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US Treasury Chief Blames Commerce Dept for Failure in Nvidia Scandal

World  US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during the National Committee on US-China Relations 60th Anniversary Gala Dinner in New York City, US, November 10, 2026. (Reuters)

US Treasury Chief Blames Commerce Dept for Failure in Nvidia Scandal

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday blamed the Commerce Department for failing to blacklist Megaspeed, the Singapore company at the center of a…

World UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference on the fifth day of the COP31 annual UN climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, 13 November 2026. (EPA)

UN Chief Urges Drastic Emissions Cuts as COP31 Wrestles with Fossil Fuels

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for an "immediate and drastic reduction" in greenhouse gas emissions, as divisions over fossil fuels…

World 13 November 2026, Ireland, Dublin: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of the EU summit at the Convention Centre in Dublin. (dpa)

Europe’s Security Cannot Be Part of Ukraine Peace Talks, EU Leaders Say

EU leaders said on Friday that Europe's security structure should not be a subject for Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations, but they did not answer the question…

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 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hold talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (not pictured) in the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 15 December 2025.  EPA/NADJA WOHLLEBEN / POOL

EU Holds Crunch Summit on Russian Asset Plan for Ukraine

EU leaders gather in Brussels Thursday for a make-or-break summit on using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine -- with key player Belgium under pressure to drop…

Asharq Al Awsat
World US President Donald Trump delivered a speech to the American people from the White House. (AP)

Trump Vows Economic Boom, Blames Biden in Address to Nation

President Donald Trump promised Americans an economic boom in an address to the nation on Wednesday, while blaming Democratic predecessor Joe Biden for high…

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World File photo: This screen grab from a video posted by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on his X account on October 28, 2025 shows what he says is one four alleged drug-smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean that was destroyed in strikes, bringing the death toll from Washington's anti-narcotics campaign to at least 57. (Photo by Handout / US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's X Account / AFP)

US Military Says Strike on Alleged Drug Boat Kills 4 in Eastern Pacific

The US military said Wednesday that it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people on the same day the House…

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World (FILES) A motorist commutes past paintings on a wall of the Taiwan flag and a soldier in Taiwan's Kinmen on May 18, 2024. (Photo by I-Hwa CHENG / AFP)

US Announces Massive Package of Arms Sales to Taiwan Valued at More than $10 Billion

The Trump administration has announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers…

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World US President Donald Trump speaks to the media - Reuters

Trump to Attend Ceremony to Witness Return of US Personnel Killed in Syria

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will attend a ceremony on Wednesday to honor US personnel killed in Syria over the weekend by a…

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World Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Kazbek Kokov, head of the North Caucasus region of Kabardino-Balkaria, in Moscow, Russia December 16, 2025. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS

Putin Says Russia will Achieve War Goals, Keep Expanding 'Buffer Zone'

President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would achieve its goals in Ukraine by diplomatic or military means, and would seek to expand a "security…

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World A man waves Pakistan's flag as he along with others gather in support of Pakistan Army, day after the ceasefire announcement between India and Pakistan, in Islamabad, Pakistan, May 11, 2025. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

Pakistan Says ‘Hostile Countries’ behind False Online Claims Linking it to Australia Shootings

Pakistan’s information minister said Wednesday that his country has been the victim of a coordinated online disinformation campaign following the mass…

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World All affected individuals and entities remained subject to sanctions under other regimes - Reuters/File photo

UK Removes Duplicate Entries from Sanctions Lists, Designations Remain in Place

Britain removed duplicate entries from some of its sanctions lists on Wednesday, the government said in a notice, as it moves to consolidate its designations…

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World A man pauses on a pedestrian bridge as a German flag flies over the Reichstag building in Berlin on October 23, 2024. (AFP)

Germany Warns against Jeopardizing Peace after Trump's Venezuela Tanker Blockade

Germany has taken note of US President Donald Trump's order to blockade sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela and warned against any steps that…

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World Migrants confront police as they begin carrying out eviction orders at an abandoned school building where hundreds of mostly undocumented migrants had been living, in Badalona, near Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Spanish Police Evict Hundreds of Migrants from Squat Deemed Safety Hazard

Police in northeastern Spain carried out eviction orders Wednesday to clear an abandoned school building where hundreds of mostly undocumented migrants were…

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World European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a debate on the preparation of a European Council meeting, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on December 17, 2025. (Photo by FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP)

EU's Von der Leyen: Europe Must be Responsible for its Own Security

Europe must be responsible for its own security, European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. "This is no longer an option…

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World In this photo released by the Inter Services Public Relations, Pakistan's Chief of Defense Forces and Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir speaks during a ceremony at the joint military command headquarters in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (Inter Services Public Relations via AP)

Pakistan’s Military Chief Asim Munir in Spotlight over Trump’s Gaza Plan 

Pakistan's most powerful military chief in decades faces the toughest test of his newly amassed powers as Washington pushes Islamabad to contribute troops to…

World Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the Head of the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic, Kazbek Kokov (not pictured) at the Kremlin, in Moscow, Russia, 16 December 2025.  EPA/MIKHAIL METZEL/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL

US Reportedly Readies New Russia Sanctions if Putin Rejects Peace Deal

The United States is preparing a further round of sanctions on Russia's energy sector to increase the pressure on Moscow should President Vladimir Putin reject…

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World Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong sails in Pacific Ocean waters, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of Okinawa prefecture, Japan, April 5, 2023. (Reuters)

Taiwan Says Chinese Aircraft Carrier Sailed Through Taiwan Strait 

China's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, Taiwan's defense ministry said, its first transit…

World Police officers remove police tape from the scene of Sunday's shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney on December 17, 2025. (AFP)

Alleged Bondi Gunman Charged with 15 Murders as Funerals of Victims Begin 

A man who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration on Sydney's famed Bondi Beach has been charged with 59 offences, including murder and…

World Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with Russian legislators in Moscow. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Iran FM in Russia for Nuclear Talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Moscow on Tuesday amid a crisis in his country’s relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA…

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World Syrian citizens wave their national flags during celebrations marking the first anniversary of the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP)

Trump Adds Seven Countries, Including Syria, to Full Travel Ban List 

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday expanded a list of countries subject to a full travel ban, prohibiting citizens from an additional seven countries,…

World Flowers with a note that read "The Bondi Hero" are left outside tobacco shop owned by Ahmed al-Ahmed, the bystander who is hailed as the "Bondi hero" after he charged at one of the gunmen and seized his rifle during the deadly shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, December 16, 2025. (Reuters)

Millions Are Pledged to a Syrian Australian Man Who Stopped a Gunman and Became a National Hero 

Like many Australians strolling at Bondi Beach on long, warm summer evenings, Ahmed al-Ahmed just wanted a cup of coffee with a friend. Around him, a bloody…

World US President Donald Trump participates in a Hanukkah reception in the East Room at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 16 December 2025. EPA/YURI GRIPAS / POOL

Trump Orders 'Blockade' of Sanctioned Oil Tankers Leaving, Entering Venezuela

US President Donald Trump ordered on Tuesday a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in Washington's latest move to increase…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
World Hezbollah flags flutter as protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to show support to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon's Hezbollah, in Sanaa, Yemen September 27, 2024. (Reuters)

UK Police Charge Two Men with Belonging to Hezbollah, Attending Terrorism Training

Two British-Lebanese men appeared in a London court on Tuesday, charged with belonging to the banned Iran-backed group Hezbollah and attending terrorism…

World Boys stay on a hilltop overlooking Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 27, 2022. (AP)

Millions Facing Acute Food Insecurity in Afghanistan as Winter Looms, UN Warns

More than 17 million people in Afghanistan are facing crisis levels of hunger in the coming winter months, the leading international authority on hunger crises…

World A health worker marks a child’s finger after administering a polio vaccination in Hyderabad, Pakistan, 15 December 2025. EPA/NADEEM KHAWAR

Suspected Militants Kill 2, Including a Police Officer Guarding Polio Team in Northwestern Pakistan

Suspected militants opened fire on a police officer guarding a team of polio workers in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing the officer and a passerby…

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World In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russia's President with Iranian President in Ashgabat on December 12, 2025. (Photo by Alexander KAZAKOV / POOL / AFP)

Kremlin Says Christmas Ceasefire Proposed by Ukraine Depends on Reaching Peace Deal

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that a Christmas truce that Ukraine has proposed would depend on whether a peace deal is reached or not. Russia does not want a…

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World Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy listens during a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP)

Zelenskyy Says Peace Proposals to End War in Ukraine Could Be Presented to Russia within Days 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says proposals negotiated with US officials on a peace deal to end his country’s nearly four-year war with Russia could…