Latest World News

Features Marwan Hamadeh accompanying Walid Jumblatt during a meeting with Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa in December.

Marwan Hamadeh: Hafez al-Assad Told Us, ‘Forget Bachir Gemayel,' and he Was Assassinated 4 Days Later

For half a century, Lebanon lived under the long rule of the two Assads in Syria. Damascus held Lebanon’s fate in its hands, shaping its political landscape by…

Ghassan Charbel (Beirut)
World German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, February 15, 2025. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

German Chancellor Hits Back at US as Trump Administration Upends Norms

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday shot back strongly in defense of his stance against the far-right and said his country won’t accept people who …

Asharq Al Awsat
World US President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 14 February 2025. EPA/SAMUEL CORUM / POOL

AP Barred from Oval Office, Air Force One over ‘Gulf of Mexico’ Terminology Dispute

The White House said Friday that The Associated Press is banned from the Oval Office and Air Force One indefinitely. The White House barred a credentialed AP…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Arab World Firefighters extinguish a burning UNIFIL vehicle, set ablaze by protesters, on the road leading to Beirut's international airport on February 14, 2025. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)

UNIFIL Deputy Commander Injured after Convoy Attacked by Hezbollah Supporters in Beirut

The outgoing deputy force commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon was injured on Friday after a convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)

Israel Begins Freeing over 300 Palestinian Prisoners after Receiving 3 Hostages

Arab World A drone view shows Palestinian Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants escorting Iair Horn, US-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen and Russian-Israeli Sasha (Alexander) Troufanov, hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, as they released as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, February 15, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer

Israel Begins Freeing over 300 Palestinian Prisoners after Receiving 3 Hostages

Israeli authorities confirmed they received three Israeli men held hostage in the Gaza Strip on Saturday after Hamas handed them over to the Red Cross in…

Asharq Al Awsat

World FILE PHOTO: A view of the Typhon missile system at Laoag International Airport, in Laoag, Philippines, September 13, 2024, in this satellite image. 2024 Planet Labs Inc./Handout via REUTERS

US Says Military Exercises with Philippines 'Purely Defensive,’ for Force Readiness

US-Philippine military exercises are longstanding, "purely defensive" and intended to maintain force readiness and preserve regional security, a US State…

Asharq Al Awsat
Gulf Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz met on Friday with his Italian counterpart in Rome. SPA

Saudi Arabia, Italy to Consolidate Security Cooperation

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz on Friday held talks with his Italian counterpart, Matteo Piantedosi, in Rome. Prince…

Asharq Al Awsat (Rome)

Research Discovers Ancient Egyptian Remains Smell Nice

Culture  In this undated photo provided by Emma Paolin, a view of a selection of the mummified bodies in the exhibition area of the Egyptian museum in Cairo. (Emma Paolin via AP)

Research Discovers Ancient Egyptian Remains Smell Nice

At first whiff, it sounds repulsive: sniff the essence of an ancient corpse. But researchers who indulged their curiosity in the name of science found that…


Culture The program is part of the commission's strategy to boost the regional and international presence of Saudi cultural heritage. SPA

Saudi Heritage Commission, ICESCO Partner on Heritage Site Registration

The Saudi Heritage Commission has signed a specialized executive program with the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Jeddah)
Culture The conference was co-organized by the Saudi Ministry of Culture and ICESCO in Jeddah

Culture Ministers in the Islamic World Adopt ‘Jeddah Declaration’

The 13th Conference of Culture Ministers in the Islamic World, hosted by Saudi Arabia, concluded on Thursday in the port city of Jeddah with the adoption of a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Jeddah)
Culture During the event, the objectives, branches, diverse prizes, and knowledge initiatives of the award were highlighted to enhance cultural communication between the two countries - SPA

Prince Mohammad bin Salman Award Celebrates Cultural Ties, Fosters Cultural Exchange between Saudi Arabia, China

A cultural and social event introducing Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Award for Cultural Cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China took place on Wednesday,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture Ministry of Culture to Host Saudi Cultural Week in Qatar

Ministry of Culture to Host Saudi Cultural Week in Qatar

The Ministry of Culture is hosting the Saudi Cultural Week from February 18 to 21, 2025, at Darb Al Saai, Doha, in collaboration with Qatar’s Ministry of…

Asharq Al Awsat

Sinner Gets Three-month Ban in Settlement of Doping Case

Sports FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Davis Cup Finals - Final - Italy v Netherlands - Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena, Malaga, Spain - November 24, 2024   Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his singles match against Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo

Sinner Gets Three-month Ban in Settlement of Doping Case

Top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner has accepted a three-month ban in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency over his two positive doping tests, the…

Asharq Al Awsat

Sports Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Chelsea - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - February 14, 2025 Brighton & Hove Albion's Yankuba Minteh celebrates scoring their third goal Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

Magic Mitoma and Minteh Double Give Brighton 3-0 Win over llackluster Chelsea

Brighton completed a league and cup double over Chelsea on Friday after beating the London side 3-0 for the second time in a week, The Associated Press…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports Getafe's Christiantus Uche celebrates scoring the opening goal during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between Girona and Getafe at Montilivi stadium in Girona, Spain, 14 February 2025.  EPA/Siu Wu

Super-sub Mayoral Gives Getafe Win over Girona in La Liga Surprise

Getafe won away for the second time in a week with goals from Christantus Uche and Borja Mayoral for 2-1 at Girona in La Liga on Friday. The win came a week…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports The flag was presented to Saudi Arabia during the closing ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games, held at the Harbin International Conference Exhibition and Sports Center. SPA

Saudi Arabia to Host 2029 Asian Winter Games in NEOM

Saudi Arabia officially received on Friday the flag of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), as the host of the 10th Asian Winter Games NEOM 2029, becoming the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports FILE - McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain stands on the podium after winning the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)

Norris Says he'll Drive with 'Elbows Out' to Compete with Verstappen this F1 Season

Lando Norris has pledged to get tough and drive with his “elbows out” against Max Verstappen as the two prepare to resume their title rivalry in the new…

Asharq Al Awsat

Hong Kong's Twin Panda Cubs to Make Public Debut

Varieties Twin panda cubs, the first ever born in Hong Kong, are seen in their enclosure on February 7, 2025 ahead of their first highly anticipated public appearance on February 16. (Photo by Peter PARKS / AFP)

Hong Kong's Twin Panda Cubs to Make Public Debut

Hong Kong's baby panda twins will make their public debut on Sunday, with officials rolling out a full-scale panda marketing campaign to boost tourism. The…

Asharq Al Awsat

Varieties A person takes a photo of the frozen Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain in Bryant Park on January 8, 2025 in New York City as cold weather hits the Tri-State area. (AFP)

US about to Get 10th and Chilliest Polar Vortex This Winter

The coldest burst of Arctic air this season is coming to put an icy exclamation point on America's winter of repeated polar vortex invasions, meteorologists…

Varieties A Canadian flag flies next to the entry to the border crossing at Rainbow Bridge International on February 04, 2025 in Niagara Falls, Canada. (Getty Images via AFP)

Canadian Flag Sales Surge after Trump Threats

Canadian flagmaker Flags Unlimited's sales have doubled from a year earlier, the company's owners said, as tensions with the neighboring United States fuel a…

Varieties  Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during her daily press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, 13 February 2025. (EPA)

Bristling at ‘Gulf of Mexico’ Name Change on Maps, Mexico Says It Might Sue Google

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that her government wouldn't rule out filing a civil lawsuit against Google if it maintains its stance of…

Varieties A humpback whale jumps in the Uramba Bahia Malaga National Natural Park in Colombia, Aug. 12, 2018. (AFP via Getty Images)

Humpback Whale Briefly Swallows Kayaker in Chilean Patagonia

A humpback whale briefly swallowed a kayaker off Chilean Patagonia before quickly releasing him unharmed. The incident, caught on camera, quickly went viral as…