London, Reuters—British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday pushed through his biggest government shake-up since coming to power in 2010, promoting women and Eurosceptics to senior roles ahead of a national election in May next year. In one surprise development, William Hague, Britain’s mo
Gardez, Reuters—A car packed with explosives detonated on Tuesday as it was passing by a crowded market in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Paktika, killing at least 30 people and wounding 40, police said. “Right now, police are taking all the wounded to hospitals,” a local
Farnborough, Reuters—Airbus said the snags holding up delivery of the new A380 superjumbos ordered by Qatar Airways would be resolved by the end of the year, after the chief executive of the Middle Eastern airline criticized the European plane-maker. Akbar Al-Baker, the chief executive of Qatar Airw
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Sudanese opposition criticized a UN–African Union report on the situation in Darfur and called on the Security Council to review the world body’s mission to the region on Sunday. The spokesman for the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Jibril Bilal, said the lates
Izzat Al-Douri was a figure of little consequence when he was the deputy of Iraq’s late President Saddam Hussein, and he has been of little significance since the Ba’ath Party collapsed and his president and other commanders were executed. What brought Douri back to the forefront is the recent audio
Kiev, Reuters—Ukraine on Monday accused Russian army officers of fighting alongside separatists in the east of the country and said Moscow was once more building up its troops on the joint border. A missile that downed a Ukrainian transport plane near the border was probably fired from Russia, Ukrai
São Paulo, Reuters—Brazil have sacked manager Luiz Felipe Scolari just hours after the end of a home World Cup in which they suffered two of their worst defeats in the tournament’s history, one of Brazil’s leading newspapers reported on Monday. Scolari’s Brazil were favourites to w
Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat—As the Israeli military continued its latest offensive against Gaza for the seventh day on Monday, the territory’s hospitals are struggling to cope with the influx of dead and wounded and are desperately seeking new supplies of vital drugs and equipment. Dr. Sobhi Skaik, he
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraqi forces repelled an attempt by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to capture a town on the road to Baghdad on Sunday, as a senior former Ba’athist admitted for the first time that he had allied with the organization. Sources said that insurgents attacked the Al-
Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is fortifying the area under its control and establishing a coordination center for US military advisors in an effort to bolster the autonomous region’s defenses, Asharq Al-Awsat has learned. The autonomous region’s militia forces, kn
Gaza and Jerusalem, Reuters—Israel said it shot down a drone from Gaza a week into its offensive on Monday, the first reported deployment of an unmanned aircraft by Palestinian militants whose rocket attacks have been regularly intercepted. Hamas, the Islamist group which runs Gaza, said its armed w
Giglio, Reuters—Technicians on Monday began a complex operation to refloat and tow away the wreck of the Costa Concordia, two and a half years after the luxury liner capsized off the Italian coast, killing 32 people. The rusty hulk of the once-gleaming white 317-yard (290-meter) ship, which ran agro
Rio De Janeiro, Reuters—Germany are champions of the world again after snatching victory against Argentina in the soccer showpiece with a superb extra-time goal from baby-faced Mario Götze to lift the trophy for the first time since 1990. Hatched from the agony of their recent near-misses, Germany&#
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—One month after the fall of Iraq’s second-largest city to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its allies, inhabitants of Mosul say the militants have a limited presence in the city and may be preparing to pull out of the area. Civil rights activist Ghanim Al-Abed,
Putting aside the precise details of what is happening in the region—including the absurd establishment of an “Islamic State” by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)—it is clear that we are now facing a new stage in the “War on Terror.” Whoever wins this war, will win the region. W
The scene repeats itself. The story is the same but the scenario changes. Hamas provokes Israel; the latter responds to the blow with a thousand of its own. Israel doesn’t find those it is searching for, so it takes out its anger on the innocent Palestinian people. It murders hundreds, injures thous
Tripoli, Reuters—Heavy fighting broke out between rival militias vying for control of Libya’s main airport on Sunday, killing at least three people and forcing a halt of all flights in the worst fighting in the capital for six months. Explosions and anti-aircraft gunfire were heard from early
Donetsk and Moscow, Reuters—Russia threatened Ukraine on Sunday with “irreversible consequences” after a man was killed by a shell fired across the border from Ukraine, an incident Moscow described in warlike terms as aggression that must be met with a response. Although both sides have
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Syrian rebels have intensified their attacks on Hezbollah fighters in the strategically important Qalamoun border region between Syria and Lebanon, adopting “hit and run” tactics against the Lebanese Shi’a militia. “The rebels are focusing on targeting checkpoints manne
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Former senior Iraqi military officers and members of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s now-outlawed Ba’ath Party are among Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) Emir Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi’s top aides, a member of the party told Asharq Al-Awsat. An Iraqi insurgent,
