The Latest Breaking News from Asharq Al-Awsat

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation reiterated on Monday its call for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan. OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha expressed his deep concern over the ongoing fighting in Sudan, warning that an escalation will have dire consequences on civilians and the humanitarian situation in the country. He underscored…

Ahmad Jamal, a towering and influential US pianist, composer and band leader whose career spanned more than seven decades and helped transform jazz, pop and hip-hop, has died at age 92. Jamal released about 80 albums, building friendships and influence with greats such as Miles Davis, and was sampled by…

Coachella's first weekend made history, brought back rock and boasted one of its most international slates ever. Here's a rundown of the weekend's takeaways: History-making headliners Coachella 2023 was the first time none of the premier desert festival's headliners were white, and the three sets ran the gamut of representation…

China is highly concerned about heightened Israeli-Palestinian conflict and favors the two sides resuming peace talks as soon as possible, Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Monday. Qin, in separate phone calls with his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts, said China is willing to play a constructive role in promoting peace…

Slovakia became the third European Union country to ban food imports from Ukraine on Monday, deepening the challenge for the bloc as it works to help Ukraine transport its grain to world markets. Slovakia followed Poland and Hungary, both of which announced bans Saturday on Ukrainian food imports through June…

EU lawmakers urged world leaders on Monday to hold a summit to find ways to control the development of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems such as ChatGPT, saying they were developing faster than expected. The 12 MEPs, all working on EU legislation on the technology, called on US President Joe…

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in the Brazilian capital on Monday as Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s pushes a diplomatic approach for peace in Ukraine that has irked both Kyiv and the West. The meeting between Lavrov and his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira was set in March,…

AC Milan can move one step closer to reviving its past European glory. Napoli can add another milestone to its extraordinary season. Figuring out which team will come out on top after the second leg of their all-Italian Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona may…

India and Russia are discussing a free trade agreement (FTA), the Russian trade minister said on Monday, an announcement that could deepen bilateral commercial ties that have flourished since war broke out in Ukraine. The FTA talks mark a step-up in economic relations between the two countries despite calls from…

Oil prices were steady on Monday as investors eyed Chinese economic data for signs of demand recovery in the world's second-largest oil consumer. Brent crude futures nudged 7 cents lower to $86.24 a barrel by 0746 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $82.47 a barrel, down 6…

The rouble bounced back from early losses on Monday, supported by expectations of month-end tax payments and higher oil prices, while Russia's main stock index climbed to a more than one-year high. By 1015 GMT, the rouble was 0.3% stronger against the dollar at 81.59 and had gained 0.7% to…