Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—Following reports that no Christians remain in Iraq’s second city after the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) gave Mosul’s Christian community a deadline to either leave or face execution, Iraqi Christian refugees have said they were shocked by their Muslim neighbors’ lac
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—It was one step forward and two steps back for Iraq on Thursday as parliament successfully elected a new president, but appeared no closer to choosing a prime minister or forming a new government. Lawmakers elected veteran Kurdish politician Fuad Masoum as Iraq’s new preside
Kiev, Reuters—Ukraine’s parliament said on Friday it had yet to receive a resignation letter from Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk so could not vote on whether to accept it, stalling work at the heart of government. Yatseniuk, a key interlocutor of the West during much of the turmoil in the cou
It took the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon two weeks to come out with a call for a ceasefire in Gaza. A diplomatic gesture of the lowest order, the Secretary-General’s meek move reflected the unwillingness, not to say inability, of the international community to address the real causes
Medina, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Governor of Medina province, Prince Faisal Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz, launched on Tuesday the Dar Al-Hijrah project, owned by the Kingdom’s Public Investments Fund and one of a wide range of development projects planned for the area surrounding the Prophet’s Mosque. The 55
Kharkiv, AP—Two military aircraft carrying remains of victims from the Malaysian plane disaster departed for the Netherlands Thursday, while Australian and Dutch diplomats joined to promote a plan for a UN team to secure the crash scene which has been controlled by pro-Russian rebels. All 298 people
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Global financial institutions are consulting Saudi wealth management funds on the acquisition of potentially lucrative stocks listed on the Kingdom’s Tadawul stock exchange, sources have told Asharq Al-Awsat, following the decision on Tuesday to open the exchange to foreign i
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Unprecedented amounts of weapons and ammunition are being smuggled into Egypt from Libya, a senior Egyptian military official said just days after suspected smugglers killed 21 Egyptian military border guards on the Egyptian–Libyan border. The senior Egyptian military of
Algiers, Reuters—Authorities have lost contact with an Air Algerie flight en route from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso to Algiers with 110 passengers on board, Algeria’s APS state news agency and a Spanish airline company said on Thursday. APS said authorities lost contact with flight AH 5017 an
One of the few mentionable merits of Lebanese politics—compared to the situation in neighboring Arab countries—is that everything is open and clear. The Lebanese people have now grown accustomed to believing in conspiracy theories, even when there are no conspiracies. The advances made b
Gaza/Jerusalem, Reuters—Israel won a partial reprieve from the economic pain of its Gaza war on Thursday with the lifting of a US ban on commercial flights to Tel Aviv, as fighting pushed the Palestinian death toll over 700. A truce remained elusive despite intensive mediation bids. Palestinians sai
Oslo, Reuters—Militant Islamists with ties to Syria may be planning an attack in Norway, the head of the Norwegian police intelligence service said on Thursday. “We also have information to suggest that any act of terrorism against Norway may take place shortly, probably within a few days,R
Jerusalem, Reuters—The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had detained several soldiers and a civilian on suspicion of leaking Gaza casualty figures over social media before families of the dead or wounded could be formally informed. A week into ground fighting with Hamas that has killed at least
A host of Israeli newspapers have published calls for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to obliterate Hamas, not just suppress it. Those calling for a full-scale invasion admit the war will cost the Israelis a high price, but say local public opinion is willing to accept those costs. Some se
Washington, Reuters—More than 50 former Israeli soldiers have refused to serve in the nation’s reserve force, citing regret over their part in a military they said plays a central role in oppressing Palestinians, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. “We found that troops who operat
Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Saudi Health Ministry has successfully gained control of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and has reigned in the spread of the coronavirus that causes it, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Wednesday. “The Saudi Health Ministry has succeeded in a re
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—A 2012 government decision to approve two arms export licenses for dual-use chemicals to Syria as “irresponsible,” the UK House of Commons Committees on Arms Export Controls said in a report published Wednesday. Although the materials were not shipped to Syria because an EU a
Beirut,Asharq Al-Awsat—Syrian government forces launched an offensive to recapture the opposition-held district of Jobar, in eastern Damascus, on Tuesday, in an attempt to halt rebel mortar strikes on the capital. The clashes were “the most violent for many months,” according to Rami Abdulrahman, th
Gaza and Jerusalem, Reuters—Israeli forces pounded the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, sending thousands of residents fleeing, and said it was meeting stiff resistance from Hamas Islamists, as US Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Tel Aviv to push ceasefire talks. In a blow to Israel’s econo
Kharkiv, AP—Ukraine prepared a departure ceremony for the bodies of Malaysia Airlines passengers and crew who became victims of fighting raging far below them on the plains of eastern Ukraine. Deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said Wednesday’s ceremony was set for 11:00 am local t
