Abu Dhabi: UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman today discussed the longstanding fraternal ties between the two countries and ways to further strengthen cooperation, particularly in the economic and development fields, in support of shar»»»

GAZA CITY (Sputnik) - Palestinian movement Hamas on Monday welcomed a joint statement by the foreign ministers of eight Arab and Islamic countries condemning Israel's rejection of the roadmap proposed by the Board of Peace for further implementation of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the wa»»»

At least 15 cases of rape have been recorded in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta since it was swarmed by the massive influx of migrants in late July, El Mundo reported on Sunday, citing Spain’s national gendarmerie. The crisis erupted on July 30-31 when an estimated 72,000 migrants entere»»»

From January to July 2026, at least 5,446 individual residential houses with a total floor area of 745,900 square meters were commissioned in Kyrgyzstan. Total investment amounted to 23,565 billion soms. The area of completed private homes increased by 4.9 percent compared with the first seven mont»»»

The deal that US President Donald Trump signed at Versailles in June set an ambitious 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran and reaching an accord on its nuclear program.The deadline was Monday, and the two sides are further apart than they were then.Talks, such as they are, have focused on »»»

POLITICS On bTV's morning show, former foreign affairs minister Nadezhda Neynsky said Bulgaria was losing its foreign policy influence due to inconsistent actions. According to her, Prime Minister Rumen Radev's governance programme fails to provide a clear development plan for Bulgaria up to 2030. »»»

Dubai: Islamic Arab Insurance Company, SALAMA, reported profit after tax of Dh28.3 million for the first half of 2026, more than three times the Dh8.2 million recorded in the same period last year. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.The insurer also »»»

A new Israeli opinion poll shows a decline in support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, which is now tied with the Yashar party led by former Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. The poll indicates that Yashar party surpasses Netanyahu in the polling index, which assesses the pa»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia has begun preparations for the 2027 Hajj season, holding coordination meetings with Hajj affairs offices from more than 75 countries as part of efforts to ensure early readiness and smoother services for pilgrims. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said the meetings focus on prepara»»»

Abu Dhabi: The National Space Science and Technology Centre (NSSTC) at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) announced the successful launch of the SEO satellite aboard A Long March 2C carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in China. The achievement is part of the centre's eff»»»

Arab Finance: Egypt’s Holding Company for Maritime and Land Transport is targeting EGP 19.589 billion in net profit and EGP 29.922 billion in revenue for the current fiscal year (FY) 2026/2027, including the projections of Alexandria Container and Cargo Handling Company, as per a statement. Ministe»»»

Abu Dhabi: Indonesia's Red and White flag flew above a colourful display of traditional attire and textiles from across the country as members of the Indonesian community in the UAE gathered at the Indonesian Embassy in Abu Dhabi on Monday morning to commemorate the 81 Anniversary of Indonesia's In»»»

US envoy Jared Kushner on Monday meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following talks with Hamas leaders in Egypt aimed at reviving a US-backed Gaza peace plan that Israel has so far rejected. Follow our live blog for the latest updates.    Yesterday's developments:  &nb»»»

US envoy Jared Kushner is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday after holding talks with Hamas leaders in Egypt aimed at reviving a US-backed Gaza peace plan that Israel has so far rejected. Noga Tarnopolsky, FRANCE 24's correspondent in Israel, has more on the stakes rela»»»

BEIJING: Jordan’s King Abdullah will visit China from Tuesday for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing announced on Monday. China, a major buyer of Iranian oil, has presented itself as a neutral party in the Middle East conflict and has called for stability in the vital Strait of Hormuz»»»

TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump's special envoy Jared Kushner will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss further steps in implementation of Trump's plan for Gaza, Israeli media reported on Monday, citing unnamed Israeli officials. On Monday, Kushner, as well as US»»»

Several regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued a statement Sunday condemning Israel’s rejection of the road map, saying, “Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza.” Other signers included Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia and t»»»

Many believe Viktor Orbán breathed a sigh of relief after his election defeat, first travelling to the United States for the final matches of the football World Cup, then to Serbia for a festival, and more recently being spotted in Croatia in decidedly illustrious company. Is he truly merely on hol»»»

U.S. negotiator and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with the Hamas chief on Sunday in a new diplomatic effort to make progress in the stalled Gaza ceasefire. Kushner will meet on Monday with Israel's prime minister, who is under pressure after rejecting the new»»»

Dubai has stepped up operational readiness across its airports to handle an expected influx of citizens, residents and visitors returning from holidays, with additional staff and smart-gate capacity deployed to speed up procedures. The General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai »»»

US President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered the Pentagon to scale back "inappropriate and hostile" military drills with South Korea, claiming that the ally had failed to help with the war against Iran and citing his "good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.   US »»»

Dubai: UAE banks recorded net profits of Dh90.8 billion in 2025, up 11.7% from the previous year, while the banking system’s total assets increased 17.1% to Dh5.3 trillion, according to the Central Bank of the UAE’s Financial Stability Report 2025. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf»»»

Damascus, Aug. 17 (SANA) Syria has intensified diplomatic efforts to challenge attempts to alter the legal status of the occupied Syrian Golan, relying on UN resolutions and growing international support for its demand that Israel withdraw to the June 4, 1967 line. Damascus has pursued the issue at»»»

Dubai: Oman’s Ministry of Labour imposed fines totalling OMR3.246 million and deported nearly 3,000 workers following a nationwide crackdown on labour violations, according to its latest inspection figures. The ministry said 6,707 inspection visits were carried out across Oman’s governorates as aut»»»

DUBAI: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a key test of his influence over his Likud party on Monday, as members vote in a primary to select most of the party’s candidates for the October 27 Knesset election. The vote could help determine the political direction of Likud, with several »»»

An extremist Israeli lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition publicly advocated for killing "30 to 40" people in Gaza each night, comments that surfaced Sunday and were quickly shared by Palestinian media. Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir made the statement while spea»»»

The top U.S. military commander Adm. Brad Cooper visited the USS Lincoln as reports have emerged of mental health and supply issues. The Lincoln arrived in the Middle East in January and has been supporting the U.S. war against Iran, including the blockade on Iranian ports. It has spent a record-se»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian women's team topped the medal table at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Zagreb. The Russian women's team led the overall medal count (6) and gold medals (3). The Russian team won the team all-around, while Angelina Melnikova won gold in the individual»»»

Future Banking Summit 2026 returns on October 7-9 at Qosmo Hotel ...»»»

U.S. negotiator and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with the Hamas chief on Sunday in a new diplomatic effort to make progress in the stalled Gaza ceasefire. Kushner will meet on Monday with Israel's prime minister, who is under pressure after rejecting the new»»»

The government approved on Friday the signing of cooperation agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia aiming at the combating of crime and terrorism.Accordingly, according to a government press release, the Memorandum entitled ‘Conclusion of negotiations and signing of the Agreemen»»»

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed over the weekend, Reuters reported on Monday, citing data. Five commodity vessels transited the strait on Saturday, with none registered for Sunday, shiptracking data from Kpler showed, versus 31 in the prior weekend. Ships ​entering the strait on Saturd»»»

After US President Donald Trump signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran on June 17, 2026, US officials fanned out across the Gulf to sell an agreement they hoped would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin winding down the war. Instead, according to a US Congressional report citing I»»»

Ankara: Qatar represented by the Ministry of Culture is participating in the 11th International Istanbul Arabic Book Fair kicked off in Turkiye on Saturday. Running until August 23, the event is held under the theme “The Story Continues”, bringing together over 300 publishing houses from over 30 co»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Katara Cultural Village Foundation (Katara) has announced the shortlist of nine works for the 12th edition of the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel across the categories of published novels, unpublished novels, unpublished young adult novels, unpublished historical novels, published Qa»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 10. Trump on Sunday announced he ordered the Pentagon to scale back its involvement with joint military exercises with South Korea that are set to begin this week. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo »»»

Eight Muslim-majority nations condemned Israel on Sunday for rejecting a roadmap to end its war in Gaza. File Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI | License Photo Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The foreign ministers of eight Muslim-majority nations have condemned Israel's rejection of a U.S.-backed roadmap to end its war»»»

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states consider Armenia an ally within the organization, CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov said. «From the very beginning, Armenia was an active and harmonious member state, making a worthy contribution to strengthening collective c»»»

JERUSALEM: US envoy Jared Kushner is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday after holding talks with Hamas leaders in Egypt aimed at reviving a US-backed Gaza peace plan that Israel has so far rejected. The meeting comes two weeks after Hamas endorsed the latest stage of Tr»»»

The PR surge which heralded that the “tide is turning” in the Ukrainian conflict is ending up in a debacle. Ukraine, it turns out, can inflict tangible damage on the Russian economy thanks to its deep drone and missile strikes, with crucial help of US intelligence and two American tech giants, Pala»»»

Dubai: A parked truck rolled and crashed into several vehicles in Saudi Arabia’s Abha on Sunday after it was not properly secured, traffic authorities said. The General Traffic Department in the Asir Region said officers responded to the accident after the stationary truck began moving on its own a»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has directed all airlines operating at the Kingdom’s airports to ensure passengers have the documents required to enter or leave Saudi Arabia and to reach their final destinations or transit points. In a circular, GACA instructed comm»»»

Dubai: Temperatures are forecast to reach as high as 49°C in parts of the UAE on Monday, while rain-bearing clouds are expected to develop over eastern areas as the country heads into several days of unsettled weather, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). The NCM said conditions o»»»

Dubai: Heavy thunderstorms and rain are forecast to affect several parts of Saudi Arabia through Saturday, with the wettest conditions expected over southwestern regions later in the week, according to the National Centre for Meteorology (NCM). Forecasts based on the Saudi Numerical Model show rain»»»

JERUSALEM: Alma Ronen has been fighting in the Israeli military nearly constantly for more than two years. Spending her Saturday not in uniform but in a T-shirt and jeans, she would like to enjoy a coffee outside — and resents that her more religious compatriots think otherwise.Every week since Jun»»»

WASHINGTON: It is among the most famous phrases in presidential history: ” The buck stops here.” Except with President Donald Trump, it almost never does. Concerns about a weak economy and still-high inflation? His predecessor, Joe Biden, saddled him with that, he says, even though the Democrat has»»»

The UAE remains open for business and air travel, but the sharp decline in Hormuz shipping and the recent attacks on three UAE-linked vessels show that the regional security environment remains fragile. With the deadline for a temporary agreement expiring today (Monday, August 17, 2026) the US-Iran»»»

Israel has spent tens of millions of dollars to boost its image in the US by seeking to influence how AI platforms portray the country, Politico has reported. US public attitudes toward Israel have deteriorated in recent years, first over its response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and more r»»»

Jared Kushner during the signing ceremony for the Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22. File Photo by World Economic Forum/Benedikt von Loebel/UPI | License Photo Aug. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Jared Kushner on Sunday met wit»»»

Ronald Johnson, U.S. ambassador to Mexico, said Sunday that federal immigration agents have arrested and handed over three people wanted in Mexico, including a member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. ambassador to Mexico, »»»