Latest World News

Arab World A view of Aleppo, Syria in February 2018. (AFP)

Syria State Media Says Kurdish Force Shelling Kills One Person in Aleppo City

Syrian state media said Kurdish force shelling in Aleppo killed one person on Monday, after clashes with government forces erupted in Kurdish-majority…

World The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)

Iran Holds Missile Drills in Various Cities, State Media Say

Iran held missile ​drills in various cities on Monday, state media reported, citing unnamed sources and witnesses, in what was the second such reported…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World This handout photograph released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry press service shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (2nd-L) and Turkish Minister of National Defense Yasar Guler (L) meeting with Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (2nd-R) and Syria's Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra (R) in Damascus on December 22, 2025. (Turkish Foreign Ministry Press Service / AFP)

Turkish Foreign Minister Urges Kurds Not to Be Obstacle to Syria’s Stability

Visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday urged Kurdish-led forces to integrate into Syria's army and not obstruct the country's stability, as…

Asharq Al Awsat
World The US Navy replenishment oiler USNS Kanawha (T-AO-196) arrives at port in Ponce, Puerto Rico, amid ongoing military movements, December 21, 2025. (Reuters)

Russia Pledges ‘Full Support’ for Venezuela Against US ‘Hostilities’

Russia on Monday expressed "full support" for Venezuela as the South American country confronts a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers by US forces deployed in…

Türkiye Expects Second Phase of Gaza Ceasefire Deal to Start in Early 2026

Arab World This overview shows a destroyed mosque and other buildings in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 7, 2024 on the first anniversary of the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

Türkiye Expects Second Phase of Gaza Ceasefire Deal to Start in Early 2026

Türkiye expects the second phase ​of a Gaza ceasefire deal to begin early in 2026, ‌Foreign Minister Hakan ‌Fidan ‌said ⁠on ​Monday, &zwnj…

Asharq Al Awsat

Arab World Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on the Haret Saida neighborhood, Sidon, Lebanon, 27 October 2024. (EPA)

Lebanon Says 3 Killed in Israeli Strike on Vehicle Near Sidon

Lebanon said three people were killed Monday in a strike near Sidon that Israel said targeted Hezbollah operatives, days ahead of a deadline for Lebanon's army…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A Lebanese army officer and an Italian officer from the UNIFIL force during a joint mission in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL)

Italy Says Wants Military to Stay in Lebanon after UN Peacekeepers Leave

Italy said Monday it intends to keep a military presence in Lebanon even after the UN peacekeeping force it belongs to leaves as planned from December 31, 2026…

Asharq Al Awsat

Holy Quran Museum in Makkah Preserves, Showcases Rare Manuscripts

Culture  The Museum of the Holy Quran is located in the Hira Cultural District of Makkah - File Photo/ SPA

Holy Quran Museum in Makkah Preserves, Showcases Rare Manuscripts

The Holy Quran Museum in the Hira Cultural District in Makkah continues to play a leading role in preserving and exhibiting rare copies of the Holy Quran,…

Asharq Al Awsat

Culture As part of the Year of Handicrafts 2025 and the Makkah winter season activities, the exhibition featured around 20 artisans. SPA

Saudi Arabia: Craft Exhibition at Kidana Track in Makkah Draws over 32,000 Visitors

Kidana Development Company concluded its craft exhibition, held in cooperation with the Makkah Chamber at Kidana Track in Muzdalifah from December 17 to 20,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Makkah)
Culture The Hira Cultural District is regarded as a prominent heritage landmark. SPA

Malaysian Minister of Religious Affairs Visits Hira Cultural District in Makkah

Malaysian Minister of Religious Affairs Dr. Muhammad Naeem bin Mukhtar visited on Sunday the Hira Cultural District in Saudi Arabia’s Makkah. During the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Makkah)
Culture AlUla will celebrate the revival of the Tantora Ceremony on Monday in AlUla Old Town. (SPA)

AlUla Revives Tantora Ceremony as Annual Cultural Tradition

AlUla will celebrate the revival of the Tantora Ceremony on Monday in AlUla Old Town, one of the region’s most distinctive heritage markers and a defining…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture  A visitor takes a photo of Rome's Trevi Fountain, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, as the city municipality announced that, starting on Feb. 1, it will impose a 2 euro fee for tourists to visit the recessed fountain edge. (AP)

Rome to Charge Tourists to Get Close to the Famed Trevi Fountain

Tourists who want to get close to Rome's Trevi Fountain will soon have to pay a two-euro ($2.34) fee, the city mayor said on Friday, as authorities look to…

Reports: Liverpool Fear Isak Has Broken Leg

Sports Liverpool's Swedish striker #09 Alexander Isak (C) is helped off the field by medical staff after picking up an injury during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on December 20, 2025. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

Reports: Liverpool Fear Isak Has Broken Leg

Liverpool are awaiting scan results they fear will confirm record signing Alexander Isak has suffered a broken leg after he was injured in their win against…

Asharq Al Awsat

Sports Tottenham Hotspur's Argentinian defender #17 Cristian Romero is ushered off the pitch by Tottenham Hotspur's Danish head coach Thomas Frank after becoming the second Tottenham player sent off during the English Premier League football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on December 20, 2025. (AFP)

Three Talking Points from the Premier League Weekend 

Arsenal held off Manchester City to stay top of the Premier League at Christmas courtesy of a Viktor Gyokeres penalty in the 1-0 win at Everton. Liverpool…

Sports Football - Premier League - Aston Villa v Manchester United - Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain - December 21, 2025 Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes reacts after sustaining an injury. (Reuters)

Amorim Fears United Captain Fernandes Will Be Out ‘a While’ 

Ruben Amorim fears Bruno Fernandes will be out for "a while" after the Manchester United captain was injured during Sunday's 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa. …

Sports Morocco's forward #20 Ayoub El Kaabi scores a goal during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) group A  football match between Morocco and Comoros at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on December 21, 2025. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP)

Morocco Opens 35th Africa Cup of Nations with 2-0 Win over Comoros

A spectacular bicycle kick earned royal approval for Ayoub El Kaabi as host Morocco opened the 35th Africa Cup of Nations with a 2-0 win over Comoros on Sunday…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports Soccer Football - Scottish Premiership - Celtic v Aberdeen - Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - December 21, 2025 Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy celebrates their third goal scored by Celtic's James Forrest REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

First Win for Under-fire Celtic Coach Wilfried Nancy

Under-fire Celtic coach Wilfried Nancy has achieved his first win at the storied Scottish club to reduce some of the pressure on the Frenchman. Midfielder…

Asharq Al Awsat

Al-Qatif Street Food Festival Celebrates Saudi Culinary Arts

Varieties The event features six pavilions that allow visitors to explore a wide variety of foods and beverages made from local ingredients, reflecting the Kingdom’s diverse environments and regional flavors - SPA

Al-Qatif Street Food Festival Celebrates Saudi Culinary Arts

The Culinary Arts Commission launched Al-Qatif Street Food Festival, which runs until December 30, 2025, offering visitors a rich cultural experience that…

Asharq Al Awsat

Varieties A woman reads a book in the afternoon sun on a bench outside South Station in Boston, on Friday, May 31, 2024. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Want to Read More in 2026? Here's How to Revive Your Love of Books

People stop reading in adulthood for lots of reasons. But it’s never too late to turn the page on old habits and start again. Curling up with a good book can…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties The association aims to unify graphic design practitioners

Saudi Architecture and Design Commission Launches Graphic Design Association in Riyadh

The Graphic Design Association has been launched in Riyadh under the patronage of the Saudi Architecture and Design Commission. Sunday’s event, attended by…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Varieties Japan's H3 rocket No.8 carrying carrying the Michibiki No. 5 satellite lifts off from the Tanegashima Space Center on the southwestern island of Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, December 22, 2025, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Kyodo/via REUTERS

Japan's New Flagship H3 Rocket Fails to Put Geolocation Satellite Into Orbit

Japan's space agency said its H3 rocket carrying a navigation satellite failed to put the payload into a planned orbit, a setback for the country's new…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties A man stands on a rooftop overlooking submerged homes after rising waters from Lake Naivasha flooded Kihoto Village, displacing hundreds, in Naivasha, Kenya's Rift Valley region, on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

Scientists and Data Explain Why Kenya’s Lakes Are Rising as Thousands Face an Uncertain Future 

When Dickson Ngome first leased his farm at Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s Rift Valley in 2008, it was over 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from shore. The farm was on 1.5…