US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he will nominate former Justice Department official Christopher Wray as director of the FBI. He made the announcement via Twitter, saying Wray is “a man of impeccable credentials.” There was no more information in the two-sentence twe
Moscow – US Ambassador to Moscow John Tefft stressed Washington’s insistence on Syrian regime head Bashar al-Assad’s departure, adding that Iran is not contributing to Syria’s settlement process and doubted its role in the de-escalation zone. These statements were made as Moscow is preparing t
Riyadh – Houthi militias have replaced a number of clergy and orators in several mosques with others who are affiliated with them and banned the Taraweeh prayers in most of Sanaa mosques which ruined Ramadan’s spirituality for Yemenis. Thousands of those in Yemen suffering under Houthi and Sal
Countries are no strangers to political rows that happen every now and then. But in Qatar’s case, disputes proved enduring, harmful and inexcusable. For some time, disagreements were seen as fleeting and as short-lived inconveniences—but with over 20 years of not seeing eye to eye, the destructive p
Germany on Wednesday announced that it was withdrawing its troops from Turkey’s Incirlik base as Berlin and Ankara failed to resolve a months-long dispute. The military personnel, Tornado surveillance jets and other hardware — deployed as part of the international coalition against the ISIS te
Riyadh- Discussions may lead to freezing Qatar’s membership in the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League if it continues with its supporting terrorism and harming the interests of the Gulf and Arab countries, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. Sources did not rule out the suspension of Qatar’
ISIS terrorist organization claimed on Monday coordinated gun and suicide attacks on Iran’s parliament and the shrine of Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, which left 12 people dead. Dozens of people were wounded in the attacks, which ended after a standoff lasting several hours as the gunmen holed
British police on Wednesday said a 30-year-old man had been arrested as part of an investigation into the weekend London Bridge terror attack which left eight people dead and 48 injured. Officers arrested him in the early hours of Wednesday in the eastern London suburb of Ilford, near Barking, where
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said on Wednesday that Qatari nationals will not be allowed to board flights to the United Arab Emirates or to pass through airports in the UAE even to change planes. Foreigners living in Qatar with residence visas will no longer be eligible for visas on arrival into t
France unveiled on Wednesday a new counter-terrorism task force a day after a hammer-wielding man attacked police officers near Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The force is comprised of all intelligence services that will coordinate responses to attacks. The performance of France’s intelligence
Beirut – Disagreements between opposition factions and the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) will occupy the central stage of the meetings between the “Geneva delegation” and the committee in Riyadh on Wednesday. The HNC kicked off its meetings on Monday to discuss preparations for the upcoming roun
Aden- Yemenis and international organizations are increasingly concerned about the cholera epidemic spiraling out of control, especially after the increase in numbers of death cases in the country to amount to 676 case since the beginning of the outbreak in April, according to the latest statistics
London – Brand Director for Volkswagen Middle East Andrew Savvas revealed that the company is currently testing in the region a plug-in hybrid version of its Golf GTI. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that consumer demand for electric vehicles will help remove some of the obstacles in the industry. “Electric
The United Arab Emirates has considered expressions of sympathy towards Qatar a crime, saying it will punish offenders with a jail term of up to 15 years, and warning that more punitive measures on the Gulf state remain on the table. “Strict and firm action will be taken against anyone who sho
Brussels – The 11th edition of European Development Days kicks off on Wednesday in Brussels, with a special focus on investing in development. The event is expected to gather around 7,000 participants and will discuss challenges facing the world, as well as various approaches to dealing with s
Paris- Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir on Tuesday said that Qatar needs to take a number of steps to guarantee relinquishing its support for Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood should it wish to reestablish ties with the major Arab powers that had severed their relations with the Gulf country on
Jeddah – Saudi Council for Economic Affairs and Development held a meeting at al-Salam palace in Jeddah during which a number of economic and development issues were discussed. During the meeting, Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources presented a report on the energy sector system in Sa
Beirut – The horse racing track in Beirut saw the launch of a special workshop to prepare the site selected to host Beirut cultural festivals and the Municipality of Beirut on July 5. The preparations include a big screen to display two important shows “A Journey Through time” and “Alwan Beiru
Baghdad – The residents of the regions that were liberated from ISIS are still suffering from complicated social and humanitarian conditions. Among these issues are the cases of the wives and children of the terrorists, a matter that needs a radical solution by the state. Civil activist and head of
London – Qatar said it is open to mediation to resolve the crisis with its neighboring countries over claims it supports terrorist groups. “We are willing to sit and talk,” Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Tuesday in an interview with CNN. He added hi
