Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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Iraqi Kurdish protesters wave the flag of their autonomous Kurdistan region during a demonstration for independence on July 3, 2014, outside the Kurdistan parliament building in Erbil
(AFP PHOTO/SAFIN HAMED)

Kurds unite around independence as Iraq falls apart

by Dalshad Abdullah | Jul 18, 2014 | Features

Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—An independent state is not a new dream for the Kurds. In Iraq, they accepted autonomy after the fall of Saddam, largely due to pressure from Turkey and the United States—but still, independence was never far from their minds. Now, after the...

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Forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad are seen in the Qalamoun mountains north of Damascus. Syria’s army ambushed Islamist fighters in the Qalamoun mountains north of the capital Damascus on Friday, leaving as many as 60 people dead, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said (REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters)

Qalamoun violence renews fears of Syrian spillover into Lebanon

by Nazeer Rida | Jul 18, 2014 | Middle East

Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Ongoing fighting in the Qalamoun region, on the border Syrian border with Lebanon’s Arsal, has renewed fears of the conflict spilling into Lebanon as Arsal’s leaders pledged to ensure civilians remained safe. The Syrian government...

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Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, addresses a meeting of university professors on July 2, 2014.
(Leader.ir/HANDOUT)

Supporters should “bid farewell” to velayat-e faqih if nuclear negotiations succeed: former IRGC commander

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Jul 18, 2014 | Middle East

London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Devoted followers should give up on velayat-e faqih, the cornerstone of Iran’s Islamic political system, if the nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 world powers end in a comprehensive agreement, a former IRGC commander said at a conference...

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Palestinians are pictured through a damaged wall as they flee their houses following an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah on July 18, 2014. (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

Israel deepens Gaza push to destroy Hamas tunnels

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Jul 18, 2014 | Middle East

Gaza City, AP—Israeli troops pushed deeper into Gaza on Friday to destroy rocket launching sites and tunnels, firing volleys of tank shells and clashing with Palestinian fighters in a high-stakes ground offensive meant to weaken the enclave’s Hamas rulers....

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Members of the Ukrainian Emergency Ministry search for bodies near the site of Thursday’s Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash near the settlement of Hrabove, in the Donetsk region, on July 18, 2014. (Reuters/Maxim Zmeyev)

World leaders demand answers after airliner downed over Ukraine with 298 dead

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Jul 18, 2014 | World

Hrabove, Reuters—World leaders demanded an international investigation into the shooting down of a Malaysian airliner with 298 people on board over eastern Ukraine in a tragedy that could mark a pivotal moment in the worst crisis between Russia and the West since the...