Seoul, Reuters—South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won announced his resignation on Sunday over the government response to the ferry disaster, in which it was first announced that everyone had been rescued, focusing attention on poor regulatory controls. The Sewol ferry sank on a routine trip sou
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—As Lebanon and the United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) struggle to deal with the impact of the more than 1 million Syrian refugees registered in the country, they have come under increasing criticism of lack of support from refugees who hold Lebanese nationa
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Slovakia has agreed to deliver natural gas to Ukraine following talks in Kiev on Saturday, according to a statement published on Slovakian pipeline operator Eustream’s website. The deal, between Eustream, Ukraine’s state gas company Naftogaz and its subsidiary pipeline operat
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Socialist Popular Alliance announced it is backing Hamdeen Sabahy’s presidential bid on Saturday, as the Nasserite candidate found himself embroiled in controversy following the leak of a recording allegedly of him saying he would seek to bring his election rival, Abdel-F
The possibility that the Turkish government will change its position regarding the Muslim Brotherhood in the Arab world has been ruled out, at least for the time being, after the local elections which reasserted the popularity of the leader of the Justice and Development Party, Prime Minister Recep
It has become clear that support for the Muslim Brotherhood gives Turkey a distinct influence, which will be felt both now and in the future. The recent local elections, in which the Justice and Development Party led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan swept to victory, were considered by Turkey’
Slaviansk, Reuters—Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine offered on Saturday to release eight captive international observers in a prisoner exchange, as Western governments prepared new sanctions against Moscow. The pro-Western government in Kiev blamed Russia for what it called the kidnapping
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egypt’s military-backed government must rethink its methods of dealing with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, according to Salafist Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya ideologue Nageh Ibrahim. In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, the senior Egyptian Islamist said: “The Egyptian government’
Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat—Following days of speculation regarding Lakhdar Brahimi’s future as joint UN–Arab League Special Envoy to Syria, his official spokesman, Farhan Al-Haj, denied reports that the senior international mediator is set to resign from his post. “I can deny the news that La
Father Arabius knows his city well. He serves St. Michael’s Orthodox Church in Ebbe, a district of Lebanon’s second city, Tripoli. Ebbe is bordered by two rival neighborhoods where a recurring conflict has violently erupted once again. Since the start of the uprising in Syria, Tripoli has seen frequ
Kabul, Reuters—The leading candidates in the race to become Afghanistan’s next president have started lobbying in anticipation of a run-off with final preliminary election results on Saturday expected to show none of the eight runners winning an absolute majority. Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia is celebrating the ninth anniversary of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud’s ascension to the throne, marking a period of sustained development and achievement. Senior officials from across the Kingdom congratulated King Abdullah on the ninth anniversary of the
Kabul—The Independent Electoral Commission of Afghanistan is set to announce the results of its recent presidential elections today, Saturday, April 26. The high turnout of Afghans to the polls in these elections surprised the world, but now three weeks have gone by without any results. As in previo
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Blue Elephant (2012), best-selling Egyptian writer Ahmed Mourad’s phantasmagoric novel shortlisted for this year’s International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF), delves into the shadowy worlds of magic, sorcery, psychiatry and drug addiction, with a surrealistic style blu
Both the Israeli government and the US State Department have expressed resentment at the recent announcement of reconciliation between Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank, saying such a deal threatens the peace agreement with Israel. First, there is no peace agreement to be concerned about; there is
Moscow and Kiev, Reuters—The United States said on Friday it was prepared to impose further targeted sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine and that European leaders had agreed to coordinate on steps to make Moscow pay. The crisis escalated when armed pro-Russian separatists in the eastern
Tehran, AP—Iran cut a portion of fuel subsidies Friday, nearly doubling some prices at the pump as part of a second round of cuts delayed since 2012. The dramatic measure, which went into effect at midnight, will test public support for moderate President Hassan Rouhani in a nation battered by infla
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Special Adviser to UN Secretary-General on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, briefed the Security Council on Thursday on the latest developments and progress in the political transition process in Yemen. During the closed session, Benomar reportedly informed the UN Security Council
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—It appears increasingly likely that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) chief bomb-maker Ibrahim Al-Asiri was killed in a raid last week. A Yemeni military official, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, said that Asiri was “most likely” killed in an
Beijing, Reuters—China’s foreign ministry said on Friday that it did not believe that the country’s biggest arms maker had violated any international conventions, after a canister bearing its name was shown in footage believed to document a gas attack in Syria. Attacks this month in seve
