Latest World News

World 20 July 2022, Israel, Barkan: Right-wing settlers march to build a settlement in the West Bank near Barkan. (dpa)

Israeli Finance Minister Says Banks Should Not Obey EU Sanctions on Settlers

Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday condemned the country's banks that have refused to provide services to Israeli settlers sanctioned by…

Asharq Al Awsat
Gulf GASTAT announces total of 1,673,230 pilgrims are performing Hajj 1446 AH - SPA

GASTAT Announces 1,673,230 Pilgrims for Hajj 1446 AH

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) announced on Thursday that a total of 1,673,230 pilgrims are performing Hajj 1446 AH. Of these, 1,506,576…

Asharq Al Awsat
Features A health-care worker tends to a Palestinian child at Al-Aqsa Hospital.Photograph by Adel Hana / AP

Gaza Doctors Give their Own Blood to Patients after Scores Gunned Down Seeking Aid

Doctors in the Gaza Strip are donating their own blood to save their patients after scores of Palestinians were gunned down while trying to get food aid, the…

Asharq Al Awsat
World President Donald Trump, left, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Trump Speaks with Xi amid Stalled Talks between the US, China over Tariffs

US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke on Thursday at a time when stalled tariff negotiations between their two countries have roiled…

Asharq Al Awsat

Pilgrims in Saudi Arabia for Hajj Stream into Arafat

Gulf Muslim pilgrims pray at dawn on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy, during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage on June 5, 2025. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)

Pilgrims in Saudi Arabia for Hajj Stream into Arafat

Around two million pilgrims are in Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj, a government spokesperson said Wednesday. Hajj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, a…

Asharq Al Awsat

Arab World Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo

Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday it holds the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A person holds a placard during a rally to protest against the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as part of a corruption investigation, in Istanbul, Turkey, March 29, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo

Turkish Prosecutors Investigate Main Opposition Leader in Crackdown

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the leader of Türkiye's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on charges of threatening and insulting…

Asharq Al Awsat

Three Rivers, One Bridge: Mahfouz’s Last Dreams Revisited

Culture By using black and white, Matar sought to bridge the temporal gap between her Cairo and Mahfouz’s Cairo. (Courtesy of Diana Matar)

Three Rivers, One Bridge: Mahfouz’s Last Dreams Revisited

Hisham Matar renders Mahfouz’s final dreams in English, paired with Diana Matar’s shadowed Cairo photos.

Mohamed Hani (London)

Culture Ariana Nikolla prepares rosewater in the traditional way in Permet, Albania. Adnan Beci / AFP

Albania Town Where Everything's Coming Up Roses

In Permet, deep in the spectacular Vjosa Valley of southern Albania, roses rule supreme, whether used to make perfumes, flavored water or the Turkish delights…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture The museum features over 30 pavilions and more than 200 interactive displays available in seven languages. (SPA)

Prophet's Biography Museum in Makkah Offers Immersive Hajj Experience 

Located on the second floor of the Clock Towers in the heart of Makkah, the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet's Biography and Islamic Civilization,…

Culture A photo shows a wax statue of French President Emmanuel Macron, stolen the day before from the Grevin Museum, during an action by Greenpeace environmental activists outside the EDF headquarters in Paris on June 3, 2025. (AFP)

Activists Return Macron Waxwork Stolen from Paris Museum 

Greenpeace activists overnight Tuesday to Wednesday returned a wax figure of President Emmanuel Macron they had stolen from a Paris museum as part of a protest…

Culture Cultural Fund Showcases Saudi Handicrafts at Selfridges in London 

Cultural Fund Showcases Saudi Handicrafts at Selfridges in London 

The Cultural Development Fund unveiled a curated selection of Saudi handicrafts at Selfridges in London, offering international audiences a window into the…

Man City's Third-placed Finish May be Better Achievement than Title Win, Guardiola Says

Sports Soccer Football - Reuters Exclusive interview with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola - Barcelona, Spain - June 4, 2025 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola talks during an interview with Reuters TV in Barcelona REUTERS/Nacho Doce

Man City's Third-placed Finish May be Better Achievement than Title Win, Guardiola Says

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola described his team's first trophyless campaign since 2017 as a season of growth and reflection, dismissing notions of…

Asharq Al Awsat

Sports Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo applauds as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the Nations League semifinal soccer match between Portugal and Germany at the Munich Football Arena, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Ronaldo Scores his 137th Int’l Goal, Leads Portugal to Nations League Final

Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner as Portugal fought back to beat Germany 2-1 on Wednesday, with the 40-year-old bagging his 137th international goal to send…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports 31 May 2025, Bavaria, Munich: Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League final soccer match between Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain at Munich Football Arena. Photo: Christian Charisius/dpa

Simone Inzaghi Signs to Coach Saudi Club Al-Hilal

Simone Inzaghi took over as head coach of Al-Hilal on Wednesday, a day after leaving Inter Milan and two weeks before the Saudi Arabian club's first game at…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports Brazil's soccer coach Carlo Ancelotti gives a press conference ahead his team's World Cup qualifying match against Ecuador, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Cesar Munoz)

Ancelotti: Brazil Need to Get the Best Out of Vinicius Jr

Brazil must help striker Vinicius Jr rediscover the form he has displayed at Real Madrid, new national team coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Wednesday. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports France's Lois Boisson holds a press conference after winning her women's singles quarter-final match against Russia's Mirra Andreeva on day 11 of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on June 4, 2025. (Photo by Sebastien DUPUY / AFP)

Boisson Lights Up French Open, Sinner and Djokovic Book Semi-final Showdown

Wild card Lois Boisson lit up the French Open on Wednesday when the home hope downed sixth-seeded Russian Mirra Andreeva to make the semi-finals before Novak…

Asharq Al Awsat

Egypt, Greece Agree to Protect Status of Mount Sinai Monastery

Varieties A general view of St. Catherine's Monastery in South Sinai, Egypt, March 7, 2019. Picture taken March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany/File Photo

Egypt, Greece Agree to Protect Status of Mount Sinai Monastery

Greece and Egypt have agreed to safeguard the status of one of the world's oldest sites of Christian worship, foreign ministers of both countries said late on…

Asharq Al Awsat

Varieties President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pushing for Turkish women to have more babies. Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

As Birthrates Fall, Türkiye’s Government Steps In

Alarmed by the fact that Turkish women are having fewer children, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has moved to tackle falling birthrates -- "a threat greater…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties Many pilgrims praise Saudi hospitality and warm welcome upon arrival - Asharq Al-Awsat

28 Saudi Chefs Serve Pilgrims Meals with Local Flavor

This year’s Hajj season was anything but ordinary for a group of 28 young Saudi chefs, whose childhood dreams and culinary talents found purpose in one of the…

Ibrahim al-Qurashi (Holy Sites)
Varieties A person holds up Labubu dolls in a store during an organized press tour to Popland, a theme park opened by Chinese toy company Pop Mart, in Beijing, China, 02 June 2025. (EPA)

Part Toy, Part Fashion, the Arrival of the Viral Labubu Was a Long Time in the Making

Labubu, the plush toy from China's Pop Mart is a social media darling, but the toothy little monsters are far from an overnight success. Having appeared a…

Varieties People walk along a pedestrian crossing at a shopping street Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP)

Japan Births in 2024 Fell Below 700,000 for First Time 

The number of births in Japan last year fell below 700,000 for the first time on record, government data showed Wednesday. The fast-ageing nation welcomed…