Latest World News

World File photo: The USS Carney shot down 14 drones launched by Houthis on Saturday. Aaron Lau / US Department of Defense/AFP

China Calls for Red Sea Attacks on Civilian Ships to End

China called for attacks on civilian ships in the Red Sea to end and for safe navigation there, when China Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Yemen counterpart…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Palestinians flee the area of Tal al-Sultan in Rafah with their belongings following renewed Israeli strikes in the city in the southern Gaza Strip on May 28, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. (AFP)

UNRWA Says Around 1 Million People Have Fled Rafah in Past 3 Weeks 

Around one million people have fled the Gazan city of Rafah in the past three weeks, the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Tuesday. …

World Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint news conference with Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, Monday, May 27, 2024. (AP)

EU Tries to Drum up Military Support for Ukraine as Zelenskyy Tours Spain, Belgium and Portugal 

European Union defense ministers are meeting in Brussels Tuesday to try again to overcome Hungary's objections to providing billions of euros in military aid…

Arab World A picture taken during a tour with the Israeli army in Dovev, a Moshav in north Israel close to the border with Lebanon, shows Israeli soldiers inspecting the damage to a synagogue after it was hit by rockets fired from Lebanon on May 27, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)

Israel Imposes New Security Measures along Border with Lebanon

The Israeli army said it kicked off a series of new security measures in the northern Israeli towns after carrying out a drill simulating a ground offensive in…

Asharq Al Awsat

Spain’s PM Says Cabinet to Recognize a Palestinian State as EU Rift with Israel Widens 

Arab World Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is pictured as he delivers a speech on TV over the recognition of Palestinian statehood by Spain, in Madrid on May 28, 2024. (AFP)

Spain’s PM Says Cabinet to Recognize a Palestinian State as EU Rift with Israel Widens 

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the Spanish Cabinet will recognize a Palestinian state at its Tuesday morning meeting as a European Union rift with Israel…


World Former Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf (R) greets lawmakers during the inauguration session for the new parliament in Tehran on May 27, 2024. (AFP)

Hard-Liner Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf Re-Elected as Speaker of Iran’s Parliament 

Iran's parliament re-elected hard-liner Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf on Tuesday as its speaker, reaffirming its hard-right makeup in the wake of a helicopter crash…

World Iranian lawmakers attend the New Iranian parliament inauguration ceremony at the parliament in Tehran, Iran, 27 May 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

After Raisi Funeral, Iran's Focus Turns to Vote for Successor

After Iran mourned president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a recent helicopter crash, the nation's focus turns to an election next month for his successor, with…

Asharq Al Awsat

Mystery Persists as Missing Swiss Paintings Reappear 

Culture A man walks past the entrance of the Kunsthaus Zurich art museum on March 14, 2023. (AFP)

Mystery Persists as Missing Swiss Paintings Reappear 

One of the Switzerland's top art museums announced Sunday the return of two paintings that went missing last year, refusing to provide details in a case still…


Culture Bahrain’s Information Minister, Dr. Ramzan bin Abdullah Al-Noaimi (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Bahrain Information Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: ‘Al Dana Drama Award’ Boosts Gulf TV Productions

Bahrain’s Information Minister, Dr. Ramzan bin Abdullah Al-Noaimi, said the “Al Dana Drama Award” award, the Gulf’s first for TV series, aims to support Gulf…

Mirza al-Khuweildi (Manama)
Culture Dr. Balu Natarajan, right, from Hinsdale, Ill., poses for a photograph with his son Atman Balakrishnan, 12, at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Tuesday, May 29, 2018, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP)

US Spelling Bee Reflects Economic Success, Cultural Impact of Immigrants from India

When Balu Natarajan became the first Indian American champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 1985, a headline on an Associated Press article read, …

Culture The flag of Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)

King Saud University Signs Academic MoU with University of Tokyo

King Saud University and the University of Tokyo have signed a historic memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen academic collaboration in physics,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture The flags of Arab countries flutter in Tripoli, Lebanon (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Lebanon’s Tripoli Begins 2024 Celebrations as Arab Culture Capital

Lebanon’s Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati kicked off the “Tripoli the Capital of Arab Culture” celebrations at a formal event held at the Rashid…

Sawsan Abtah (Beirut)

Teenagers Yamal and Cubarsi Included in Young Spain Squad for European Championship 

Sports Barcelona striker Lamine Yamal celebrates during the LaLiga match FC Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano, in Barcelona, Spain, 19 May 2024. (EPA)

Teenagers Yamal and Cubarsi Included in Young Spain Squad for European Championship 

Spain is set to take a young squad to the European Championship, with teenagers Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi among the players picked by coach Luis de la…


Sports Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al-Nassr v Al-Ittihad - Al-Awwal Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - May 27, 2024 Al-Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their second goal. (Reuters)

Ronaldo Sets Saudi Pro League Season Scoring Record While Al-Hilal Finishes Unbeaten 

Cristiano Ronaldo finished the Saudi Pro League by setting the season goal-scoring record on Monday. Ronaldo scored twice in Riyadh as Al-Nassr defeated Al…

Sports Aston Villa's Spanish head coach Unai Emery looks on ahead of kick-off in the English Premier League football match between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa at Selhurst Park in south London on May 19, 2024. (AFP)

Unai Emery Signs New Contract at Aston Villa Until 2029 

Unai Emery signed a new contract with Aston Villa on Monday that keeps him at the Premier League club until 2029. Emery took charge in October 2022 with…

Sports Serbia's Novak Djokovic listen to a question during a press conference ahead his first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP)

Djokovic Doubters Await as Title Defense Begins at Roland Garros 

World number one Novak Djokovic will be the main attraction at Roland Garros on Tuesday when he begins his French Open title defense against Pierre-Hugues…

Sports The flag of Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi U-23 National Team Participates in Toulon Tournament in France

The Saudi under-23 national team will participate in the Maurice Revello Tournament Toulon Tournament, in France from June 1 to 16, the Saudi Press Agency said…

Asharq Al Awsat

Deadly Bangladesh Cyclone One of Longest Seen

Varieties Cyclone Remal in Bangladesh lasted about 34 hours, a longer-than-normal duration experts say is part of a trend. Munir Uz Zaman / AFP

Deadly Bangladesh Cyclone One of Longest Seen

Bangladeshi weather experts said Tuesday that a deadly cyclone that carved a swathe of destruction was one of the quickest-forming and longest-lasting they'd…

Asharq Al Awsat

Varieties Homes destroyed by the sea are seen in the community of El Bosque in southern Mexico. Yuri CORTEZ / AFP

Submerged Homes, Heat Waves Fuel Mexico Climate Angst

Waves wash over abandoned homes in a Mexican village slowly being swallowed by the sea -- a symbol of the climate change effects being felt by the major fossil…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties In this photo taken on December 27, 2023 a man works on an excavator at a waste recovery facility in Paranaque, Metro Manila. (AFP)

Philippines Deploys River Rangers in Battle Against Plastic 

Using a long-handled net, Ronnel Narvas scoops up discarded plastic soft drink bottles, shopping bags and palm-sized sachets as he wades through a foul…

Varieties A worker sets up a huge black screen on a stretch of sidewalk at Fujikawaguchiko town, Yamanashi prefecture, central Japan Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)

Holes Poked in Mount Fuji Barrier, Japan Town Says 

A Japanese town that mounted a huge barrier to deter unruly tourists from taking photos of Mount Fuji said Tuesday that around 10 small holes have already been…

Varieties  People cool off at Angori dam on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, 27 May 2024. (EPA)

Pakistan Temperatures Cross 52 C in Heatwave

Temperatures rose above 52 degrees Celsius (125.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh, the highest reading of the summer and close to…