BEIRUT: After eight months of relative calm, Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib is once again a theater for bloody military operations: heavy bombardment, airstrikes and waves of civilian displacement as Syrian government troops, backed by Russia, push their way into the rebel-held enclave in a widening offensive.The violence of the past week threatens to completely…
LONDON: The Prime Minister of Libya's Tripoli-based government met Britain's Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in London on Thursday, Downing Street said.Fayez Al-Sarraj has been in Europe this week seeking support against an attack on Tripoli by strongman Khalifa Haftar.May's spokesman said: "The prime minister has joined a meeting between the foreign secretary…
VENICE: Art builds bridges between different peoples and enriches all our lives, Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture, told Arab News at the inauguration of the Saudi pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale. The Kingdom has returned to the Biennale — “the Olympics of the art world” — eight years…
Iraqi armed groups backed by Iran have been placed on high alert to respond to any action by the US amid growing tension between Tehran and Washington, their commanders told Arab News on Thursday. Iran has trained and equipped dozens of Shiite, Sunni and Christian armed factions in Iraq. Most operate under the umbrella of…
LONDON: Britain has said Iran will face consequences if it backs away from its nuclear deal, following Tehran’s announcement on Wednesday that it was scaling back curbs to its nuclear program that had been agreed under a 2015 deal with world powers.“Today’s announcement from Tehran is ... an unwelcome step,” junior foreign office minister Mark…
AMMAN: The entire Jordanian Cabinet resigned on Wednesday, signaling a major government reshuffle. The official Jordanian news agency, Petra, said that Prime Minister Omar Razzaz “asked his ministerial team to submit their resignations in preparation for a Cabinet reshuffle in the coming days.” According to Petra, Razzaz stressed: “The reshuffle comes in line with the requirements…
TEHRAN: Iran’s president said Wednesday that it will begin keeping its excess uranium and heavy water from its nuclear program, setting a 60-day deadline for new terms to its nuclear deal with world powers before it will resume higher uranium enrichment.Hassan Rouhani’s address to the nation came on the anniversary of President Donald Trump’s decision…
UNITED NATIONS: The Palestinians are asking the European Union to pick up the mantle in defense of the two-state solution if the upcoming US peace plan ditches Palestinian statehood, their UN envoy said Tuesday.President Donald Trump’s administration is expected to unveil the long-awaited plan possibly as early as next month, but the Palestinians have already…
KAFR NABL, Syria: Violence in the northwestern Syrian region of Idlib has displaced more than 150,000 people in the past week, the UN said Tuesday, as the regime and Russia upped deadly bombardment of the militant bastion.The uptick in strikes and shelling on the region dominated by Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate has also knocked 12…
Europe ready to reimpose sanctions if Iran breaches nuclear deal — French official PARIS: Europe would have to reimpose sanctions on Iran if Tehran reneged on parts of the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, a French presidency source said on Tuesday.Iran’s state-run IRIB news agency reported on Monday that Tehran would restart part of…
ISTANBUL: The leader of Turkey’s militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, has met his lawyers for the first time in eight years, one of them said on Monday. “This is the first meeting with the lawyers since 2011. The meeting lasted approximately one hour,” on May 2, Rezan Sarica told an Istanbul press conference. Some…
QAMISHLI: When Eyub Mohamad was a boy, security forces beat his father into paralysis. His offense was typing leaflets in Kurdish, banned under Syria’s ruling Baath party. Mohamad, with his family, fed and bathed his father for years. Wary of the typewriter that landed his father in interrogation rooms, he avoided learning to read his own…
DUBAI: Bahrain’s supreme court of appeal Monday upheld death sentences for two men convicted of forming a terrorist group that attacked security forces. Prison terms for dozens of others on terror-related charges were also upheld, BNA state news agency reported. The court, whose rulings are final, also stripped 47 of the defendants of their Bahraini…
CAIRO: A mesaharati is a person who wakes others up before dawn in order to eat before their fast during Ramadan. The job has been around for generations, and despite the technological revolution, it is an honored tradition that continues to this day. The Al-Jabarti family, for instance — from which the great historian Abdul…
Brother of Algeria’s ex-President Bouteflika placed in custody by military judge ALGIERS: An Algerian military judge has placed the youngest brother of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and two former intelligence chiefs in custody, state TV reported, joining a string of businessmen and officials under investigation over corruption ahead of a presidential election.Said Bouteflika and the…
Brother of Algeria’s ex-President Bouteflika placed in custody by military judge ALGIERS: An Algerian military judge has placed the youngest brother of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and two former intelligence chiefs in custody, state TV reported, joining a string of businessmen and officials under investigation over corruption ahead of a presidential election.Said Bouteflika and the…
A Jordanian mayor apologized on Saturday for his interaction with a group of Israeli tourists, after his hospitality toward them triggered a protest, angry meetings, a social media backlash and a resignation. Ibrahim Karim Karaki, who is mayor of Karak, organized a day-long tour for the visitors during the Jewish Passover holiday. He was seen…
ISTANBUL, ANKARA : Three Turkish soldiers died on Saturday in a mortar attack by Kurdish militants launched from Iraqi territory, the Turkish Defense Ministry said. “Three of our brothers in arms died as martyrs after mortar fire from northern Iraq by terrorists,” the ministry said, in reference to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). A fourth…
Brother of former Algerian president, two former intelligence chiefs arrested — Ennahar TV ALGIERS: Algerian police have arrested Said Bouteflika, the youngest brother of former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, and two former intelligence chiefs, Generals Bachir Athmane Tartag and Mohamed Mediene, Ennahar TV said on Saturday.Said Bouteflika, who served as a top adviser to the presidency…
WASHINGTON: The United States acted on Friday to force Iran to stop producing low-enriched uranium and expanding its only nuclear power plant, intensifying its campaign aimed at halting Tehran's ballistic missile program and curbing its regional influence.At the same time, the Trump administration renewed waivers of U.S. sanctions allowing Russia, China, France and Britain to…
