Latest World News

Gulf TOPSHOT - This screen grab taken from UGC video footage posted on social media on July 18, 2026, shows a plume of black smoke and flames billowing over the town of Mangaf, south of Kuwait City. (Photo by various sources / AFP)

Kuwait Intercepts Iranian Missiles and Drones

Kuwait said Sunday that Iran was targeting it with missile and drone strikes. The country’s army said in a statement that its air defenses had been activated…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Lebanese President Joseph Aoun attends a cabinet session to discuss the army's plan to disarm Hezbollah, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon, September 5, 2025. (Reuters)

Lebanon’s Aoun to Meet Trump at White House, Hoping to Generate Pressure on Israel

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will make his first trip to the White House this week to present a plan to US President Donald Trump on how to disarm Iran…

Arab World A Palestinian man checks the torched entrance at the damaged Al-Taqwa mosque, whose walls were also daubed with Hebrew graffiti in an attack allegedly carried out by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Al-Tuwani, south of Yatta, near Hebron in the occupied West Bank on July 19, 2026. (AFP)

Palestinians Say Israeli Settlers Torch Mosque, Factory

Israeli settlers set fire overnight to a mosque in a village in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian official said Sunday, as an AFP journalist saw the…

Arab World US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House on July 14, 2026. (AFP) 

Iran, Iraqi Factions Criticize Al-Zaidi’s Washington Visit

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi received a notably warm welcome during his visit to the United States, where he met President Donald Trump and sought to…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)

US Military Launches New Airstrikes to 'Swiftly Punish' Iran for Deaths of US Troops

World A US warplane takes off from an aircraft carrier to carry out raids on Iran (US Central Command)

US Military Launches New Airstrikes to 'Swiftly Punish' Iran for Deaths of US Troops

The US military said that it carried out new airstrikes against Iran on Sunday to “swiftly punish” the country’s Revolutionary Guard after an attack on a base…

Asharq Al Awsat

Arab World The training featured conventional and unconventional live-fire drills, vertical assault exercises using an aircraft simulator and training on handling improvised explosive devices. (Egyptian military spokesman on Facebook)

Egypt, Türkiye Conclude Joint Military Exercise

Egypt and Türkiye have concluded a joint military exercise focused on countering drones and conducting unconventional live-fire drills, with the participation…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
World The entrance to the Ebola Treatment Center at Rwampara General Hospital stands unstaffed during a medical staff strike in Rwampara, Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo, 13 July 2026. EPA/DIEUDONNE DIROLE

Congo Says Number of Confirmed Ebola Cases Rises to 2,267, Including 893 Deaths

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo ‌has ‌increased to 2,267, ‌including ⁠893 deaths, government ⁠data…

Asharq Al Awsat

UN to List West Bank, Lebanon Sites as 'in Danger'

Culture FILE PHOTO: Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, as seen from Metula in northern Israel, June 1, 2026. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo

UN to List West Bank, Lebanon Sites as 'in Danger'

The United Nations looks set to list a Biblical site, Lebanese castles, an antelope migration path and the world's deepest lake as world treasures under threat…

Asharq Al Awsat

Culture Snow patches remain on the upper slopes of Mount Olympus in northern Greece, Tuesday, July 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Mount Olympus, Home of Ancient Greek Gods, is a Candidate for UNESCO World Heritage List

Snow-capped for much of the year, Mount Olympus, mythological home of ancient Greece’s 12 Olympian gods, has captured the imagination through the millennia…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture The meticulously crafted script begins with Surah Al-Fatihah at the top - SPA

Rare 19th-Century Panel Displayed at Red Sea Museum Features Complete Quranic Text

A rare 19th-century Quranic calligraphy panel is on display at the Red Sea Museum in Historic Jeddah. Created around 1859–1860 CE by Ghouth Mahboob Ghalib…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture Palestinian curators working to restore ancient artifacts amid the ruins of war-devastated Gaza. (AFP)

Saving Gaza's Past, One Artifact at a Time

Armed with paintbrushes and wearing surgical gloves, volunteers inside a large tent in Gaza delicately brushed dust from a stone mosaic before placing it into…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture Roman-era skulls and their facial reconstructions are on display at the Aquincum Museum's exhibition titled "Once we were like you" which showcases characters and the fictional life stories of those who once lived in the bustling Roman settlement of Aquincum, in Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP)

Face-to-Face with Ancient Rome: Exhibition in Hungary Brings Forgotten Faces to Life

A blacksmith, a stable boy, a soldier, a slave: The faces and stories of these and other residents of an ancient Roman city in modern Hungary have been brought…

The Biggest Takeaways from the 2026 World Cup

Sports France's Kylian Mbappé (10) reacts after scoring his side's third goal during the World Cup third-place playoff match between France and England in Miami Gardens, Fla., Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP)

The Biggest Takeaways from the 2026 World Cup

The World Cup final between Spain and defending champion Argentina marks the end of the biggest tournament in the competition’s history. At the final whistle…


Sports Didier Deschamps, Head Coach of France, walks out for the pitch inspection before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Bronze Final between France and England at Miami Stadium on July 18, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Getty Images/AFP)

Deschamps’ Golden France Era Ends in Defeat, but Legacy Intact

The end of coach Didier Deschamps' Midas-like reign turned into a Tantalus torment as France suffered a comprehensive World Cup semi-final defeat by Spain…

Sports Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during a press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, 16 July 2026. (EPA)

Mexico’s Sheinbaum to Attend World Cup Final at Trump’s Invitation

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a message on X that she would attend the World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday at the invitation of US President…

Sports Egypt's Mohamed Salah and teammates celebrate after Hossam Abdelmaguid scored the penalty past Australia's Mathew Ryan to win the shootout and advance to the Round of 16 of the World Cup. (Reuters)

FIFA Toasts World Cup Triumph as Tournament Draws to Close

It was supposed to be the World Cup weighed down by problems: sky-high prices, geopolitical tension, the shadow of conflict and the threat of brutal summer…

Sports  18 July 2026, US, Miami: France manager Didier Deschamps walks on the pitch ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup bronze final match between France and England at the Miami Stadium. (dpa)

Departing Deschamps Looks Back on ‘Wonderful’ World Cup

France coach Didier Deschamps said he had experienced a "truly wonderful adventure" with his players as he bid farewell to the job on Saturday after 14 highly…


Greece Braces for Year’s First Heatwave

Varieties A drone view of one of the two fertile regions on the island, the dried-up village of Livadi on the island of Astypalaia, Greece, July 13, 2026. (Reuters)

Greece Braces for Year’s First Heatwave

Greece, which was spared the record hot weather that ravaged most of Europe in June, is finally bracing for its first heatwave of the year. Maximum…


Varieties A seaplane battles a wildfire that started on Thursday in La Mierla, Guadalajara, July 18, 2026. (EPA)

Wildfire Scorches 12,000 Hectares North of Madrid

A wildfire raging 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Madrid has spread, burning more than 12,000 hectares and forcing several hundred people to evacuate, local…

Varieties A volunteer rescuer holds a cat after pulling it out from under the rubble of a building damaged by the June 24 earthquakes, in Caraballeda, state of La Guaira; Venezuela, on July 18, 2026. (AFP)

Cat Rescued from Ruins of Venezuela Quake Offers ‘Ray of Hope’

A weakened cat was pulled from under the rubble of a collapsed residential complex in Venezuela on Saturday in what a rescuer described as a "ray of hope" in…

Varieties File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag.

Saudi Arabia Wins Four Awards at International Biology Olympiad in Lithuania

The Saudi Biology Team won four international awards at the 37th International Biology Olympiad (IBO 2026), held in Vilnius, Lithuania, from July 12 to 19. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties FILE - A male alligator snapping turtle is held after being trapped by the Turtle Survival Alliance-North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group, Nov. 24, 2018, as part of the process of tagging turtles. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)

US Cancels Automatic Protections for Imperiled Animals as Critics Warn of Extinctions

The US Interior Department on Friday canceled a rule meant to protect plants and animals that are determined to be threatened with extinction, the latest step…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington )