Latest World News

Business The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Fitch Affirms Saudi Arabia’s Credit Rating at ‘A+’ with Stable Outlook

Fitch Ratings affirmed Saudi Arabia’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at ‘A+’ with Stable Outlook. In its recent report, the agency…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Negotiations to merge Borouge and Borealis companies are going in a constructive and positive manner. WAM

UAE's ADNOC Confirms Negotiations with Austria's OMV for New Polyolefins JV

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) confirmed on Saturday negotiations with Austria's OMV to set up a new global polyolefins group. It said in a statement…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi )
World The Norwegian-owned ship Silver Dania, suspected of cable sabotage in the Baltic Sea, is docked at the port of Tromso for investigation, Norway, 31 January 2025. EPA/Rune Stoltz Bertinussen

Norway Releases Ship Suspected of Baltic Sea Cable Damage

A Norwegian cargo ship with an all-Russian crew suspected of damaging a Baltic Sea telecoms cable has been released by authorities in Norway after no link to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Gulf Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah

Faisal bin Farhan, Rubio Discuss Saudi-US Strategic Partnership

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah received a telephone call on Friday from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The two…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)

3 Hostages Return to Israel after Handover in Gaza

Arab World Ofer Kalderon, a hostage held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, is released by Palestinian Hamas militants as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, February 1, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

3 Hostages Return to Israel after Handover in Gaza

Hamas handed over three Israeli hostages on Saturday, in the latest stage of a truce aimed at ending the 15-month war in the Gaza Strip. Ofer Kalderon, a…

Asharq Al Awsat

Arab World Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani chairs a meeting of security and military officials (Prime Minister's Office)

Iraq Arrests Cell Behind Execution of Those Opposing Saddam Hussein

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani announced on Friday that security forces had arrested a group of former officers responsible for executing…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
World People take shelter inside a metro station during a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 1, 2025. REUTERS/Alina Smutko

Russian Air Attacks Kill Four in Ukraine

Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine on Saturday, killing at least four civilians and damaging residential buildings and infrastructure…

Asharq Al Awsat

Saudi Arabia: Tuwaiq Sculpture Hosts Panel Discussions, Workshops

Culture Tuwaiq Sculpture is one of the flagship projects of Riyadh Art. SPA

Saudi Arabia: Tuwaiq Sculpture Hosts Panel Discussions, Workshops

The sixth edition of Tuwaiq Sculpture 2025, running from January 15 to February 24, has launched an engaging series of panel discussions and workshops as part…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)

Culture The event consists of three main sections that reflect the beauty and authenticity of Arabic calligraphy. SPA

Saudi Arabia: AlUla Arts Festival Celebrates Rich Heritage of Arabic Calligraphy

AlUla Arts Festival, in collaboration with Khawla Art and Culture, is organizing Al Khatt event from January 16 to February 22, to highlight the rich cultural…

Asharq Al Awsat (AlUla)
Culture A woman poses for a photo in front Caryatid statues that prop up the porch of the 5th century B.C. Erechtheion temple, as at the background is seen smoke from a fire , during a hot, windy day at Acropolis hill, in Athens, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AP)

Greek Police Arrest a Suspect over Online Auctions for Ancient Artifacts

Authorities in Greece said Friday they have arrested a suspect accused of setting up online auctions to sell ancient Greek artifacts across multiple countries,…

Culture The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) logo

Saudi Arabia’s RCU Signs Partnerships with Italian Institutions on Cultural Heritage Cooperation

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has signed new partnership agreements with the Directorate-General of Museums of Italy and the Pompeii Archaeological Park…

Asharq Al Awsat (AlUla)
Culture The program offers six to eight grants each year with a total value of up to AED600,000

Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center Launches 5th Edition of Research Grants Program

The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) has announced the launch of the fifth edition of its Research Grants Program 2025, Emirates News Agency (WAM)…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)

Tennis Hall of Famer Pam Shriver's Trophies Are Back after Being Stolen Amid LA Fires

Sports FILE - Pam Shriver is seen ahead of the women's singles match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Thursday, July 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

Tennis Hall of Famer Pam Shriver's Trophies Are Back after Being Stolen Amid LA Fires

International Tennis Hall of Fame member Pam Shriver has her trophies back, regaining the dozen or so pieces of hardware that were in a car stolen from the…

Asharq Al Awsat

Sports FILE - United States' Crystal Dunn passes during the first half of the FIFA Women's World Cup Group E soccer match between Portugal and the United States at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, Aug. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)

US National Team Veteran Crystal Dunn Joins Paris Saint-Germain

US national team veteran Crystal Dunn has signed with Paris Saint-Germain through the 2027 season. The move comes less than a week after Dunn parted ways with…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports Real Madrid players celebrate after wining the Champions League quarterfinal second leg match between Manchester City and Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP)

Champions League: Real Madrid and Man City Resume Epic Rivalry

It’s become a familiar sight in elite European football: Real Madrid vs. Manchester City. The Champions League's most engrossing rivalry in recent years will…

Sports Leverkusen's head coach Xabi Alonso celebrates with Leverkusen's Alex Grimaldo after the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Sparta Prague at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Leverkusen Signs Defender Mario Hermoso on Loan from Roma

Bundesliga defending champion Bayer Leverkusen added defensive depth Friday by signing Mario Hermoso on loan from Roma for the rest of this season. The 29-year…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports Lyon's newly appointed head coach Paulo Fonseca gestures in the stands before the start of the UEFA Europa League, 1st round day 8, football match between Lyon and Ludogorets Razgrad at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais stadium in Decines-Charpieu, near Lyon, on January 30, 2025. (Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP)

Lyon Confirms Paulo Fonseca as New Coach

Lyon has confirmed the hiring of Paulo Fonseca as its new coach. Fonseca is replacing Pierre Sage, who was fired despite leading the French league club out of…

Asharq Al Awsat

50 Years On, Umm Kulthum is Still Arab World’s Voice

Varieties A statue of the late Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum stands in the Zmalek district of Cairo on January 28, 2025. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP)

50 Years On, Umm Kulthum is Still Arab World’s Voice

Half a century after her death, Umm Kulthum's singular voice still echoes through busy streets in Egypt, across time-worn cafes in Iraq, and in millions of…

Asharq Al Awsat

Varieties A Union flag flies near Big Ben in London, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, on the 5th anniversary after the UK officially left the European Union. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Runaway Alligator, Other Non-emergencies that Hampered UK Ambulance Dispatchers

If your pet alligator escapes, don't call for an ambulance — unless it has sunk its teeth into someone. That's the message from the Welsh Ambulance Service in…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Varieties The truck pulled out from a sinkhole is seen at the scene without its driver’s cabin, in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, Japan, 31 January 2025. EPA/FRANCK ROBICHON

Japan Sinkhole Grows to Almost Olympic Pool Length

Emergency workers in Japan began building a ramp Friday to try and reach a 74-year-old truck driver who has not been heard from since his vehicle was swallowed…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties FILE - The snow-covered coastal plain area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is seen, with the Brooks Range at right, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, near Kaktovik, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Mushers and Dogs Braved Horrific Alaska Winter to Deliver Lifesaving Serum 100 Years Ago

The Alaska Gold Rush town of Nome faced a bleak winter. It was hundreds of miles from anywhere, cut off by the frozen sea and unrelenting blizzards, and under…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Artist Phyllis Garibay-Coon, in white, stands in front of a maintenance worker on a lift following the unveiling of her mural in the Statehouse honoring women who campaign for decades for voting rights, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Topeka, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

US Unveils Mural Honoring 'Rebel Women' who Campaigned for Voting Rights

Kansas has a new mural in its Statehouse honoring women who campaigned for voting rights for decades before the 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment to the…

Asharq Al Awsat