Sen. Lisa Murkowski was absent because of a family emergency. A Senate committee postponed a vote to forward the nomination of Erica Schwartz for CDC director to consideration by the full body because there were not enough Republicans present to support the move. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License »»»

SYDNEY/BRASILIA/MEXICO CITY: Australia said Friday that new tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump “make no sense,” while Brazil denounced them as “arbitrary and unjustified” and threatened retaliation and legal action. Mexico, meanwhile, said the measures would have little practical effect on i»»»

Vahid Baniamerian's family only found out he was going to be executed when Iranian state media reports flashed on their phones, saying the supreme court would review his death sentence. "They did not give any warning. Even the lawyer didn't know," a close relative of Baniamerian, based outside of I»»»

The Department of Justice withdrew subpoenas it issued to reporters from The New York Times over reports that President Donald Trump switched from the new Air Force One to the old Air Force One on a trip home from Turkey over security concerns. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo July »»»

A narrow stretch of water, just 21 miles wide at its tightest point, connects the Arabian Gulf to the rest of the world. In normal times, approximately 20 million barrels of oil pass through the Strait of Hormuz every single day, around one fifth of global supply. Since 28 February 2026, those time»»»

The war between the United States and Iran entered a 13th consecutive night of US airstrikes, while the United Nations warned the Middle East is approaching the "unimaginable." The latest escalation is pushing oil prices above $100 a barrel, raising security concerns across the Gulf and keeping the»»»

Dubai: Travellers in the UAE planning a holiday to India can now follow a new step-by-step guide issued by the Indian Consular Application Centre (ICAC), detailing how to apply for a tourist visa, the documents required and the fees payable. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News a»»»

US President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs of up to 12.5% on imports from 60 countries on Thursday, replacing temporary levies that expire on Friday after the Supreme Court struck down his earlier trade measures. The White House said the duties target countries that have failed to curb imports m»»»

The increased duties will affect products from dozens of countries. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Thursday announced tariffs of 10% to 12% for nations that have not enforced the United States' ban on forced labor, which follow months of investigations into 60 nations for not prohibiti»»»

US Central Command forces have redirected 12 commercial vessels and disabled one since resuming a naval blockade of Iran nine days ago, the military said late on Thursday, as American strikes against Iranian targets continued into a 13th consecutive night. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download »»»

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Manila, Philippines. The two diplomats did not make any statements or take questions from reporters before or after the meeting, which lasted around 35 minutes due to»»»

Manila: Seven in 10 Filipinos believe Vice President Sara Duterte should answer the impeachment charges against her, according to a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released as the Senate impeachment trial enters a critical phase. The nationwide survey, conducted from June 20 to 29 — about »»»

NEW YORK: Criticized by a federal judge for sloppy legal work, the US government on Thursday grudgingly withdrew subpoenas that would have compelled three New York Times reporters to testify about their sources for articles about President Donald Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet. The withdra»»»

WASHINGTON: The United States said Thursday that it would impose new tariffs on 60 trading partners over forced labor concerns, replacing an expiring global duty rolled out by President Donald Trump earlier this year. The levies, which take effect Friday, range from 10 percent to 12.5 percent and i»»»

China’s continuously growing leverage over Russia is not in question and reports in recent days have continued to stress the point. For instance, Beijing has apparently flexed a muscle by declining to provide marine propulsion systems needed for Russia's planned expansion of the Northern Sea Route,»»»

Russia has sharply intensified strikes on Odesa, in what appears to be the most sustained campaign against the port since the war began. A merchant vessel leaving Odesa was reportedly struck by a Russian missile, killing four Indian crew and critically injuring another; New Delhi formally protested»»»

US President Donald Trump has told Axios that he is seriously considering restarting major combat operations against Iran, saying Tehran “haven’t received enough pain yet”. “I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it,” Trump wa»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Foreign Ministers of the State of Qatar, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Turkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Republic of Egypt condemned in the strongest ter»»»

BEIRUT: Kozo Okamoto, the Japanese militant who took part in a deadly attack on Tel Aviv’s airport more than five decades ago, died Thursday in Beirut, the Palestinian group that had been protecting him said. He was 78. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a faction that is the second»»»

AMMAN — The London Stock Exchange on Thursday welcomed a Jordanian delegation led by Minister of Investment Tareq Abu Ghazaleh during a visit to the United Kingdom for the Jordan-UK Business Forum.According to a statement from the London Stock Exchange, the forum brings together Jordanian and Briti»»»

Iranian strikes targeted Kuwait’s desalination and power plants for the fourth consecutive day on Monday. The attacks are putting unprecedented pressure on a Gulf country heavily dependant on desalination for its water supply. Iran is attempting to wage a “psychological war” on a country »»»

Ghanaian President John Mahama on Thursday called for an African Union (AU) debate to "formally address the escalating xenophobic attacks" on foreign nationals in South Africa. More than 160,000 foreign nationals have left South Africa and several have died over the past two months amid rising»»»

DOHA: The Foreign Ministers of the State of Qatar, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Turkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Republic of Egypt strongly condemned the Israeli escalation a»»»

JEDDAH: The two-time unified heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua said on Thursday he is prepared to take on Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, on Saturday night at Jeddah Dome. The two fighters, who will headline the card event in Jeddah, faced off for a second time this week at a press conference at Jedd»»»

The European Commission on Thursday fined Google a total of €890 million for breaching the bloc’s Digital Markets Act by restricting customer access to its competitors' services. The move risks escalating tensions with US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly accused the EU of targeting US tec»»»

RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states and Jordan jointly condemned the Iranian aggression against their territories, reaffirming a unified position based on resolutions adopted by the GCC Ministerial Council, the Council of Foreign Ministers of the League of Arab States, internat»»»

KYIV: Laura Loomer, an ardent ally of President Donald Trump with a reputation for incendiary social media commentary, sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday after a dramatic turnaround on the war that could have political reverberations back in Washington. Loomer had spen»»»

Washington: US President Donald Trump said that the United States would inflict "major military punishment" on Iran if Yemen's Houthi group continues attacking ships in the Red Sea. In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said the United States would hold Iran directly responsible for any futu»»»

Abu Dhabi: The Foreign Ministers of the UAE, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Türkiye, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the State of Qatar condemn in the strongest terms the Israeli escalation a»»»

Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc criticized the Lebanese authorities of pursuing “political theater” and making successive concessions that undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty, arguing that recent government actions are a failed attempt to create the illusion of progress while the country rem»»»

Former CEO of Barklay's Jes Staley testified Thursday for the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. File Photo by Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA July 23 (UPI) -- Former JP Morgan Chase investment banking boss Jes Staley pushed the bank to keep Jeffrey Epstein as a client »»»

NEW YORK CITY: The UN secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, warned the Security Council on Thursday that the security crises in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea risk pulling the Middle East into “an ever-widening circle of confrontation,” as he called for the full restoration of international na»»»

Riyadh: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states and Jordan jointly condemned the Iranian aggression against their territories, reaffirming a unified position based on resolutions adopted by the GCC Ministerial Council, the Council of Foreign Ministers of the League of Arab States, internat»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar presented a wide-ranging package of government reforms on Thursday, including salary caps at state-owned companies, possible VAT reductions, retrospective wealth investigations and a review of public-spending oversight. The Péter Magyar press conference also ad»»»

NEW YORK: Four years after being stabbed on an amphitheater stage, Salman Rushdie sat across a courtroom from his convicted attacker Thursday and told jurors for a second time about the ambush that nearly killed him. The prize-winning writer recalled feeling what he thought was a punch under his ch»»»

Iran flew Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, military advisers and missile- and drone-related equipment into Yemen this month, according to four sources, in a move that suggests Tehran is ​seeking to strengthen the ability of its Houthi allies to threaten Red Sea shipping. Four so»»»

Dubai: Dubai Municipality has been officially recognised by Official World Record (OWR) for implementing best practices and governance standards, reinforcing its position as a global benchmark for institutional excellence and innovation. The recognition follows a comprehensive assessment by an inte»»»

MANILA (Sputnik) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned of rising risks of militarization in the Asia-Pacific region and the introduction of NATO elements there, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. "The Russian side drew attention to the growing risks of militarization of the As»»»

A gravity platform for the production of liquefied gas at the center for the construction of large-tonnage offshore structures of Novatek-Murmansk company stands in the village of Belokamenka in the Murmansk region, Russia, in 2023. The European Union passed new sanctions against Russia Thursday bu»»»

Literary readings marking the 84th anniversary of Bulgarian poet Nikola Vaptsarov’s death were held on Thursday at his monument behind the National Art Gallery in Sofia. The event was organized by the Union of Bulgarian Writers (UBW), the Union of Bulgarian Journalists (UBJ) and the Bulgarian Anti-»»»

The first International Forum of Islamic Civilization earlier this month brought over 450 religious leaders, scholars, diplomats, government officials and other participants from more than 50 countries to Uzbekistan. Across events in Tashkent, Samarkand and Termez on July 7-11, participants discuss»»»

Trust in Mykhailo Fedorov has surged since President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed him as defence minister on July 15 as part of a surprise government reshuffle, with a new Rating Group poll putting him second only to former commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny among Ukraine's most trusted public fig»»»

China’s continuously growing leverage over Russia is not in question and reports in recent days have continued to stress the point. For instance, Beijing has apparently flexed a muscle by declining to provide marine propulsion systems needed for Russia's planned expansion of the Northern Sea Route,»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy named Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, replacing Oleksandr Syrskyi in the most significant shake-up of Ukraine's military leadership since 2024, Reuters reported on July 21. Zelenskiy announced the decision on the eve»»»

BORDEAUX: French prosecutors have charged a 70-year-old woman with the murder of a British expat who was fatally stabbed in southwestern France in 2025. Karen Carter, who played for the local “Queens of Football” team, was killed in the Dordogne village of Tremolat. The elderly woman was indicted i»»»

Budapest: Fernando Alonso on Thursday warned that Aston Martin's long-awaited upgraded chassis, being introduced at this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, was unlikely to change their position as tail-enders. But, he said, he believed the team would close the gap and may do better once they understan»»»

The Hungarian government has filed criminal complaints over four transactions linked to the state-owned Eximbank, requesting investigations into financing worth more than HUF 1,000 billion – approximately EUR 2.74 billion. The Eximbank investigations will examine whether the high-value transactions»»»

Albania's Parliament descended into chaos on Thursday as opposition Democratic Party (PD) lawmakers disrupted the plenary session by blocking the speaker's podium and creating loud disturbances in protest. Opposition lawmakers stood in front of the podium, preventing normal proceedings while bangin»»»

DOHA: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) preserved more than QR7.9 million in consumers' financial rights during the first half of 2026, reflecting its continued efforts to strengthen consumer protection, improve complaint resolution, and enhance market oversight across Qatar. According t»»»

RIYADH: The Gulf states and Jordan called on the UN Security Council to issue an urgent resolution to halt Iranian attacks on their territories, reaffirming their right to self-defense. In a joint statement issued by the Gulf Cooperation Council’s secretariat on Thursday, Jordan and Gulf states hig»»»