Gaza- The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, is expected to meet with Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar to discuss the Israelis detained by the movement, well-informed Palestinian sources told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. The sources added that the file of mi
Nairobi- Kenya’s election commission on Monday set October 17 as the date for a new vote ordered by the Supreme Court when it canceled the results of an August poll won by President Uhuru Kenyatta. Kenyatta won the August 8 vote by 1.4 million votes. The court on Friday said the election commission
Beirut – Lebanese Minister of Agriculture Ghazi Zoaiter announced on Monday that he will soon travel to Damascus to meet with his Syrian counterpart to follow up on talks they held weeks ago when he had controversially traveled to the neighboring country. He said while receiving popular delegations
Houston – About 6.1 percent of US oil production in the Gulf of Mexico is still suspended driven by the tropical storm Harvey, the Federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said on Sunday. Production recovered last week after Harvey struck the Gulf, causing a suspension of over 25
Jeddah – Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz expressed on Monday his satisfaction with the success of this year’s annual Hajj pilgrimage. His stance came in reply to a cable he received from Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud, congratulating the monarch on the succes
Luxor, London – A bust of Giovanni Battista Belzoni will be unveiled in Egypt’s Abu Simbel as part of the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the historical city by the Italian explorer. Paolo Sabbatini, director of the Italian Cultural Center in Cairo, said the statue, which was designed in
Tokyo, London- Princess Mako, the eldest granddaughter of Japanese Emperor Akihito, will wed a former classmate, the Imperial Household said on Sunday, confirming a marriage that will further deplete the royal family since she must become a commoner. The announcement was aired by public broadcaster
Houston – Texas Governor Greg Abbott estimated damage caused by Hurricane Harvey at $150 billion to $180 billion, 20 times more than the $7.85 billion initially requested by President Donald Trump last week from Congress. In an interview with Fox News, Abbott said: “The geographical area and p
Russia’s Minister of Transport Maksim Sokolov announced on Monday that Russian experts have given a positive assessment of one of the buildings at Cairo International Airport, reported the TASS news agency. “After examining the security situation at Terminal Building 2 at Cairo International A
Erbil- As the date of the general referendum on independence in the Kurdistan region of Iraq approaches, Kurdish political and popular circles intensify their steps to guarantee its success. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, a member of the Supreme Council for the Referendum said that delegations repre
Beirut, London- The convoy of ISIS militants, which left the Qalamoun Mountains – located on the border with eastern Lebanon– still moves under the brokered agreement with the Syrian regime and Hezbollah to escape into the Syrian desert. The US-led coalition said on Sunday that the convoy had
London- Iran has tested its home-grown air defense system – designed to match the Russian S-300 – which is set to be operational by March, the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ air defense has said as state TV aired footage from a “secret” drone base in an undisclosed d
Gaza – The number of students attending the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip schools declined as the new academic year started due to difficult economic conditions suffered by their guardians. The problems of the education system in the Gaza Strip have been exacerbated by the continued division between
Aden- Saudi-led Arab Coalition air forces, backing the official government in Yemen, pounded a military target in Hajjah governorate, said well-informed sources within the coalition. More importantly, the target destroyed was a telecommunications base used by Houthi militiamen, and was taken out two
Mecca – The Saudi Minister of Health announced on Sunday that no contagious diseases were reported during this year’s annual Hajj pilgrimage, saying that all the pilgrims were in good health. Dr. Toufik al-Rabiha said during a press conference from Mina that his ministry had dedicated all of its hum
Aden- Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Ben Dagher said on Monday that his country would not allow Iran to have a foothold or spread its culture and destructive projects in Yemen and the entire Arab region. “Our Yemeni people will stand with the support of the Arab coalition countries to thwart this Irani
Jeddah – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, announced on Saturday that fans will be granted free entry to watch the Saudi Arabian national team’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Japan. The match will be held at the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Spor
Beirut – Lebanese Foreign Minister and head of the Free Patriotic Movement Jebran Bassil reiterated on Saturday that there can be no resolution to Lebanon’s Syrian refugee crisis “without dialogue with the Syrian regime.” He therefore urged the Lebanese government to launch direct dialogue with the
Aden – Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr affirmed that the Yemeni government “is continuously and intensively following up with the United Nations and international organizations on releasing all Houthi-captured prisoners and detainees.” He stressed that the refusal of mi
Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Shahrani, Chief Executive Officer of Human Resources and Corporate Communications at Zain Saudi Arabia, reviewed on Saturday the company’s most up-to-date preparations for the Hajj season, as part of the company’s keenness to check and verify all the equipment rela
