Breaking World News

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 Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers questions during a session of the House of Councillors budget committee in the National Diet in Tokyo on December 15, 2025. (AFP)

China Reiterates Demand That Japanese PM Retract Taiwan Remarks 

China on Tuesday reiterated its demand that Japan retract Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks about Taiwan, more than a month after Takaichi said an attack…

World A photo released by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) shows its chief Mohammad Eslami, and IAEA director Raphael Grossi in Tehran last month.

Iran: IAEA Has No Right to Inspect Nuclear Sites Attacked in June 

The UN atomic watchdog has no right to demand inspections of sites attacked by the United States and Israel during the June war, said head of the Atomic Energy…

Asharq Al Awsat (London) Asharq Al Awsat (Tehran)
World People walk past a Taiwanese flag in New Taipei City. (AFP/Jiji Press)

Taiwan Says Its Military Can Respond Rapidly to Any Sudden Chinese Attack 

Taiwan's military can respond rapidly to any sudden Chinese attack with all units able to operate under a decentralized mode of command without awaiting orders…

World Türkiye Says It Downs Uncontrolled Drone that Approached from Black Sea

Türkiye Says It Downs Uncontrolled Drone that Approached from Black Sea

Türkiye shot down an uncontrolled drone that approached its airspace from the Black Sea, the defense ministry said. The incident follows Türkiye’s warning…

Asharq Al Awsat
World In this photo released by the Prime Minister office, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets Ahmed al Ahmed at St George Hospital in Sydney, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Australian Prime Minister Office via AP)

Australian PM Visits Bondi Beach Hero in Hospital 

Australia's prime minister visited Bondi Beach shooting hero Ahmed al Ahmed in hospital on Tuesday, lauding his efforts to help stop the nation's deadliest gun…

World This combination screen grabs from a video posted by US Southern Command (Southcom) X account on December 15, 2025 shows what the US military says are lethal strikes on three separate alleged narco-trafficking vessels (top) as they get hit (middle and bottom) in the eastern Pacific Ocean on December 15, 2025. (AFP photo / US Southern Command's X Account / Handout)

US Military Says Strikes on 3 Boats in the Eastern Pacific Ocean Kill 8 People 

The US military said Monday that it attacked three boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of eight people as scrutiny…

World A person walks with an umbrella outside BBC Broadcasting House, after Director General Tim Davie and CEO of BBC News Deborah Turness resigned on Sunday, November 9, following accusations of bias at the British broadcaster, including in the way it edited a speech by US President Donald Trump, in London, Britain, November 14, 2025. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Trump Sues BBC for $10 Billion over Documentary Speech Edit

US President Donald Trump on Monday filed a lawsuit seeking at least $10 billion from the BBC over a documentary that edited his 2021 speech to supporters…

Asharq Al Awsat
World An Australian flag is placed near flowers laid as a tribute at Bondi Beach to honor the victims of a mass shooting that targeted a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday, in Sydney, Australia, December 16, 2025. (Reuters)

Australian Police Say Bondi Beach Mass Shooting Was Inspired by ISIS Group 

A mass shooting in which 15 people were killed during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach was “a terrorist attack inspired by ISIS,” Australia’s…

World US Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks at a press conference following the arrest in the D.C. pipe bomber investigation, at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., US, December 4, 2025. REUTERS/Jessica Koscielniak

FBI Foils 'Terror Plot' Targeting Los Angeles, US Attorney General Says

The FBI has foiled a bomb plot targeting multiple targets, including immigration agents and vehicles, in Los Angeles and Orange County, Attorney General Pam…

Asharq Al Awsat
World The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)

Iran Hosts Regional Talks on Afghanistan, but Kabul Stays Away

Afghanistan's neighbors met in Iran and agreed to deepen regional coordination to address political, economic and security challenges, as well as calling for…

Asharq Al Awsat
World  In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, shakes hands with US Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Russia Indicates It’s Open to Ukraine Joining EU as Part of Peace Deal to End War, US Officials Say

Russia has indicated it’s open to Ukraine joining the European Union as part of a peace deal to end the war, US officials said as the latest round of talks…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Police secure an area after a deadly shooting in the eastern German city of Halle on October 9, 2019. REUTERS/Marvin Gaul

German Far-Right Lawmaker Charged With Making Nazi Salute

Prosecutors in Berlin have filed charges against the far-right Alternative for Germany's (AfD) Matthias Moosdorf for allegedly greeting another party member…

Asharq Al Awsat
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. (Sputnik/AFP)

Kremlin Says Ukraine Not Joining in NATO Is a Fundamental Issue 

The Kremlin said on Monday that Ukraine not joining the US-led NATO military alliance was a fundamental question in talks on a possible peace settlement and…

World Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shakes hands with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff next to U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Berlin, Germany, December 14, 2025. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

Ukraine Peace Talks Stretch into Second Day at Start of Pivotal Week for Europe

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will resume talks with US President Donald Trump's envoys in Berlin on Monday, after the US side said a "lot of…

Asharq Al Awsat
World People gather around a tribute for shooting victims outside the Bondi Pavilion at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025, a day after a shooting. (AP)

‘Hero’ Who Disarmed Bondi Gunman Recovering After Surgery, Family Says 

A Sydney resident who wrestled a gun from one of the alleged attackers during the mass shooting at Bondi Beach is recovering in hospital after undergoing…

World Flags fly at half-mast on the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Sydney, Australia, December 15, 2025. (AAP/Steven Markham via Reuters)

Neighbors of Alleged Bondi Gunmen Shocked by Deadly Rampage 

Like many people in Sydney, Glenn Nelson spent his Sunday evening watching television coverage of a deadly shooting on the city's iconic Bondi Beach. But…

World Police patrol in the early morning following a shooting Sunday at Sydney's Bondi Beach, Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Australia to Toughen Gun Laws after Deadly Bondi Shootings

Australia's leaders agreed on Monday to tougher gun laws after the country's worst mass shooting in almost three decades saw a father and son open fire on a…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei (Mehr)

Iran: Our Armed Forces Are in Full Readiness to Deal with Any Emergency

Iran on Sunday said its armed forces are in full readiness to deal with any emergency, while reiterating its continued contacts with the International Atomic…

Asharq Al Awsat (London) Asharq Al Awsat (Tehran)
World TOPSHOT - Soldiers carry the coffin of Special Forces volunteer Mustakim Majehma, who died amid clashes along Cambodia-Thailand border, during a military ceremony at Narathiwat airport in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat on December 14, 2025. (Photo by Madaree TOHLALA / AFP)

Thailand Cuts Laos Fuel Route as Cambodia Border Conflict Deepens

Thailand's military said on Monday that it has stopped fuel shipments passing through a border checkpoint with Laos because of fears they were being diverted…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Passers-by walk past crime scene tape at an entrance to Brown University, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Providence, R.I., following the Saturday, Dec. 13, shooting at the university. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

US Police: Person of Interest Detained in Deadly Brown University Shooting

A person of interest was in custody Sunday after a shooting during final exams at Brown University that killed two students and wounded nine others, though key…

Asharq Al Awsat
World The chancellory is pictured during talks between representatives of the US and Ukraine in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Zelenskyy Offers to Drop NATO Bid for Security Guarantees but Rejects US Push to Cede Territory

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday voiced readiness to drop his country’s bid to join NATO in exchange for Western security guarantees, but…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A composite video grab shows Ahmed confronting the gunman, followed by the moment he is given medical aid after being shot (circulated)

Australia Hails 'Ahmed' the 'Hero' Who Stopped Gunman in His Tracks

Australians hailed on Sunday a "hero" whose daring struggle with a gunman may have saved many lives during the country's worst mass shooting in years. …

Asharq Al Awsat
World 14 December 2025, Berlin: Jared Kushner (R), entrepreneur and former chief advisor to the President of the United States, arrives at the Hotel Adlon. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa

US Envoys in Berlin for Another Round of Ukraine Peace Talks

US envoys arrived in Berlin Sunday morning for another round of talks intended to secure a deal to end the war in Ukraine. US President Donald Trump’s…

Asharq Al Awsat
World This screen grab made from UGC handout video footage courtesy of Timothy Brant-Coles shows two gunmen dressed in black firing multiple shots on a bridge at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 14, 2025. (Photo by Handout / various sources / AFP)

Gunmen Kill, Injure Scores at Sydney's Bondi Beach as Hundreds Gathered for Jewish Festival

Two gunmen shot dead at least 11 people on Sunday at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, police said. One gunman was fatally shot by police and the second arrested. The…

Asharq Al Awsat