Cairo, Reuters—Egypt’s electricity prices began to rise this month under a plan to eliminate power subsidies within five years, the electricity minister said on Thursday, as the government seeks to cut a gaping deficit and reduce its reliance on Gulf states’ aid. The plan will see electr
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Preparations are underway across Lebanon to receive Arab tourists, who are expected to flock the country this summer despite fears about the security situation. From the capital, Beirut, all the way down to the mountains and the coastal areas, restaurateurs, hoteliers and tou
London, Reuters—British Prime Minister David Cameron’s former media chief Andy Coulson was jailed for 18 months on Friday for being complicit in widespread phone-hacking by journalists to obtain scoops at the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid he edited. Coulson, editor of the now defunct News of th
In politics, what is worse than making a mistake? According to the 18th-century French statesman, Charles Maurice Talleyrand, the answer is: doing something unnecessary. And yet this is what Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has decided to do in Turkey, by tinkering with the constitution to secure himself the ti
Accra, Reuters—West African countries and international health organizations adopted a fresh strategy on Thursday to fight the world’s deadliest Ebola epidemic, which has killed hundreds of people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. At a two-day meeting in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, officia
Baghdad, AP—Sunni militants Thursday released 32 Turkish truck drivers who were captured during a lightning offensive across northern and western Iraq last month, Turkey’s foreign minister said. Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said the truckers were heading to
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Syrian National Coalition is considering extending President Ahmed Al-Jarba’s term, according to opposition sources who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat. The change would see the Coalition president’s term changed from a fixed six-month period to one-year renewable mandates throu
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Eleven Free Syrian Army (FSA) brigades have threatened to lay down their arms and withdraw from the fight against the advancing Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) unless they are provided with vital military supplies. FSA brigades fighting in the Aleppo suburbs, the strat
The declaration by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) of the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in Iraq should not go unremarked. Such a development should not be considered in terms of the presence, or lack thereof, of the elements necessary for the establishment of such a caliphate, or
Washington, AP—Intelligence officials are concerned about a new Al-Qaeda effort to create a bomb that would go undetected through airport security, a counterterrorism official said, prompting the US to call for tighter security measures at some foreign airports. The counterterrorism official, who wo
Washington, Reuters—An official at the US Securities and Exchange Commission broke ranks with other commissioners and voted against granting BNP Paribas a waiver to continue operating several investment advisory units in the United States. Kara Stein, a Democratic SEC commissioner who has recently d
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egyptian authorities have escalated their crackdown against the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood after three explosions struck near the Ittihadiya presidential palace in Cairo earlier this week. Two policemen were killed in the attack on Monday and a number of leaders of the pro-Mu
Kabul, Reuters—Preliminary results from Afghanistan’s presidential election, due to be announced on Wednesday, have been delayed, the head of the election commission said, amid accusations of fraud that threaten to split the fragile country along ethnic lines. Votes from around 2,000 polling s
Tunis, Asharq Al-Awsat—As Tunisian political parties gear up for parliamentary elections scheduled for October 26, and presidential elections one month later, Asharq Al-Awsat talks to former Tunisian prime minister and senior Islamist Ennahda Movement leader Ali Laarayedh about the political situati
Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat—The body of a Palestinian youth was discovered in a Jerusalem forest on Wednesday amid fears that the missing Palestinian teen had been killed as part of reprisals following the deaths of three abducted Israeli teens. Naftali Frenkel, 16, Gilad Shaar, 16, and Eyal Yifrach,
Dubai, Reuters—Major Dubai construction company Arabtec retains the support of major shareholder Aabar Investments and has not cancelled any projects as a result of recent management changes and a restructuring of the firm, its chairman said on Wednesday. Khadem Abdulla Al-Qubaisi was holding the co
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—The chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Research & Marketing Group (SRMG), Sheikh Abdullah Salem Bahamdan, has issued a decree appointing Salman Al-Dossary as the new editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. Al-Dossary’s appointment takes effect as of Jul
Brasília, Reuters—Argentina scored in the 118th minute to beat Switzerland and Belgium clung on to defeat the United States in another heart-stopping period of extra time to reach the World Cup quarter-finals amid more extraordinary drama on Tuesday. Ángel di María struck deep into the extra period
Kiev, Reuters—Ukrainian forces struck at pro-Russian separatist bases in eastern regions with air and artillery strikes on Tuesday after President Petro Poroshenko announced he would not renew a ceasefire but go on the offensive to rid Ukraine of “parasites.” His decision quickly drew fi
The January 25 protests that reached their climax on February 11, 2011, were surprising in terms of their size and political consequences, resulting in the toppling of the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak. The same applies to the protests that erupted on June 30, 2013, despite the signs of r
