London- Proposals to strengthen US sanctions against Hezbollah have been revised enough to relieve fears of damage to the Lebanese economy, according to well-informed banking and political sources. This new step has signaled Washington’s serious response to concerns about Lebanon’s stability. Howeve
Jerusalem– Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said that Israel would pressure UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, during his first visit since he took office, on the armament of Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Guterres arrived in Jerusalem Sunday evening to meet with Israeli officials. He will a
Kuwait- UN Chief António Guterres urged Yemeni conflicting parties to agree on allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid to each of the Houthi controlled cities Sana’a and Hodeidah. “I hope it will be possible for an agreement to be achieved between the parties to allow for Hodeida and Sana
Cairo- The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has denied prior knowledge of the US administration’s decision to cut aid to Egypt. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abo Zaid said that Cairo was notified only hours before the decision’s announcement. Washington decided earlier to cut USD95.7 million of aid prov
Karachi, Riyadh- Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir has offered condolences over the drowning of Saudi consulate staff members in Karachi, Pakistan, during a trip to the beach on Saturday. Jubeir tweeted, offering condolences to their families and praying that God grants
Cairo- Trade exchange between Africa and the Arab world has grown significantly over the past decade, a UN report said, adding that the volume is expected to increase in the coming period. Abdalla Hamdok, Economic Commission for Africa’ deputy executive secretary and one of the commission’s senior e
London – A recent report published by the Harvard Heart Letter stressed the importance of quitting soft drinks for their potential negative health effects, and to replace them with natural or flavored water. Dr. Katharine Riccrod, professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital of
Berlin- As a US court has sentenced an engineer from German automaker Volkswagen Group to 40 months in prison and fined him $200,000 for being involved in the scandal of manipulating the results of the exhausts of diesel-powered cars tests in the United States, German Economy Minister Brigitte Zypri
Cairo- Minister of Petroleum Tarek al-Mulla signed three new agreements for oil and gas exploration in the Western Desert of Egypt with the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and the American companies Apache and Merlon. The deals include a minimum investment of about $79 million, and grant of $
London, Beirut- Syrian regime and allied forces advanced in Badia, east Hama city. They seized one of the last enclaves of ISIS in a desert area, mid of Syria, stated the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Pro-regime sources said that the overall space of the seized enclave is around 2,000 square
Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Khalid bin Salman observed on Saturday joint exercises between the Royal Saudi Air Force and US Air Force at the Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada in the US, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The ambassador stressed during his visit and talks
London – Saudi Ambassador to Djibouti Abdulaziz al-Daoud announced on Saturday that the Kingdom has presented over $250 million in aid to Yemen refugees in the African country since the beginning of Operation Decisive Storm. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Ce
Riyadh, Sana’a- The war of statements in Yemen between former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and head of Ansar Allah group, Abdul Malik al-Houthi exploded on Saturday into a military confrontation between their militants in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. A source told Asharq Al-Awsat that “militants beli
Riyadh- Children were among at least 14 people killed in an airstrike that toppled residential blocks in Yemen’s capital Sana’a on Friday, witnesses and medics said. Spokesman for the Arab coalition in Yemen Turki al-Malki reaffirmed the coalition’s commitment to protecting Yemeni civili
London- UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed revealed Friday that a close meeting between the United Nations and representatives of the Houthi militias will take place in Geneva or in any other regional countries, such as Muscat or Cairo. He said in an interview with Al Arabiya channe
Riyadh- Saudi Arabia and China are to cooperate on nuclear energy projects following discussions between the two countries this week on ways to support the Kingdom’s nuclear energy program as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, deputy prime minister and defense minister, on Thursday met with China’s V
Jeddah- Saudi Arabia’s customs servicemen, counting up to 1,200 member, have successfully foiled gang attempts of trafficking drugs during the Hajj season this year. With over 1.4 million pilgrims arriving to the kingdom this time of the year, drug traffickers seek the opportune moment to exploit th
Bangkok- Hundreds of former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra had gathered outside the court, on Friday, where about 4,000 police had been deployed waiting for her arrival to be tried in a corruption case. After Yingluck failed to show up, the Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant against her
Baghdad, Mosul- Iraqi government forces broke through ISIS’ lines inside Tal Afar on Friday, reaching the old city center and the neighborhood around the Ottoman-era citadel, according to a military statement. On the sixth day of the offensive, elite Iraqi units seized the northern neighborhoods of
New York, Beirut – US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Friday that the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was “not doing its job effectively” against Hezbollah. Haley told reporters in New York that the UNIFIL commander shows “embarrassing lack of unde
