Dubai: First Abu Dhabi Bank reported a rise in first-quarter earnings, supported by lending growth and diversified income, even as regional tensions weighed on client activity toward the end of the period. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.Operating»»»

Israel and Lebanon hold a new round of talks in Washington on Thursday, during which Beirut plans to request a one-month extension of a ceasefire due to expire within days. Israel stated ahead of the talks that it has no "serious disagreements" with Lebanon, calling on it to "work together" against»»»

On the tourist-packed Rock of Gibraltar, one of the most common sights is monkeys begging for food - and sometimes stealing sweet and salty snacks from unsuspecting visitors. Scientists now have documented an unusual behavior among these macaques that may help them ward off a bellyache from all thi»»»

Ten years after the Paris Agreement was opened for signature by member states at the UN Headquarters in New York on April 22, 2016, the global energy transition is beginning to reshape the electricity mix, Statista reports. »»»

The 1986 Chernobyl disaster fueled global fears about nuclear power and slowed its development in Europe and elsewhere. Four decades later, however, there’s a revival around the world, a trend that has been given a big boost by war in the Middle East. Over 400 nuclear reactors are operational in 31»»»

Doha, Qatar: QatarEnergy has celebrated the first LNG export cargo from the Golden Pass LNG project in Sabine Pass, Texas, in the United States – a joint venture between QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil. Marking an important step towards the project’s commencement of full commercial and export operations»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar is positioning itself to attract strategic, long-term foreign direct investment as global competition intensifies, reinforcing its standing as a resilient and forward-looking business hub. According to Fahad Ali Al-Kuwari, Chief Investment Development Officer at Invest Qatar, the»»»

US defense companies are reporting a surge in demand for military equipment, as the war in the Middle East prompts fresh orders from governments around the world. Earnings Tuesday signaled that 2026 will be another strong year after a robust 2025 in the wake of continuing conflicts in Gaza and Ukra»»»

Want to catch some “shooting stars”? Tonight (April 24, 2026) may be your best chance. That's when the Lyrid meteor shower, the springtime celestial event, turns up. They can be seen from skies above the UAE, though visibility depends heavily on atmospheric conditions. Each year in mid-April, Earth»»»

US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan has resigned, the Department of War said. "Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately," the department said in a statement on Wednesday. Undersecretary Hung Cao will serve as acting head of the Navy, the statement»»»

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the killing of journalist Amal Khalil and the wounding of Zeinab Faraj in southern Lebanon. "Targeting journalists, obstructing access by relief teams to them, and even targeting their locations again after these teams have arrived, constitutes describ»»»

Kuwait’s Public Authority for Manpower has launched an urgent investigation into a group of workers who gathered outside its headquarters, referring the case to the General Department of Criminal Investigation amid indications of possible human trafficking and labour violations. In a statement, the»»»

Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Passports has announced that six categories of eligible individuals can obtain permits to enter Mecca during the Hajj season through the Absher Individuals platform. The categories include Premium Residency holders, investors, GCC citizens, non-Saudi mothers of»»»

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has reinforced a strict ban on manufacturing or storing food products without proper licensing during the 2026 Hajj season, warning that violators could face up to 10 years in prison and fines of SR10 million. In a statement, the authority said all food fact»»»

Minister of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mirbek Mambetaliev, paid a working visit to UNESCO headquarters in Paris. According to the Ministry of Culture, Mirbek Mambetaliev met with UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany. Key areas of cultural cooperation b»»»

WASHINGTON: Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving his job, the Pentagon abruptly announced Wednesday, the first head of a military service to depart during President Donald Trump’s second term but just the latest top defense leader to step down or be ousted. No reason was given for the unexpected d»»»

SAN JUAN TEOTIHUACAN, Mexico: Officers with bomb-sniffing dogs circled cars and searched bags of tourists filing into historic pyramids outside of Mexico City on Wednesday just days after a man opened fire on tourists. The heightened surveillance was part of a promise by Mexican authorities followi»»»

LOGAN, Utah: President Donald Trump’s administration took the unusual step this week of sending a government plane to Cuba to return a 10-year-old from Utah who is at the center of a complicated and contentious custody fight involving the child’s gender identity. The child's parent, Rose Inessa-Eth»»»

INSTITUTE, West Virginia: A chemical leak at a West Virginia silver recovery business on Wednesday killed two people and sent about 30 others to hospitals, including one in serious condition, authorities said. The leak occurred at the Catalyst Refiners plant in Institute as workers were preparing t»»»

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has forecast partly cloudy to cloudy skies across the UAE today, with a chance of light rainfall over islands and some coastal and eastern areas, alongside a further drop in temperatures. Winds are expected to be light to moderate, freshening at times and ca»»»

Ukraine has resumed pumping Russian crude through the 5,500 km Druzhba oil pipeline into Hungary and Slovakia after months of halted transit caused by war-related damage. The move immediately broke a political deadlock over a €90 billion (≈ $106 billion) European Union (EU) loan seen as vital finan»»»

A former Beast Industries employee is suing MrBeast's media production company after she was allegedly fired from her social media manager job upon returning from maternity leave and following years of what she described as sexual harassment and workplace gender bias. The lawsuit, filed by Lorrayne»»»

Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said reopening the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global oil and gas shipping route — is “impossible” amid what Tehran calls “flagrant violations” of the current ceasefire by the United States and Israel. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download»»»

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez has formally asked the International Monetary Fund to release nearly $5bn in frozen assets, testing the limits of a diplomatic rapprochement that has forced the country's ruling Chavista movement to abandon decades of ideological hostility towards the Wa»»»

An Israeli airstrike killed a Lebanese journalist and wounded another on Wednesday while they were working near the border with Israel, according to their employer and rescuers. The civil defence agency's press office said rescuers were "able to recover the body of martyred journalist Amal Khalil, »»»

MUSCAT: The Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat) affirmed on Wednesday that Gulf women continue to strengthen their presence in the development journey of GCC countries, supported by a young population base and growing participation in the lab»»»

On 15 and 16 April, the US evacuated its last remaining base in Syria, bringing to a close more than a decade of American military presence in the country. The withdrawal from the Qasrak base in Hasakah province amounts to a declaration by Washington and Damascus that relations between the two coun»»»

1 of 2 | A layer of smog covers downtown and the nearby areas in 2019 in Los Angeles. California has some of the worst rankings in air pollution in the United States, the 2026 State of the Air report from the American Lung Association said Wednesday. File photo by Etienne Laurent April 22 (UPI) -- »»»

PARIS: Britain and France have agreed a new three-year deal to stop undocumented migrants making the risky journey across the English Channel, according to a French interior ministry roadmap seen by AFP Wednesday. Under the deal, France pledged to increase law enforcement on the coast by more than »»»

BENGALURU: Jannik Sinner was once viewed as an explosive talent custom-built for hardcourt tennis but the four-times Grand Slam champion’s assiduous work on his patience and control has made him the man to beat on clay heading into the French Open. It had long been assumed that in his era-defining »»»

Pope Leo XIV visited a notorious prison in Bata on the last leg of his Africa tour Wednesday, delivering a rare public critique of inmate conditions in Equatorial Guinea. In his address, the pontiff urged respect for human dignity, highlighting concerns about overcrowding and justice in a country l»»»

US President Donald Trump has said Iran’s leadership is “seriously fractured”. Trump made this declaration in announcing another extension of the ceasefire and signaled that US pressure on Tehran will continue. He said the truce would be kept in place to give negotiations "more time", while the US »»»

MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s government said it was beefing up security at tourist sites after a man opened fire on tourists at pyramids outside of Mexico City less than two months before the FIFA World Cup. The Monday shooting, carried out by a lone gunman on top of one of the Teotihuacan pyramids — a UN»»»

After several hours of extensive search, the rescue teams managed to find the body of the martyr, journalist Amal Khalil who was killed in an Israeli air raid on a house she resorted to in Al-Tiri town, South Lebanon. Al-Manar correspondent explained in details the Israeli crime: At 14:30, a Zionis»»»

GAZA STRIP: Though Gazans normally use molokhia, or jute leaves, for soup, Abu Yahya Helles coats the crumbled, dried leaves in liquid nicotine and rolls them into cigarettes as a tobacco alternative. In war-ravaged Gaza, where shortages are still acute, some are now smoking Helles’ home-made roll-»»»

WASHINGTON: Global air travel remains severely disrupted, with many people unable to fly as ‌planned to destinations after the Iran war forced the closure of major Middle Eastern hubs, including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi. Below is the latest on flights, in alphabetical order: Greece’s largest carri»»»

The US military has dangerously depleted its stockpiles of critical missiles during the seven‑week war on Iran, creating a “near‑term risk” that could leave it vulnerable in any future conflict, according to a new analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The report, pu»»»

Kristi Noem, then Secretary of Homeland Security, testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on March in Washington, D.C. Mario Bustamante Leiva, who stole Noem's purse from a Washington, D.C., restaurant in April 2025, was sentenced Wednesday for his part in that theft and oth»»»

PARIS: Iran hanged a man on Wednesday convicted of links to Israel’s Mossad spy agency, the judiciary said, with two NGOs based outside the country saying he worked for the Iranian atomic energy organization. The execution of Mehdi Farid was the latest in a number of hangings of high-profile convic»»»

Dubai: Dubai is planning its next metro expansion valued at Dh34 billion, the Gold Line, which will run from Al Ghubaiba to Jumeirah Golf Estates. The route passes through Mina Rashid, City Walk, Business Bay, Mohammed Bin Rashid City, Nad Al Sheba, Meydan, Al Barsha South, and Jumeirah Village Cir»»»

Dubai: Oil prices are likely to remain elevated, and could rise further in the near term, as ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz and uncertainty surrounding the conflict involving Iran continue to tighten global supply conditions. Brent crude rose 1.7% to $100.16 per barrel on Wednesday, ref»»»

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez has formally asked the International Monetary Fund to release nearly $5bn in frozen assets, testing the limits of a diplomatic rapprochement that has forced the country's ruling Chavista movement to abandon decades of ideological hostility towards the Wa»»»

Businessman and former political power broker Vladimir Plahotniuc received on April 22 a 19-year sentence for five counts including the appropriation of $39mn and €3.5mn as part of a criminal organised group responsible for the 2014-2015 bank fraud known as the $1bn bank fraud. »»»

Leaders from Central Asia and neighbouring countries issued a stark warning on Wednesday that the global shift to a low-carbon economy risks deepening inequality unless it is managed fairly, with stronger support for developing countries that have contributed least to climate change but face some o»»»

LONDON: Europe’s commercial aviation sector is moving closer to a jet fuel crunch as disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz continue to choke off supplies from the Gulf, threatening summer travel plans for millions and forcing airlines and governments to weigh rationing, cancellations and emergency fu»»»

RIYADH: When Saud Abdulhamid made the move to Europe in 2024, signing for AS Roma from Al-Hilal, it signaled an exciting moment for the growth of Saudi footballers on the global stage. Just 380 minutes of playing time across eight appearances last season quickly caused that excitement to fade, howe»»»

Will the world have enough fuel to fill the tank and fertilize the crops? The seizure of ships by Iran adding to global jitters as the extension of a ceasefire offers zero visibility on prospects for the planet’s biggest choke point for oil and gas. Nearly two months on, the Paris-based Internation»»»

JEDDAH/RIYADH: International Mother Earth Day, which is observed annually on April 22, was established by a 2009 UN General Assembly resolution to recognize the planet as humanity’s shared home and to promote action on climate change, livelihoods, and biodiversity loss. This year’s theme, “Our powe»»»

BERLIN: Bayern Munich became women's Bundesliga champions for the eighth time, and fourth in a row, after a 3-2 win at Union Berlin on Wednesday. The victory took Bayern an unassailable 15 points clear of second-placed Wolfsburg, who could only manage a 0-0 draw Werder Bremen. With the scores level»»»

Syria has moved since early this year from internal unrest in the northeast, the coast, and the south to relative calm and attempts to impose a new security and political order, most clearly seen in the security file and in an agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces. But the shift has set up an»»»