Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraq’s various political parties are pursuing a dangerous policy of brinkmanship over the formation of a new government with Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Haider Al-Abadi facing a September 11 deadline to announce a new cabinet. Discussions are ongoing over the format
Kabul, Reuters—A UN-supervised audit of votes in Afghanistan’s disputed presidential election has finished, an Afghan electoral official said on Friday. The audit of the June 14 run-off election was part of a US-brokered deal to defuse escalating tension in a ballot intended to mark the
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—“My son is on the phone, he said the water tank is empty. The problem is that water has not been on for three days.” With this statement, Narmeen drew an evening out with her friends to a close—an evening they had planned a week before to enjoy coffee and shisa in one [
New Delhi, Reuters—India put several provinces on heightened alert on Thursday after Al-Qaeda announced the formation of a wing of the militant group in India and its neighborhood, a senior government official said. In a video posted online, Al-Qaeda chief Ayman Al-Zawahri promised to spread Islamic
In a world replete with conflicting interests, no country can claim to be powerful or impose its prestige unless it possesses the necessary tools. Nor can any country force major states that oppose it to respect its stances and policies. The prestige of the state cannot be imposed overnight or by me
Paris, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia and France are looking to open up new channels for French companies to invest in the Kingdom, the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority said, as Saudi Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz wrapped up a three-day official visit to the country. A report released by
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemeni Justice Minister Murshid Al-Arashani said on Wednesday that the country’s government cannot resign until a prime minister-designate has been tasked with forming a new cabinet, as Yemen’s Houthis continued to protest in the capital Sana’a. Arashani’s c
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron reaffirmed their commitment to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Thursday, as a major NATO conference got underway near the Welsh city of Newport. In a joint op-ed published in London newspa
Paris, Asharq Al-Awsat—French and Saudi sources familiar with the talks between officials from both countries during Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdualaziz’s visit say both sides are happy with the outcome of discussions. The sources expressed “total satisfaction” with both the atmosphere and the result
Newport, Reuters—NATO leaders were set to buttress support for Kiev and bolster their eastern defenses at a summit starting on Thursday, spurred by the Ukraine crisis to enact the most radical shift in allied strategy towards Russia since the end of the Cold War. US President Barack Obama and his 27
Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—Kurdish Parliamentary Speaker Yousif Muhammed Sadiq has called for a stronger Arab role in Iraqi Kurdistan, stressing that this will help the semi-autonomous region confront the numerous challenges it is facing, not least the advancing Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (IS
All the signs point to Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz’s visit to France being no ordinary visit. This can be seen in the warmth of the welcome French leaders extended to the Saudi Crown Prince, as well as the congested nature of his schedule over this four-day visit. More than this, there i
Under pressure as a result of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) bloody campaign in Iraq—one strewn with massacres, ethnic and sectarian cleansing, and attempts to subjugate women unprecedented in the modern history of Arabs and Muslims—US president Barack Obama has at last d
Venice, Asharq Al-Awsat—A decade ago, esteemed Iranian film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf left his home country for Paris, France, taking with him his family: his wife Marziyeh Meshkiny, his two daughters Samira and Hana, and his son Maysam. Today he runs a film production company involving all five fa
Khartoum, Asharq Al-Awsat—Sudan ordered the closure of an Iranian culture center in Khartoum on Monday, saying that the center represented an intellectual and social threat to the country. In a statement, the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the center had “exceeded its mandate
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s Houthi movement rejected the latest attempt by the country’s president to defuse the escalating standoff between the movement and the government on Tuesday. The movement, whose members have been occupying sites across the capital Sana’a for two weeks, is demanding a s
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia broke up 10 terrorist cells, arresting a total of 88 terrorist suspects, in simultaneous raids across the Kingdom following a months-long investigation, a security spokesman said on Tuesday. Saudi Interior Ministry security spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Tu
Paris, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz called on French businesses and entrepreneurs to invest in the Kingdom on Tuesday, on the second day of an official visit to Paris. In a speech to the Saudi–French Business Forum in Paris on Tuesday, Prince Salman, who als
There have recently been fresh calls from Egypt for an initiative to resolve the Syrian crisis. It is not the first nor likely to be the last proposal put forward for ending the bloodshed there. Egypt went through a state of instability and drift when the Muslim Brotherhood took power in a reckless,
Kiev, Reuters—Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko reached agreement with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday on a “permanent ceasefire” in eastern Ukraine’s Donbass region, Poroshenko’s press office said. There was no immediate sign on the ground of a h
