KOCHI, India: As the sun set over Kochi’s historic Jew Town neighborhood, Keith Hallegua donned a gray kippah and began a solitary walk to the synagogue at the end of his cobbled street. It was Shavuot, the Jewish holiday commemorating God giving the Torah to Moses. Hallegua reached the 458-year-ol»»»

BEIT EL, West Bank: Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich faces a fight for political survival in elections in October after angering his fellow West Bank settlers by voting not to ​punish ultra-Orthodox Jews who refuse to serve in the military. The political travails of Smotrich are»»»

LONDON: The World Bank on Friday approved a $100 million grant to help the Syrian Arab Republic build a modern, secure and digitally enabled financial sector. The grant from the International Development Association will finance the Syria Financial Sector Modernization Project, which aims to make t»»»

LONDON: Sujood Faroun, 29, a mother of two young children, suffered cardiac arrest in late July as an ambulance rushed her toward a hospital in Ramallah. But at the edge of her hometown of Sinjil, the ambulance encountered a closed Israeli army gate guarded by soldiers. Her husband pleaded for help»»»

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran uses a sprawling network of corporate entities to obscure the origin of the funds and launder money to benefit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, leading to sanctions. File Photo by Graeme Sloan/UPI | License Photo Aug. 7 (UPI) -- The Trump administrat»»»

LONDON: The morning after Israeli settlers descended on Khirbet Al-Tuba, a small shepherding community in the Masafer Yatta area of the occupied West Bank, the silence was broken only by the crunch of ash underfoot. Three homes had been reduced to blackened shells and several defaced with Hebrew gr»»»

Damascus, Aug. 7 (SANA) The Syrian Arab Republic on Friday strongly condemned attacks carried out by the Houthi militia against civilian infrastructure in the Najran region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, saying the assault, which injured several civilians, constituted a flagrant violation of the K»»»

KIGALI: Rwanda and some European nations are holding migration talks, Kigali’s spokesperson said Friday, a week after dramatic scenes of thousands crossing the Morocco-Spain border reignited the migration debate in Europe. In June European lawmakers approved tougher migration rules, notably enablin»»»

One of our quirkier rituals is to write every year about why Russians view August as some sort of cursed month and to highlight what could happen this year. Or, to paraphrase (ex US Secretary of Defence) Donald Rumsfeld, the “known knowns” and, possibly, the “known unknowns”. But, of course, it is »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Islamic Resistance in Iraq Postpones Response to US Aggression: Martyrs Invigorate Our Steadfastness 07-08-2026 19:47 PM Illustrative image»»»

On Polymarket, you can bet on almost anything – and its opposite. Now you can place your money on who will become Hungary’s next president. The website, which has been blocked in Hungary, has already “predicted” victories for Donald Trump and Péter Magyar. If it gets this one right, it could prove »»»

THE HAGUE: An international police operation led by Spanish authorities dismantled a major criminal network involved in trafficking migrants, drugs and weapons across the Western Mediterranean, the European Union police agency Europol and Spain’s Civil Guard announced Friday. The takedown of the gr»»»

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed a mutual defence pact on Friday that would treat any act of aggression on one of the three nations as an attack on all of them, the allies said in a joint statement. However, it did not specify if the agreement would bind them to any particular military acti»»»

LONDON: The West Bank’s health system is being pushed toward a collapse comparable to Gaza’s, not by airstrikes but by financial pressure and restrictions on movement, the head of a US-based medical aid group said on Thursday. Dr. Zaher Sahloul, president and CEO of MedGlobal, told Arab News that t»»»

RIYADH: The defense agreement signed on Friday between Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan is not an effort to establish a “military axis or a sectarian bloc,” a senior Saudi minister said. “Nor is it linked to any nuclear ambitions or arms race, rather it is focused on building sustainable capabili»»»

DOHA: The Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue (DICID) is participating in the 2026 International Conference on Peace Among Followers of Religions, being held in Malacca, Malaysia, as a principal organizing partner. The conference's official proceedings are set to begin on Saturday. Th»»»

The United Arab Emirates has condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist bombing of a passenger bus in Jarmana city, near Syria’s capital, Damascus, which resulted in a number of deaths and injuries. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.In a stateme»»»

CAIRO: Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy warned on Friday that Israel’s attempts to impose a new regional reality through military force will fail to deliver security and instead risk expanding conflict and destabilizing the Middle East. Fahmy criticized what he described as an Israeli stra»»»

Doha: The State of Qatar expressed its condemnation and denunciation of an explosion that targeted a minibus in the city of Jaramana in the Arab Republic of Syria, which led to injuries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs renewed, in a statement today, the State of Qatar's firm position of rejecting v»»»

ABU DHABI: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday discussed the need to reach agreement on easing tension in the Gulf as soon as possible. The two leaders held a “thorough discussion” over the telephone in which they emphasized the importance»»»

RIYADH: Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi on Friday strongly condemned attacks carried out by the Houthi militia targeting Saudi Arabia’s Najran Region. The Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said Friday that 11 civilians were wounded in a Houthi attac»»»

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have announced that they launched coordinated drone and ballistic missile attacks on several camps belonging to forces of the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government on Thursday. The flare-up follows four years of relative calm in the small Arab nation, which has b»»»

Tunis, August 7, 2026 (TAP) – A Tunisian-Indian Business Forum will take place in Tunis on August 20. It will bring together business leaders and institutional stakeholders who will seek to foster trade, investment, and economic cooperation between...»»»

RIYADH: The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture’s branch in the Northern Borders Region has launched the Farmers’ Market Festival in Rafha with the participation of several government and non-government entities to advance agricultural development and food security objectives. The four-d»»»

RIYADH: Bassel Kakish, CEO at Publicis Groupe Middle East and Turkiye, wants to bring creativity back to the Kingdom’s youthful capital. “We are in a talent-first business,” Kakish told Arab News. “We are at a lucky period as far as the Kingdom is concerned because it’s all about the talent — the y»»»

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan signed today a joint defense agreement. The agreement was signed during a trilateral summit held in Makkah Al Mukaramah, attended by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erd»»»

Arab Finance: Egypt’s state-owned Holding Company for Tourism and Hotels (HOTAC) and its subsidiaries are targeting consolidated revenues of EGP 9.4 billion and a net profit of EGP 5.5 billion during the current fiscal year (FY) 2026/2027, as per a statement. The targets form part of the estimated »»»

Abu Dhabi: UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and President of Russia Vladimir Putin discussed in a phone call bilateral cooperation under the two countries' strategic partnership and their shared commitment to further strengthening ties in support of mutual interests. Th»»»

The Ruse District Prosecution Office is investigating two organized crime groups involved in the production and distribution of high-risk narcotic substances after a specialized operation uncovered a fentanyl laboratory and led to the seizure of record quantities of the drug, officials said at a br»»»

JAKARTA: A team of Saudi doctors from Saudi aid agency KSrelief has performed free cardiac surgery at no cost for 30 Indonesian children during a medical support and knowledge transfer program in West Sumatra. The six-day initiative was organized at M. Djamil Central General Hospital in Padang by K»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli Officers Warn: “Security Zone Will Strengthen Hezbollah, Revive Its Glory” 07-08-2026 14:35 PM Hezbollah flag in an image released »»»

MAKKAH: For decades, the Taif rose was a symbol: A fragrant shrub bound to the name of Taif, sold fresh and admired for a few weeks each spring. It is now also a manufacturing base. Processing plants have extended the flower’s commercial life across the whole year, creating an economic and tourism »»»

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on Friday, pledging to strengthen collective security and deepen defence cooperation a»»»

MAKKAH: Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan signed a defence agreement on Friday in Makkah, Saudi Arabia aimed at strengthening joint deterrence and expanding defense cooperation, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement stipulates that the an armed attack on any of the co»»»

ISLAMABAD: As Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Jeddah on Thursday, leading a high-powered delegation comprising federal ministers and Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, foreign affairs and defense experts said that the visit is expected to enhance defense and security co»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has slipped to sixth place in a new public trust ranking of the country's political and military leaders, behind four military figures and his own former defence minister, according to a poll published on August 6 by the Center for Social Research Socis. This»»»

CAIRO: The Arab League condemned attacks carried out by the Houthi group on the Najran region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and on positions held by Yemeni government forces in Marib and Hadramawt, which resulted in casualties. In a statement, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy affirmed tha»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe The Telegraph: ‘US and Israel Have Lost, Iran Has Won’ in Historic Strategic Reversal 07-08-2026 12:54 PM An Iranian woman waves a national»»»

Arab Finance: The New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) and the Future of Egypt Authority for Sustainable Development signed a cooperation protocol to develop land owned by both entities and pursue joint urban and investment projects, as per a statement. The protocol seeks to increase the economic»»»

Arab Finance: Egypt is advancing a development strategy through 2030 aimed at transforming the Northwest Coast into a year-round destination for tourism, investment, residential, and industrial activities, while extending urban development into the area’s desert hinterland, as per a statement. Prim»»»

Dubai: HSBC Private Bank today confirmed the appointment of Feras Al Jarmani to lead its UAE Market, taking on overall responsibility for the bank’s private banking business across the country. Al Jaramani expands his role from Head of the UAE Market for Arab and Emirati Clients, and his expanded r»»»

Madrid: Spanish police said Friday they had dismantled what they called one of the largest criminal networks involved in smuggling migrants across the Mediterranean, arresting 78 people and seizing 18 high-speed boats. The network allegedly used the vessels to transport synthetic drugs such as ecst»»»

A few months ago, we launched our series in which we provided weekly summaries of the news from Hungary’s election campaign. The series continues so that we can report on developments following the historic election and on the steps taken by the new Tisza government. This week, we cover the followi»»»

The Hungarian journalist who has reported extensively on the Georgian Dream government’s excesses – and its ever-closer ties to the Orbán administration and Moscow – has been effectively expelled from the Caucasian country. Local authorities cite irregularities in his residence permit; back home, n»»»

A deal between Iran and Oman on reopening commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is close to being finalized, according to the Foreign Ministry in Tehran. Around one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil has historically passed through the strategic waterway. The proposed agreement would esta»»»

London: A video showing UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan warmly greeting His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, during a meeting in London has gone viral on social media, with many praising the leaders' hum»»»

RIYADH: As Saudi Arabia advances its Vision 2030 diversification agenda, green finance is emerging as an increasingly important mechanism for funding the country’s ambitious sustainability projects while supporting long-term economic growth. From renewable energy and green hydrogen to sustainable i»»»

RIYADH: The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development is working to attract Saudi investors as part of its sustainable bond initiative, building on more than $1 billion in bonds issued in capital markets since 2022 to generate social and environmental impact. Dina Saleh, IFAD’s special e»»»

Building an economy often takes decades of patient labour. Yet the collapse of political institutions, or the eruption of conflict in the aftermath of revolutions and coups, can cancel out years of growth with startling speed, condemning nations to a long and punishing struggle to recover what they»»»

The Muslim World League (MWL) strongly condemned the continued Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip, including the ongoing targeting of civilians, vital facilities, and civilian infrastructure, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday. In a statement, MWL Secretary-General and Chairman of the Or»»»