in Iraq and Syria, sources in the country say. Ümit Özdağ, the head of the Ankara-based foreign affairs think tank, 21st Century Turkey In
Geneva, Reuters—Iran and major powers met on Sunday to take stock of their differences over its nuclear program, as the Obama administration lobbied to stave off fresh sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The Geneva negotiations, held at the level of political directors, are the culmination of fi
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Uncertainty over the fate of Yemen’s new constitution continues in the wake of the kidnapping of the head of the committee tasked with drafting the document on Saturday by members of the Houthi insurgent movement. A source close to the presidency, speaking on condition of ano
Manila, Reuters—Pope Francis said a huge open-air Mass for a rain-drenched crowd of millions in the Philippine capital on Sunday, after appealing to the world to “learn how to cry” over the plight of poor, hungry, homeless and abused children. City officials said some 4 million people we
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Algiers is backing the establishment of a “strong” Libyan army so long as this takes place within the framework of comprehensive national dialogue that aims to reach a peaceful solution to the Libyan crisis, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramadan Lemara said. Speaking to Asha
Without Twitter or YouTube, how many supporters would the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Al-Qaeda have? These, and other, social media and video-sharing websites have made it easy for criminals and extremists to contact and interact with the general public across the globe. This is someth
Brussels, Reuters—Belgium is deploying hundreds of troops to guard possible terrorism targets, including Jewish sites and diplomatic missions, following deadly raids on an Islamist cell, the defence minister said on Saturday. Up to 300 military will be stationed at locations such as the US and Israe
Istanbul, Asharq Al-Awsat—The government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is falsely accusing anybody that opposes it of treason, a prominent Turkish journalist currently detained in an Istanbul prison told Asharq Al-Awsat. In a letter addressed to “the free world” and published exclu
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Houthi gunmen abducted Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak, embattled President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi’s chief of staff, in Sana’a on Saturday in a move that demonstrates the widening division between the presidency and the Shi’ite militia. “An armed group se
Ma’rib, Asharq Al-Awsat—More than 14,000 tribal fighters have been placed on high alert in Yemen’s western Ma’rib governorate ahead of a feared Houthi attack on the strategic province, local tribal sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, tribal Sheikh Saleh Al-Najaf sa
Cairo, Reuters—Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned on Saturday that the world would suffer an “immeasurable loss” if terrorism spreads in the Middle East and pledged about 200 million US dollars in non-military assistance for countries battling the Islamic State of Iraq and S
Karachi, AP—Muslim anger flared over a French satirical weekly’s latest caricature of the Prophet Muhammad, with four people reported killed and dozens injured at a protest Friday in the West African country of Niger, and violent clashes between demonstrators and police in Pakistan, Jord
Within the next few days, Moscow will host a “dialogue” to discuss the shape of a forthcoming conference. Any conference to carry out “dialogue” on Syria sounds like a good idea to me. It is also a good idea that this will be taking place in the presence of a “mediator-cum-sponsor” since any honest
Anbar, Asharq Al-Awsat—A delegation of officials and tribal sheikhs from Iraq’s Anbar province is preparing to travel to Washington to request more military assistance from the US in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The provincial delegation will be led by Anbar Go
Amsterdam, Reuters—The International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an inquiry into possible war crimes in the Palestinian territories, thrusting it into one of the world’s most chronic, heated conflicts and opening a path to possible charges against Israelis or Palestinians. In a statement
