Many questions have been raised by the recent spate of Al-Qaeda attacks on Saudi Arabia, not least the attack on the Wadia Border Post with Yemen in the southern province of Sharura, and the subsequent attack on the provincial security headquarters. Why now? And furthermore, how is it that all of th
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi authorities are investigating reports that three shells fired from Iraq on Monday struck near a residential complex in Arar in the Northern Borders Province close to the Iraqi border. Nobody was injured in the attack, which represents the second time in the past year th
Abu Dhabi, Reuters—Abu Dhabi’s state-owned Etihad Airways, which plans to buy a 49 percent stake in Alitalia, reported on Tuesday a 28 percent jump in first-half revenues, helped by growth in passenger and cargo volumes. The carrier earned revenues of 3.2 billion US dollars in the six months e
Tokyo, Reuters—One man died, more than 500,000 people were urged to evacuate and hundreds of flights were cancelled in Japan as a strong typhoon brought torrential rain and high winds to its southwestern islands and could bring heavy rain to Tokyo later this week. Typhoon Neoguri weakened from its o
Manama, Asharq Al-Awsat—A senior US diplomat has been ordered to leave Bahrain after meeting with a leading Shi’a opposition group, the Bahraini government said on Monday. US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tom Malinowski met Sunday with senior members of the Al-We
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraqi politicians on Tuesday appeared to move closer to forming a new government despite embattled Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki refusing to give up his controversial bid for a third term in office. Kurdish political parties have narrowed down their candidates to replace out
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—The recent advances of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are causing mixed reactions in Lebanon, amid growing fears that the spillover from the conflict in neighboring Syria could be worsened by the crisis in Iraq. On Monday, military prosecutors in Beirut charged 28
Jerusalem, AP—The Israeli military launched what could be a long-term offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Tuesday striking at least 50 sites in Gaza and mobilizing troops for a possible ground invasion aimed at stopping a barrage of rocket attacks against Israel. The military said “
Kabul, Reuters—Thousands of supporters of Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah rallied in central Kabul on Tuesday in a gesture of defiance after his rival, Ashraf Ghani, was declared the winner of last month’s run-off vote. Preliminary results showed that Ghani, a former Worl
Before she disappeared in December, Syrian human rights activist Razan Zaitouneh was being interviewed by an American TV journalist who asked her if she was worried about her safety, as the fighting encroached on the area where she was. She said: “Personally I’m not afraid about myself anymore
The emergence of the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has rekindled fears that a new figure has emerged capable of uniting Al-Qaeda’s different branches under a single commander. The emergence of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi has ended a dry spell for Al-Qaeda that has lasted for three ye
Kabul, Reuters—Afghanistan declared former World Bank official Ashraf Ghani the winner of last month’s presidential election run-off on Monday on preliminary results that threaten to split the country along ethnic lines. The Independent Election Commission (IEC) said Ghani won the June 14 seco
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egypt’s fractious political parties remain in a state of disarray ahead of parliamentary elections, according to political sources, despite a looming deadline on the announcement of the new polls. One source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “Most political alliances
Gaza, Reuters—Israeli air strikes killed six Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip on Monday, the Islamist group said, in the deadliest attacks in a surge of violence exacerbated by the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli youths and a Palestinian teenager. Palestinian militants kept up their now-dai
Cairo, Reuters—Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said he wished the imprisoned Al Jazeera journalists, convicted of aiding “a terrorist group”, had been deported and not put on trial, a newspaper reported on Monday. Sisi’s comments sparked hope for the family of Australian re
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Syrian National Coalition is pressing ahead with attempts to choose new leaders on Monday, despite calls from some members for a delay of one month. The Coalition, the most prominent umbrella group of Syrian opposition movements, is in the middle of a three-day meeting in
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Members of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition are continuing to resist pressure to nominate another figure for prime minister, according to sources within the movement. The pressure comes amid continuing infighting within the National Alliance, the
Vienna, Associated Press—Talks over Iran’s nuclear program are making little headway, with Tehran resisting US-led efforts to crimp activities that could be turned toward making weapons, diplomats said Monday. As negotiations move closer to a July 20 target date for a deal, both sides are tryi
Kiev, Bloomberg—Ukraine’s army turned the tide against pro-Russian insurgents with its biggest victories of a three-month campaign, sending the rebels fleeing to the eastern strongholds where they have vowed to make a stand. After recapturing Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, government forces secured
Tunis, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Tunisian government has cut the state budget for the current financial year through a supplementary bill expected to be ratified in the coming weeks by the Tunisian Constituent Assembly. In legislation announced at the end of last week, Tunisia’s state budget for 2013/2014
