Basra and London, Asharq Al-Awsat—As Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants advance on Baghdad on Friday, Iraq’s Sunnis are participating on both sides of the battle despite almost universal anger towards Shi’ite Prime Minster Nuri Al-Maliki. Factions of Iraqi Sunnis, particularly those in
Salvador, Reuters—Germany, the United States and Algeria sealed last 16 World Cup places on Thursday but much of the spotlight was on the tournament’s bad boys as Uruguay’s Luis Suarez got a nine-match ban for biting and Ghana sent two players home in disgrace. On the final day of group
Washington, AP—With the conflicts in Syria and Iraq becoming increasingly intertwined against the same Sunni extremist group, President Barack Obama moved on Thursday to ratchet up US efforts to strengthen more moderate Syrian rebels. Obama’s request to Congress for 500 million dollars in trai
Brussels, AP—Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed up to a trade and economic pact with the European Union, saying it may be the “most important day” for his country since it became independent from the Soviet Union. The European Union signed similar association agreements with
The current crisis in Iraq is routinely described by international media as a “sectarian” war. The assumption is that Iraq is being torn apart because its various component parts, especially Arab Sunnis and Shi’ites, have somehow decided they can no longer live together. How accurate is that analysi
Bangkok, Reuters—Thailand’s military authorities are setting up a network of panels to closely monitor domestic and international media and crackdown on criticism of what the junta sees as its efforts to right the country, a senior officer said on Thursday. Rights groups and journalists have c
Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz on Thursday ordered “all necessary measures” to be taken to protect Saudi Arabia from terrorist threats after chairing a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the fallout from the security unrest in Iraq. The Saudi Royal Court i
Casablanca, Asharq Al-Awsat—Morocco’s lower house of parliament has approved a new banking law, which for the first time contains articles relating to Islamic banks, paving the way for a fledgling Islamic finance industry in the country after years of false starts. The new law—previously prese
Rio De Janeiro, AP—FIFA banned Uruguay striker Luis Suárez from all football activities for four months on Thursday for biting an opponent at the World Cup, a punishment that rules him out of the rest of the tournament and the start of the upcoming English Premier League season. The ban also covers
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Prominent Iraqi Shi’a parties have given the ruling State of Law coalition until the end of Thursday to drop its nomination of Nuri Al-Maliki for a controversial third term as prime minister or face rival leadership bids from within the Shi’ite-led National Alliance. Two pro
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Lebanon’s vital tourism sector will not be affected by the latest unrest in the country, Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon told Asharq Al-Awsat. A spate of attacks has rocked Lebanon in recent weeks, with the latest a suicide bombing at a Beirut hotel Wednesday evening which th
Abuja, Reuters—At least 21 people were killed when a suspected bomb tore through a crowded shopping district in the Nigerian capital Abuja during rush hour on Wednesday, police said, adding to the toll of hundreds killed in attacks this year. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the
Tokyo, Reuters—Advisers to Japan’s foreign minister urged the government on Thursday to include richer nations among its foreign aid recipients, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pushes for Tokyo to play a bigger role in global security and diplomacy. Japan is the world’s fourth-largest donor
Brasília, Reuters—Argentina’s Lionel Messi continued his World Cup dual with Neymar by scoring twice in a 3–2 win over Nigeria while Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri got in on the act with a magnificent hat-trick in a 3–0 win over Honduras on Wednesday. Nigeria scraped through b
As an observer, it seems clear to me that there is a desire among international powers, specifically in the West, to view Iraq under its current leadership as acceptable, led by a tolerable authority in a desirable regional jigsaw. Such a view may not be readily accepted by some Western analysts, pa
Yes, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has succeeded in instilling fear in us. The continuous scenes of their displays of power in areas they control in Iraq and footage of decapitations, explosions and assassinations, as well as videos of mass executions and photos of them recruiting children and
Paris, Asharq Al-Awsat—Sites in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Palestine are the latest from the Arab world to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, joining others such as Petra in Jordan, the cities of Aleppo and Damascus in Syria, and Islamic Cairo in Egypt on the list of the world’s collective “cul
Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat— With Palestinian–Israeli relations already at a low point following the collapse of US-led peace talks earlier this year, and with a newfound unity between the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority and Hamas still in its fragile early stages, the June 12 abduction of three I
Abu Dhabi, Reuters—Abu Dhabi’s state-owned Etihad Airways said on Wednesday it had agreed principal terms and conditions to buy a 49-percent stake in Alitalia in a last-ditch attempt to save the loss-making Italian carrier. Italy’s flagship airline has made an annual profit only a few ti
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani threatened secession from Iraq unless Kurds are “real partners” in the state. His comments, which came during a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Erbil on Tuesday to discuss the Islamic State of Iraq
