Saudi Arabia has issued a death sentence for a Saudi Shi’ite religious figure, Nimr Al-Nimr. The charges that have been proven against him are numerous and quite varied. The most prominent among them include using armed violence against the state and leading efforts to incite and support terrorists
London, Reuters—Brent crude steadied around 86 US dollars a barrel on Monday, holding on to a rally from near four-year lows last week on news of a cut in Saudi–Kuwait oil output. Production has been halted temporarily for environmental reasons at the Saudi–Kuwait Khafji oilfield, which
Ankara and Beirut, Reuters/Asharq Al-Awsat—Turkey said on Monday it would allow Iraqi Kurdish fighters to reinforce fellow Kurds in the Syrian border town of Kobani, while the United States airdropped arms for the first time to help the defenders resist an assault by the Islamic State of Iraq and Sy
Sana’a and Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Houthi movement is pushing to secure the defense, interior and finance portfolios in Yemen’s new cabinet, despite stern opposition from President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, sources in the Yemeni government told Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday. The sources added th
Tokyo, Reuters—Two Japanese cabinet ministers resigned on Monday, dealing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe his biggest setback since he took office in December 2012. The resignations of the two women, including the high-profile trade and industry minister, could complicate tough decisions on key policies,
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Arab league Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said the organization and its members would “defend all countries against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) advance” on Sunday, on a visit to Iraq’s capital. Speaking at a press conference to mark the arr
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—One question all news junkies ask is: where have I seen this item before? The origin of a news story, its trajectory across the global media, and its eventual fade from view are part of the excitement that it relays. Those who browse the Arab media must have asked that
Cairo, AP—Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said Sunday his country will work with Sudan to support Libya’s military against Islamic militants in a bid to restore stability to the two countries’ war-torn neighbor. Sisi’s remarks came at the end of a two-day visit by SudanR
Galveston, Reuters—A Dallas hospital lab worker who spent much of a cruise holiday in isolation after possible exposure to Ebola has tested negative for the disease, and in Texas some of the dozens of people still being monitored were expected to be cleared on Sunday and Monday. The Carnival Magic d
Sana’a, AP/Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s Shi’ite rebels captured a town south of the capital Sana’a early on Sunday, when they also blew up the house of a rival Islamist politician, security officials said. In Sana’a, the rebels, known as the Houthis, stormed the headquarters of the capital’s
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Representatives from the main Syrian wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have been in contact with US officials “for more than two years,” an official spokesperson told Asharq Al-Awsat, adding that the talks had been kept secret by Washington to “avoid angering Turkey,
Hong Kong, Reuters—Violent clashes erupted in Hong Kong early on Sunday for a second night, deepening a sense of impasse between a government with limited options and a pro-democracy movement increasingly willing to confront police. The worst political crisis in Hong Kong since Britain handed the fr
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—On the road between Kirkuk and Erbil, which cuts across the fault-line between Iraq proper and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, convoys of tanker trucks can be seen travelling northwards. When you ask where they are headed, local café owner Fahmi says “They are smug
I have been of the opinion that directing airstrikes on Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) positions in Syria has been a mistake since the international campaign against the group began. ISIS must first be defeated on Iraqi territory and thereby driven out of the country and cornered in Syria, a
Just look and see who has issued a statement calling on international human right organizations to intervene in Saudi Arabia. It is none other than the terrorist Hezbollah group! Lebanon’s Hezbollah took this decision in response to a Saudi judicial decision sentencing “terrorist” Nimr Baqir Al-Nimr
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraqi lawmakers on Saturday approved the appointment of Khaled Al-Obeidi as Iraqi Defense Minister and Mohamed Al-Ghabban as Interior Minister, ending a political stalemate that had threatened to disrupt Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi’s new government. Obeidi, a Sunni
Kathmandu, Reuters—The death toll in a blizzard that engulfed trekkers on a popular hiking route in Nepal rose by nine on Saturday to 39, as a helicopter search spotted more bodies stranded in the rugged, snow-covered Himalayan terrain. Sixty more people were rescued from the Annapurna trail, a thre
Khobar, Asharq Al-Awsat—Oil regulators in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait decided on Thursday to halt production at a jointly-run oilfield citing environmental concerns, Asharq Al-Awsat has learnt. Operations at the Khafji oilfield are being shut down by the authorities of the two Gulf Cooperation Cou
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Houthi militants are on course to expand into southern Yemen after overrunning the strategically-important city of Rada’, south of the capital Sana’a, on Friday, encountering little government resistance. Local news reported that clashes between Shi’it
Mursitpinar, Turkey, Reuters—Two days of heavy air strikes by US warplanes have slowed an advance by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants against Kurdish forces defending the Syrian border town of Kobani. Turkish and US officials said last week that ISIS was on the verge of taking
