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UN Official Urges Iran, US to Let Fertilizers Through Hormuz Strait

World Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services), and coordinator of the UN Strait of Hormuz Task Force established by the UN Secretary-General, speaks during an interview with AFP on the sidelines of the 31st United Climate Change Conference (COP31), at the media center located on the Antalya Expo Center in Antalya on November 14, 2026. (AFP)

UN Official Urges Iran, US to Let Fertilizers Through Hormuz Strait

Iran and the United States should "immediately" allow fertilizer shipments through the Strait of Hormuz to ease the crisis in some of the most vulnerable…

World US President Donald Trump attends a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, US, November 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Report: Trump Tells Advisers He May Hold Off on Iran Attacks Barring New Provocations

President Donald Trump has told senior advisers in recent days that he may hold off on attacking Iran if the US faces no new provocations from Tehran or the…

World US President Donald Trump presents the National Medal of Science to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk during the "A New Golden Age" summit at the US Institute of Peace, renamed The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace by the Trump administration, in Washington, DC, US, October 8, 2026. (Reuters)

Trump Is Taking Elon Musk on His Asia Trip, but He Plans to Avoid Talking About Nvidia Scandal

President Donald Trump plans to take the world's wealthiest man, Elon Musk, with him next week when he travels to the Philippines and China. As the head of…

World South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) officers attend the funeral of Sudan's late former Vice President Joseph Lagu, near the Dr John Garang Mausoleum in Juba, South Sudan, November 13, 2026. (Reuters)

South Sudan Delays Election to February 2027

South Sudan has pushed back its national elections to February 11, 2027, according to a timetable issued by the country's National Elections Commission, in…

World Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, October 12, 2026. (Reuters)

Iran’s Navy Says Oil Tanker on Fire After Hitting Mine in Hormuz

Iran's navy said an oil tanker caught fire on Saturday ‌morning after ‌hitting a ‌naval ⁠mine in the eastern ⁠Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state…


World A street with Christmas and New Year decorations near the business center Moscow-City (background) in Moscow, Russia 10 December 2024. EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV

Russia Tells its Citizens to Avoid Travel to the West

Russia said on Wednesday that relations with the United States were so confrontational that Russian citizens should not travel to the US, Canada and some EU…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A man rides a bicycle past a giant screen showing news footages of Chinese President Xi Jinping attending a Chinese Communist Party politburo meeting, in Beijing, China December 9, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

China Says it Takes 'Necessary Measures' to Defend Sovereignty over Taiwan

China said on Wednesday it takes "necessary measures" to defend the country's sovereignty and will not tolerate "separatist" activities, as Taiwan reported…

Asharq Al Awsat
World FILE PHOTO: Iranian flag flies in front of the UN office building, housing IAEA headquarters, in Vienna, Austria, May 24, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo

EU Warns Iran to Stop Acceleration of Enriched Uranium at 60%

Germany, Britain and France said they were “extremely concerned” about Iran's acceleration in its capacity for enrichment of uranium, urging Iran to halt and…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Particles of H5N1 bird flu virus. HANDOUT / National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/AFP/File

'Knocking on Our Door': Experts Warn of Bird Flu's Pandemic Threat

Health experts have been sounding the alarm about the potential pandemic threat posed by bird flu, which has been showing signs of mutating as it spreads among…

Asharq Al Awsat
World 11 December 2024, Australia, Sydney: Anti Israel graffiti can be seen on Magney St, Woollahra. Photo: Mick Tsikas/AAP/dpa

Vandals Paint Anti-Israel Graffiti, Burn Car in Sydney

Two suspects daubed anti-Israel graffiti and torched a car in a Sydney suburb on Wednesday, police said, sparking "outrage" from Australia's government days…

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World Protesters with images of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and former South Korea Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, center, march to the presidential office after a candlelight vigil against President Yoon in Seoul, South Korea, on Dec. 5, 2024. The signs read "Arrest the rebellion criminals." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

South Korean Police Raid President's Office

South Korean police raided President Yoon Suk Yeol's office on Wednesday as the investigation into his declaration of martial law gathered pace. Prison…

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World President-elect Donald Trump takes the stage before he speaks at the FOX Nation Patriot Awards, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Greenvale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Trump's Picks for Key Positions in His Second Administration

President-elect Donald Trump has filled the key posts for his second term in office, prioritizing loyalty to him after he felt bruised and hampered by internal…

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World Anas Modamani, 27 a Syrian refugee in Germany, shows his famous selfie with German Chancellor Angela Merkel he took after his arrival in the country, in a Syrian restaurant in Berlin, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP)

Syrians in Germany Worried by Some Politicians’ Eagerness for Them to Go Home after Assad’s Fall

Nearly a decade after he arrived in Germany from Syria and took a selfie with then-Chancellor Angela Merkel, Anas Modamani has finished his university studies…

World  A man sells opposition flags at the Al-Hamidiyeh market inside the old walled city of Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (AP)

European Countries Halt Syrian Asylum Applications after Assad’s Fall

Many European countries have put asylum applications from Syrians on hold after the opposition seized the Syrian capital and President Bashar al-Assad fled to…

World  Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko talk during a signing ceremony following a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Russia-Belarus Union State marking the 25th anniversary of the Union State Treaty in Minsk, Belarus, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024.(Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Belarus Has Dozens of Russian Nuclear Weapons and Is Ready for Its Newest Missile, Its Leader Says

Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday his country is hosting dozens of Russian nuclear weapons and will prepare facilities for the…

World A police officer holds up a whiteboard with a number as a protester from the activist group "Ende Gelaende" is photographed after being detained by the police during a protest against the World LNG Summit, near the Hotel Adlon in Berlin, Germany, December 10, 2024. REUTERS/Christian Mang

Germany: 3 Men Arrested over Suspected Preparations for Extremist Attack

Two young men who sympathized with ISIS and a suspected accomplice have been arrested in Germany for allegedly making preparations for an attack, authorities…

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World Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu smiles as he prepares to testify in his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv at the start of his hearing on corruption charges on December 10, 2024.      MENAHEM KAHANA/Pool via REUTERS

Netanyahu Takes the Stand in Long-running Corruption Trial

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand on Tuesday in his long-running trial for alleged corruption, as he faces an international arrest…

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World Russian men fish on a frozen pond at a residential area in Moscow, Russia, 09 December 2024. EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV

Russia Arrests Dual Russian German Citizen on Sabotage Accusations

Russia’s top domestic security agency said Tuesday that it has arrested a dual Russian German citizen accused of planning to blow up railway tracks in Nizhny…

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World FILE PHOTO: A view of the Canary Wharf financial district in London, Britain, August 1, 2023. REUTERS/Susannah Ireland/File Photo

6 People Charged in UK with Belonging to PKK

British police have charged six people with belonging to a banned Kurdish militant group, the PKK. London’s Metropolitan Police force said the suspects were…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
World FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva walks at the Mercosur Summit in Montevideo, Uruguay December 6, 2024. REUTERS/Martin Varela Umpierrez/File Photo

Brazil's Lula Recovering in ICU after Surgery to Drain Head Hemorrhage

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is recovering in an intensive-care unit after undergoing surgery for an intracranial hemorrhage, the Sirio…

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World A glass barricade is installed in front of the ruling People Power Party's headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, 10 December 2024, amid public criticism of PPP lawmakers for boycotting a parliamentary vote on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.  EPA/YONHAP

South Korea’s Ex-Defense Minister Is Formally Arrested over Martial Law Imposition

A former South Korean defense minister was formally arrested Wednesday over his alleged collusion with President Yoon Suk Yeol and others in imposing martial…

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World An undated handout photo received on December 10, 2024 from the Australian Defense shows the HMAS Brisbane firing a Tomahawk Weapon System off the west coast of the US. (Photo by Handout / AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE / AFP)

Australian Warship Test-fires US Tomahawk Missile

An Australian warship has test-fired a US Tomahawk cruise missile, officials said Tuesday, hailing a "major milestone" in the country's decade-long plan to…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Members of the Syrian community wave Syrian flags and light flares on December 8, 2024, in Berlin, Germany, and celebrate the end of Syrian Bashar al-Assad's rule after opposition fighters took control of the Syrian capital Damascus overnight. (AFP)

Germany and Other European Countries Suspend Decisions on Syrians’ Asylum Bids after Assad’s Fall

Germany and several other European countries said Monday they are suspending decisions on asylum claims by Syrian nationals because of the unclear situation in…

World  Protesters attend a rally calling for the impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who declared martial law, which was reversed hours later, in front of the headquarters of the ruling People Power Party, in Seoul, South Korea, December 9, 2024. (Reuters)

South Korea’s Justice Ministry Imposes a Travel Ban on President Yoon over Martial Law

South Korea’s Justice Ministry on Monday imposed an overseas travel ban on President Yoon Suk Yeol as authorities investigate allegations of rebellion and…

World US President-elect Donald Trump (C) sits inside the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral during its official reopening ceremony, in Paris, France, 07 December 2024. (EPA)

No Contact with Trump So Far, the Kremlin Says

The Kremlin said on Monday that it had so far had no contact with Donald Trump or his team after the US president-elect called for an immediate ceasefire and…

World This handout photograph taken between December 7-8, 2024 and released on December 9 by the Taiwan Coast Guard shows a crewmember on board a Taiwan Coast Guard ship monitoring a Chinese coast guard vessel in waters east of Taiwan. (Taiwan Coast Guard handout / AFP)

Taiwan Says China Has Sent Naval Ships into Nearby Waters Ahead of Anticipated Drills

China's military appears to be preparing for widely anticipated drills in response to a recent visit by Taiwan's president to Hawaii and Guam. Taiwan's…

World  A police officer with a 12.7mm infantry machine gun takes position at Sarband Police Station’s rooftop, in the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan, February 9, 2023. — Reuters

Pakistani Security Forces Kill 22 Terrorists in Separate Military Operations

The Pakistani Army killed 22 terrorists and injured others in three separate military operations in the Waziristan, Tank and Thal districts of Khyber…

Asharq Al Awsat (Islamabad)
World Marc Tice, left, and Debra Tice, the parents of Austin Tice, a journalist who was kidnapped in Syria, update the media about their son's condition as they continue to push for his release, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024,  during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Biden: The US Believes Journalist Austin Tice is Alive After Disappearing in Syria in 2012

President Joe Biden said Sunday that the US government believes missing American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared 12 years ago near the Syrian capital,…

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World A man photographs the opposition's Syrian flag, which is also displayed on the building in Psychiko, Greece, 08 December 2024. (EPA)

Syrian Opposition Supporters Hoist Flags at Embassies Abroad

Supporters of opposition forces who ousted President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday have entered some Syrian embassies abroad to hoist their flag, while fighters…