Jeddah- A number of countries and international organizations have condemned the attack on a checkpoint belonging to the Saudi Royal Guard at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Sunday which resulted in the death of two security men and the injury of other security personnel. Bahrain, for its part, strongl
Riyadh- Saudi Arabia’s Finance Ministry released on Sunday the first draft of the government’s tender and procurement regulations on its website, so that related parties can share their views and suggestions until Saturday 28 October. The move comes as part of the Ministry’s efforts to regulate gove
Dammam- Middle East oil giant Saudi Aramco announced its most dramatic expansion so far with the opening of Aramco Asia India’s new office in New Delhi. India is the world’s third-largest energy-consuming economy. The State-run oil giant Aramco is in talks with several Indian refiners and hopes to l
London- The reformist faction in the Iranian parliament has protested “new restrictions” imposed on the country’s former president, Mohammad Khatami, calling them “explicit and obvious” violation of articles of the Constitution. Meanwhile, 86 MPs have called upon President Hassan Rouhani to step in
Mosul- After three years of forced truancy due to ISIS’ seizure of the Iraqi city of Mosul, teenager Ali Salem waited nervously outside school to sit an English exam. Before heading out bright and early from a camp for the displaced in Hajj Ali, 60 kilometers away, he had had a last look over lesson
London- Commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corp Major General Mohammad Ali Jaafari renewed on Sunday his threats against US regional bases if Washington decided to designate the Guards as a terrorist group. In a statement delivered during a “strategic” IRGC meeting in Tehran on Sunday, Jaafari
Baghdad, Irbil- The option of a “confederal” state reemerged on Sunday as an alternative to the Kurdistan Region’s plans to gain independence from Iraq, informed Kurdish sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. Abdullah Warti, a member of the Kurdistan Supreme Political Council, said that the confederal choice
Moscow, Riyadh – Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz returned to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, concluding a successful trip to Russia where he met President Vladimir Putin and senior officials. He stressed the importance of the talks with the Russian president, sending him a
Berlin – As incredible as it sounds, the world is running out of sand. Or at least the kind of sand that industries need. According to the UN Environment Program (UNEP), sand and gravel, known as aggregates, are used in volumes greater than any other raw material on earth except water. And the
Berlin – Berlin’s Opera House thanked German taxpayers with a free concert on Saturday. It was attended by hundreds of citizens, whose money contributed to the reopening of the historic building. About 300 people attended the “Concert for Berlin,” which was also broadcast liv
London – Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Saudi Aramco are planning to set up a “super contractor” in partnership with local and international contractors. MEED reported on Saturday that Aramco, PIF, a local contractor and an international contractor, will each own a 25 percent
Kuwait- In their red, white and blue uniforms, Kuwait’s first female ice hockey team is training hard in the desert ahead of their debut world tournament later this month. Athletes in hijab or with their hair hastily tied in topknots pull on their helmets before taking to the rink in the Kuwaiti cap
Hurricane Nate weakened to a tropical storm on Sunday ahead of lashing the Mississippi coast with powerful winds and torrential rain. Streets and highways were left flooded as the fast-moving former hurricane was expected to rapidly weaken as it moved inland. The fourth major storm to strike the Uni
Egypt announced on Saturday the arrest of 14 members of the terrorist Hasm organization. The Interior Ministry said that the detainees include one of its leaders in the Menoufiya province in the Nile Delta region. They were planning on carrying out several terrorist attacks, said the ministry in a s
Ankara – A Turkish court has ordered the imprisonment of Ahmed Barakat, who admitted to killing Syrian opposition activist Orouba Barakat and her daughter, journalist Halla Barakat, whose bodies were found three weeks ago inside their home in Istanbul. The man was arrested on charges of “premeditate
Beirut – A Palestinian committee met in the refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh in southern Lebanon to address the latest developments in the camp. The meeting was held by the “operations room,” a committee that was established in wake of a Palestinian embassy meeting Beirut. Saturday’s meeting was chaire
Moscow – Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz stressed that science and knowledge are the basis for the renaissance of nations. Tthey factor in through the formation of educated generations leading communities, promotion of tolerance and coexistence among peoples, and pr
Beirut – The civil movement in Lebanon organized on Saturday a surprise sit-in in front of the Central Bank in Beirut, warning the government against “imposing taxes on the poor.” The sit-in led to the closure of all the entrances of the Central Bank, amid tight security measures. Speaking on behalf
Jeddah – Saudi security authorities announced on Saturday the death of two security officers on duty and the injury of three others during a shootout at the outer western gate of Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah. The perpetrator, Saudi national Mansour al-Amiri, 28, was killed after he drove up to th
Moscow – Russian deputy Foreign Minister and envoy to the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov expressed his country’s satisfaction with the outcomes of the summit held in the Kremlin between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He told Asharq Al-
