In their early days, American tabloids often ran stories called “kiss and tell.” These were devoted to sensational confessions and juicy revelations by Hollywood starlets—and sundry other gold-diggers—about their dangerous liaisons with rich and powerful men, including movie moguls. Over
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Authorities in the Iraqi province of Anbar have declared a total curfew in all public areas in its capital of Ramadi “until further notice,” after the province’s police chief was killed in a bomb attack on Sunday. An improvised explosive device went off in the Albu Risha are
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen appointed a new prime minister on Monday, a day after the Houthi movement now in control of Sana’a and other parts of Yemen strengthened its presence in the capital as celebrations got under way for the Shi’ite festival of Eid Al-Ghadeer. Yemen’s official news agency, S
Beirut and London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Fighters from the Kurdish volunteer militia, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), held back the advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on the strategically important border city of Kobani on Sunday, as coalition forces target ISIS positions in and ar
Pretoria, Reuters—Disgraced South African track star Oscar Pistorius arrived at the Pretoria High Court on Monday for a sentencing hearing that will determine whether he serves jail time for the negligent killing of his girlfriend, or walks out a free man. A stony-faced Pistorius stared straight ahe
Ever since September 21, when the “Peace and Partnership” agreement was signed between the Houthis and Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, producing an entirely new political order in the country—one later labeled by Hadi as a “coup”—and all eyes have been on Yemen’s large neighbor
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—The British parliament’s House of Commons will debate a motion to recognize Palestine as an independent state on Monday, in a move that is already controversial both at home and abroad. The motion, which reads: “This House believes that the Government should recognize the sta
Dallas, AP—A Texas health care worker who was in full protective gear while providing hospital care for an Ebola patient who later died has tested positive for the virus and is in stable condition, health officials said Sunday. If the preliminary diagnosis is confirmed, it would be the first known c
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Four Egyptian men are at the heart of attempts by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to find religious justification for its bloody attempts to forge a new “caliphate,” a number of experts on fundamentalist movements told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday. The sources said
Cairo, Reuters—US Secretary of State John Kerry called on Sunday for a renewed commitment to achieving Middle East peace, saying a lasting deal between Israel, the Palestinians and all their neighbors could be achieved. But prospects for a renewed peace process appeared dim as Kerry offered no speci
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Five new names are being put forward to become Yemen’s new prime minister, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday, as meetings continue between Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi movement to find a political solution to the crisis currently engulfing the
Mursitpinar, Reuters—Kurdish forces defending Kobani urged a US-led coalition to escalate air strikes on Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters who tightened their grip on the Syrian town at the border with Turkey on Saturday. A group that monitors the Syrian civil war said the Kurdish forc
Visakhapatnam, Reuters—Cyclone Hudhud blasted India’s eastern seaboard on Sunday with gusts of over 120 miles per hour (195 kilometres an hour), uprooting trees, damaging buildings and killing at least three people despite a major evacuation effort. The port city of Visakhapatnam, home to two
During a televised interview on the Charlie Rose Show, former director of the US National Counterterrorism Center Matthew G. Olsen said that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has more than 30,000 fighters, in addition to 15,000 foreign fighters, meaning that the group today is almost 45,000
Medina, Asharq Al-Awsat—Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir was at pains to highlight Khartoum’s ties with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf during his latest visit to the Kingdom, stressing that Sudan does not have any “strategic” ties to Iran. He dubbed claims of Iranian-Sudanese coo
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—With few journalists reporting from the battlefields of Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) remains a faceless organization; the world knows little about the men behind the black balaclavas. In a rare insight into the jihadist group, Asharq Al-Aw
Tripoli, Libya, Reuters—UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flew to Tripoli on Saturday to urge the warring factions fighting for control of Libya to make peace, in the highest-level visit since an armed faction took the capital in August. Oil producer Libya is struggling with two governments and
Medina, Asharq Al-Awsat—In exclusive comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir acknowledged that Khartoum’s relations with Riyadh have been harmed by the country’s ties with Tehran, but stressed that Sudanese-Iranian ties have been exaggerated. “We admit that our ties with
Hong Kong, Reuters—Hundreds of student activists camped overnight at major protest sites in Hong Kong as the democracy movement sought to re-gather momentum after the government called off talks on defusing unrest in the global financial hub. Protests escalated late last month, after Beijing&#
Suruc, Turkey, AP—Kurdish militiamen are putting up a fierce fight to defend a Syrian town near the border with Turkey but are struggling to repel the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which is advancing and pushing in from two sides, Syrian activists and Kurdish officials said Saturday.
