London and Tehran, Asharq Al-Awsat—Sources from the office of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday that discussions were being held on nominating a new Iranian Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. The decision comes following Washington’s refusal t
Abu Dhabi, Reuters—State-owned Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) expects a surge in shipping traffic towards the end of this year as work on major infrastructure projects in the United Arab Emirates capital gathers pace, the company’s chief executive said. Container traffic at Khalifa Port is exp
Slovyansk, AP—Ukrainian special forces exchanged gunfire with a pro-Russia militia in an eastern city Sunday, killing one security officer and wounding five others, the interior minister said. It was the first reported gunbattle in east Ukraine, where armed pro-Russia men have seized a number of law
Mumbai, Asharq Al-Awsat—As India’s 800-million-plus voters began the six-week process of electing the country’s next government on Monday, one name was on the lips of every journalist, diplomat and political analyst: Narendra Damodardas Modi. A radical with an imperious personal manner, Modi’s right
The 14th anniversary of the death of Tunisian leader Habib Bourguiba earlier this month was, for many Tunisians, an occasion to recall the “Bourguiba experience.” In other words, this was an opportunity to apply a polarity of assessment—from blind glorification to harsh denunciation—on Bourguiba him
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Najdiyah Al-Hejailan is better known as Salwa Ibrahim, but it is her voice that is perhaps best known of all. She is a pioneer: hers was the first female voice to be broadcast on Saudi airwaves. Although Najdiyah only worked in the media for a scant four years in the 1960s, h
Iran’s choice for its next ambassador to the United Nations in New York surprised the administration of US President Barack Obama. The nomination of Hamid Aboutalebi, a high-profile Iranian diplomat and advisor to President Hassan Rouahni, has caused such controversy recently because of his involvem
Donetsk, AP—Men in the uniforms of Ukraine’s now-defunct riot police on Saturday occupied police headquarters in Donetsk, the eastern city that is one of the flashpoints of a wave of pro-Russia protests, hours after armed men seized local police headquarters in Slovyansk, a city about 55 miles
Beirut, AP—Syrian government media and rebel forces said Saturday that poison gas had been used in a central village, injuring scores of people, while blaming each other for the attack. The main Western-backed opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, said the poison gas attack Friday hurt do
Beirut and London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Syrian opposition battalions said they were seeking to embroil the regime in a “war of attrition” in Rif Dimashq, as reports said that American and British authorities were investigating claims of chemical weapons use by the Assad regime in Damascus and its environ
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that Iran would challenge a US decision to not issue a visa to new Permanent Representative to the United Nations Hamid Aboutalebi through UN channels, according to a report carried by Iran’s semi-official Mehr ne
Lahore, Reuters—A Pakistani judge threw out charges of attempted murder against a nine-month-old baby on Saturday, lawyers said, in a case that cast a spotlight on Pakistan’s dysfunctional justice system. Baby Musa Khan appeared in court in the city of Lahore, sitting on his grandfather’
Tripoli, Reuters—Libya’s bid to resume normal oil exports after blockades at eastern ports that have lasted months stumbled on Friday when the oil terminal and refinery at Zawiya in the west were closed by fresh protests. A blockade by local citizens late on Thursday prevented oil workers from
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—A political adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki reiterated his State of Law coalition’s controversial campaign slogan that it will seek a “political majority government” in legislative elections on April 30. In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, Maliki
We were expecting women to have a greater role with the inauguration of each president or chief of government affairs in the Arab Spring countries, whether in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia or elsewhere. Unfortunately, this has failed to happen since the 2011 revolutions. What is happening now is no more tha
Since the January 25, 2011, revolution in Egypt, talk about the role of women in the revolution, as well as their role in defending the economic and social rights of both genders, has proliferated. This explains the tableau of women queuing up to cast their votes in referendums and elections, as wel
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Ironically, Iraqi fiction has been flourishing ever since the US army invaded Baghdad in 2003. Several prominent Mesopotamian writers have emerged in the Arabic fiction arena, penning daring texts that seek to deconstruct the Iraqi identity during this critical phase in the c
Kabul, Asharq Al-Awsat—Shukria Barakzai is perhaps the most well-known of the female MPs in the National Assembly of Afghanistan, largely because she has been a very outspoken advocate for women’s rights and a vocal critic of Taliban influence in the Assembly. She attributes her election to the vote
Simferopol, Reuters—Crimean lawmakers adopted a new constitution on Friday, taking another step to cement the region’s absorption into Russia despite strong objections from the Muslim Tatar minority. Pro-Moscow legislators are eager to complete the Black Sea peninsula’s integration into
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Clashes between government troops and Shi’ite Houthi tribesmen in the northern province of Amran escalated on Thursday, as Sana’a announced the implementation of a three-month security plan to end the armed confrontations in the region and return government contro
