Latest World News

Arab World In this photo, released by the Lebanese Presidency press office, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, right, shakes hands with Adm. Brad Cooper, the top US military commander in the Middle East, at the presidential place in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, June 29, 2026. (Lebanese Presidency press office via AP)

Aoun Optimistic on ‘Best Possible’ Deal for Lebanon, Banks on US Role

In one phrase, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun answers critics of the framework agreement Lebanon and Israel signed late last week, an agreement he admits is …

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Arab World An Israeli military vehicle maneuvers on the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, 29 June 2026, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. (EPA)

In South Lebanon, Netanyahu Says Israel Will Stay as Long as Hezbollah ‘Threatens Us’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, vowing that his country's forces would stay in the area as long as…

Gulf Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chairs the Cabinet meeting in Jeddah on Tuesday. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Reiterates Solidarity with Kuwait, Bahrain after Latest Iranian Attacks

The Saudi government reiterated on Tuesday the Kingdom’s condemnation of the continued hostile Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, as well as those…

Arab World Displaced Palestinians gather to receive hot meals distributed by a charity kitchen in the Khan Younis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip on June 29, 2026. (AFP)

UN Chief Warns Cash Crunch Threatens Palestinian Refugee Agency

UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Tuesday of the "increasingly precarious" situation of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees known as UNRWA, saying that…

Uncertainty Over Diplomacy Clouds Prospects for US-Iran Deal

World Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, June 30, 2026. Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Ruters

Uncertainty Over Diplomacy Clouds Prospects for US-Iran Deal

Top US envoys who have arrived in Doha will not hold a high-level meeting with Iran, a Qatari official said on Tuesday, casting doubt on the progress of…


Interviews Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi during his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat Editor-in-Chief in Baghdad on Sunday

Iraq PM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Corruption Crackdown Is Irreversible, Arms Must Be Under State Control

Journalists live for the unexpected, especially in Iraq, where events can overtake a carefully planned interview before it even begins. I had requested a…

Ghassan Charbel (Baghdad)
Arab World A car with bullet holes on it in a square in Khartoum, Sudan, June 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Sudan Army Says Retakes Key Town Near Chad

The Sudanese army said it had retaken Kulbus, a strategic town near the Chadian border, in what appeared to be its biggest battlefield gain in western Darfur…

How Some in Palestinian Diaspora Find Connection, Identity and Resilience in Traditional Embroidery

Culture A hand-embroidered map of historic Palestine with names of cities and the words “Palestine” and “Returning” in Arabic is displayed at the Inaash Association embroidery workshop in Beirut, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP)

How Some in Palestinian Diaspora Find Connection, Identity and Resilience in Traditional Embroidery

Decades later, Samar Kabouli still fondly recalls gathering with women in her family and sipping cardamom-spiced coffee as they embroidered fabric with…


Culture  Yodelers prepare for TV broadcast on the main festival stage at Petersplatz in Basel, Switzerland, Saturday, June 27, 2026. (AP)

Heat Forces Yodelers at Annual Swiss Festival to Sing in Fountains

City fountains became impromptu rehearsal spaces this weekend as yodelers at a festival in Basel, Switzerland, squeezed in last-minute practice while cooling…

Culture The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) logo

GASTAT: 75.3% of Saudi Arabia's Population Visited Cultural Event Venues in 2025

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) said that 75.3% of Saudi Arabia's population visited venues hosting cultural events or activities in 2025. The…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Culture 12th Saudi Film Festival Opens at Ithra with Broad International Participation

12th Saudi Film Festival Opens at Ithra with Broad International Participation

The 12th edition of the Saudi Film Festival has opened at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), an initiative of Saudi Aramco, bringing together…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture Among the museum's highlights are Qibla indicators and magnetic compasses used to determine the direction of Makkah - SPA

Red Sea Museum Showcases Centuries of Islamic Maritime Navigation Heritage

The Red Sea Museum in Historic Jeddah showcases a rich legacy of Islamic maritime heritage through a collection of Qibla indicators, compasses, and sundials…

Asharq Al Awsat

Germany Questions Footballing Identity After Fresh World Cup Failure

Sports (From L) Germany's forward #19 Leroy Sane, midfielder #10 Jamal Musiala and defender #24 Malick Thiaw react after losing the penalty shootout during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between Germany and Paraguay at the Boston Stadium in Foxborough on June 29, 2026. (AFP)

Germany Questions Footballing Identity After Fresh World Cup Failure

Yet another World Cup failure has Germany questioning its footballing identity, with some calling for radical changes at all levels in the football-mad nation…


Sports Manuel Neuer #1 of Germany leaves the pitch after the penalty shootout loss during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between Germany and Paraguay at Boston Stadium on June 29, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Getty Images/AFP)

Germany Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer Retires Again After Return for World Cup

Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has retired from international football for the second time after the team’s early World Cup exit. The 40-year-old Neuer, who…

Sports Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - France Training - Bentley University, Boston, Massachusetts, US - June 27, 2026 France's Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele during training. (Reuters)

Sweden Face France’s Attacking Firepower at the World Cup

France unleash their devastating forward line on Sweden in a last-32 tie at the World Cup on Tuesday, while Erling Haaland will try to fire Norway past the…

Sports  Ivory Coast goalkeeper Alban Lafont runs his hands through water from a sprinkler as he participates in a training session in Dallas, Monday, June 29, 2026, ahead of the team's World Cup soccer match against Norway. (AP)

‘Heat Dome’ Threatens Sweltering Conditions for World Cup Fans, Players

Extreme heat will greet fans and ‌players this week at the World Cup, as an imposing "heat dome" settles over the central and eastern United States - plus…

Sports Supporters of Brazil's national team celebrate, after Brazil defeated Japan in a Round of 32 soccer match at the FIFA World Cup, in Zgharta, northern Lebanon, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP)

Lebanon’s Brazil Fans Celebrate a World Cup Round of 32 Win

In the northern Lebanese town of Zgharta, Brazilian flags hung from balconies and stone alleyways as families prepared for Brazil’s Round of 32 FIFA World Cup…


End of the Line for Finland’s Analogue Phone Network

Varieties Countries across the world have rolled out fiber optic cable that can handle both internet services and voice calls. (Reuters)

End of the Line for Finland’s Analogue Phone Network

Finland on Tuesday pulled the plug on analogue landline phone calls after almost 150 years, the latest country to push forward in a global transition towards…


Varieties Brown bears at Hexentanzplatz Zoo are given fruit in ice to cool off during a heatwave, in Thale, Germany, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (Matthias Bein/dpa via AP)

Japan Police Investigate Another Suspected Fatal Bear Attack

Japanese police are investigating another suspected fatal bear attack, a local official told AFP on Tuesday, as the number of such deaths remains unusually…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Bird's nests made with fragments of optic fiber, which were found by a Ukrainian serviceman on the front line and then passed to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, lie on a table in a museum, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 23, 2026. (Reuters)

Bird Nests of Fiber-Optic Cables Show War’s Impact on Ukraine

Woven from fiber-optic cable and grass, a small bird's nest found near the front line of the war in Ukraine shows how the more than four-year-old conflict is…

Varieties The lower Manhattan skyline, including the new One World Trade Center building at right, is shown as viewed from near the Statue of Liberty, Jan. 31, 2014, in New York.  (AP)

France to Illuminate Statue of Liberty for US 250th Birthday

France will stage an elaborate light show at the Statue of Liberty to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, the French consulate said Monday. …

Varieties The brooch contains a dedication with the date April 21 1894 (AP)

Brooch Given to First Passenger to Board Doomed Steamship Found at Roadshow

A brooch given to the first passenger to board a Dundee-built steamship 37 years before she sank has surfaced at an antiques roadshow. The decorative item…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)