London, Asharq Al-Awsat—İsmail Beşikçi was once a young intern in the predominantly Kurdish city of Elâzığ. After completing his degree at the highly prestigious Faculty of Social Sciences at Ankara University, he continued his research with the local governor. It was only when he went to a Kurdish
Kiev, AP—US Vice President Joe Biden launched a high-profile visit on Monday to demonstrate US commitment to Ukraine and push for urgent implementation of an international agreement aimed at de-escalating tensions even as violence continues. Biden planned to meet Tuesday with government leaders who
Cairo, Reuters—Egypt plans to double the price of natural gas piped into some homes and businesses from next month, but the move will trim its huge fuel subsidy bill only slightly because few premises are connected to the gas network. Energy prices in Egypt are among the lowest in the world, and the
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—United Nations officials renewed their warnings of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in southern Damascus on Sunday, the day after they predicted existing food supplies in the camp would run out after a 12-day interruption in supplie
Egypt is a country with many faces and a country that continually finds itself at the center of attention. One facet of Egypt’s complex culture that has only recently drawn international interest is al-tar—the vendetta. Although blood feuds have long been a defining feature of Upper Egypt, the custo
Cairo, Reuters—The former army general who toppled Egypt’s first freely elected president will face a leftist politician in next month’s presidential election, as they were the only candidates to enter, the committee organizing the vote said on Sunday. The committee had received paperwor
Tunis, Asharq Al-Awsat—Tunisia’s former prime minister and the leader of the Tunisian Call movement, Beji Caid El-Sebsi, warned on Sunday that the country’s forthcoming elections could be delayed due to political and economic problems. Sebsi, speaking at a public rally in the coastal city of Sfax, s
Jindo, AP—South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Monday that the captain and some crew members of the sunken ferry committed “unforgivable, murderous behavior” in the disaster, which left more than 300 people dead or missing. The captain initially told passengers to stay in their room
Istanbul, Reuters—Two anonymous Twitter accounts used to release secretly recorded conversations implicating family and associates of Turkey’s prime minister and senior government officials in a corruption scandal appeared on Sunday to have been blocked. Twitter last week agreed to comply with
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraqi forces claimed to have taken control of the main entrances of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, on Sunday, in preparation for plans to storm the city, following the failure of attempts to find peaceful solutions for the crisis in the province of Anbar. Iraqi security forces b
Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have all classified the Muslim Brotherhood as an illegal terrorist organization. However, even if we classify the group as being outside the law, can we truly implement this decision on the ground? This is a difficult question. A Saudi royal decree issued on March 7 a
Labelling the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group has caused an earthquake whose reverberations have reached Europe, particularly Britain. After targeting Al-Qaeda and like-minded groups, the British government has recently started monitoring the activities of Islamists across the country. From the
Riyadh, Reuters—Saudi Arabia confirmed 20 new cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) on Saturday and Sunday, adding up to 49 infections in six days, a sudden increase of a disease that kills about a third of the people infected and has no cure. MERS, a SARS-like novel coronavirus that emer
Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Central Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) is scheduled to discuss the future of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in a decisive meeting at the start of next week, Asharq Al-Awsat has learned. Sources with knowledge of the agenda of the PLO’s Centra
Kabul, Reuters—Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah has opened a lead in the Afghan presidential race, the latest official tally of votes released on Sunday showed, although half of the votes have yet to be counted. Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission said initial results based
Baghdad, AP—A series of attacks, including a coordinated assault on a private Shi’a college in Baghdad, killed at least 15 people and wounded nearly 50 others in Iraq on Sunday, officials said. Less than two weeks ahead of parliamentary elections, Iraq is struggling to keep a lid on a surge in secta
Washington, DC, Asharq Al-Awsat—A new joint public–private investment company set up by the Saudi government will be its main investment arm for the industrial and manufacturing sectors as the Kingdom looks to diversify its economy, according to Saudi Arabian Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf.
Beirut, Reuters—Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on Sunday visited the ancient Christian town of Maaloula recaptured from rebels last week, state media said, a rare appearance outside central Damascus. Government forces backed by fighters from the Lebanese Shi’a movement Hezbollah retook Maalo
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Drone attacks in Yemen killed and injured dozens on Saturday and Sunday, including both civilians and people described by the authorities as heavily armed insurgents. The latest, on Sunday morning, reportedly struck a column of four vehicles carrying armed insurgents in the A
Slaviansk, Reuters—Gunfire erupted near a makeshift checkpoint manned by pro-Russian separatists near Slaviansk in eastern Ukraine early on Sunday, killing at least two people. Separatists gave a higher casualty figure, saying they had come under attack from Ukrainian nationalist paramilitaries. The
