Breaking World News

Midnight Hammer in 2025: Trump Ends Half Measures on Iran

World Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi weeps over the coffin of Hossein Salami, commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, during the funeral of senior military officials killed in Israeli strikes in Tehran on June 28. AFP/Archive

Midnight Hammer in 2025: Trump Ends Half Measures on Iran

With Donald Trump back in the Oval Office in early 2025, it took less than a year for his revamped “maximum pressure” campaign to set the pace for Iran. …

Adil Al-Salmi (London)
World A woman looks at sunset on Christmas Day, at a southern coastal suburb in Athens, Greece, December 25, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki

Nearly 400 Would-be Migrants Rescued Off Greek Island

The Greek coastguard on Friday rescued nearly 400 would-be migrants from a fishing boat and another vessel off southern Crete, ANA news agency reported. In…

World FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Jerusalem, December 22, 2025.  ABIR SULTAN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Israel Becomes 1st Country to Recognize Somaliland as 'Sovereign State'

Israel on Friday formally recognized Somaliland as an "independent and sovereign state" and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties, as the region's…

Asharq Al Awsat
World This photo taken on November 28, 2025 shows the view from the lobby of a high-rise building in Tokyo. (AFP)

14 Injured in Japan After Stabbing, Liquid Spray Attack, Official Says

Fourteen people were injured in a stabbing attack in a factory in central Japan during which an unspecified liquid was also sprayed, an emergency services…

World File photo: Turkish riot police stand guard in front of the Justice Palace in Istanbul March 31, 2015. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

Turkish Authorities Say they Have arrested Suspected ISIS Member Planning New Year's Attacks

Turkish authorities said Friday that they have apprehended a suspected member of the extremist ISIS group who was planning attacks on New Year's celebrations. …

Asharq Al Awsat

World The Taipei 101 building is seen among residential and commercial buildings in Taipei on December 18, 2025. (AFP)

China Sanctions US Defense Firms, Individuals Over Arms Sales to Taiwan

China's foreign ministry announced sanctions on Friday targeting 10 individuals and ​20 US defense firms, including Boeing's St. Louis branch, over arms sales…

World St Nikolas ship X1 oil tanker involved in US-Iran dispute in the Gulf of Oman which state media says was seized is seen in the Tokyo bay, Japan, October 4, 2020, in this handout picture. Daisuke Nimura/Handout via REUTERS

Iran Says Foreign Tanker Carrying Smuggled Fuel Seized in Gulf

Iran has seized a foreign oil tanker near the Iranian island of Qeshm in the Gulf, saying it was carrying 4 million liters of smuggled fuel, state media…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Members of a Thai Explosive Ordnance Disposal team inspect the site of a rocket attack during clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers in Kantharalak district of Sisaket province, Thailand, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Cambodia Says Thailand Escalated Strikes During Border Talks

Cambodia accused Thailand on Friday of intensifying its bombardment of disputed border areas, even as officials from the two countries attend a multi-day…

Asharq Al Awsat
World (FILES) US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, February 28, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

Ukraine's Zelensky Says to Meet Trump in 'Near Future'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that he would soon meet US leader Donald Trump, as part of efforts to end the Russian invasion. "We…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Jailed former Malaysian leader Najib Razak moved closer to serving the rest of his sentence at home after an appeal court ruled he could use a royal decree supporting his claim. Mohd RASFAN / AFP

Malaysia Ex-PM Najib Convicted of Abuse of Power In 1MDB Trial

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was found guilty Friday of abusing his power in the 1MDB graft scandal, which saw billions plundered from the now…

Asharq Al Awsat
World In a visit to munitions factories accompanied by top officials, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim ordered the factories to prepare for a busy year ahead. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP

North Korea's Kim Orders Factories to Make More Missiles in 2026

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered officials to step up production of missiles and construct more factories to meet his military's growing need for…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a press conference following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, Russia, 17 December 2025. (EPA/Reuters/Pool)

Araghchi Warns of 'New Conspiracy' against Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned of a "new conspiracy" being planned by Tehran's opponents, warning that they may seek to create economic and…

Asharq Al Awsat (London) Asharq Al Awsat (Tehran)
World A satellite image shows a closer view of sarcophagus at Chernobyl, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine, March 10, 2022. Satellite image. 2022 Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights

Inside Chernobyl, Ukraine Scrambles to Repair Radiation Shield

Inside an abandoned control room at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a worker in an orange hardhat gazed at a grey wall of seemingly endless dials,…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Military personnel inspect the scene of the explosion at a mosque in the Gamboru market in Maiduguri on December 25, 2025. (Photo by Audu MARTE / AFP)

US Says It Struck ISIS Militants in Northwest Nigeria

The United States carried out a strike against ISIS militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria's government, President Donald Trump and the US…

Asharq Al Awsat
World This handout photograph taken on December 23, 2025 and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Office on December 24, 2025 shows Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with journalists in Kyiv. (Handout / Ukrainian Presidential Office/ AFP)

Zelensky Says Has Had Talks on Ukraine with US Envoys

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he had had "very good" talks with US President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner,…

World Britain's King Charles, along with members of the royal family, arrives to attend the Royal Family's Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene's church, as the royals take residence at the Sandringham estate in eastern England, Britain, December 25, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKayg Rights

King Charles Calls for More Compassion in Christmas Speech

Britain's King Charles III called for "compassion and reconciliation" at a time of "division" across the world in his annual Christmas Day message broadcast on…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A dinghy transporting dozens of refugees and migrants is pulled towards Greece's Lesbos island after being rescued by a war ship during their sea crossing between Türkiye and Greece on February 29, 2020. Aris Messinis, AFP/File picture

Coastguard Rescue 52 Migrants off Greece, Boy Missing

Greek coastguard were searching Thursday for a missing child off the island of Farmakonisi after rescuing 52 migrants in two separate incidents in the Aegean…

Asharq Al Awsat

Most Viewed

 
 

World Iranians drive past an anti-Israeli billboard carrying a sentence in Persian reading 'We are ready, are you ready?' hanging at Palestine Square in Tehran, Iran, 24 December 2025. (EPA)

Israel Arrests Citizen Suspected of Spying for Iran

Israeli authorities announced on Thursday the arrest of an Israeli man on suspicion of committing security offences under the direction of Iranian intelligence…

World  Pope Leo XIV arrives looks on as he performs the Christmas mass at St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on December 25, 2025. (AFP)

In First Christmas Sermon, Pope Leo Decries Conditions for Palestinians in Gaza

Pope Leo decried conditions for Palestinians in Gaza in his Christmas sermon on Thursday, in an unusually direct appeal during what is normally a solemn,…

World FILE PHOTO: Chinese and US flags flutter in Shanghai, China July 30, 2019. REUTERS/Aly Song

China Accuses US of Trying to Thwart Improved China-India Ties

China accused the US on Thursday of distorting its defense policy in an effort to thwart an improvement in China-India ties. Foreign ministry &zwnj…

Asharq Al Awsat
World US forces have launched dozens of deadly air strikes on boats that Washington alleges were transporting drugs. Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP

UN Experts Slam US Blockade on Venezuela

Four United Nations rights experts on Wednesday condemned the US partial naval blockade of Venezuela, determining it illegal armed aggression and calling on…

Asharq Al Awsat
World North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the construction site of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine capable of launching surface-to-air missiles in this picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on December 25, 2025. KCNA via REUTERS

North Korea's Kim Visits Nuclear Subs as Putin Hails 'Invincible' Bond

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a nuclear submarine factory and received a message from Russia's Vladimir Putin hailing the countries' "invincible…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to the media during a Christmas lunch hosted by the Rev Bill Crews Foundation, in Sydney, Australia, 25 December 2025. (EPA)

Albanese Announces Bravery Award for Heroes of Bondi Antisemitic Attack

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans Thursday for a national bravery award to recognize civilians and first responders who confronted …

World  People shop at the historic Eminonu Bazaar decorated with Christmas lights in Istanbul, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP)

Türkiye Detains 115 Suspected ISIS Members Believed Planning Attacks

Turkish authorities have detained 115 suspected ISIS members they said were planning to carry out attacks on Christmas and ‌New Year celebrations ‌in…

World Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan (C) with his wife Bushra Bibi (L) arrive to appear at a high court in Lahore on May 15, 2023. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)

UN Expert Decries Detention of Pakistan ex-PM Khan's Wife

The wife of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan is being held in conditions that could pose a serious risk to her physical and mental health, a UN…

Asharq Al Awsat
World US President Donald Trump takes part in a Christmas Eve dinner in the ballroom of his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, December 24, 2025. REUTERS/Jessica Koscielniak

Trump Takes Christmas Eve Shot at 'Radical Left Scum'

US President Donald Trump seized on the occasion of Christmas Eve to assail opposition Democrats, branding them "radical left scum" as he sent out holiday…

Asharq Al Awsat
World The bereaved families of the 7 October attack hold pictures of their loved ones and shout slogans towards Knesset members during a debate on the bill for a state commission of inquiry into the events of 7 October at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 24 December 2025. (EPA)

Netanyahu Coalition Pushes Contentious Oct. 7 Attack Probe, Families Call for Justice

Israel's parliament gave the initial go-ahead on Wednesday for a government-empowered inquiry into the surprise October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on southern…

World Turkish army soldiers stand guard as rescue teams search for the remains of a private jet carrying Libya's military chief and four others that crashed after taking off from Ankara, killing everyone on board, in Ankara, Turkey, early Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Efekan Akyuz)

Search Teams in Türkiye Recover Recorders after Plane Crash that Killed Libyan Military Officials

Search teams in Türkiye on Wednesday recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from a jet crash that killed eight people, including western Libya’s…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Two Israeli soldiers inside Gaza (AFP)

Israel to Invest $110 Bn in Developing Independent Arms Industry

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel would invest $110 billion over the next decade to develop its own independent arms industry. …

Asharq Al Awsat