Amman, AP—Pope Francis arrived Saturday in Jordan, kicking off a three-day trip to the Middle East that will see him get a firsthand look at the plight of Syrian refugees and witness the toll the civil war next door is taking on Jordan. His plane touched down at Amman’s Queen Alia Internationa
Bangkok, Reuters—Thailand’s military rulers detained former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday, a senior officer said, after summoning her for talks a day after the army overthrew her caretaker government in a coup. As the army moved to consolidate its grip on the country, its chief,
Dubai, Asharq Al-Awsat—Like everywhere in the world, the media in the Arab region is struggling to adapt to the emergence of new media. Media in the region also face a number of unique challenges, not least political instability and extremism. But in conversation with Asharq Al-Awsat, MBC Group chai
Not too long ago, Iranian state television aired a documentary on what it said was an “exemplary family” and a “special home.” The family’s home was simple, as one would expect in a rural village in northwestern Iran. The family’s income, like that of most other villagers in the region, came from we
There is a critical difference between a president representing his constituency and a president ruling in the name of his constituency. The former is a healthy system. The only place the president is elected with 100 percent of the vote is a totalitarian regime. In a democratic system, the presiden
In the Lebanese political scene, a president who belongs to a particular political party is not, of course, a “consensus” president. This term, which a well-known part of the Lebanese political vernacular, indicates a president without affiliations to any of the three conflicting political forces in
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—“He is our president . . . We are working all day to encourage everyone to vote for him. Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is one of us,” says 30-year-old Egyptian Amr Hassanain, a resident of Cairo’s El-Gamaleya district, which also happens to be Sisi’s birthp
Baghdad and Erbil, Reuters—Iraq filed for arbitration against Turkey on Friday after European markets bought the first load of oil to be carried by pipeline from Iraqi Kurdistan. The request was filed with the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and also targets Turkish state-owned p
Kiev and Karlovka, Reuters—Armed pro-Russian separatists and a Ukrainian militia group clashed in the east of Ukraine on Friday, leaving at least two dead and heightening tension ahead of a presidential election called to draw a line under six months of bloody upheaval. Kiev’s pro-Western lead
Dubai, Asharq Al-Awsat—From its beginnings in London in the early 1990s, the MBC Group has grown into the preeminent media conglomerate in the Middle East. Now based in Dubai, it is known for its mix of popular Middle Eastern and international programming, as well as news coverage, carried mainly on
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—With Egypt’s presidential elections set to begin on Monday, Salafist Al-Nour Party leader Younes Makhioun announced that his party would be backing popular former defense minister Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, saying he is the candidate who is most capable of dealing with the challeng
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Rival political factions in Lebanon appeared to be preparing themselves for a prolonged “presidential vacuum” as the deadline to choose a successor to outgoing president Michel Suleiman fast approaches with no agreement on a successor in sight. Hezbollah MPs, who have controv
Barring a surprise, Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will be elected as Egypt’s next president. It is clear to everyone that domestic challenges, in particular security and economic challenges, will be the top priority for Egypt’s next president. If that president is Sisi, he will have come to power on the back
Bangkok, Reuters—Thai army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha summoned ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to a meeting on Friday, a day after he seized power in a bloodless coup and said he wanted to restore order following months of turmoil. General Prayuth launched his coup after the rival factions re
Ankara and Istanbul, Reuters—Iraqi Kurdistan started loading oil from its new pipeline for shipment from a Turkish port on Thursday despite a dispute with Baghdad, which claims sole authority over Iraqi oil and declares any independently sold oil as ‘smuggled.’ The cargo of 1 million bar
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—As divisions within Libya over general Khalifa Haftar continue to escalate, the Muslim Brotherhood has strongly condemned statements made by the former army chief in a wide-ranging interview with Asharq Al-Awsat published earlier this week. During the interview, Haftar pledged
Has the faction led by President Bashar Al-Assad already won the three-year long civil war in Syria? The tendency in the Western commentariat is to answer the question with a qualified yes. A similar tune is whistled by some in Tehran and Moscow, Assad’s principal backers in this tragic war. Gen. Qa
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Arab League is ready to carry out its observation mission of the Egyptian presidential election scheduled for May 26 and 27 next week, according to Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, the assistant secretary-general for media and communication whose department is responsible for the m
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Demand for steel in Egypt will remain strong “for the next 10 to 20 years” in spite of a fall in demand after the 2011 revolution, according to Egyptian Steel chairman Ahmed Abou Hashema. Egypt’s steel producers—who rely on imported raw steel billets to produce reinforce
Paris, Asharq Al-Awsat—Syrian National Coalition president Ahmed Al-Jarba has issued increasingly impassioned calls for the West to arm the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) over the past year—and in exclusive comments to Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday, he announced that this could finally happe
