Breaking World News

Aid Workers Stand Trial in Greece on Migrant Smuggling Charges

World TOPSHOT - Migrants sit onboard an inflatable boat before attempting to illegally cross the English Channel to reach Britain, off the coast of Sangatte, northern France, on July 18, 2023. (Photo by BERNARD BARRON / AFP)

Aid Workers Stand Trial in Greece on Migrant Smuggling Charges

Two dozen aid workers went on trial in Greece on Thursday on charges including migrant smuggling, in a case that rights groups have dismissed as a baseless…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with journalists as he attends the VTB Investment Forum "Russia Calling!" in Moscow, Russia, December 2, 2025. Sputnik/Yevgeny Biyatov/Pool via REUTERS

Putin Says Russia Will Take All of Ukraine's Donbas Region Militarily or Otherwise

President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Thursday that Russia would take full control of Ukraine's Donbas region by force unless Ukrainian…

Asharq Al Awsat
World South Korea's presidential office confirmed Thursday that six nationals were being held captive in North Korea. Pedro PARDO / AFP/File

Seoul Says Six Nationals Held in North Korea, Vows to Help Them

South Korea's presidential office confirmed Thursday that six of its citizens have been captive in North Korea for years, after President Lee Jae Myung…

Asharq Al Awsat
World The Arrow 3 shield system is pictured during an event of the German Air Force to declare the Initial Operating Capability for the Arrow Weapon System for Germany at the Annaburger Heide Air Base in Schoenewalde / Holzdorf, eastern Germany, on December 3, 2025. (AFP)

Germany Deploys Arrow Air Defense to Counter Russian Missile Threat

Germany on Wednesday became the first European nation to deploy the Arrow air defense system, built to intercept intermediate-range ballistic missiles such as…

World Russian President Vladimir Putin, third right, Russian Presidential foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, fourth right, and Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries Kirill Dmitriev, right, attend talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, second left, and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, third, at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Kremlin Says Putin Accepted Some US Proposals on Ukraine and Is Ready to Continue Talking 

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that President Vladimir Putin had accepted some US proposals to end the war in Ukraine and rejected others and that Russia was…


World Members of the police walk at the scene after several people were shot at a family gathering in Stockton, California, US November 29, 2025.  REUTERS/Fred Greaves

4 Dead, 10 Wounded in Shooting at Banquet Hall in California

Four people were killed and 10 wounded in a shooting during a family gathering at a banquet hall in Stockton, sheriff’s officials said Saturday. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Traffic moves in heavy smog in Tehran on November 29, 2025. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Rouhani: Iran Caught in ‘No Peace, No War’ Stalemate

Iranian former President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that five months after the end of the war with Israel, his country is still caught in a “no peace, no…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
World An overview of Caracas amid rising tensions between the administration of US President Donald Trump and Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro’s government, in Caracas, Venezuela, November 27, 2025. (Reuters)

Trump Says Airspace Above and Around Venezuela Should Be Considered Closed

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered "closed in its entirety", but gave no further…

World An Iranian destroyer during previous drills (Archive – IRNA)

Repaired Sahand Destroyer, Floating Base Join Iranian Navy

The Sahand destroyer, which capsized during repairs last year, has been recommissioned into the Iranian Navy along with the Kurdistan floating base, Iran’s…

Asharq Al Awsat
World  In this photo provided by the Press Service of the President of Ukraine on Nov. 21, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks into the camera while delivering a video address to the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service of the President of Ukraine via AP)

Zelensky: Ukrainian Team Headed to US for Talks on Plan to End War

A team of Ukrainian negotiators was on Saturday headed to the United States for talks on Washington's plan to end the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Representation photo: A photo distributed by the Houthis of a ship being targeted in the Red Sea with an explosive-laden drone (AFP)

Türkiye Says Black Sea Tanker That Sustained Blast Hit Again

Türkiye’s transport ministry said one of two empty oil tankers hit by blasts in the Black Sea late Friday had been struck again early on Saturday, blaming an…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Ultra-Orthodox opposition to mandatory military service proposals sparked a mass rally in Jerusalem in October. AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP

Ultra-Orthodox Military Conscription Row Reignites in Israel

A new draft law on conscripting ultra-Orthodox Jews, whose support is crucial for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, has sparked uproar in Israel,…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A handout picture provided by the Vatican Media shows Pope Leo XIV (C) during a visit to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (The Blue Mosque) in Istanbul, Türkiye, 29 November 2025. (EPA/Vatican Media)

Pope Visits Istanbul’s Blue Mosque at Start of Day of Meetings with Türkiye's Religious Leaders

Pope Leo XIV visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on Saturday but didn't stop to pray, as he opened an intense day of meetings and liturgies with Türkiye's religious…

World Firefighters work at the site of a private home that went up in flames after it was hit by a Russian drone during a night of attacks on Kyiv, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, November 29, 2025. (Reuters)

Russian Attacks Kill 2 in Kyiv as Diplomatic Efforts to End the War in Ukraine Gain Momentum

Russian drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, killed at least two people in the early hours of Saturday, local officials said. The attacks…

World Khamenei delivers a televised address on Thursday evening. (State television)

Khamenei Warns Against Internal Divisions, Urges Iranians to ‘Stand Firm Against Enemies’

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned against internal divisions, calling on Iranians to stand together “against the enemies.” In a televised address,…

Asharq Al Awsat (London) Asharq Al Awsat (Tehran)
World FILE PHOTO: Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China November 25, 2025. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/Pool/File Photo

China's Xi Vows to 'Resolutely Crack Down' on Online Misconduct

Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed to "resolutely crack down" on online misconduct and foster a "clean" cyberspace, state media reported Saturday, after…

Asharq Al Awsat
World People wade through a flooded road after heavy rainfall in Kaduwela on the outskirts of Colombo on November 28, 2025.  (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP)

Sri Lanka Seeks Foreign Help as Cyclone Toll Hits 123

Sri Lanka made an appeal for international assistance on Saturday as the death toll from heavy rains and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah rose to 123, with…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Firefighters extinguish oil tanks at a storage facility that local authorities say caught fire after the military brought down a Ukrainian drone, in the town of Klintsy in the Bryansk Region, Russia January 19, 2024, in this still image taken from video. Russian Emergencies Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Fire Breaks Out at Russia's Afipsky Oil Refinery after Drone Attack

Falling drone debris sparked a blaze at the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, but the fire has been contained, regional authorities…

Asharq Al Awsat
World  German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attends an official event to hand over the Christmas tree for the Chancellery, on November 28, 2025 in front of the Chancellery in Berlin. (AFP)

Germany’s Merz to Make First Visit to Israel

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will make his first official visit to Israel in December at a time of heightened tensions in the region, the German government…

World  In this photo provided by the Press Service of the President of Ukraine on Nov. 21, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks into the camera while delivering a video address to the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Press Service of the President of Ukraine via AP)

Zelenskyy’s Chief of Staff Resigns as Ukraine Corruption Investigations Widen

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Friday the resignation of his powerful chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, who was also the country's lead…

World Masked US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol agents stand behind a police line as residents of Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood confront law enforcement at a gas station after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents allegedly detained an unidentified man riding in his car, in Chicago, Illinois, on October 4, 2025. (Photo by OCTAVIO JONES / AFP)

UN Urges Washington to Keep Doors Open to Asylum Seekers after D.C. Attack

UN agencies on Friday appealed to Washington to continue allowing asylum seekers access to the country and to be given due process after US President Donald…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Guinea Bissau Army general Horta N'Tam (C) poses with other military leaders after being sworn in as the transition leader and the leader of the High Command in Bissau on November 27, 2025. (Photo by Patrick MEINHARDT / AFP)

Guinea-Bissau Capital Inches Back to Normal after Coup

Life limped back to normal on Friday in the capital of volatile Guinea-Bissau after the west African nation's fifth coup that came on the heels of presidential…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A man chops firewood in a rural Afghan area as families prepare fuel supplies ahead of the winter season in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 25 November 2025. EPA/QUDRATULLAH RAZWAN

Afghanistan Vows Cooperation over Cross-border Attack that Killed 3 Chinese Workers in Tajikistan

Afghanistan on Friday expressed “deep regret" and strongly condemned a cross-border attack into neighboring Tajikistan that killed three Chinese workers and…

Asharq Al Awsat
World The commander of the Revolutionary Guard inspects Basij units on the sidelines of the ‘Power’ (Ightedar) military exercises in Tehran (Daneshjoo). 

IRGC Figure Warns: Next War Will Not End Before Israel Is ‘Completely Erased’

A senior adviser to the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mohammad Reza Naqdi, warned on Thursday that Iran would not stop any future…

Asharq Al Awsat (London) Asharq Al Awsat (Tehran)
World Sri Lanka is currently experiencing the northeast monsoon season but rainfall has intensified due to a cyclone. AFP

Sri Lanka Deploys Troops as Weather Toll Climbs to 56

Sri Lankan authorities deployed the military for relief and rescue operations Friday as the death toll from floods and landslides rose to 56, with another 21…

Asharq Al Awsat
World TOPSHOT - Firemen get ready after a major fire swept through several apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong's Tai Po district on November 27, 2025. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)

Hong Kong Blaze Death Toll Rises to 128

The death toll in a fire that ripped through a Hong Kong residential estate this week has risen to 128, the city's security chief said Friday. Dozens were…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a press conference after the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) summit at the Yntymak Ordo Presidential Administration in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, 27 November 2025. EPA/ALEXANDER KAZAKOV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN

Hungary’s Orban Seeks More Russian Oil and Gas at Kremlin Talks with Putin

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Friday, once again shunning efforts by his European…

Asharq Al Awsat
World An aerial view shows a home surrounded by flood waters in Kangar in northern Malaysia's Perlis state on November 28, 2025. (Photo by Mohd RASFAN / AFP)

Dozens Dead as Floods Ravage Southeast Asia

The toll from days of flooding in Southeast Asia rose on Friday, with at least 90 dead in Indonesia, and a hospital in southern Thailand announcing its morgue…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A US Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber returns from Operation Midnight Hammer, the US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, US June 2025. US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS

Trump Says US Just Ordered a Lot More B-2 Bombers

President Donald Trump told US military service members on Thursday his administration had ordered "a lot more" B-2 Spirit stealth bombers made by Northrop…

Asharq Al Awsat