Breaking World News

Millions Join Spain Housing Strike, Scores Arrested in Clashes

World A worker sweeps broken glass behind the shattered entrance door of an Apple store in Plaza de Catalunya in Barcelona, northeastern Spain, 12 November 2026. EPA/QUIQUE GARCIA

Millions Join Spain Housing Strike, Scores Arrested in Clashes

More than 3 million Spaniards took to the streets on Wednesday as part of a mostly peaceful general strike protesting against a growing housing crisis, unions…

Asharq Al Awsat
World FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 28, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Iran's Guards Say 'Accident' Left Two Tankers on Fire in Hormuz

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Thursday that two tankers carrying over four million barrels of oil had caught fire after an "accident" on an unauthorized…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A wounded policeman receives treatment at a hospital in Kohat in northwestern Pakistan on November 11, 2026 following an attack on a police convoy. Basit SHAH / AFP

10 Police, 18 Militants Killed in Pakistan's Northwest

Gunmen attacked police during an operation against illegal gold mining in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing 10 officers, while 18 militants died in…

Asharq Al Awsat
World  Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a press conference after the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers Meeting in Beijing Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. (AP)

China Tells US Ready to Strengthen Cooperation

China's top diplomat Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday Beijing was "willing to strengthen" cooperation with Washington, the Chinese…

World Policemen stand outside the "Virgilio" middle school after children have been evacuated due to a bomb alert, in Rome on November 11, 2026. (AFP)

Italy Evacuates Hundreds of Schools Due to Bomb Alert, with Threats in Scotland and Ireland

Italian authorities evacuated hundreds of schools Wednesday after an emailed bomb threat, the latest in a series of disruptions affecting European institutions…


World Avigdor Liberman, then Israel's finance minister, speaks to members of the media in Jerusalem on September 11, 2022. (AFP)

Israel Opposition Figure Makes U-Turn on Ultra-Orthodox Draft to Oust Netanyahu

A hardline figure in the Israeli opposition said Friday he would moderate longtime demands that ultra-Orthodox Jews serve in the military, seeking a coalition…

World Representation photo: A firefighter sprays water on a burnt bus as unrest continues in Nanterre, Paris suburb, France, July 1, 2023.  Yves Herman, Reuters

Bus Carrying Kids to School Crashes in France, Leaving 2 Dead and 16 Injured

An intercity bus that was carrying children and teenagers to school crashed on Friday morning in eastern France, killing one minor and one young adult, French…

Asharq Al Awsat
World  A firefighter tries to extinguish a fire at a destroyed warehouse after a Russian drone attack in Sofiivska Borshchahivka, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP)

NATO Seeks ‘Just’ End to Ukraine War as Trump Touts Deal Involving Europe

Ukraine's allies are working for a "just and sustainable" end to the war ahead of US-mediated talks next week in Abu Dhabi, NATO said Friday, after US…

World Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni gestures during a press conference following a cabinet meeting that approves the government's budget measures, at Palazzo Chigi in Rome, Italy, October 28, 2026. REUTERS/Francesco Fotia

Italy's Meloni Blasts Europe's 'Disarray' on Ukraine Talks

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has slammed Europe's "disorderly" approach to Ukraine negotiations and demanded the EU decide who speaks on its behalf,…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Democratic US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed reacts during an Election Night rally after his victory in the US midterm elections, in Detroit, Michigan, US, November 4, 2026. (Reuters)

‘JD, Habibi.’ Arabs Celebrate El-Sayed’s Use of a Term of Affection in His Victory Speech

From Michigan to the Middle East, Arabs are celebrating Abdul El-Sayed’s election win and delighting in his introduction of Arabic terms like “habibi” and …

World The French national flag is raised at the French embassy, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 17, 2024. (Reuters)

France to Order Long-range Naval Cruise Missile from MBDA

France's Directorate General of Armaments said on Friday that it planned to sign a contract with defense group MBDA for a new version of its MdCN ‌Mk2…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A Turkish flag with the Bosphorus Bridge in the background, flies on a passenger ferry in Istanbul, Türkiye, September 30, 2020. (Reuters)

Türkiye Arrests Ex-minister as Part of a Widening Fund Manipulation Scandal

Authorities in Türkiye have arrested a former minister and deputy chair of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ’s ruling party over her alleged involvement in a…

Asharq Al Awsat
World A protest structure stands near Memorial Circle, the proposed site for a Triumphal Arch, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, in Arlington, Va. (AP)

US Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump’s Washington Arch

A judge temporarily blocked construction from beginning on President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot (76-meter) triumphal arch in Washington late on Thursday,…

World Police stand guard outside the residence of jailed former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak after a court issued an order allowing his transfer to house arrest, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia November 6, 2026. REUTERS/Najjua Zulkefli

Malaysia Halts Transfer of Ex-PM Najib to House Arrest, Says Legal Review Needed

Malaysia has temporarily postponed a plan to transfer jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak to house arrest, the attorney-general's office said ‌on Friday,…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever speaks to the media following a European Union leaders' summit in Brussels, Belgium, June 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Belgium to Allow Home Searches for Suspected Illegal Migrants

Belgium's parliament ‌early on Friday approved a controversial law allowing police to enter the homes of suspected undocumented migrants who have ignored…

World Scientists say human-caused climate change has made heavy rain and floods more frequent and severe. AFP

UN: Nearly 90 Mn Displaced Facing Severe Climate Risks

Three-quarters of the world's displaced people live in countries facing severe exposure to climate-related hazards, the United Nations said Friday, calling for…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Tehran's Azadi sports complex bombed at the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran (EPA)

Trump Administration Held Talks with Iran on Deporting Iranians During War

US President Donald Trump’s administration held secret talks with Iran on deporting Iranians, court documents obtained by The Associated Press show. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
World US President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an executive order signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, 05 November 2026. (EPA)

Trump Makes Oval Office a National Monument

US President Donald Trump signed an order Thursday designating the Oval Office as a national monument, redoubling his focus on beautifying the White House…

World People stroll at Konak Square in the western of Izmir, Türkiye, October 18, 2026. REUTERS/Ali Dinc

Eight Dead in Mass Shooting in Rural West Türkiye

Eight people were shot dead in three villages in western central Türkiye on Thursday, local officials said, as a major manhunt was underway to find the gunman…

Asharq Al Awsat
World This video grab from AFPTV footage shows a Finnair plane taking off from Fiumicino Airport after it was diverted due to a bomb threat, with Italian air force jets having escorted it from Helsinki to Rome on November 5, 2026. (Photo by Andrea BERNARDI / AFP)

More Than a Dozen Flights in Europe Receive Bomb Threats that an Official Calls 'Malicious' Hoaxes

Bomb threats targeted more than a dozen flights in Europe on Thursday, leading to a slew of emergency landings and military escorts in some cases, authorities…

Asharq Al Awsat
World FILE PHOTO: Paraguay's President Santiago Peña speaks during an interview with Reuters, in Asuncion, Paraguay August 21, 2024. REUTERS/Cesar Olmedo/File Photo

Paraguay President Resigns Following Bank Collapse

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña resigned on Thursday as calls for his removal swelled following the collapse of digital lender ueno that left millions of…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Birds fly in front of the US Capitol at sunrise a day after the US midterm elections. ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP

Democratic 'Blue Wave' Swept Through State Capitals across US

The blue wave Democrats rode to retake control of the US Congress this week extended into state-level races, as the party won majorities in a number of…

Asharq Al Awsat
World FILE PHOTO: Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, November 3, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Iran Says Two Tankers and Tugboat Caught Fire in Hormuz

Two oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said, according to local media on Thursday. Since the outbreak…

Asharq Al Awsat
World The high school student movement that began with youth protesting dismal learning conditions. Alex MARTIN / AFP/File

France Workers Strike, March for 'Dignified Wage'

Striking workers marched across France against the rising cost of living on Thursday, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to take to the streets…

Asharq Al Awsat
World US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends a briefing held with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine (not pictured), amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., US, March 31, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Trump Says Hegseth Doing 'a Very Good Job' as Questions Swirl about His Future

US President Donald Trump backed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, a day after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in midterm…

Asharq Al Awsat
World The 2028 US presidential election is set to be the first since 2012 without Donald Trump on the ballot. Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP

Race for 2028 Heats Up after US Midterms Firestorm

President Donald Trump's stunning midterms defeat by the Democrats has upended another US election -- the race to replace him in the White House in 2028. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Michigan voters cast their ballots, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in White Lake, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Democratic Congress Could Test Decades of US Support for Israel

Democrats’ takeover of Congress and growing Republican unease over Israel could trigger the biggest reassessment of US support for its closest Middle East ally…

Asharq Al Awsat
World Israeli Prime Minister and Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu gestures after exit polls, at his party headquarters during Israel's national election, in Jerusalem, October 28, 2026. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Arab Parties Extend a Hand to Try and Topple Netanyahu, but Challenges Remain

A veteran Arab lawmaker in Israel says his bloc is willing to break with decades of precedent and join forces with Jewish-led parties in a shared bid to end…

Asharq Al Awsat
World The US Capitol building in Washington, DC, US, November 4, 2026. (Reuters)

Trump Licks Wounds as Democrats Celebrate Huge Midterms Win

Donald Trump faced a radically transformed and hostile political landscape on Wednesday after US voters handed control of Congress to the Democrats in a…