Kiev, Reuters—Pro-Russian separatists opened fire on unarmed Ukrainian soldiers on Tuesday as they crossed back into Ukraine from Russia where they had taken shelter from fighting, Kiev defense officials said. Ukraine acknowledged on Monday that 311 soldiers and border guards had been forced b
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Preparations are currently underway for Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to pay a state visit to Moscow in the near future, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat Monday. Sources in Egypt with knowledge of the preparation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the visit w
Gaza/Cairo/Jerusalem, Reuters—Israel pulled its ground forces out of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday and began a 72-hour truce with Hamas mediated by Egypt as a first step towards negotiations on a more enduring end to the month-old war. Minutes before the ceasefire started at 8:00 am (5:00 GMT), Ha
There is an infection that has a positive effect on those who follow a particular hashtag—#direnkahkaha (resist laughter)—on Twitter. At least that is what happened to me. Searching for this hashtag leads to pages full of images of Turkish women, smiling and full of life. The expressions
Freetown/Monrovia, Reuters—Hundreds of troops deployed in Sierra Leone and Liberia on Monday under an emergency plan to fight the worst outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, which has killed more than 826 people across West Africa. Panic among local communities, which have attacked health workers and
Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—Kurdish military commanders and observers have been left stunned by an offensive by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in northern Iraq over the weekend which has seen the group seize control of a number of areas from Kurdish forces. Reports over the weekend said ISIS
Cairo, Reuters—Egypt is looking to borrow at least 1.5 billion US dollars from local and international banks in order to repay debt owed to foreign oil companies operating in the country, Oil Minister Sherif Ismail told Reuters on Sunday. Egypt wants to repay money it owes international firms as par
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Veteran Egyptian politician and former Arab League chief, Amr Moussa, called for a public debate in Egypt on the possibility of using military force against Islamist extremists in Libya on Sunday. Moussa issued a statement over the weekend saying that Egypt’s “right to self-de
Labweh, AP—Thousands of Lebanese civilians and Syrian refugees crammed into cars and pickup trucks on Monday to flee from a border town overrun by militants from neighboring Syria, as more Lebanese soldiers died battling to expel them. The exodus came as an army statement claimed progress in the cam
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—London’s world-famous Trafalgar Square was the site of an event marking the Muslim Eid Al-Fitr festival on Saturday. Thousands flocked to the square between noon and 6 pm to celebrate the end of Ramadan with oriental music and cuisine, amid exceptionally good weather. This ye
Leaders of the Syrian National Coalition have come under attack in recent weeks. The attacks focus on accusations of corruption and the misuse of political funds, as well as the existence of secret groups supposedly forming the Coalition’s policies. The attacks are also aimed at criticizing the poli
Beijing, AP—Rescuers dug through shattered homes on Monday looking for survivors of a strong earthquake in southern China’s Yunnan province as the death toll rose to at least 398 people, with more than 1,800 injured. About 12,000 homes collapsed when the quake struck Sunday afternoon in impove
Gaza and Jerusalem, Reuters—Palestinians accused Israel of breaking its own ceasefire on Monday by launching a bomb attack on a refugee camp in Gaza City that killed an eight-year-old girl and wounded 29 other people. Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra said the strike on a house in Shati
Riyadh, Reuters—Saudi Arabia reported 10 confirmed new cases of a deadly respiratory disease during Islam’s fasting month of Ramadan, and the subsequent Eid Al-Fitr holiday, after fears that an influx of pilgrims over the period might spread the infection more widely. Notices of any new confir
Tunis, Asharq Al-Awsat—The influx of Libyan refugees is putting pressure on Tunisia’s already strained subsidies system, Tunisian officials have warned, as the number of refugees in Tunisia from the neighboring north African country approaches 2 million since 2011, according to government estimates.
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraq’s most senior Shi’ite cleric called on the country’s politicians to form a national unity government on Friday, as fears grew of cracks in the Shi’ite-led National Alliance, the largest parliamentary bloc in the country, over the weekend. The call from Ayatollah Ali Al-
Donetsk, AP—Fighting raged Sunday on the western outskirts of Donetsk as the advancing Ukrainian army tried to seize control of the city, a rebel stronghold. In danger of being encircled, the separatists renewed their calls for Russia to send troops to their aid. To support their operations, the pro
Tripoli, Reuters—More than 20 people died on Saturday in battles between two Libyan armed factions who have been fighting for nearly three weeks for control of the international airport in Tripoli, the government said. Fighting in the Libyan capital had quietened down on Sunday morning, but a huge p
Gaza/Jerusalem, Reuters—An Israeli air strike killed at least 10 people and wounded about 30 others on Sunday in a UN-run school in the southern Gaza Strip, witnesses and medics said, as dozens died in renewed Israeli shelling of the enclave. The Israeli military declined immediate comment on the at
Atlanta, AP—The Ebola virus has killed more than 700 people in Africa and could have catastrophic consequences if allowed to spread, world health officials say. So why would anyone allow infected Americans to come to Atlanta? The answer, experts say, is because Emory University Hospital is one of th
