London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Every year, Amnesty International releases dozens of reports about the state of human rights in country’s across the world. When it comes to Iran, one issue of particular concern for the organization is the country’s approach to capital punishment. In its report o
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Lebanon’s Hezbollah has expressed strong reservations about Beirut’s signing of the Jeddah Communique pledging regional military cooperation against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), with sources close to the group warning that the agreement both g
Kabul, Reuters&#;The United Nations threatened on Saturday to cut aid to Afghanistan if its staff are harassed, responding to tensions surrounding its participation in a drawn-out and bitter investigation into fraud in the still-unresolved presidential election. The warning came a day after doze
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Saudi-Egyptian Electricity Grid project is close to being finalized, Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Electricity and Co-Generation Regulatory Authority (ECRA) Dr. Abdullah Al-Shehri said. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Shehri affirmed that ECRA is seeking to boost it
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Pro and anti-government protests continued on the streets of Sana’a on Friday amid a heightened security presence as the central government renewed its efforts to communicate with rebels. Tens of thousands of Yemenis took to the streets on Saturday across the country in
Washington has finally been convinced of the merits of the Saudi vision to confront terrorism through a comprehensive strategy, rather than specific and temporary battles. The US has finally taken the critical step in its long war against terrorism; a war which has witnessed a ferocious and violent
Ankara, Reuters—US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday it would be “inappropriate” for Iran to join talks on confronting Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants, as he appeared to play down how fast countries can commit to force or other steps in an emerging coali
Kiev, Reuters—Ukraine’s prime minister said on Saturday Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed to destroy Ukraine as an independent country and said only NATO could defend the ex-Soviet republic from external aggression. Kiev and its Western backers accuse Moscow of sending troops and ta
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraqi President Fuad Masoum now finds himself preoccupied with a dozen different issues where previously he had been engrossed with just one; the formation of the next government. Asharq Al-Awsat caught up with Iraq’s president just days after parliament voted to
Sudan’s recently escalating problems, both domestic and foreign, are due to its regime’s foreign policy stunts. One example of these is the fanfare over Sudan’s decision last month to shut down the Iranian cultural center and its branches across the country and the rumors about what motivated this s
Dushanbe, Reuters—President Vladimir Putin said on Friday new Western sanctions against Russia looked “a bit strange” given his backing of peace efforts in eastern Ukraine, and warned he was considering taking fresh retaliation. The European Union and the United States have tighten
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Talks are under way between the Yemeni government and Houthi militia as the army considers military action to stop the expansion of rebels into the capital Sana’a, a senior government source told Asharq Al-Awsat. Underlying the failure to defuse Yemen’s security crisis, talks
Jeddah and London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Regional and international states pledged to “stand united against the threat posed by all terrorism” following a meeting in Jeddah on Thursday as Washington announced that it is ramping up its efforts to tackle the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), inc
Pretoria, Reuters—Olympic and Paralympic track star Oscar Pistorius was convicted of culpable homicide on Friday, escaping the more serious charge of murder for the killing of his girlfriend, and will now battle to avoid going to prison. The 27-year-old double amputee, who became one of the bi
The good news is that Iraqis have succeeded in forming a new government in a much shorter time than they have been used to since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. The bad news is that the new government, headed by Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi, looks more like a club of egos than an […]
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Al-Qaeda’s announcement of the establishment of a new franchise in the Indian subcontinent is not a response to the challenge posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), an expert in Islamist fundamentalist groups has said. In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, Direc
It would be naive to think that the priorities of the current US administration are congruent with the worries of the people of the Middle East. However, realism dictates that regional states must accept that left to their own devices they are unable to change the mindset of an administration that s
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—A radical Iranian pressure group has reaffirmed its vow to patrol Tehran’s streets to enforce Islamic norms in the face of disapproval from government officials, in what may become the next showdown between President Hassan Rouhani and his conservative opponents.
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraq’s foremost Sunni and Shi’ite political blocs remain unable to reach a compromise over filling the defense and interior ministerial portfolios, as resentment continues to build among Iraqi Sunnis over Nuri Al-Maliki’s appointment as vice-president
Sharjah, Asharq Al-Awsat—Gulf emirate Sharjah launched its first sovereign sukuk on Wednesday, a 10-year, 750-million-US-dollar Islamic bond with a 3.764 percent yield that has been more than 10 times oversubscribed, in what was the emirate’s debut debt issue on capital markets. The bond makes Sharj
