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Kushner Says US Working Toward ‘Largest Prisoner Exchange’ of Russia’s War in Ukraine

World US special envoys Steve Witkoff, right, Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, left, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speak to the media at the airport in Dublin, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026.(AP)

Kushner Says US Working Toward ‘Largest Prisoner Exchange’ of Russia’s War in Ukraine

US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said on Thursday Russia and Ukraine agreed to expand the next round of talks to include European…

World  US Vice President JD Vance speaks at the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing’s annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball in New Bern, North Carolina, US, November 12, 2026. (Reuters)

Trump Bluntly Tells JD Vance to Shift Focus from Iran to Targeting ‘Corruption and Crime’ at Home

President Donald Trump on Thursday directed Vice President JD Vance to shift his focus away from the Iran war and instead devote himself to fighting what the…

World Rescuers and security officers examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz Purchase

Military Helicopter Crashes in Southern Türkiye, Killing 4

A military helicopter crashed in southern Türkiye on Thursday, killing four personnel, the Turkish Defense Ministry said. The aircraft crashed for unknown…

Asharq Al Awsat
World US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance look on during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

Trump Says US Does Not Need Iran Deal

President Donald Trump said on Thursday the US does not need a deal with Iran and directed Vice President JD Vance, who has played a role in efforts to resolve…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
World Iran: Four Tankers Struck by Explosions in Strait of Hormuz

Iran: Four Tankers Struck by Explosions in Strait of Hormuz

Four oil tankers were hit by explosions in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's military said on Thursday, adding that the vessels had ignored warnings and entered…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)

World US Secretary of State Marco Rubio walks up to the podium in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 05 May 2026. EPA/Samuel Corum / POOL

Cuba Says Rubio Lying about Oil Blockade

Cuba on Tuesday accused US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of lying when he denied that the United States was carrying out an oil blockade on Cuba. Cuba has…

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World US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 5, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP)

Rubio Warns against 'Destabilizing' Acts on Taiwan before Trump China Visit

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Tuesday against any "destabilizing" actions on Taiwan before a trip to China by President Donald Trump and called on…

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World President Donald Trump speaks at a charter school in The Villages, Fla., Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Trump Says Pausing Hormuz Operation in Push for Iran Deal

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was halting the US military operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz after just one day, in a bid to reach…

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World FILE PHOTO: Members of Australian families believed to be linked to ISIS militants leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria February 16, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo

Australia: 13 Citizens Linked to Alleged ISIS Members Returning from Syria

A group of 13 Australians related to alleged ISIS militants is returning home from Syria, Australian authorities said Wednesday, warning some will face arrest…

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World  People ride motorcycles near a billboard featuring an image of the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, May 5, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Ten Hurt in Fire at Shopping Center West of Tehran

At least 10 people were hurt after a fire broke out in a shopping center west of Tehran, Iranian media reported on Tuesday. Iran's state broadcaster IRIB…

World  Chirinne Ardakani, lawyer for Iran's imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, who was urgently transferred from prison to a hospital intensive care unit in Tehran, speaks during a news conference, while sitting next to Mona Armande of the Narges Mohammadi Association, in Paris, Tuesday, May 5, 2026. (AP)

Iran Nobel Winner Mohammadi ‘Between Life and Death’, Say Supporters

Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is fighting for her life after being hospitalized under guard for the last five days with a heart…

World France's President Emmanuel Macron is greeted by people in Gyumri on May 5, 2026. (AFP)

Macron Says US and EU Are Wasting Time on Tariff Threats as Trump Fumes Over Germany

Europe and the United States have more important things to do than waste time on tariff threats, French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday, after President…

World In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency and taken on May 2, 2026, the Iran-flagged container vessel Hamouna is pictured while anchored as a small motorboat passes by, in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. (ISNA/AFP)

US Says Iran Ceasefire Holds Despite Exchange of Fire; UAE Under Attack

The United Arab Emirates said it was under attack from Iranian missiles and drones on Tuesday, even as Washington said a shaky ceasefire was intact despite an…

World The interior of the damaged flat in an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine February 26, 2026. (Reuters)

IAEA Says Drone Damaged Equipment at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant in Ukraine

The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Monday meteorological monitoring equipment at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern…

World Image from the explosion site (Chinese media)

China Fireworks Factory Explosion Kills Tens, Injures 61

The death toll from a giant explosion at a fireworks factory in central China rose to 26, with 61 more injured, officials said Tuesday. The explosion…

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World A resident stands near buildings damaged by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region, Ukraine May 3, 2026. (Reuters)

Ukraine Slams Russian ‘Cynicism’ Ahead of Separate Truces

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday accused Russia of "utter cynicism" for launching deadly attacks while also seeking a truce to stage its May 9…

World This aerial view shows the downtown skyline in Edmonton, Canada, at sunset on May 3, 2026. (AFP)

Alberta Separatist Group Says It Has Enough Signatures to Trigger Referendum on Leaving Canada

Alberta separatists said Monday they have formally submitted almost 302,000 signatures to try to trigger a referendum on the province leaving Canada. The…

World Armenia's President Vahagn Khachaturyan, France's President Emmanuel Macron and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan share a toast during a state dinner in the honour of the French leader at the presidential palace in Yerevan on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

Armenia Hosts a Historic EU Summit as It Charts a Course Away from Russia

Armenia hosts its first bilateral summit with the European Union on Tuesday, a landmark diplomatic moment for the Caucasus Mountains nation that has formally…

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World The MV Hondius cruise ship is anchored at a port in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Arilson Almeida)

Race to Find Port for Cruise Ship Battling Deadly Rodent Virus

Health authorities raced Tuesday to find a port for a cruise ship battling a hantavirus outbreak, as it remained off the West African coast with passengers…

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World The ship was targeted in the Caribbean (screenshot from a video published by the US Army Southern Command on X).

US Military Strike on Alleged Drug Boat Kills 2 in the Caribbean

The US military said it launched another strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing two people Monday. The Trump administration…

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World German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gives a press statement ahead of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Executive Committee meeting at the Chabad Synagogue in Berlin, Germany, 04 May 2026. (EPA)

Germany’s Merz Marks a Year in Office Facing Deep Transatlantic Crisis

Chancellor Friedrich Merz marks a year in office this week facing the biggest crisis with Washington in decades, after President Donald Trump said he would hit…

World Taiwan President Lai Ching-te (R) and Eswatini Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla(L) arrive at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport following his visit to Eswatini, in Taoyuan on May 5, 2026. I-Hwa Cheng / AFP

Taiwan Leader Says Island Has 'Right to Engage with the World'

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said Tuesday the democratic island has the "right to engage with the world", after he returned from a trip to Africa that…

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World Oil tankers sit at anchor offshore in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)

World Leaders Pressure Iran as Ceasefire on Brink

World leaders on Tuesday piled pressure on Tehran to stick to diplomacy to bring an end to the Middle East war, after a salvo of attacks in the region left a…

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World 02 May 2026, Ukraine, Donetsk: A woman inspects a house that has been struck by Russian drones in the Donetsk's Kiyevsky District. Photo: Dmitry Yagodkin/TASS via ZUMA Press/dpa

Ukraine Tried to Attack Russia's Kirishi Oil Refinery, Governor Says

Ukraine sought to attack one of Russia's biggest oil refineries on Tuesday, sparking a fire in an industrial area of the Russian town of Kirishi in the…

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World In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 4, 2026, vessels are pictured anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. (Photo by Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP) /

Washington Presses China to Ramp Up Pressure on Tehran to Open ‘Hormuz’

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday pressed China to ramp up diplomatic pressure on Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
World  04 May 2026, Saxony, Leipzig: A police car is parked behind a police cordon at the spot where a car has driven into a group of people in Leipzig. (dpa)

Driver Plows into People in German City of Leipzig, Killing 2 People

A driver plowed into people in the center of the German city of Leipzig on Monday, leaving two people dead, authorities said. The city's fire service…

World Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz gestures during the welcome ceremony for the 8th European Political Community Summit, at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex in Yerevan, Armenia, 04 May 2026. (EPA)

Türkiye and Armenia Pledge to Restore Historic Border Bridge

Türkiye and Armenia on Monday signed an agreement to jointly restore the medieval Ani bridge on their shared border, as part of moves to normalize ties between…

World 27 March 2026, France, Vaux-De-Cernay: Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, attends the last working session at the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in France. (dpa)

US Says Rubio to Discuss Middle East in Vatican Visit

Pope Leo XIV will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, the Vatican said, just weeks after the pontiff faced a barrage of criticism by President…

World The site of a Russian strike in downtown Merefa, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, 04 May 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (EPA)

Russian Strikes on Ukraine Kill Nine

A Russian missile attack killed seven people in an eastern Ukrainian town and a separate attack left two others dead in a southern village, Kyiv said Monday. …