The Latest Breaking News from Asharq Al-Awsat

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, making an unannounced trip to Iraq on Tuesday nearly 20 years after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, said Washington was committed to keeping its military presence in the country The 2003 invasion led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians…

Egypt has urged the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to abstain from “politicizing discussions” at its headquarters. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met on Monday with Tamara Rastovac, President of the Executive Board of UNESCO. The organization should adopt its decisions based on consensus, following broad consultation,…

Hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets in several governorates in the central and southern parts of the country on Sunday evening, protesting against the new proposed amendment to the electoral law. The growing popular discontent aimed to force the parliament not to approve the draft amendment and reinstate the…

Türkiye's opposition alliance has vowed to reverse many of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's policies if elected in a vote expected May 14, and on Monday named Republican People's Party (CHP) chair Kemal Kilicdaroglu as their presidential candidate. The six-party Nation Alliance promises to return to a parliamentary democracy, roll back…

The World Bank is pausing talks over its future engagement with Tunisia following anti-immigrant comments made by the country's president, Kais Saied, according to an internal message to staff seen by AFP.

The UN special envoy for South Sudan called 2023 a “make or break” year for the world’s newest nation that has been beset by civil war, saying Monday it’s possible the country can keep its commitment to hold elections in December 2024 but only if there is political will. Nicholas…

Stuck in Recep Tayyip Erdogan's shadow throughout his career, Turkish opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu believes his time may have come after suffering repeated election defeats and scorn from the man who has dominated politics for two decades. An opposition alliance on Monday named Kilicdaroglu, chairman of the Republican People's Party…

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with his British counterpart James Cleverly in London on Monday. During the meeting, Prince Faisal and the UK’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs discussed aspects of the historic partnership between the two countries and ways to develop it.…

The US should change its recent mistaken policies towards China or "conflict and confrontation" will follow, China's foreign minister said on Tuesday, while reiterating Beijing's call for dialogue to end the conflict in Ukraine. The US has been engaging in suppression and containment of China rather than fair or rule-based…

Member of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Othman Mujalli held Iran responsible for the chaos, poverty and hunger suffered by his country as a result of the support it is providing to the Houthi militias. Speaking at the United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Doha, he accused…

An Israeli airstrike on Syria's Aleppo International Airport damaged its runway and took the airport out of service, Syrian state news agency SANA reported early on Tuesday, citing a military source. Syrian air defenses intercepted missiles launched from the Mediterranean Sea, west of the coastal city of Latakia, at 2:07…