Latest World News

Arab World This photograph shows a memorial for slain Lebanese Hezbollah longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah at the entrance of the southern village of Qannarit on February 16, 2026. (AFP)

Official Contacts Aim to Keep Lebanon out of War on Iran as Israel Raises Readiness on Northern Front 

Israel has raised the alert level of its military along the border with Lebanon, raising questions that Lebanon’s south may again be involved in a regional…

Caroline Akoum (Beirut)
Arab World Two Israeli soldiers launch a drone. (Israeli Army)

Israel Keen to Attack Iran’s Regional Proxies before they Can Join the War

The Israeli army is preparing to carry out “massive and unprecedented” strikes against groups backed by Iran, including the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in…

Nazeer Majli (Tel Aviv)
World US Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks at an IEA ministerial meeting in Paris (X)

US Renews Threat to Leave IEA

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright renewed his threat Thursday to pull out of the International Energy Agency, saying Washington would press the organization to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Paris)
World The US Navy's Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln leads its strike group during a photo exercise in the Arabian Sea, February 6, 2026.  US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jesse Monford/Handout via REUTERS

Trump Warns of 'Bad Things' if Iran Doesn't Make a Deal, as Second US Carrier Nears Mideast

Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to the Middle East, with both the United States and…

Asharq Al Awsat

Trump Tells First Meeting of Board of Peace that $7 billion Raised for Gaza

Arab World US President Donald Trump speaking in Washington - AFP

Trump Tells First Meeting of Board of Peace that $7 billion Raised for Gaza

US President Donald Trump told the first meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday that $7 billion has been contributed to a Gaza reconstruction fund that aims…

Asharq Al Awsat

Gulf Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and former Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) retired General Michael Kurilla during the ceremony in Riyadh on Thursday. (SPA)

Saudi Defense Minister Decorates Former CENTCOM Commander with King Abdulaziz Medal 

Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz bestowed on Thursday the King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Class upon former Commander of the…

Arab World Mourners carry the body of Palestinian-American Nasrallah Muhammad Jamal Abu Siyam, 19, who according to the Palestinian Health Ministry was shot by settlers on Wednesday night, during his funeral in the West Bank village of Mukhmas, east of Ramallah, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Israeli Settlers Kill 19-year-old Palestinian-American

Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian-American during an attack on a village, the Palestinian Health Ministry and a witness…

Asharq Al Awsat

Jeddah's Red Sea Museum Announces Ramadan Program 

Culture The Red Sea Museum. (Red Sea Museum)

Jeddah's Red Sea Museum Announces Ramadan Program 

Jeddah's Red Sea Museum announced on Thursday a curated program of creative and cultural activities for the holy month of Ramadan, running from February 22 to…


Culture The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts (Wrth) will offer traditional craft workshops throughout Ramadan. SPA

Saudi Arabia: Ship of Tolerance Initiative Promotes Cultural Dialogue in Jeddah

The Saudi Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the "Lenobadir" volunteer and community partnership program and the Athr Foundation, has launched the Ship…

Asharq Al Awsat (Jeddah)
Culture A view of Shakespeare’s Birthplace, William Shakespeare's childhood home, in Stratford-upon-Avon, Britain, February 9, 2026. (Reuters)

Oscar Contender ‘Hamnet’ Boosts Tourism at Shakespeare Heritage Sites 

On a cloudy winter's day, visitors stream into what was once William Shakespeare's childhood home in Stratford-upon-Avon and the nearby Anne Hathaway's cottage…

Culture Historic Jeddah has emerged as a leading cultural tourism destination during Ramadan. (SPA)

Culture Ministry Continues Preparations in Historic Jeddah to Welcome Visitors during Ramadan 

The Saudi Ministry of Culture is continuing its efforts to revitalize Historic Jeddah in preparation for welcoming visitors during the holy month of Ramadan,…

Culture Skulls of several mammals before the destruction (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Thousands of Animals, Rare Specimens Stolen from Sudan Museum

“Everything is over.” With that short and painful phrase, a Sudanese government official summed up the loss of nearly a century and a half of history after war…

Asharq Al Awsat (Khartoum)

Messi Kicks Off MLS Season in Key World Cup Year

Sports Argentine forward Lionel Messi won the MLS Cup for Inter Miami, co-owned by David Beckham. CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP/File

Messi Kicks Off MLS Season in Key World Cup Year

Lionel Messi kicks off a critical season for Major League Soccer this weekend as the rapidly growing US domestic league seeks to cash in on a huge spike in…

Asharq Al Awsat

Sports Nottingham Forest's Portuguese head coach Vitor Pereira (CR) gestures from the techincal area during the UEFA Europa League - knockout round play-off first leg - football match between Fenerbahce SK and Nottingham Forest FC at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul on February 19, 2026. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

Perfect Start for Pereira as Forest Enjoy Record Win at Fenerbahce

Nottingham Forest's new head ‌coach Vitor Pereira said he had encouraged his players to express themselves at Fenerbahce on Thursday and they responded in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a Board of Peace meeting at the US Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

FIFA President: All 104 World Cup Matches Will be 'Sold Out'

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said all 104 matches of ‌the 2026 World Cup will be "sold out" despite tickets available for the tournament running from…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports Sports Investment Forum Allocates Third Day to Women's Empowerment to Promote Sustainable Investment in Women’s Sports

Sports Investment Forum Allocates Third Day to Women's Empowerment to Promote Sustainable Investment in Women’s Sports

The Sports Investment Forum announced that the third day of its 2026 edition will be dedicated to empowering women in the sports sector, in partnership with…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports Soccer Football -  FA Cup - Fourth Round - Liverpool v Brighton & Hove Albion - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - February 14, 2026 Liverpool manager Arne Slot celebrates after the match REUTERS/Phil Noble

Liverpool Boss Slot Says Isak in 'Final Stages of Rehab'

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said on Thursday he believes striker Alexander Isak is in the "final stages of rehab" and could return by the end of next month to…

Asharq Al Awsat

Trump Says he’s Ordering Release of Data on UFOs, Aliens

Varieties US President Donald Trump speaks aboard Air Force One (AP)

Trump Says he’s Ordering Release of Data on UFOs, Aliens

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he is ordering federal agencies to begin “identifying and releasing” government files related to UFOs and aliens, a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)

Varieties Paleontologist Paul Sereno poses in his Fossil Lab at the University of Chicago with a reconstructed skull of the dinosaur Spinosaurus mirabilis. The photograph was released by the University of Chicago on February 19, 2026. Keith Ladzinski/Handout via REUTERS

Fossils of New Species of Huge Dinosaur Unearthed in Niger

At a remote and barren Sahara desert site in Niger, scientists have unearthed fossils of a new species of Spinosaurus, among the biggest of the meat-eating…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Dragon spacecraft on top launches from Space Launch Complex 40 for the Crew-12 mission at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on February 13, 2026. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)

Rocket Re-entry Pollution Measured in Atmosphere for 1st Time

When part of a SpaceX rocket re-entered Earth's atmosphere exactly a year ago, it created a spectacular fireball that streaked across Europe's skies,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A close-up showing the shiny silver-green photophores (light organs) on the lower head of the deep-sea fish Maurolicus muelleri from the Red Sea, seen in this photograph released on February 11, 2026. Dr. Wen-Sung Chung/Handout via REUTERS

Deep-sea Fish Break the Mold with Novel Visual System

For more than a century, biology textbooks have stated that vision among vertebrates - people included - is built from two clearly defined cell types: rods for…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties FILE PHOTO: Factories line the port of Osaka, western Japan October 23, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/File Photo

Japan City Gets $3.6 Mn Donation in Gold to Fix Water System

Osaka has received an unusual donation -- 21 kilograms of gold -- to pay for the maintenance of its ageing water system, the Japanese commercial hub announced…

Asharq Al Awsat