Breaking World News

World This undated photograph in an unidentified location released by the US Justice Department on December 19, 2025, shows Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy US financier who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking underage girls. (Handout / US Department of Justice / AFP)

New Mexico Approves Comprehensive Probe of Epstein’s Zorro Ranch 

New Mexico lawmakers on Monday passed legislation to launch what they said was the first full investigation into what happened at Zorro Ranch, where the late…

World US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Air Force One at Pope Army Airfield at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on February 13, 2026, on his way to Palm Beach, Florida, to spend the weekend. (AFP)

Trump Says He Will Be Involved Indirectly in Iran Talks 

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would be involved "indirectly" in high-stakes talks between Iran and the US over Tehran's nuclear program set…

World This picture taken on February 16, 2026 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on February 17, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) and his daughter Ju Ae (center L) attending the inauguration ceremony of 10,000 flats of the fourth stage in Hwasong Area of Pyongyang. (KCNA via KNS / AFP)

North Korea’s Kim Marks Completion of Pyongyang Housing Project as Key Party Congress Nears 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked the completion of 10,000 new houses built in Pyongyang, state media KCNA said on Tuesday, as the country prepares to…


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

Iran Offers Clemency to over 2,000 Convicts, Excludes Protest-related Cases

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei granted pardons or reduced sentences on Tuesday to more than 2,000 people, the judiciary said, adding that none of those…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia February 9, 2026. (Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via Reuters)

Macron Says Wants ‘European Approach’ in Dialogue with Putin

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants to include European partners in a resumption of dialogue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin nearly four…

World Gold mine in China (archive-Reuters)

Seven Killed in Gold Mine Accident in Eastern China, State Media CCTV Reports

Seven people were killed in a gold mine accident in China's eastern Shandong province, and authorities were investigating, state-run CCTV reported, sending…

Asharq Al Awsat
World FILE PHOTO: Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani speaks after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon August 13, 2025. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo

Iran Warns of 'Destructive' Influence on Diplomacy ahead of Netanyahu's US Trip

The secretary of Iran's top security body arrived in Oman on Tuesday, amid Iranian warning of "destructive" influence on diplomacy ahead of Israeli Prime…

Asharq Al Awsat
World This combination of three undated pictures provided by the US Department of Justice on January 30, 2026 as part of the Jeffrey Epstein files show an Austrian passport Jeffrey Epstein used under the assumed name of Marius Robert Fortelni (AFP) 

US Justice Department Opens Unredacted Epstein Files to Lawmakers

The US Justice Department opened the unredacted Jeffrey Epstein files to review by members of Congress on Feb 9 as several lawmakers expressed concern that…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
World President Donald Trump answers a question from a reporter at the end of a news conference with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP)

Israel’s Netanyahu Is Meeting with Trump This Week to Push for a Far Broader Iran Deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading to Washington on Tuesday to encourage President Donald Trump to expand the scope of high-stakes nuclear talks with…

World People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)

France Accuses Iran of ‘Repression’ in Sentence for Nobel Laureate

France accused Iran on Monday of "repression and intimidation" after a court handed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi a new six-year prison sentence…

World Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).

Iran's Supreme Leader Urges Iranians to Show 'Resolve' against Foreign Pressure

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Monday called on his compatriots to show "resolve" ahead of the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution this week. …

Asharq Al Awsat
World British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS

UK PM's Communications Director Quits

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's director of communications Tim Allan resigned on Monday, a day after Starmer's top aide Morgan McSweeney quit over his…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
World FILE PHOTO: A police vehicle of Operation Fushin Kada (Anger of Crocodile) is parked on Yakowa Road, as schools across northern Nigeria reopen nearly two months after closing due to security concerns, following the mass abductions of school children, in Kaduna, Nigeria, January 12, 2026. REUTERS/Nuhu Gwamna/File Photo

Road Accident in Nigeria Kills at Least 30 People

At least 30 people have been killed and an unspecified number of people injured in a road accident in northwest Nigeria, authorities said. The accident…

Asharq Al Awsat
World US Vice President JD Vance and Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shake hands, as they attend a joint press conference, in Yerevan, Armenia, February 9, 2026. (Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolure via Reuters)

US Reaches Nuclear Deal with Armenia as Vance Pushes Peace Dividend

Armenia and the United States agreed on Monday to cooperate in the civil nuclear sector as Washington sought to bolster ties with a former close ally of Russia…

World FILED - 06 February 2009, Bavaria, Munich: Ali Larijani, then chairman of the Iranian parliament, speaks at the 45th Munich Security Conference in Munich. Photo: Andreas Gebert/dpa

Adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader to Visit Oman on Tuesday

Ali Larijani, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, will visit Oman accompanied by a delegation on Tuesday, the ‌semi-official Tasnim news …

Asharq Al Awsat
World 06 February 2026, Russia, Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gives a press conference following a meeting with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office Ignazio Cassis, head of Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Federal Councilor of the Swiss Confederation, and OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Reception House. (Sofya Sandurskaya/TASS via ZUMA Press/dpa)

Russia’s Lavrov Sees No ‘Bright Future’ for Economic Ties with US

Russia remains open for cooperation with the United States but is not hopeful about economic ties despite Washington's ongoing efforts to end the Ukraine war,…

World Britain's Prince William (R), Prince of Wales and Catherine (C), Princess of Wales arrive to meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally at Lambeth Palace in London on February 5, 2026. (Photo by Aaron Chown / POOL / AFP)

Prince William, Kate 'Deeply Concerned' by Latest Epstein Revelations

Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine have been "deeply concerned" by the latest revelations linking William's uncle Prince Andrew to late US sex…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
World A general view on a damaged building at the site of a Russian drone strike on a residential building in Odesa, Ukraine, 04 February 2026. (EPA)

Russian Strikes Kill 4 in Ukraine, Including Child

A barrage of Russian drones and missiles on Ukraine overnight killed at least four people in cities across the country, including a 10-year-old boy, regional…

World  Demonstrators gather at Town Hall Square to protest against Israeli President Isaac Herzog's state visit to Australia following a deadly mass shooting during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025, in Sydney, Australia, February 9, 2026. (Reuters)

Thousands Protest Israeli President Herzog’s Visit to Australia

Thousands gathered across Australia on Monday to protest the arrival of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who is on a multi-city trip aimed at expressing…

World Iranians cross a road near an anti-US and anti-Israeli billboard reading "You start... we finish it" in Palestine Square in Tehran, Iran, 09 February 2026, amid heightened regional tensions. (EPA)

Iran Steps up Arrests While Remaining Positive on US Talks

Iran stepped up its crackdown on Monday after recent protests, with more arrests, while holding the door open to Washington for further nuclear negotiations. …

World  Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), arrives at the Prime Minister's office after her party's historic election win in Sunday's poll in Tokyo, Japan, February 9, 2026. (Reuters)

China Vows ‘Resolute Response’ to Any Reckless Acts After Japan Election

Beijing warned Tokyo on Monday that reckless actions would be met with a "resolute response", a day after Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is viewed…

World South Korean military officials secure the site where an AH-1S Cobra attack helicopter crashed in Gapyeong, South Korea, February 9, 2026. Yonhap via REUTERS

SKorea Grounds Aging Attack Choppers after Fatal Training Crash

The military in South Korea said an AH-1S Cobra military helicopter crashed on Monday during a routine training mission in northern Gapyeong province.

World Participants demonstrate in front of Tokyo Electric Power Company's headquarters against the restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, in Tokyo on February 9, 2026. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)

Japan Restarts World's Biggest Nuclear Plant Again

Japan switched on the world's biggest nuclear power plant again on Monday, its operator said, after an earlier attempt was quickly suspended due to a minor…

Asharq Al Awsat
World People walk past a huge anti-US billboard displayed on a building in Tehran's Valiasr Square on February 8, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Israel Threatens to Hit Iran’s Ballistic Missiles, Questions ‘Value’ of Deal

Israel on Sunday said it could launch military strikes on Iran's ballistic missile program, expressing deep skepticism regarding the viability of any potential…

Asharq Al Awsat (Tel Aviv)