Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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Lebanese anti-government protesters wave national flags and placards during a demonstration against the ongoing trash crisis and government corruption, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, on August 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

“Sisi scenario” for Lebanon “almost certain” as head of army poised to fill presidential vacuum: source

by Caroline Akoum | Aug 31, 2015 | Middle East

Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Lebanon’s army chief Jean Kahwaji will be appointed by lawmakers as the country’s president, in order to quell widespread public anger over a dysfunctional political system and a presidential vacuum that has now lasted for over a year. A source...

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Yemeni fighters loyal to exiled President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, drive in a street in the city of Al-Dalea, 174 miles (280 kilometers) south of the capital Sana’a, on August 30, 2015. (AFP Photo/Saleh Al-Obeidi)

Saudi-led coalition forces enter Houthis’ stronghold in northern Yemen: sources

by Arafat Madabish | Aug 31, 2015 | Middle East

Sana’a and Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat—Forces belonging to the anti-Houthi coalition led by Saudi Arabia have entered the Houthis’ northern stronghold Saada, according to Yemeni military sources. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said ground troops from the...

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In this February 1, 2014 file picture, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prays at the grave of the country’s late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, at Khomeini’s mausoleum just outside Tehran. (AP Photo/Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader)

The Supreme Guide and the Substance of the Angels

by Amir Taheri | Aug 31, 2015 | Features

London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Is Iran’s “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei created from the same substance as angels? The question is part of a galaxy of theories and counter-theories used to build up his personality cult as a figure beyond and above mere mortals. In the 17th...

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This file photo shows a general view of the first Egyptian parliament session after the revolution that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak, in Cairo, on January 23, 2012. (Reuters/Khaled Elfiqi/Pool)

Egypt announces parliamentary vote for October, November

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Aug 31, 2015 | Middle East

Cairo, AP—Egypt on Sunday announced that long-awaited parliamentary elections will take place in October and November. Ayman Abbas, head of the Supreme Election Committee, said that half the country’s 27 governorates will vote on October 18–19. The second stage...

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Soldiers stand on a tank of the Saudi-led coalition deployed on the outskirts of the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, on August 3, 2015. (AFP Photo/Saleh Al-Obeidi)

Ground operation “imminent” as coalition forces continue to arrive in central Yemen: source

by Arafat Madabish | Aug 30, 2015 | Middle East

Sana’a and Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—A coordinated ground operation including forces from the Saudi-led anti-Houthi coalition, the Yemeni army, and volunteers loyal to Yemen’s government will soon be launched to liberate areas of the country still under the control...