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  A Pakistani medical student Arslan Haider waits at the airport after arriving from Tehran on a commercial flight amid the ongoing nationwide protests in Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, January 15, 2026. (Reuters)

Back From Iran, Pakistani Students Say They Heard Gunshots While Confined to Campus

Pakistani students returning from Iran on Thursday said they heard gunshots and stories of rioting and violence while being confined to campus and not allowed…

World A Turkish Airlines aircraft after landing at El Prat airport, in Barcelona, northeastern Spain, 15 January 2026, after Spanish security forces where alerted due to a bomb threat on board the aircraft. (EPA)

Bomb Hoax Forces Turkish Airlines to Make Emergency Landing in Barcelona

A false bomb threat delivered via an onboard mobile connection caused a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to make an emergency landing at Barcelona's El…

World  Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent watches as President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn at the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP)

US Sanctions Iranian Officials Over Protest Crackdown

The United States imposed sanctions Thursday on Iranian security officials and financial networks, accusing them of orchestrating a violent crackdown on…

World  Ukrainian rescuers clear the rubble at the site of a heavily damaged Nova Poshta postal company terminal following an air attack in Novyi Korotych, Kharkiv region, on January 13, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

Russia Destroys Large Energy Facility in Kharkiv, Mayor Says

Russian forces have destroyed a large energy facility in Ukraine's second-biggest city Kharkiv, the mayor said on Thursday, the latest target of a winter air…

World Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his traditional televised New Year's Address to the people of Russia, in Moscow, Russia, 31 December 2025.  EPA/MIKHAIL METZEL/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL

Kremlin Says US Has Not Responded to Its Nuclear Arms Control Offer

The Kremlin said on Thursday that the United States had not responded to President Vladimir Putin's proposal to informally extend for ‌a year ‌the …

Asharq Al Awsat
World Reuters file photo of an IranAir plane

German Air Traffic Control Advises Avoiding Iranian Airspace until Feb 10

Germany's air traffic control authority said Thursday it was recommending planes avoid Iranian airspace after the United States has in recent days warned of a…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during an interview with Reuters at the 23rd edition of the annual Doha Forum, in Doha, Qatar, December 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Türkiye Calls for Dialogue to Resolve Iran Unrest

Türkiye's top diplomat on Thursday called for dialogue to the crisis in Iran, rocked by mass protests which rights group say have left thousands dead and which…

Asharq Al Awsat
World (FILES) Protesters attend a march to the US consulate during a demonstration, under the slogan 'Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people', in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 15, 2025.  (Photo by Christian Klindt Soelbeck / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP)

Europeans Send Troops to Greenland as Trump Presses Claim

European countries sent small numbers of military personnel to Greenland on Thursday as Denmark said it was pressing on with plans for a "larger and more…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A car of the British ambassador drives out of the embassy in Moscow, Russia [File: Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters]

Russia Expels UK Diplomat Accused of Being Spy, Britain Rejects Claim

Russia said Thursday it was expelling a British diplomat, calling him an undercover spy in the latest espionage accusation between Moscow and London. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
World President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump Sees Iranian Crackdown Easing, Tehran Denies Man to Be Executed

US President Donald Trump said he had been told that killings in Iran’s crackdown on protests were easing and that he believed there was no current plan for…

Asharq Al Awsat
World People walk past a large patriotic banner depicting the Iranian flag on Enghelab Square in Tehran on January 14, 2026.  (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Iran Closes Its Airspace to Commercial Aircraft for Hours as Tensions with US Remain High

Iran closed its airspace to commercial flights for hours without explanation early Thursday as tensions remained high with the United States over Tehran’s…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Ukraine's newly appointed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov attends a parliamentary session in Kyiv, Ukraine, 14 January 2026. (EPA)

Ukraine’s New Defense Minister Reveals Scale of Desertions as Millions Avoid the Draft

Wide-scale desertions and 2 million draft-dodgers are among a raft of challenges facing Ukraine's military as Russia presses on with its invasion of its…

World  Protesters hold up placards with pictures of victims as they demonstrate in support of anti-government protests in Iran, outside Downing Street, in London, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP)

France Explores Sending Eutelsat Terminals to Iran Amid Internet Blackout

France is looking into sending Eutelsat satellite terminals to Iran to help citizens after Iranian authorities imposed a blackout of internet services in a bid…

World Iranians walk next to a billboard reading "Iran is our Homeland" at Enqelab Square in Tehran, Iran, 13 January 2026. (EPA)

China Says It Opposes Outside Interference in Iran’s Internal Affairs

China opposes any outside interference in Iran's ​internal affairs, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump warned that…

World A North Korean flag flutters on top of a 160-meter tower in North Korea's propaganda village of Gijungdong in this picture taken from the Dora observatory near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, South Korea, April 24, 2018. (Reuters)

South Korea Vows Legal Action Over Drone Incursion into North

The South Korean president's top advisor vowed on Wednesday to punish whoever is found responsible for a recent drone incursion into North Korea, after a…

World This video grab taken on January 14, 2026 from UGC images posted on social media on January 13, 2026, shows dozens of bodies lying on the ground at the Tehran Province Forensic Diagnostic and Laboratory Centre in Kahrizak, as grieving relatives search for their loved ones. (UGC / AFP)

Iran’s Judiciary Signals Fast Trials and Executions for Detained Protesters Despite Trump’s Warning

Iran's judiciary head signaled Wednesday there would be fast trials and executions ahead for suspects detained in nationwide protests despite warnings from US…

World Rescuers work at the site of a logistics hub of a private delivery company hit by Russian missile strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine January 13, 2026. (Reuters)

Ukraine Drones Kill Two in Russian Border Regions, Say Local Authorities

Two people were killed and several wounded as a result of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian border regions, local authorities said Wednesday. In the city of…

World Wreckage at the site where a train was derailed when a construction crane collapsed and fell onto its carriages, causing several casualties, in Sikhio district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, January 14, 2026. (Reuters)

At Least 25 Killed After Crane Falls on Train in Thailand, Police Say

A train derailed in northeastern Thailand on Wednesday after a construction crane fell on three ​of its carriages, killing at least 25 people and injuring…

World Protesters participate in a demonstration supporting protesters in Iran, in front of the US Consulate, Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP)

Larijani Calls Trump, Netanyahu ‘Main Killers of People of Iran’ as Russia Slams Threats

A senior Iranian official responded Tuesday to US President Donald Trump’s latest threat to intervene in deadly protests, saying that the US and Israel will be…

World Protesters participate in a demonstration supporting protesters in Iran, in front of the US Consulate, Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP)

Satellite Internet Provider Starlink Now Offering Free Service Inside Iran

The satellite internet provider Starlink now offers free service in Iran, activists said Wednesday. Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who has…

World  In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

Trump Warns of ‘Very Strong Action’ if Iran Hangs Protesters

US President Donald Trump warned of unspecified "very strong action" if Iranian authorities go ahead with threatened hangings of some protesters, with Tehran…

World Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen attend a press conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, January 13, 2026. (Reuters)

‘We Choose Denmark,’ Says Greenland Ahead of W. House Talks

Greenland would choose to remain Danish over a US takeover, its leader said Tuesday, ahead of crunch White House talks on the future of the Arctic island which…

World A view of the courtroom during the first hearing in which Myanmar is accused of committing genocide against the country's Muslim minority, the Rohingya, at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, The Netherlands, 12 January 2026. (EPA)

ICJ Hears Gruesome Violence Against Rohingya in Myanmar Genocide Case

Myanmar soldiers rampaged door-to-door, systematically killing, raping, and burning Rohingya men, women and children, the International Court of Justice heard…

World Tourists stand next to the fence of the White House in Washington, DC, US December 26, 2025. (Reuters)

US Designates Three Muslim Brotherhood Chapters as Global Terrorists

The United States on Tuesday designated the Egyptian, Lebanese and Jordanian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as global terrorists, citing in part what it…