Breaking World News

France Criticizes ‘Demagogic’ Move by Israel to Ban Hard-Left Leader Melenchon

World  09 November 2026, France, Paris: France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaks during a G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Paris. (dpa)

France Criticizes ‘Demagogic’ Move by Israel to Ban Hard-Left Leader Melenchon

France has ‌criticized as "demagogic" a decision by Israel to ban French hard-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchonand another leading figure in…

World Congolese workers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) walk outside the Ebola Treatment Center at the Bunia General Referral Hospital following a resurgence of Ebola involving the Bundibugyo strain, in Bunia, Ituri province, the Democratic Republic of Congo, November 2, 2026. (Reuters)

UN Hails Progress in Ebola Response, Cites Insecurity as Biggest Challenge

UN health officials on Friday hailed progress in the Ebola response six months after the outbreak first prompted global concerns, but cautioned that the…

World Workers install signage for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) China 2026 summit on the wall of a building in Shenzhen, China's Guangdong province on November 12, 2026. (AFP)

Five Facts About APEC with Trump, Putin and Xi Set to Attend

Attention will focus next week ‌on a summit of US, Chinese and Russian leaders set for the 21-member gathering of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation …

World Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a ceremony for the exchange of signed documents at the Akasaka State Guest House in Tokyo, Japan, 09 November 2026. (EPA)

Takaichi to Attend APEC in First China Trip as PM

Japan said Friday that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi would visit China next week for the first time since she took office last year, attending an Asia-Pacific…

World  A police officer inspects the site of a residential house damaged by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine November 13, 2026. (Reuters)

Europe Pushes for Seat at Ukraine Peace Talks ‌but Lacks Unified Voice

European nations are seeking an envoy to represent them in talks on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, concerned that a US-backed process will leave them sidelined…


World People run for safety as smoke rises after an airstrike in central Tehran, Iran, 05 March 2026. (EPA)

Intense Israeli Strikes Hit Iran and Lebanon as US Warns Bombardment Will ‘Surge Dramatically’

Intense Israeli airstrikes pounded the capitals of Iran and Lebanon early Friday as the US apparently struck an Iranian drone carrier at sea in its unrelenting…

World (FILES) Subcommittee chairman US Senator Markwayne Mullin, Republican from Oklahoma, looks on before the start of a Legislative Branch Subcommittee hearing on "A Review of the FY2026 Budget Requests for the Congressional Budget Office, the Government Accountability Office, and the Government Publishing Office" at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on April 29, 2025. (Photo by Drew ANGERER / AFP)

Trump Taps US Senator Mullin to Replace Noem as DHS chief

One of the top officials overseeing President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, will leave her role, US…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
World FILE - President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Trump Renews Netanyahu Pardon Call, Saying Only Iran Should be Troubling Him

US President Donald Trump on Thursday called again on Israel's president to grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a pardon for corruption charges, saying the…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at the inaugural Americas Counter Cartel Conference at US Southern Command in Doral, Fla., Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

US Says Attacks on Alleged Drug Boats Have Spooked Traffickers

The US campaign to hunt down and destroy boats allegedly bringing drugs from South America has been so successful it is now hard to find targets, Pentagon…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
World President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable on  in Washington, DC on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. EPA/BONNIE CASH / POOL

Trump Says he Needs to be Involved in Selecting Iran's Next Leader

US President Donald Trump told Axios on Thursday that he needs to be personally ⁠involved in selecting Iran's ⁠next leader. "Khamenei's son is unacceptable…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
World This handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows damage at the military harbor in Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, 2026. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with the killing of Iran's supreme leader and the Islamic republic retaliated with barrages of missiles at Gulf states and Israel. (Photo by 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)

European States Move to Secure Red Sea Navigation, Protect Cyprus

European powers said on Thursday they would work together to safeguard shipping in the Red Sea and send naval and other assets to protect Cyprus as the…

Asharq Al Awsat
World FILE - This image provided by the Justice Department, contained in the complaint supporting the arrest warrant, shows Asif Merchant. (Justice Department via AP, File)

Man Accused of Plot to Kill Trump Says Iran Pressured Him

A Pakistani man accused of plotting to kill US politicians including President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was pressured by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
World (FILES) Members of the emergency services use a crane as they work at the scene where a person was stabbed near the memorial of the murdered jews of Europe in Berlin on February 21, 2025. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)

Syrian Man Handed 13-year Sentence for Berlin Holocaust Memorial Stabbing

A Syrian refugee who stabbed a tourist at Berlin's Holocaust memorial last year has been sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges of attempted murder, among…

Asharq Al Awsat
World FILED - 22 May 2025, United Kingdom, London: UK Defense Secretary John Healey listens to questions  during a press conference at Strategic Command Headquarters, in Northwood, Greater London. Photo: Thomas Krych/PA Wire/dpa

UK Says Ties with Cyprus Strong as Iran Threat Grows

British defense minister John Healey said on Thursday that the friendship ‌between ‌his country and ‌Cyprus ⁠remained strong in the ⁠face of…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on February 14, 2016. Thomas Kienzle, AFP

Somali Parliament Approves Constitution Change to Extend President's Term, Delay Election

Somalia's parliament voted ‌to change its constitution and extend the term in office for lawmakers and the president, the president and the parliament's…

Asharq Al Awsat
World  This image taken from a video shows damages at the Nakhchivan International Airport following what Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said was a drone attack carried out by Iran on its exclave of Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP)

Azerbaijan Accuses Neighbor Iran of a Drone Attack and Vows to Retaliate

Azerbaijan on Thursday accused Iran of a drone attack on its territory that injured four civilians, and it vowed to retaliate as the war in the Middle East…

Asharq Al Awsat
World This frame grab from a video released by the US Department of Defense on March 4, 2026, shows what the Department of Defense says is periscope footage of a US Navy submarine firing on and sinking an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. (Photo by US Department of Defense / AFP)

Second Iranian Ship Heading to Sri Lanka after Submarine Attack

A second Iranian warship was heading towards Sri Lanka's territorial waters Thursday, a day after a US submarine destroyed an Iranian frigate, killing at least…

Asharq Al Awsat
World FILE -Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz makes statements with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias after their meeting in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)

Katz Says US Defense Secretary Told him 'Keep Going to the End'

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said his US counterpart Pete Hegseth assured him of Washington's firm backing for their joint military campaign against…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Healthcare workers unload from a vehicle, the bodies of Iranian sailors who died when their IRIS Dena warship sank outside Sri Lanka's territorial waters, in Galle, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Iran FM Says US Will 'Bitterly Regret' Precedent Set by Sinking Ship

Iranian Foreign Minister Abas Araghchi on Thursday accused the United States of committing an atrocity by sinking an Iranian navy ship off Sri Lanka and warned…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Afghans welcome soldiers in the Gurbuz district of Khost province. STR / AFP

Afghans Rally against Pakistan and Civilian Casualties

Decorating their soldiers with colorful garlands, hundreds of Afghans rallied in border provinces to decry Pakistan killing civilians and to show support for…

Asharq Al Awsat
World China announced a seven percent increase in its military budget for 2026. Florence Lo / POOL/AFP

China Boosts Military Spending with Eyes on US, Taiwan

China announced a seven percent boost to its defense budget for 2026 on Thursday as it steadily increases spending to counter the United States and enforce its…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to the media during a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, 05 March 2026. EPA/LUKAS COCH

Canada PM Carney Says Can't Rule Out Military Participation in Iran War

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that he couldn't rule out his country's military participation in the escalating war in the Middle East. …

Asharq Al Awsat
World A Canadian flag is pictured on Frobisher Bay in Iqaluit, Nunavut February 23, 2012. REUTERS/Chris Wattie/File

Canada Working to Repatriate More than 2,000 Citizens from Middle East

The Canadian government is working to repatriate citizens who are stranded in the Middle East by organizing seats on commercial flights, contracting charter…

Asharq Al Awsat
World US President Donald Trump looks on during a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House on March 2, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

White House Says Trump Using Preventative Skin Treatment for Neck Rash

US President Donald Trump is using a preventative treatment for a red rash on his neck, according to his physician, but the White House declined on Wednesday…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
World FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo

Trump Says he Gives the US a 15/10 Grade for Iran War

The US president opened his remarks at a White House event on artificial intelligence that the US is “doing very well on the war front, to put it mildly.” …

Asharq Al Awsat
World Air defense systems intercept a drone near the US consulate and Erbil International Airport in Erbil early Wednesday (EPA)

Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Tehran Seeks Details on Trump's Call with Kurdish Leaders

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, have asked Iraqi officials for…

Asharq Al Awsat (London) Asharq Al Awsat (Erbil)
World A satellite image shows a closer view of the Natanz Nuclear Facility with new building damage, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, near Natanz, Iran, March 2, 2026. (Vantor/Handout via Reuters)

UN Watchdog Says No Damage to Iran Sites Housing Nuclear Material

The UN nuclear watchdog IAEA said Wednesday facilities housing nuclear material in Iran suffered no damage in the recent US-Israeli strikes and there was no…

World European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas attends a press conference after an informal meeting of Council of the Baltic Sea States in Warsaw, Poland, 04 March 2026. (EPA)

Iranian Govt Making Case for Demise with Indiscriminate Attacks, EU’s Kallas Says

Iran's government is making a strong case for its demise by indiscriminately attacking its neighbors, EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas told reporters on Wednesday…