London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Sudan’s armed opposition have called on the international community to establish a no-fly zone over South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur to protect civilians. This comes after the Sudanese air force allegedly bombed a Doctors Without Borders hospital in South Kordofan earlier
Sao Paulo, Reuters—Another European soccer heavyweight fell to Latin American opposition on Friday as Costa Rica shocked Italy 1–0, putting the four-times champions’ qualification in doubt, but France thumped Switzerland 5𔃀 in an imperious World Cup display. After yet another u
Shanghai, Reuters—Chinese police shot dead 13 attackers in the restive far-western region of Xinjiang on Saturday after they rammed a car into a police station and detonated explosives, Xinhua news agency said, in the latest of a series of attacks to worry Beijing. China has been toughening its resp
Kiev, AP—Ukrainian troops will start a unilateral, seven-day cease-fire later Friday as a first step in efforts to de-escalate the conflict with pro-Russia separatists in the country’s east, the president said. President Petro Poroshenko made the announcement while speaking with residents in t
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egypt’s new Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Hossam Maghazi has said he expects a breakthrough in the crisis between Cairo and Addis Ababa over Ethiopia’s construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam once newly-elected President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi becomes personally invo
Beirut, AP—For the first time since the World War II era, the number of people forced from their homes worldwide has surged past 50 million, the United Nations refugee agency said Friday. Syrians fleeing the bloodletting at home and a fast-growing web of other crises across the world accounted
To what can we attribute this general state of shock regarding the mounting tensions between Sunnis and Shi’ites in Syria and Iraq following the advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters in the region? It is completely natural that such tensions exist, and that they are further
Dammam, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Saudi theater elite, critics, directors and Arab and Gulf scriptwriters have gathered in the Saudi Arabian city of Dammam on the Gulf coast, in a bid to pump new blood into Saudi Arabia’s stumbling theater movement. The 10th Dammam Theater Festival, which began on Friday,
Baghdad, Reuters—Iraqi forces were massing north of Baghdad on Friday, aiming to strike back at Sunni Islamists whose drive toward the capital prompted the United States to send military advisers to stiffen government resistance. President Barack Obama offered up to 300 Americans to help coordinate
Ramallah, AP—Israeli soldiers killed a 13-year-old Palestinian in clashes during West Bank raids Friday, hospital officials said, as a search for three Israeli teens feared abducted in the territory entered its second week. Three other Palestinians were seriously wounded by army gunfire during
Brazil, AP—Before the World Cup, Uruguay was worried about Luis Suarez’s knee and Colombia was fretting over injured Radamel Falcao. Considering the wild celebrations Thursday, neither should have. Less than a month after surgery, the incomparable Suarez came back Thursday to score two vital W
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Turkey’s intake of visitors from the Gulf region is on the up, the country’s tourism authority said on Tuesday, with the world’s sixth-most popular tourism destination reporting a healthy year-on-year rise in tourists from Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. Turkey’s Cultural and Tour
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—As the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) continues its lightning advance in Iraq and consolidates its strongholds in Syria, sparking fears of sectarian war across the region, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil spoke with Asharq Al-Awsat about his take on the situati
Dakar, Asharq Al-Awsat—Senegalese President Macky Sall has warned that Africa is facing a mounting terrorism crisis, particularly citing the threat of militant group Boko Haram, saying that the continent is in the “heart of the storm.” Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat from the Senegalese capital Dakar, S
Fans of classical Western movies know that whenever the “good guys” are about to be massacred by “the baddies,” the US cavalry appears at the eleventh hour to save the day. Since the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War, a real-life version of that cinematic metaphor has be
Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraq’s Kurds took steps to bolster the security of their autonomous region in the north of the country on Wednesday, following the dramatic collapse of Baghdad’s authority across much of Iraq. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) called on Wednesday for former and retired m
Madrid, Reuters—Spain’s new king, Felipe VI, was sworn in on Thursday in a low-key ceremony which monarchists hope will usher in a new era of popularity for the troubled royal household. Felipe became king after his father, Juan Carlos, abdicated earlier this month following a series of scanda
Belo Horizonte, Reuters—Holders Spain crashed humiliatingly out of the World Cup on Wednesday after a second shock defeat while 2010 runners-up the Netherlands continued their perfect start with another high-scoring win. Thrashed 5–1 by the Dutch in their opening game, Spain’s normally c
Kabul, AP—Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah demanded Wednesday that Afghan electoral authorities stop counting ballots from a weekend runoff vote, citing new allegations of widespread fraud. The election commission refused and appealed to all sides to await final results. The discord set the
Beirut, Reuters—Lebanon is considering increasing an 800-million-US-dollar economic stimulus package allocated for this year because most of the funds have already been used up, the central bank governor said on Wednesday. The war in neighboring Syria, a huge influx of refugees and a domestic politi
