Geneva, AP—Twenty-five years after making their first bid for membership, the Palestinians can join the Geneva Conventions governing the rules of war and military occupations, the Swiss government said Friday. Israel had opposed the move, arguing that there is no universally recognized Palestinian s
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Two members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood were reported killed on Friday in a shootout with police in the Nile Delta, a day after the Egyptian government said it will speed up the implementation of new penalties for membership in the proscribed group. A statement from the
I listened to part of a discussion between a radio presenter and his audience on the BBC last Sunday night. It dealt with the suggestion by a senior army officer that women in the armed serves should be allowed to serve in front-line units and be given close combat roles. This would mean allowing th
Images of a frail old man insisting he is fit to govern will do little to persuade Algerian voters that Abdelaziz Bouteflika is the president to lead them forward into a democratic future. There have been few pictures of the indefatigable 77-year-old over the past few weeks, but those that do appear
Perth and Shanghai, Reuters—Search and rescue officials in Australia are confident they know the approximate position of the black box recorders from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Friday. At the same time, however, the head of the agency coordi
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Syria’s mountainous Qalamoun region has been a key supply route for the rebels battling to bring down the government of Bashar Al-Assad, allowing them to bring in reinforcements and supplies from Lebanon. The traffic has also allegedly been two-way, with some of the bom
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Credit card use in Saudi Arabia has been on the decline since 2008, according to recent data released by the country’s central bank, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency. The figures show that credit card revenues in the Kingdom, which stood at 9.4 billion Saudi riyals (2.5 bill
AP–Playing in a World Cup group containing Argentina, Nigeria and Bosnia was always going to be difficult, even before Iran’s lack of warm-up games factored into the equation. After qualifying last June, Iran played its first preparation game on March 5 against Guinea. On the same evening, Sou
Though divided as seldom before, the US political elite is united in its assessment of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy as a failure. Obama’s precipitous departure from Iraq, his boast-and-retreat game on Syria, his pathological desire to fudge the issue of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, his surre
Amman, Asharq Al-Awsat—Jordan’s parliament ratified on Wednesday an amended version of the 2014 Press Syndicate Law, which includes articles on disciplinary procedures and redefines the qualifications required to join the journalists’ union. Parliament approved an article which stated th
Athens, AP—Buoyant Greek officials hailed the country’s return to the international debt market after four years as an overwhelming success on Thursday, with investors snapping up the five-year bond in a sale that was eight times oversubscribed. The finance ministry said it had raised 3 billio
United Nations, AP—The U.N. Security Council has unanimously approved a nearly 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping force for Central African Republic, which has been torn by mounting violence between Christians and Muslims. The 10,000 UN troops and 1,800 police will take over from 6,000 African Union sold
It is 11:30 pm on a Tuesday night, and Café Latakia is packed. Rows of men have crammed into the tiny darkened space, eyes fixed on the glowing screen that is the only source of light in the room. It’s a Champions League game—Dortmund against Real Madrid—and most of the people in here are supporting
London and Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egypt welcomed the US State Department’s decision to add the Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis group to a list of terrorist organizations on Wednesday, with a foreign ministry spokesman describing it as a step in the right direction. Spokesman Badr Abdelati told Asharq Al-A
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced on Wednesday that he would be open to extending Palestinian–Israeli negotiations on the condition that Tel Aviv agree to a number of preconditions, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to order ministers t
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—This week Christie’s and Sotheby’s, two of the world’s largest auction houses, are holding major sales of Islamic art during London’s Islamic Art Week. The week started on Tuesday at Christie’s, which hosted a sale of oriental rugs and carpets from the Islamic world. Continui
London, Reuters—Bayern Munich kept alive their Champions League title defence by suppressing a resilient Manchester United to reach the semi-finals on Wednesday, while the power shift continued in Spain as Atletico Madrid edged past La Liga rivals Barcelona. Bayern Munich cruise through A schoolboy
Tunis, Asharq Al-Awsat—The powerhouses of the Arab financial world will be focusing more of their investments on Tunisia to help reinvigorate a number of stalled development projects, according to the governor of the country’s central bank. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the second
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki vowed to defeat militants in Anbar province on Wednesday, despite criticism from tribal leaders that Iraqi security forces were failing to prevent attacks. Faris Ibrahim, a member of the pro-government tribal Anbar Awakening Council, told
Muzaffarnagar, Reuters—Manoj Balyan wants Narendra Modi to become India’s next prime minister when results of a general election are released next month, and not because of the pro-business opposition leader’s record as a credible economic manager. Instead, the property broker and villag
