Baghdad, Reuters—Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki was battling to keep his job on Monday, deploying forces across Baghdad as some parliamentary allies sought a replacement and the United States warned him not to obstruct efforts to form a new government. Widely accused of a partisan obstinacy tha
Ankara, Reuters—Turkey’s ruling party begins deliberations on the shape of the next government on Monday after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan secured his place in history by winning the nation’s first direct presidential election. Erdoğan’s victory in Sunday’s vote takes
Whether by choice or by force, the result was the same: the Lebanese media once again fell into the trap of the worst aspect of nationalism, blind loyalty. It was not limited to the sight of a newsreader wearing a military uniform in solidarity with the army, nor to lengthy and epic speeches recited
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia and China have signed an agreement to boost cooperation in the production and peaceful use of nuclear and renewable energy, as the Kingdom seeks to reduce its dependence on hydrocarbons and bolster its ties with the world’s second-biggest economy. The memorandum
Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat—In the latest conflict in Gaza, the death toll has reached almost 1,900 as Israeli airstrikes resumed following the end of a 72-hour truce on Friday morning. Every day, Hekmat Bsaiso waits by her phone in her home in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Her son, Mostafa, i
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court dissolved the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) in a legal ruling announced on Saturday. The ruling will prevent the party from contesting parliamentary elections expected to be held by the end of the year. The court said
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—At least 14 Yemeni soldiers were kidnapped and killed by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) on Friday, as they made their way to an army base in the country’s Hadhramaut governorate. Local sources in Hadhramaut, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat t
Gaza/Jerusalem, Reuters—Israel said on Sunday it would not return to Egyptian-mediated ceasefire talks as long as Palestinian militants in Gaza kept up cross-border rocket and mortar fire. The head of the Palestinian delegation in Cairo said earlier that it would pull out unless Israeli negotiators,
Istanbul, AP—Turks voted Sunday in their first direct presidential election, a watershed event in the country’s 91-year history that could cement Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s position as Turkey’s all-powerful leader. Erdoğan, who has dominated Turkish politics for more tha
Baghdad, Reuters—President Barack Obama said on Saturday that US air strikes had destroyed arms that Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants could have used against Iraqi Kurds, but he warned there was no quick fix to a crisis that threatens to tear Iraq apart. Speaking before US warplanes
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—For Mai Al-Nakib, a Kuwaiti writer who spent large chunks of her life away from her home country, writing fiction is “a way to open a space to kind of remind myself of the different kind of place Kuwait used to be.” [inset_left]The Hidden Light of ObjectsBy Mai Al-Nakib
Bashar Al-Assad’s silence on the Israeli aggression towards the Gaza Strip is striking. Most of the regional leaders who trade on the blood of others, and Assad is one of them, love to exploit the Palestinian cause. As soon as any conflict breaks out, we hear these figures come out to talk about “re
After two Americans and a French national were reported killed while fighting alongside the Israeli army in Gaza, the news passed as if this was a normal occurrence. This news did not cause any commotion in political and media circles in the West. Western and international media outlets reported the
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egyptian universities are moving to prevent students with ties to the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood from taking up residence in their dormitories, a ministry source has told Asharq Al-Awsat. An official within Egypt’s Ministry of Higher Education, speaking to Asharq Al
Erbil, AP—The US launched a new airdrop Saturday to aid thousands of members of an Iraqi minority group who fled from Islamic extremists, as Iraq’s foreign minister said US airstrikes have helped Kurdish forces counter the militants’ advance. An American military team is currently
Samsun (northern Turkey), Asharq Al-Awsat—With just one day to go before historic presidential elections in Turkey are set to take place, opposition candidate Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu played up his chances of overcoming election rival Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, criticizing his “exclusionary and condesc
Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Cairo-mediated negotiations with Israel over Gaza have yet to reach the “point of no return,” a Palestinian diplomat informed Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday, just hours before the Palestinian and Israeli sides escalated the conflict after a 72-hour ceasefire expired. I
Istanbul, Reuters—The editor of a leading Turkish newspaper has resigned ahead of Sunday’s presidential election after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slammed the news coverage of the paper’s owner, the Dogan media group. Rights groups have frequently expressed concerns about g
Naypyitaw, AP—US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Myanmar seeking to calm tensions in the South China Sea between China and its smaller neighbors. Amid concerns about recent provocative steps taken by China and others regarding several disputed territories in the sea, Kerry opened talks wit
We now find ourselves in the bottleneck of extremism, terrorism and global threats from violent armed groups—groups that without exception employ chaotic, destructive terrorism that undermines the fabric of states, when in the past they only sought to oppose the ruling regimes in these same st
