The heightened state of alert in the region is epitomized in the brief statement issued by the Saudi Royal Court this week, with King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz ordering “all necessary measures” to protect Saudi Arabia from the threat of terrorism. The extremists have reached the border. Al-
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Syrian interim Prime Minister Ahmad Tu’mah could face a “no confidence” vote after his decision to dismantle the rebel Supreme Military Council was overturned by the Syrian National Coalition leader Ahmed Al-Jarba on Friday. Tu’mah, who heads the Syrian opposition government,
Baghdad, AP—Iraqi helicopter gunships struck suspected insurgent positions in Tikrit on Sunday as part of a government offensive to retake the northern city from Sunni militants led by the Al-Qaeda breakaway group, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), residents and officials said. The Iraqi m
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraqi political blocs are facing sharp divisions over whether to hold or postpone the first session of parliament scheduled to take place on July 1 amid ongoing disagreements over the election of a new government, including the posts of president, prime minister, and speaker
Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz on Sunday issued a call for Islamic unity, criticizing religious extremism and vowing not to let “a handful of terrorists . . . terrify Muslims,” in a statement marking the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Ki
Hong Kong, Reuters—More than 780,000 votes were cast by Sunday, the final day of an unofficial referendum on democratic reforms in Hong Kong, part of a civil campaign that has been branded illegal by local and mainland Chinese authorities. Hong Kong, a freewheeling, capitalist hub of more than 7 mil
São Paulo, Reuters—Brazilians rejoiced on Saturday when their nervy team edged past Chile to book a place in the World Cup quarter-finals in a nail-biting penalty shootout, while in the other last 16 game, James Rodríguez scored a stunning volley as Colombia downed Uruguay. It will be Colombia’
Donetsk, Reuters—Pro-Russian separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine on Saturday released a second group of four monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) who had been seized on May 29, a Reuters witness said. Their release, which followed the freeing of another group
Religious posters have quickly and suddenly appeared in public places across Egypt over the last few days, encouraging Egyptians to recite an invocation known as As-Salatu Ala Al-Nabi, a ritual salutation to the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims are accustomed to making this invocation, literally blessing t
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egypt’s new government has established a ministry dedicated to resolving one of the country’s most pressing problems: the ashwaa’iyya, or slums built haphazardly on former agricultural wasteland. The danger these informal settlements pose has become an increasingly criti
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Fears continue to spread in Lebanon about the presence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) after the Sunni militant group claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on a central Beirut hotel, the third such attack in two weeks. The militant group has expand
Baghdad, AP—Iraqi troops backed by helicopter gunships launched an operation early Saturday aimed at dislodging Sunni militants from the northern city of Tikrit, one of two major urban centers they seized in recent weeks in a dramatic blitz across the country. After watching much of Iraq slip out of
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Shi’ite-led Iraqi National Alliance has put forward two alternative candidates to embattled Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, who is seeking to secure a controversial third term in office. Maliki’s State of Law coalition, which won the greatest number of s
Gauhati, AP—Indian authorities rushed food and drinking water Saturday to thousands of people marooned by monsoon rains and mudslides that left at least 11 dead in the remote northeast. Residents waded through waist- and knee-deep water in several parts of the Assam state capital, Gauhati, whi
Brussels, Reuters—European Union leaders offered political concessions to Britain after outvoting Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday over the nomination of Jean-Claude Juncker as European Commission president, EU and British officials said. The leaders added a paragraph to their final summit sta
Jeddah, AP—Secretary of State John Kerry signaled on Friday that the US hopes to enlist moderate Syrian opposition fighters that the Obama administration has reluctantly decided to arm and train in the battle against militant extremists in neighboring Iraq. Obama sent Congress a 500 million US dolla
London, Reuters—Barclays Plc said it is bringing in outside help to speed up an investigation into alleged misconduct in its “dark pool” operations, which have rekindled concerns that the cost of past problems at its investment bank will rise. More than 2 billion pounds (3.4 billion doll
Paris, Asharq Al-Awsat—As a leading member of Tunisia’s former Troika government, Democratic Forum of Labor and Liberties (Ettakatol) party leader Mustafa Ben Jaafar finds himself in a difficult position as his country prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections later this year. On the one
Karama border crossing, Jordan, Asharq Al-Awsat—The rising Islamist insurgency in Iraq and Syria has sent Jordanian authorities scrambling to boost border defenses in order to contain looming security threats. Earlier this week, Amman took the decision to unilaterally close its borders with Iraq and
Geneva, Reuters—West African nations neighboring those hit by the Ebola epidemic—Mali, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Guinea Bissau—should prepare for the possible arrival of travelers carrying the deadly virus, the World Health Organization said on Friday. “We want other countries in West Africa to
