Sana’a and Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi announced the long-awaited formation of a new government as the UN imposed sanctions on his predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh and two senior Houthi rebels over the recent unrest in the country. Yemen’s new government,
Washington, Reuters—President Barack Obama has approved sending up to 1,500 more troops to Iraq, roughly doubling the number of US forces on the ground helping Iraqi and Kurdish forces battle the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), US officials said on Friday. Obama’s decisi
Mexico City, Reuters—Forty-three missing students abducted by corrupt police in southwest Mexico six weeks ago were apparently incinerated by drug gang henchmen and their remains tipped in a garbage dump and a river, the government said on Friday. Attorney General Jesus Murillo said three detainees,
In just one week, we have seen terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria and Iraq. In Saudi Arabia, a group of militants attacked citizens in Al-Ahsa, killing and injuring a group of people who had gathered at a Shi’ite Husseiniya (meeting house). The gunmen, along with those who assi
Kiev/Moscow, Reuters—Ukraine’s military accused Russia on Friday of sending a column of 32 tanks and truckloads of troops into the country’s east to support pro-Russian separatists fighting government forces. Thursday’s cross-border incursion, if confirmed, is a significant escalat
Tunis, Asharq Al-Awsat—Tunisian security forces are closing in on the suspected Islamist militants who attacked a bus carrying Tunisian soldiers in the city of Kef close to the Algerian border on Wednesday, Defense Ministry spokesman Belhassan Ouselati told Asharq Al-Awsat. Five Tunisian soldi
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—In 1862, Queen Victoria sent her 20-year-old son and heir to the throne, Edward, the Prince of Wales—later to become King Edward VII—on a landmark tour of the Middle East, where he visited Egypt, the Holy Land, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and Greece. At the time, the
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi security authorities have continued their counterterror offensive following the Al-Ahsa attack on Monday, arresting more than 26 suspected militants involved in the attack following security raids across the Kingdom. A high-level Saudi security source, speaking to
Jerusalem and Gaza, Reuters—The EU’s new foreign affairs chief said on Friday that a surge of violence in Jerusalem made it all the more critical that Israel and the Palestinians return to negotiations quickly. Speaking after talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Federica Mogh
Tokyo, Reuters—Regional authorities in Japan on Friday approved the restart of the idled Sendai nuclear plant of Kyushu Electric Power Co, paving the way for a revival of the stalled industry more than three years after the Fukushima disaster. The move represents a victory for the government of Prim
“Lebanon is finished!” This was what a Lebanese friend asserted the other day when he dropped in for commiseration. He came out with a litany of woes about Lebanon: inability to choose a president, a parliament prolonging its paralytic life, a Hezbollah serving Iran rather than Lebanon, takfiris try
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Allied Kurdish and Arab forces are continuing to advance against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants in and around the besieged border city of Kobani, Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) leader Saleh Muslim said on Thursday. In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat,
Damascus, Asharq Al-Awsat—The famous Al-Buzuriyah souq, a traditional market specializing in herbal remedies in the Old City of Damascus, was for decades a destination for dervishes and the poor who sought cheap treatments for their ailments. Today, as Syria’s war and economic crisis grinds on
Saudi security forces in six cities have gone after terrorist cells linked to the terror attack in the district of Al-Ahsa that killed seven citizens earlier this week. During a confrontation with gunmen, two members of the security forces were killed, including one who had been injured in 2005 duri
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—The US State Department denied accusations that its ambassador to Yemen had warned the country’s former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to leave the country or face international sanctions on Wednesday. “This report is untrue and no such message has been sent
Dammam, Asharq Al-Awsat—Omani ruler Sultan Qaboos Bin Sa’id Al Sa’id gave a televised address on Wednesday from Germany—where he has been receiving medical treatment for the last four months—to Omani citizens, marking the occasion of the country’s 44th national day. Sultan Qa
Al-Ahsa and Al-Qassim, Asharq Al-Awsat—Fifty prominent religious and political figures in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahsa province issued a joint statement on Wednesday condemning the terror attack which killed seven people earlier this week, warning that its perpetrators aimed to incite sectarian conf
Tripoli, Reuters—Libya’s Supreme Court on Thursday declared the internationally recognized parliament as unconstitutional, in a ruling likely to fuel further chaos in the north African oil producing nation. The decision came a day after gunmen stormed Libya’s biggest oilfield, shutting d
Amman, Reuters—Air strikes by a US-led coalition set up to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) targeted the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front in northwest Syria overnight, an organisation that tracks violence in the Syrian civil war reported on Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Ri
Washington, AP—For anyone expecting post-election contrition at the White House or vows to change course after disastrous mid-term elections for Democrats, President Barack Obama had one message: Think again. A day after Democrats lost control of the Senate and suffered big losses in House and gover
