London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi visited on Wednesday one of the victims of a mass sexual assault that took place in Cairo’s Tahrir Square during Sunday’s celebrations marking his inauguration as the country’s new president. A video posted on YouTube on Sunday claimed
Tripoli, Libya, Reuters—Libya’s government, suffering from dwindling oil revenues, will allow its ministries to begin spending the 50 billion US dollar budget it submitted to parliament at the start of the year, even though lawmakers have not voted on it. The move might force the central bank
Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden must be laughing in their graves at Nuri Al-Maliki, Iraq’s current prime minister, who is well known for his arrogance and his insolence. Mosul and indeed the entirety of Nineveh province fell into ISIS’s hands earlier this week. Before that, vast areas of An
Moscow, AP—Russia offered Wednesday to restore the discounted gas prices it granted Ukraine under the ousted pro-Russian president, but Ukraine demanded an even better deal and called for arbitration to settle the dispute. Speaking in Moscow, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Russia was o
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Insurgents captured parts of the Iraqi city of Tikrit on Wednesday, only a day after members of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) seized the city of Mosul amid scenes of chaos among Iraqi military units. Tikrit, the capital of the Salaheddin governorate and located l
Following the dramatic fall of Mosul yesterday, Islamic State of Iraq and the Syria (ISIS) extremists advanced overnight into the oil refinery town of Baiji, setting the courthouse and police station on fire. Baiji contains Iraq’s biggest refinery, with a refining capacity of 310,000 barrels per day
Syria is now in a state of war—anything is possible. The Mediterranean country has turned into a hotspot drawing in sectarian actors from every direction in full view of the world, but with no clear interest on the part of the international community in ending the conflict. What is certain is
Toulouse, Reuters—Airbus lost a major order on Wednesday when Dubai’s Emirates airline cancelled its entire requirement for 70 A350 jets, dealing an unexpected blow to the European aircraft manufacturer and engine maker Rolls-Royce. Shares in Airbus fell more than 3 percent on the loss of some
Beirut, AP—A rebel coalition in Syria dominated by Islamic factions announced a new push to dislodge fighters from a rival, Al-Qaeda-inspired group from the northern province of Aleppo, activists said Wednesday. The announcement, reported by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), c
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—As a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and then an investigative reporter for the New Yorker, veteran journalist Jane Mayer has many stories to tell. And it is stories she cares most about: Whether covering events such the Gulf War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the war on
Anseong, South Korea, Reuters—Thousands of South Korean police and prosecutors raided a sprawling religious compound for a second time on Wednesday in their search for an elderly businessman linked to a ferry disaster that reduced the nation to tears. Helicopters flew overhead as officers moved from
Geneva and Paris, Reuters—Iran questioned whether a July deadline for a nuclear deal with world powers will be met, fueling doubts on the outcome as France spoke out to say talks on curbing Tehran’s uranium enrichment had “hit a wall.” Iran’s talks with six major powers on cu
Amman, Asharq Al-Awsat—Jordan’s minister of religious endowments and Islamic affairs has called for a comprehensive Arab and Islamic plan to “protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem from Israeli violations.” Speaking exclusively to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dr. Hayil Abdelhafeez Dawoud said Israeli violation
History can occasionally be colored by a simple quirk of fate. One such example is the Egyptian people choosing to elect President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi—a man who was born and raised in the El-Gamaleya neighborhood of Fatimid Cairo. This ancient neighborhood inspired many of the characters that
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Jordan’s King Abdullah II opens the first phase of Amman’s new downtown Abdali district on Wednesday—a 423-million-US-dollar pedestrian walkway known as “The Boulevard,” covering a 31,740-square-yard (26,539-square-meter) area running through the district and flanked by
Harpsund, Reuters—German Chancellor Angela Merkel reaffirmed her support on Tuesday for Jean-Claude Juncker becoming the next president of the European Commission after meeting EU leaders critical of the Luxembourger. Merkel made her statement after talks in Sweden hosted by Prime Minister Fredrik R
Nicosia, Asharq Al-Awsat—From his office in the Cyprus capital of Nicosia, Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides gives his take on the Arab Spring and the current situation in the Arab world. He looks at the Middle East and the Arab World from a European perspective—Cyprus joined the EU in 2004
Baghdad, AP—Islamic militants overran parts of Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, on Tuesday, driving security forces from their posts and seizing the provincial government headquarters, security bases and other key buildings. Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki has responded by asking parliament to
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—A Palestinian–Arab ministerial delegation is set to visit Washington later this month to discuss the stalled Arab–Israeli peace process with US Secretary of State John Kerry following the establishment of the Hamas–Fatah Palestinian Unity Government. The anno
In 1968, while studying at the Mons Officer Cadet School in the United Kingdom, I needed to visit a hospital. There I met a doctor who, to my surprise, spoke fluent Arabic. I learned that he was new to the UK, so I asked if he intended to stay long or return home. He replied […]
