Gaza City, AP—Gaza’s Hamas rulers on Wednesday permitted a veteran West Bank newspaper to be distributed in the coastal territory for the first time in six years, taking a new step toward implementing a reconciliation deal with the rival West Bank government. The return of the independent Al-Q
Maiduguri, Reuters—Suspected Boko Haram gunmen kidnapped eight girls from a village near one of the Islamists’ strongholds in northeastern Nigeria overnight, while the United States made plans on Tuesday to help search for more than 200 schoolgirls seized by the militant group last month. R
Bangkok, Reuters—A Thai court found Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra guilty of violating the constitution on Wednesday and ordered her to step down, throwing the country into further political turmoil, although ministers not implicated in her case can remain in office. The Constitutional Court’s d
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—An Egyptian court on Tuesday banned members of ousted former president Hosni Mubarak’s outlawed National Democratic Party (NDP) from standing for elections. The Cairo Court for Urgent Matters ruled that former NDP members are ineligible to run in any presidential, parliamentar
Are we in the Arab world currently living through the era of the Second Fitna (tribulation), or a new phase of post-Arab Spring democracy? The First Fitna, of course, was the period of major unrest in the early days of Islam over the assassination of the third Caliph, Uthman, with major Islamic figu
Dubai, Reuters—Iraq has granted its three cell phone operators the right to provide third-generation (3G) services, reversing an earlier decision to hold a multimillion dollar auction and ending years of stalemate that has hurt the development of its largest non-oil sector. Iraq is one of the few co
Boko Haram, which means, “Western education is sinful,” is the name of the extremist group with an Al-Qaeda-inspired ideology which over the past few years has been actively involved in bombings, killings and abductions in Nigeria, which has the largest population and biggest economy in Africa. The
Vienna, AP—Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday he is open to another round of international talks on easing the Ukraine crisis, but only if they include pro-Russian rebels in the east and south of Ukraine. But his Ukrainian counterpart said the insurgents have no place at such neg
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egypt’s former army chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi kicked off his presidential campaign on Monday with his first ever TV interview, during which he ruled out reconciliation with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. He stressed that “there will be nothing called the Muslim Brothe
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Ninth Euromoney Saudi Arabia Conference began on Tuesday in the Kingdom’s capital Riyadh, hosting more than 1,200 government and finance figures from across the globe. The two-day conference focuses this year on innovation and competition in the Saudi economy, now the wor
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Washington granted the Syrian National Coalition “foreign mission” status on Monday, an important boost to the Western-backed main opposition umbrella group at a time when its armed wing, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), has suffered a number of setbacks against Assad
Tripoli, Reuters—New Prime Minister Ahmed Maiteeq said he wanted to engage all political forces in forming a “crisis government” in Libya and devolving some powers to regions in the oil-producing state. Maiteeq was sworn in on Sunday after a chaotic vote in parliament that was immediatel
Dubai, Reuters—Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund has bought the stakes in its national airline owned by a former prime minister and other shareholders, making Qatar Airways a fully government-owned entity, the carrier’s chief executive said on Monday. A government source told Reuters that Qa
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Lebanon appeared no closer to choosing a successor to President Michel Suleiman a day before the third round of voting, set to take place on Wednesday. The outgoing Lebanese president presided over his last National Dialogue meeting at the Baabda Presidential Palace on Monday
Berlin, Reuters—Ukraine is close to war, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned in interviews published in four European newspapers on Tuesday. His comments came after dozens of people died in the Ukrainian city of Odessa last week when pro-Russian militants clashed with opponents, a
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Sudanese novelist Amir Tag El-Sir is one of the most respected writers publishing in Arabic today. The author of 16 books—a body of work that include prose, poetry, and biography—Sir trained as a physician in Egypt, publishing his first novel while still in medical school, the
Bangkok, Reuters—Thailand’s Constitutional Court said it will rule in an abuse of power case against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Wednesday, with a guilty verdict likely to force her from office and possibly bring her supporters onto the streets. That could lead to confrontation with
Ahmed Jarba, the alternative Syrian president to Bashar Al-Assad, is visiting Washington in a new attempt to acquire anti-aircraft missiles, the weapons which expelled the Soviets from Afghanistan and whose absence from the Syrian revolutionary–rebel arsenal has prolonged Assad’s survival in D
The tweets came thick and fast on Twitter—expressions of sorrow for the sudden death of the young Egyptian blogger Bassem Sabry in an accident. Many of his friends and followers wrote about the magnitude of the loss of a promising writer and researcher whose writing and commentary often reflec
Azraq, Asharq Al-Awsat—“I’m comfortable now; no one bothers us here and I don’t hear the guns and missiles anymore,” said 11-year-old Abdul-Karim. He spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on his first day at the new Jordanian Azraq camp for Syrian refugees to which he fled with his family. Abdul-Karim explained
