Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Political wrangling over the remaining unfilled posts in Iraq’s new government continued on Monday, as reports suggested members of the country’s main Shi’ite political bloc remained at loggerheads over their preferred candidate for interior minister. A prominent National Al
The sudden dispute over striking ISIS has a backstory. All parties agreed to fight the terrorist organizations of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Al-Nusra Front following the sudden rush of ISIS’s victories in Iraq. These parties are Iran, the US, Russia, the Gulf states, European
Kiev, AP—Shelling killed six people and wounded 15 others in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, the city council said Monday—the worst reported violence since a cease-fire between Russian-backed rebels and Ukrainian troops took effect on September 5. Fighting around the eastern city’s government
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is adopting new tactics in anticipation of impending air strikes by the US-led coalition, an expert on armed groups has told Asharq Al-Awsat, at the same time that authorities in the Sunni-dominated Anbar province announced the grou
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—As US, British and French jets and drones crisscross the skies over Iraq and Syria, an older example of Western intelligence-gathering in the Middle East is soon to go on sale at one of London’s most famous auction houses. A map, hand-drawn by T.E. Lawrence—aka “Lawrenc
Benghazi, Reuters—Forces loyal to former Libyan army general Khalifa Haftar in Benghazi threatened to bomb the eastern city’s port unless authorities there closed it to cut off arms supplies to Islamists, a senior commander said on Monday. Haftar’s forces are fighting Islamist groups, in
Vienna, Reuters—The UN’s nuclear watchdog sought to put pressure on Iran on Monday to address suspicions it may have carried out atomic bomb research, three weeks after Tehran failed to meet a deadline for providing information about the issue. In line with the findings of a confidential repor
London, Dammam and Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Many of the Muslim Brotherhood members expelled from Qatar on Saturday will likely travel to Turkey or Malaysia, the head of the organization’s international wing has told Asharq Al-Awsat. Speaking via telephone from Morocco, Ibrahim Mounir, the secretary-ge
Stockholm, Reuters—Swedish Social Democrat leader Stefan Löfven faces a tough task building a new government after an election on Sunday left the center-left short of a majority in parliament and handed the balance of power to a party that wants to slash immigration. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
Paris, Reuters—French President Francois Hollande called on Monday for united international action to tackle the threat from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants as he opened a conference on Iraq bringing together members of a US-led coalition. The United States this week unveiled an out
An Egyptian television anchorwoman recently expressed her disapproval of a new development in social media live on air. With some shock—and with an intensity bordering on the contrived—the anchorwoman denounced the use by young Egyptians of a certain hashtag as highly irresponsible. The
Seoul, Reuters—North Korea sentenced US citizen Matthew Todd Miller to six years hard labor for committing “hostile acts” as a tourist to the country, a statement carried by state media said on Sunday. Matthew Miller joins Kenneth Bae to become the second American currently serving a har
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—The 10 backers of the Gulf Initiative have blamed the Shi’ite Houthi movement for the unrest in the Yemeni capital Sana’a and the Al-Jawf province, large parts of which are under the control of the group. In a statement on Saturday, the group—partly responsible for crea
Benghazi, Reuters—Libya’s elected parliament on Sunday dismissed the governor of the country’s central bank, a parliamentary spokesman said. The bank’s governor Saddek Omar Elkaber had failed to attend a session last at the House of Representatives to discuss alleged financial irre
Riyadh, Dammam, Cairo and London, Asharq Al-Awsat—A number of high-profile Muslim Brotherhood members currently residing in Qatar are set to leave the small Gulf state, a development that may herald a breakthrough in attempts to heal the rift between Doha and its neighbors. However, some aspects of
Gaza City, AP—Some half a million Gaza children made a delayed return to school on Sunday, after a devastating 50-day war with Israel that killed more than 2,100 Palestinians and damaged hundreds of school buildings. Gaza Education Ministry official Ziad Thabet said the opening is for 230,000 1st to
London, Asharq Al-Awsat–The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was facing worldwide condemnation on Sunday after releasing a video showing the execution of another Western hostage, this time from the UK. ISIS released a video showing the beheading of British aid worker David Haines on Saturday n
Edinburgh, Reuters—The fate of the United Kingdom remained unclear five days before a historic referendum on Scottish independence as three new polls on Saturday showed a slight lead for supporters of the union, but one saying the separatist campaign was pulling ahead. On the final weekend of campai
After years of wars and destruction, bloodshed and devastation, not to mention missed opportunities and accusations of treason in the Arab–Israeli conflict, Hamas politburo member Musa Abu-Marzuq has come out to tell us that “there is nothing wrong” with direct negotiating with Israel. Abu-Mar
To understand the magnitude of the problem on a global level, and not just on the Syrian and regional fronts, we must be aware of just how significant the CIA’s estimates of the number of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters is. Less than two years ago, the CIA estimated ISIS number at [&
