United Nations, AP—The UN Security Council late Friday sharply condemned a new video that purports to show an Islamic State group fighter beheading British hostage Alan Henning, calling the killing a “heinous and cowardly murder.” The statement said the video “once again demonstrat
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Efforts are underway to unite some 65 rebel factions under the umbrella of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) after Washington announced plans last month to train moderate militants fighting to topple the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad. “The plan would allow [rebel factions] to
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Fans of Darren Aronofsky films will know Sean Gullette as the co-writer and lead actor of his 1998 hit indie psychological thriller Pi. Despite his numerous supporting roles since then, including in Aronosfky’s Requiem for a Dream (2000), Gullette said that soon afterwards he
That Sudan’s Islamist regime is using trickery and prevarication is not strange for a group that has made deceit and pretense a key part of its political culture. But a recently-leaked document highlighting what happened during a meeting between military, political and security leaders in Khartoum i
Hong Kong, Reuters—Violent scuffles broke out in one of Hong Kong’s most famous and congested shopping districts on Friday, as hundreds of supporters of Chinese rule stormed tents and ripped down banners belonging to pro-democracy protesters, forcing many to retreat. As news of the confrontati
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s army has played a role in facilitating the rebels’ advance on the capital Sana’a by maintaining a neutral line during last month’s events that saw Houthis take control of almost all government buildings, a military source told Asharq Al-Awsat. “The strength of the Hou
Benghazi, Reuters—Almost 30 Libyan soldiers were killed and 70 wounded in a double suicide bombing and clashes in the port city of Benghazi on Thursday, medics said. Four people were also killed in a separate attack by suspected Islamists on an army checkpoint in Qubah, east of Benghazi, hospital of
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—As well as heading the Brookings Doha Center, a branch of the famed American think-tank, Salman Shaikh is an expert in conflict resolution, Middle Eastern geopolitics, and a fellow of its Center for Middle East Policy. As such, he has paid a great deal of attention to events
Istanbul, Reuters—Turkey will do whatever it can to prevent the predominantly Kurdish town of Kobani, near its border with Syria, falling to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) insurgents, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said late on Thursday. Just hours before Davutoğlu’s comment, parliamen
During his recent stay in New York, President Hassan Rouhani hosted a “private dinner” for a number of former US officials, oil executives, and lobbyists. According to several participants, Rouhani tried to pass on a simple message: If the US does not help him clinch a deal on the nuclear issue, the
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraq’s main political camps remain unable to agree on candidates for two key ministerial positions, dashing hopes that government line-up could be finalized ahead of Eid Al-Adha. Iraqi parliamentary rapporteur Niyazi Uglu said on Thursday that the parliament will not be able
In multi-factional states in particular, stable institutions are the best guarantee of a secure nation. Anyone who looks into the history of Lebanon since 1943 cannot fail to notice that whenever the army was safe and cohesive, so was Lebanon itself. At this juncture, I feel I must mention Fouad Che
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Sotheby’s auction house told Asharq Al-Awsat that the hand drawn map by T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), slated for sale at Sotheby’s in November in London, has been pulled from the auction by its owner, London’s Royal Society for Asian Affairs (RSAA). Sotheby’s decl
Mecca, AP—Saudi Arabia sought to assure the public that the kingdom was safe and free of health scares as an estimated 2 million Muslims streamed into a sprawling tent city near Mecca on Thursday for the start of the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage. Earlier this year, Saudi authorities banned p
Freetown and Dakar, Reuters—The threat of hunger is tracking Ebola across affected West African nations as the disease kills farmers and their families, drives workers from the fields and creates food shortages. In the worst-hit states of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, Ebola is ravaging their foo
In terms of its length, the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88 was one of the longest in modern history. It was also one of the costliest in terms of casualties, claiming an estimated one million lives on both sides, plus twice as many injured or permanently disabled. It was also a costly war, inflicting more
Suruc and Beirut, Reuters/Asharq Al-Awsat—Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) insurgents pushed on with their assault on a Syrian border town on Thursday despite coalition air strikes meant to weaken them, sending thousands more Kurdish refugees into Turkey and dragging Ankara deeper into the con
Jeddah and Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Interior ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) denounced on Wednesday recent acts of violence and looting in Yemen’s capital and called for the restoration of state authority, as Houthi rebels remained in control of Sana’a for a second week. An emergency
Hong Kong, AP—China’s ruling party mouthpiece warned of “chaos” in Hong Kong, and expressed strong support for its leader in his face-off with pro-democracy protesters who have threatened to occupy government offices unless he steps down by the end of Thursday. The PeopleR
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Security in Iraq has deteriorated remarkably over the past few days with Baghdad and other central and southern cities witnessing a surge in car bombs and mortar attacks, in a response to the US-led airstrikes on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Speaking to Asharq
