Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—With fewer than two weeks to go until polling day in Egypt’s presidential elections, Asharq Al-Awsat sat down with candidate Hamdeen Sabahy, the only opposition to frontrunner Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, in Cairo to talk about his vision for Egypt’s future. Sabahy was an active oppo
Soma, Turkey, Reuters—Turkish police detained 19 people, including mining company executives and personnel, as an investigation into last week’s mine disaster got under way and the last of the 301 victims were buried on Sunday. The detentions—the first in the inquiry—came five days
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Yemeni military continued its operations against Al-Qaeda on Saturday, as details began to emerge of the identity of members of the militant group killed in battles with the security forces. A military source in Yemen announced on Sunday that two Saudi nationals belonging
Cairo and Benghazi, Asharq Al-Awsat—Hundreds of residents of Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi fled their homes on Saturday, fearing new clashes could erupt between forces loyal to former army commander Gen. Khalifa Haftar and extremist armed militias in the city, following two days of fighting. This
Cairo, AP—A homemade bomb has exploded at an election rally for Egyptian presidential candidate Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, wounding four people including two policemen, the official news agency reported. Sisi, the front-runner in the May 26-27 vote, was not at the rally in the Cairo district of Ezbet El-
Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—The president of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Massoud Barzani, met with representatives of several Kurdish parties on Saturday in a bid to unify Kurdish ranks two days before Iraq’s general election results are set to be announced. The meeting agreed to form a j
Hanoi, Reuters—Vietnam flooded major cities with police to avert anti-China protests on Sunday, while Beijing evacuated thousands of citizens after a flare-up over disputed sovereignty in the South China Sea sparked rare and deadly rioting in Vietnam last week. China has evacuated more than 3,000 na
Paris, AP—Boko Haram has ample funds, highly sophisticated weaponry and advanced training with some of the world’s most experienced terrorists, the French president said Saturday as he and African leaders grappled with how to combat the Islamic extremist group whose reach extends to five count
Iraq is a devastated country whose people are exhausted. The country was destroyed by its leader, Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, who is ignorant and backwards. He tightened his grip on the country and made a mockery of everything in order to maintain his stranglehold. The people are worn down by the
As in the previous Iraqi elections, Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki was the strongest contender this time around, with a vast distance reportedly opening up between him and his opponents. Sectarian, ethnic and religious divisions have allowed Shi’ites the right to head the government. The prime minist
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egyptian presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahy said he will attempt to rebuild consensus in Egypt if he wins in an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat this week. “Not everyone who supported Mubarak is corrupt, nor are those who supported Mursi terrorists,” he said, adding
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—In recent months, Cairo has launched a strong campaign to restore its diplomatic relations with Western states and international bodies following the July 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi. Asharq Al-Awsat spoke to Egyptian foreign minister Nabil Fahmy as he vis
According to a recent feature published by Egypt’s independent Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, the president’s seat may not be as comfortable as some may think. Perhaps what Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said about the position being “hellish” is a true expression of the risks facing the
Kiev, AP—Lawmakers and officials from eastern Ukraine on Saturday poured criticism on the fledging central government, accusing it of ignoring the grievances of the regions which have been overrun by pro-Russia militia fighting for independence. The criticism came in the second round of European-bro
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemeni authorities pledged to continue to pursue all members of the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) organization in Yemen on Saturday, as Sana’a announced the capture of dozens more militants, including an explosives expert believed to be responsible for numerous dea
Soma, Reuters—A fire broke out on Saturday in part of a mine where nearly 300 miners were killed in Turkey’s worst industrial disaster, hindering efforts to find up to three remaining workers believed to be still underground, the energy minister said. The bodies of 15 miners were retrieved ove
Vienna, AP–An ambitious round of nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers ended Friday with serious setbacks, with a senior Iranian official saying the two sides are at odds on several key issues. Both sides were supposed to start drafting a final agreement that the six hope will constrain Ir
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has announced a series of proposed amendments to the constitution to be considered at a national conference in June, in a move seen as an attempt to appease a growing but still divided opposition movement. The amendments, which were re
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—The first stage of voting in Egypt’s presidential election has witnessed unexpectedly high turnout, according to the Presidential Election Commission. Egyptian expat voters across the world are voting for the next president between May 15 and 18, with a total of 144 embassies
Kabul—The Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan announced the results of the 2014 presidential election on Thursday, saying there will be a runoff vote between the two top candidates, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai. The next round of voting has been scheduled for June 14. Ahmad
