Monrovia, AP—Liberia’s president opened one of the country’s largest Ebola treatment centers in Monrovia on Friday, remembering the days when “the dying, the sick, the dead who could not picked up on time” as officials hope the disease is on the decline in this West Afr
Tunis, Asharq Al-Awsat—Tunisia’s Ennahda party leader Rachid Ghannouchi called for the formation of a national unity government in the North African republic, warning that no political party in the country should seek to monopolize power at the present time. His comments are published a day af
Jerusalem, Reuters—Muslim men over 50 prayed at Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City on Friday amid intense security, a day after Israel closed all access to the sacred compound for the first time in more than a decade following violence on the streets. More than 1,000 Israeli police were de
Suruc, Turkey, Reuters—US-led air strikes hit Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) positions around the Syrian border town of Kobani on Friday in an apparent bid to pave the way for heavily-armed Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces to enter from neighboring Turkey. The predominantly Kurdish town,
Ouagadougou, Reuters—Hundreds of protesters marched in the capital of Burkina Faso on Friday demanding that President Blaise Compaore step down, a day after the military dissolved parliament and announced a transitional government in the face of violent mass protests. “We don’t want him.
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—The government is not doing enough to help Iraq’s restive western Anbar province against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a prominent Anbar tribal chief told Asharq Al-Awsat. Dulaim tribal chief Majid Al-Ali Al-Suleiman said: “We are no longer in a position
Baghdad, Reuters—Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants executed at least 220 Iraqis in retaliation against a tribe’s opposition to their takeover of territory west of Baghdad, security sources and witnesses said. Two mass graves were discovered on Thursday containing some of the 300
Anxious to reach agreement with the P5+1 on Iran’s nuclear program, President Hassan Rouhani is trying to mobilize support for his divisive policy. Last month, he tried to woo nationalists with a speech in which there was no mention of Islam, let alone the “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei. He talked of
Ouagadougou, Reuters—Thousands of protesters marched on Burkina Faso’s presidential palace after burning the parliament building and ransacking state television offices on Thursday, forcing President Blaise Compaore to scrap a plan to extend his 27-year rule. Emergency services said at least t
Stockholm, Reuters—The Swedish government officially recognized the state of Palestine on Thursday, the first Western European country to do so, reflecting growing international exasperation over the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom told reporters
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Lebanon deployed military units to the south of the country on Wednesday as part of operations to pursue Islamist militants fleeing the port city of Tripoli and after receiving intelligence of planned terrorist attacks in the region. According to local media reports, th
Abu Dhabi, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Abu Dhabi Film Festival took a dark turn on Saturday and Monday with the respective world and Arab premieres of the Egyptian film, El-Ott (The Cat), and the Lebanese film, The Valley. Though boasting markedly differing storylines and filmmaking styles, both films force
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Morocco is set to provide the United Arab Emirates with military assistance in the fight against terror and as part of broader regional security and military cooperation with the Gulf, a high-level Moroccan official told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday. “The Moroccan initi
Suruc/Beirut, Reuters—A first group of Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters entered the besieged Syrian town of Kobani on Thursday to help push back Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants who have defied US air strikes and threatened to massacre its Kurdish defenders. Kobani, on the border wit
Mexico City, Reuters—Angry fathers of 43 Mexican students missing for the past month turned on President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday, accusing his government of deceit, fostering impunity and bungling the search for their sons. Following a five-hour meeting with the president, relatives of the s
Relations between Tunisia and Lebanon have a long history, and the connections between them do not stop with the Greek story of Elissa (Dido), daughter of the king of Tyre, who later became the founder and queen of Carthage, the nucleus of today’s Tunisia. Throughout history there have been several
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraqi troops are preparing to retake the town of Amiriyah Fallujah in Anbar province from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), after claiming to have regained the initiative in the fight against the terrorist group. Babil Operations Command issued a statement on
“Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad is seeking, through his diplomatic contacts, to convince Egypt to mediate and convince Saudi Arabia—currently Egypt’s biggest ally—to amend its strict stance regarding him and his regime. These are documented diplomatic contacts, and it is th
Dakar, AP—The rate of new Ebola infections in Liberia appears to be declining and could represent a real trend, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, but the epidemic is far from over. The disease is still raging in parts of Sierra Leone, Dr. Bruce Aylward, an assistant director-general for
Abu Dhabi, Reuters—After working as a war cameraman for 18 years, and getting injured twice along the way, Egyptian journalist Ibrahim Al-Batout decided to get away from the real-life violence and make movies. But his latest venture El Ott (The Cat), which premiered this week at the Abu Dhabi Film F
