Latest World News

Arab World Vehicles of members of Syria's new authorities security forces block a road in al-Sanamayn, in the southern province of Daraa, during a reported large scale military campaign on March 5, 2025. (AFP)

Assad Loyalists Kill at Least 13 Police Officers in Ambush on Syrian Forces in Coastal Town

Gunmen ambushed a Syrian police patrol in a coastal town Thursday, leaving at least 13 security members dead and many others wounded, a monitoring group and a…

World An Iraqi Kurdish woman waves a flag bearing the portrait of the founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan as people gather at Freedom Park to listen to an audio message by the jailed leader in Sulaimaniyah, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region on February 27, 2025. (AFP)

Türkiye Presses PKK to Disarm ‘Immediately’

Türkiye on Thursday insisted the PKK and all groups allied with it must disarm and disband "immediately", a week after a historic call by the Kurdish militant…

World  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speak to the media as they attend a European Union leaders special summit to discuss Ukraine and European defense, in Brussels, Belgium March 6, 2025. (Reuters)

Zelenskiy Says Truce in Air and at Sea Could Test Russia’s Will to End War

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on EU leaders on Thursday to support the idea of a truce between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the air and at sea,…

World A man walks past a mural painting of Iranian flags in a street in Tehran on October 26, 2024. (AFP)

Explosion at Tehran Military Site Kills 1 and Injures 10 Firefighters

An explosion in a container at a military site east of Tehran killed one military personnel and injured 10 firefighters, Iranian media reported Thursday. …

Hamas Brushes off Trump’s Threat, Says It Will Only Free Hostages in Return for Lasting Truce

Arab World A drone view shows houses destroyed during the Israeli offensive, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, March 5, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Al-Basos

Hamas Brushes off Trump’s Threat, Says It Will Only Free Hostages in Return for Lasting Truce

Hamas on Thursday brushed off President Donald Trump's latest threat and reiterated that it will only free the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a…

Asharq Al Awsat

World  Scott Bessent, United States Secretary of the Treasury, speaks at an Economic Club of New York luncheon in New York, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP)

US Will Exert Maximum Pressure on Iran via Sanctions, Bessent Says

The US will exert a campaign of maximum pressure of sanctions Iran to collapse its oil exports and put pressure on its currency, Treasury Secretary Scott…

Arab World A general view of the commercial harbor of Syria's coastal city of Tartous, Syria, December 14, 2024. (Reuters)

UK Lifts Sanctions on Syrian Central Bank and Petroleum Firms

Britain unfroze the assets of Syria's central bank and 23 other entities including banks and oil companies on Thursday, reversing sanctions imposed during…

Saudi Arabia to Take Part in London Book Fair

Culture Saudi Arabia to Take Part in London Book Fair

Saudi Arabia to Take Part in London Book Fair

The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission will lead Saudi Arabia’s participation in the London Book Fair, taking place from March 11 to 13. The…

Asharq Al Awsat

Culture A visitor tours the Grand Egyptian Museum, in Giza on the southwestern outskirts of the capital Cairo on February 7, 2025, set to open fully on July 3, following a partial opening in October. (AFP)

Egypt’s Gem of a Museum Gears up for Grand Opening 

Nestled near the iconic Giza pyramids, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is preparing for a lavish opening, featuring a towering statue of Ramses II and more…

Culture Holy Quran Museum opens in Makkah's Hira Cultural District. (SPA)

Holy Quran Museum Opens in Makkah's Hira Cultural District

Makkah Region Deputy Governor Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz inaugurated the Holy Quran Museum, a key attraction within the Hira Cultural District,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture Diriyah Biennale Foundation Launches ‘Biennale Nights’ Ramadan Program

Diriyah Biennale Foundation Launches ‘Biennale Nights’ Ramadan Program

The Diriyah Biennale Foundation announced the launch of the "Biennale Nights" Ramadan program as part of the second edition of the Islamic Arts Biennale,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture  People engage in activities during Ramadan celebrations in Makkah. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Makkah’s Neighborhoods Enliven Ramadan Nights with Games, Humanitarian Initiatives

Year after year, young residents of Makkah’s neighborhoods—particularly those surrounding the Grand Mosque—gain experience in organizing Ramadan celebrations,…

Saeed al-Abyad (Jeddah)

FIFA to Consider One-off Expansion to 64 Teams for 2030 World Cup

Sports Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final - Argentina v France - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 18, 2022 General view of the World Cup trophy during the closing ceremony before the match REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo

FIFA to Consider One-off Expansion to 64 Teams for 2030 World Cup

Soccer's governing body FIFA is to consider expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams to mark the centenary of the sport's marquee event, the New York Times…

Asharq Al Awsat

Sports Munich's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, center, receives treatment during the Champions League round of 16 first leg soccer match between FC Bayern Munich and Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)

Bayern's Neuer Sidelined After Costly Celebration

Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer is set for a stint on the sidelines after tearing his calf muscle during a celebration in Wednesday's 3-0 Champions League…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 05: Camila Osorio of Columbia plays a backhand against Naomi Osaka of Japan in their first round match during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 05, 2025 in Indian Wells, California.   Clive Brunskill/Getty Images/AFP

Osorio Topples Osaka, Kvitova Ousted at Indian Wells

Naomi Osaka was bundled out of the first round at Indian Wells on Wednesday, falling 6-4, 6-4 to Camila Osorio in the Japanese star's first tournament since…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Olympique Lyonnais v Paris St Germain - Groupama Stadium, Lyon, France - February 23, 2025 Olympique Lyonnais coach Paulo Fonseca before the match REUTERS/Manon Cruz/File Photo

Lyon Coach Banned 9 Months from French Games for Confronting Referee

Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca has been banned from the touchline at games for nine months for aggressively confronting the referee at a French league game. Fonseca…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports FILE PHOTO: Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - 30/5/15  Mens Singles -  Former Austrailan player Fred Stolle is presented with an award by FFT President Jean Gachassin. Action Images via Reuters / Jason Cairnduff  Livepic/File Photo

Australian Tennis Great Fred Stolle has Died at Age 86

Fred Stolle, a two-time major winner and member of three Davis Cup-winning teams, has died, Tennis Australia said Thursday. He was 86. Tennis Australia CEO…

Asharq Al Awsat

Intuitive Machines' Athena Lander Closing in on Lunar Touchdown Site

Varieties A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex-39A carrying the Nova-C lunar lander Athena as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload initiative from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Steve Nesius/File Photo

Intuitive Machines' Athena Lander Closing in on Lunar Touchdown Site

Intuitive Machines sent final commands to its uncrewed Athena spacecraft on Thursday as it closed in on a landing spot near the moon's south pole, the company…

Asharq Al Awsat

Varieties A bone tool made from a 1.5-million-year-old elephant bone discovered at the Olduvai Gorge site in Tanzania is seen in this picture released on March 5, 2025. Pleistocene Archaeology Lab/Handout via REUTERS

Tools Made from Elephant, Hippo Bones Show Ingenuity of Human Ancestors

An assemblage of tools found in Tanzania that was fashioned about 1.5 million years ago from the limb bones of elephants and hippos reveals what scientists…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties This photo taken and released on March 6, 2025 by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency shows firefighters walking amongst burnt trees as they battle a wildfire in Ofunato city of Iwate Prefecture. (Handout / Fire and Disaster Management Agency / AFP)

Rain Checks Spread of Japan Wildfire 

Rain appears to have halted the spread of Japan's worst wildfire in more than half a century, officials said Thursday, as residents expressed relief the smoke…

Varieties (FILES) An aerial view of icebergs and ice sheet in the Baffin Bay near Pituffik, Greenland on July 19, 2022 as captured on a NASA Gulfstream V plane while on an airborne mission to measure melting Arctic sea ice. (Photo by Kerem Yücel / AFP)

Global Sea Ice Cover Hits Record Low in February as World Continues Hot Streak

Global sea ice cover reached a historic low in February, Europe's climate monitor said Thursday, with temperatures spiking up to 11C above average near the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties FILE - A pedestrian wears a face mask amidst a thick layer of smog in New Delhi, India, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)

Scientists Raise Concerns as US Stops Sharing Air Quality Data from Embassies Worldwide

The US government will stop sharing air quality data gathered from its embassies and consulates, worrying local scientists and experts who say the effort was…

Asharq Al Awsat