Donetsk, AP—Authorities in Ukraine on Sunday said government forces reclaimed a television tower during a security operation to quell pro-Russian rebel activity in the eastern town of Kramatorsk. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said in a statement on his Facebook page that a new assault to reclaim co
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemeni officials announced the death of a senior foreign Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leader on Saturday, the second non-Yemeni AQAP leader to be killed in the last three days. Senior AQAP commander Abu Islam Al-Shaishani, a Chechnian national, was killed in Abyan
Tunis, Asharq Al-Awsat—Former Tunisian prime minister Hamadi Jebali told Asharq Al-Awsat that, should he run in presidential elections set to be held by the end of the year, it will be as an independent candidate without the backing of his Ennahda party. The former Ennahda party Secretary-General ma
Hashemi Rafsanjani is the most prominent veteran politician in Iran. But his experience has not made him so influential he can’t be touched: he was humiliated and harassed during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency, when both his daughter and eldest son were imprisoned. Still, Rafsanjani remains
Odessa and Slaviansk, Reuters—At least 42 people were killed in street battles between supporters and opponents of Russia in southern Ukraine that ended with dozens of pro-Russian protesters incinerated in a burning building, bringing the country closer to war. Pro-Russian rebels in the east freed s
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—As the Independent Higher Electoral Commission (IHEC) continues the difficult task of counting Iraqis’ votes, the post-election political scene remained fractured as parties began the potentially lengthy process of forming a coalition that will then form a government.
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Journalists and world leaders marked World Press Freedom day on Saturday, two days after US think-tank Freedom House released a report showing press freedom worldwide had fallen to its lowest level in ten years. The report indicated a marked decline in Turkey’s press freedom
Kabul, Reuters—Afghan officials gave up hope on Saturday of finding any survivors from a landslide in the remote northeast, putting the death toll at more than 2,100, as the aid effort focused on the more than 4,000 people displaced. Officials expressed concern the unstable hillside above the site o
At 5 pm on a humid Friday afternoon, the Bab Al-Salam border gate is heaving. Dozens of civilians, most of them women and children, queue up to cross over the border into Turkey, desperate to make it before the crossing closes for the day. They crowd up to the window of the border office, jostling [
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egypt is bracing for more violence on Saturday, as the official start of presidential election campaigning gets underway. Popular former defense minister Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is set to compete with Nasserist presidential hopeful Hamdeen Sabahy at the May 26–27 elections
Most Palestinians received news of the end of the division between Hamas and Fatah with tepid approval and, in the best of cases, with extremely cautious optimism. This latest end to the division between Hamas and Fatah comes following years of discussions under the auspices of several Arab states a
The recent Gaza agreement on Palestinian reconciliation has raised many questions about each of its seven clauses, rather than bringing closure to Palestinians’ feelings of anxiety and frustration following persistent internal division. These questions come amid doubts of any tangible results arisin
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen expanded its offensive against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) forces in the south of the country on Friday, announcing the death of a number of militants. Yemen’s Interior Ministry announced that government forces had killed at least five AQAP militants
United Nations, AP—The UN Security Council on Friday for the 13th time failed to take action on the growing crisis in Ukraine, with Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin demanding a “swift halt of all violence” and Western powers scoffing at his country’s indignation. Council members a
Guwahati, Reuters—Suspected tribal rebels have shot dead 11 Muslims in attacks in India’s northeasterly tea-growing state of Assam, where tension has run high during a drawn-out general election, officials said on Friday. Police said they suspected militants from the Bodo tribe were behind the
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—A ceasefire has been agreed between Syrian opposition fighters and troops loyal to the government of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad in the central city of Homs, local media reported on Friday. The Assad regime has been besieging opposition fighters holed up in Homs after ad
Juba, AP—South Sudan’s president agreed Friday to meet with his rival as soon as next week to jumpstart peace talks that have been stalled for months, US Secretary of State John Kerry said, potentially laying the groundwork for a new government to bring the world’s newest nation out of b
Slovyansk, AP—Ukraine launched what appeared to be its first major assault against pro-Russian forces who have seized government buildings in the country’s east, with fighting breaking out in the early hours on Friday around a city that has become the focus of the insurgency. Three deaths were
Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat—As Saudi Arabia reported 26 new Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) cases on Thursday, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) acknowledged the rise in infections but denied that it has become a full-blown epidemic. Of the new cases, seven were reported in Jeddah, four in Mecc
From the leaks of the “advice” given by US Secretary of State John Kerry to Israeli leaders during a closed-door meeting, it has become clear that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas can do nothing to change Benjamin Netanyahu’s positions. This is because the Israeli prime minister is acting on the
