Washington, AP—An experimental Ebola vaccine appears safe and triggered signs of immune protection in the first 20 volunteers to test it, US researchers reported Wednesday. The vaccine is designed to spur the immune system’s production of anti-Ebola antibodies, and people developed them within
Riyadh, Reuters—Qatar won their third Gulf Cup title after recovering from an early goal to beat hosts Saudi Arabia 2-1 on Wednesday. Skipper Saud Kariri opened the scoring for the Saudi team, also three-time champions, after 16 minutes at the nearly full King Fahd stadium but Qatar replied with a m
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Sheikh Rafea Al-Fahdawi, leader of the Boufahd tribe that is fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq’s Anbar province, hailed government advances in the region but called for Baghdad to do even more to support tribal fighters. In comments to Asharq
The picture taken a couple of days ago of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif with the US Secretary of State and the other foreign ministers of the P5+1 group of nations in Vienna during negotiations pertaining to Iran’s nuclear program reminded me of a similar picture taken of the “Big Fo
Vienna, Reuters—Gulf oil producers led by Saudi Arabia are expected to press the case on Thursday for not yet cutting OPEC output, despite calls from several members of the group to bolster sagging prices by removing surplus crude from the market. Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi and his United
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Disputes within the Syrian National Coalition, Syria’s umbrella opposition group, will not affect the work of its Istanbul-based interim government, opposition Prime Minister Ahmad Tu’mah told Asharq Al-Awsat. Tu’mah submitted the new interim government line-up during the Coa
Beirut, AP—The death toll from a series of Syrian government airstrikes on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) stronghold in northeastern Syria has risen to at least 95, making it one of the deadliest attacks on the city of Raqqa in the past three years, activists said Wednesday. Some of the
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemeni Minister of Defense Mahmoud Al-Subaihi met with military and tribal officials from the oil-rich Ma’rib governorate on Tuesday as conflict continued to rage over control of the country’s energy resources. The defense minister traveled to Ma’rib for tal
Izmir, Reuters—NATO is not considering establishing a “no-fly zone” in northern Syria, something Turkey has been calling for to alleviate security and humanitarian pressures on its southeastern borders, one of the alliance’s top generals has told Reuters. Turkey has NATO̵
Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi National Guard Minister Prince Miteb Bin Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz blamed the emergence of terrorist groups in Syria on the international community’s failure to support the Syrian people, warning that the blight of terrorism can only be eradicated following the o
Beirut, AP—Lebanese singer and actress Sabah, an icon of Arab music, died Wednesday after a career that spanned over six-decades, Lebanese media said. She was 87. The diva was famous across the Arab world for her powerful voice, musical talent and joyful brazenness and is considered among the last o
Ferguson, Reuters—Some 2,000 National Guard troops dispatched to the St. Louis area helped police stave off a second night of rioting and arson after a grand jury declined to indict a white policeman in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager, as sympathy protests spread to several US cities
Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, backed by thousands of Yazidi volunteers, are preparing for a decisive battle to liberate Mount Sinjar from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a senior Kurdish official told Asharq Al-Awsat. “Peshmerga forces and Yazidi voluntee
The long-awaited statement from the Saudi Interior Ministry on the attack on the village of Dalwah in the country’s Al-Ahsa province has finally been issued, shedding more light on this horrific crime. Before we go into this, let me just say that this dangerous crime targeting innocent people
Even after completing my last job at the Al-Arabiya news channel, questions linger in my mind: Are we “feeding” people the information that they require, or are we helping them to form their own views and ideas? This question relating to neutrality is usually accompanied by another more
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Having already fled their homes in Syria, refugees in and around the Lebanese border town of Arsal have had their troubles compounded in recent months after fighting broke out in the area in August between the Lebanese army and fighters from extremist groups fighting in
Tunis, AP—Veteran politician and figure from Tunisia’s old regime, Beji Caid El-Sebsi, will face off against incumbent Moncef Marzouki in a runoff for the country’s presidency two weeks from now that is expected to be close, official election results showed Tuesday. Sebsi, 87, garnered just ov
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will launch a joint military command during its annual meeting scheduled for December 9 in the Qatari capital Doha, an informed Gulf military source told Asharq Al-Awsat. Plans for establishing the unified military command were announc
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry has announced that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) ordered the attack on a Shi’ite shrine in the small town of Dalwah in the country’s Al-Ahsa governorate earlier this month, which resulted in the deaths of seven Saudi c
Ferguson, Reuters—Police fired tear gas and protesters set businesses ablaze in Ferguson, Missouri, in racially charged unrest sparked by a grand jury’s decision not to indict a white police officer for fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager in August. St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Bel
