Political pressure is mounting on Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as an end-of-September deadline for US forces to leave Iraq approaches, while disputes over weapons, corruption, and a deepening financial crisis pile fresh strain on his government. Informed sources said al-Zaidi’s recent meetings»»»

Gold prices demonstrated the fastest single-day growth in the past six months, driven by easing tensions in the Middle East, a weakening US dollar, and a number of other factors, former Central Bank of Turkiye analyst Onur Dashdemir told Sputnik. "The combination of positive signals from the Middle»»»

DUBAI: Fourteen runners will compete for the $40,000 (SR150,000) Alhada Cup at King Khalid Racecourse in Taif on Saturday, with Aez Alkhatir (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) seeking to improve on his runner-up performance in the Sarawat Cup on Saudi Cup weekend. Not seen since that run on Feb. 13, the Hom»»»

‘Brothers’ Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Holland Taylor Where: Apple TV+ from Sept. 23 Comedy series in which two of Hollywood’s best-loved bros — Harrelson and McConaughey — play fictionalized versions of themselves. When Harrelson’s daughter is jilted at the altar, he takes her »»»

DUBAI: Nearly two decades after bonding over hip-hop in a Jeddah neighborhood where almost no one else listened to it, Saudi rappers Alyoung and Randar have released “R2,” a four-track EP — pairing it with three music videos. The duo — Ahmed, who performs as Alyoung, and Bandar, who performs as Ran»»»

Dubai: Eleven hundred tonnes of moon went up on Wednesday morning, and nobody on Earth watched it happen. The upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9, designated 2025-010D, struck the Moon at 06.34 GMT on Wednesday 5 August, which was 10.34am UAE time. It was travelling at around seven times the speed of »»»

Dubai: RAK Ceramics’ board has proposed an interim dividend of 10 fils per share for the first half of 2026 after the company reported a 2.9% increase in second-quarter net profit. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The proposed distribution amounts to Dh99.3 million and »»»

Abu Dhabi: International Holding Company reported a 195.6% increase in profit after tax to Dh26.2 billion during the first half of 2026, supported by growth across several operating sectors, investment income and active portfolio management. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Bala»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Labour warned that recruitment offices that fail to comply with employment contract obligations or commit licensing violations could face severe penalties, including the suspension or revocation of their licences, as part of intensified efforts to regulate the sector an»»»

Dubai: Aramex reported its highest quarterly revenue on record in the second quarter of 2026, driven by increased freight-forwarding demand and alternative transport routes that kept customer shipments moving amid regional disruptions. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.G»»»

Iran said an agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz is in its final stages, while President Donald Trump suggested a deal could be announced within days, raising hopes of easing a blockade that has disrupted global shipping and fueled months of conflict. Iran said Wednesday it is in the “fin»»»

Tehran: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said communication with Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is very "difficult at the moment," but his presence is a "great strength" for the country to continue its path. The United States and Israel killed Iran's former Supreme Leader Ali Khamene»»»

The ground jolted twice across Northern California on Wednesday afternoon (early morning in the Gulf) as back-to-back earthquakes struck near the remote community of Covelo, briefly sending warning alerts to residents and putting emergency systems to the test. The US Geological Survey recorded the »»»

Marine One carrying President Donald Trump lands on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on Friday, May 15, 2026. Photo by Eric Lee/UPI | License Photo Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Federal aviation officials said Wednesday that they are reviewing a "loss of separation incident" between the presid»»»

The search for climbers swept away by an avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak has entered a grim new phase, with three members of a 10-person international expedition still unaccounted for after rescuers recovered seven bodies, including renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal “Nims” Purja. The latest rec»»»

The Trump administration said Wednesday it will shut down a Kentucky organ donation group accused of continuing plans for organ retrieval from some patients who unexpectedly showed signs of life. While those surgeries were canceled, the cases made headlines several years ago, prompting a spike in p»»»

Firefighters making big strides against a cluster of blazes near Spokane, Washington, scrambled on Wednesday to secure their gains as they anticipated ​a return of extremely hot, dry weather in the days ahead. Officials said crews had carved buffer lines around a trio of fires threatening the state»»»

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad: Pakistan ended its eight-match losing streak away from home in cricket tests with a resounding eight-wicket victory over the West Indies on Wednesday to level the series. First innings century-maker Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam, in his first series since being reappoint»»»

President Donald Trump’s administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty US troops as it rolls back immigration protections for military families to pursue its mass deportation agenda, an Associated Press investigation found. More than 50 parents and spouses of active-duty »»»

Iran and Oman are reportedly closing in on a framework to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, but the emerging arrangement could leave Tehran with a degree of control over the world’s most important oil chokepoint — precisely the outcome Washington has sought to prevent. The diplomatic p»»»

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: A SpaceX rocket that launched a pair of lunar landers undoubtedly slammed into the moon as predicted on Wednesday after drifting off course for the past year, scientists reported. Although the 5,400-mph (8,700-kph) collision had yet to be officially confirmed, space trackin»»»

* Iran warns Gulf states US strikes will trigger attacks on them* Tehran presses Gulf allies to ‌steer Trump back to diplomacy* Riyadh urged Trump to delay military action, pursue negotiations* Iran bets infrastructure threats can raise pressure without full-scale war*TEHRAN: Iran has warned Gulf s»»»

LONDON: Britain’s University of Cambridge said Wednesday it has launched a probe into one of its professors who has been engulfed by plagiarism accusations ahead of the release of his memoir. The controversy around Jason Arday — who made headlines when the university appointed him as its youngest b»»»

Washington: Abdelrahman El Sayed won the Democratic Party's nomination to run for the US Senate seat from the state of Michigan, setting up a contest against Republican candidate Mike Rogers in the election scheduled for next November. The Michigan Senate seat is considered pivotal to Democrats' ho»»»

Egypt and Greece on Wednesday called for a peaceful settlement and a comprehensive agreement between the United States and Iran, saying such a deal is essential to reduce tensions and prevent the regional conflict from widening as negotiations continue over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Th»»»

The US and Taiwanese militaries are engaged in active but secretive on-site collaboration, according to Taipei’s defense minister, Wellington Koo. The message comes after US President Donald Trump put a hold on arms sales to the self-governed island, which has sparked alarm among pro-US countries i»»»

Sanaa: Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis said on Wednesday that they attacked two Saudi oil tankers, as the rebels pressed on with their maritime blockade of the kingdom. These were the eighth and ninth Saudi oil tankers targeted since the start of the blockade last month, according to figures given by a»»»

LONDON: Newcastle have appointed Matthias Jaissle as their new head coach following Eddie Howe’s departure, the English Premier League club announced Wednesday. The 38-year-old Jaissle, a former Germany Under-21 international, was previously in charge of Saudi side Al-Ahli but has no prior experien»»»

Hungary has emerged as one of the world’s most AI-ready outsourcing destinations, placing fourth in a new international ranking and achieving the highest population-level artificial intelligence adoption score among all 25 countries examined. The 2026 Global Outsourcing AI Readiness Index gave Hung»»»

Russia is refining its use of hybrid interference to undermine European Union enlargement countries by combining disinformation, covert political financing, cyberattacks, economic pressure and proxy actors in ways tailored to local vulnerabilities, while the EU's response remains uneven despite a g»»»

Cameroon has discussed an overhaul of its ship-registration system with the United States as it seeks to curb fraudulent use of its flag, including by tankers linked by European authorities to Russia’s sanctions-evading shadow fleet. Transport Minister Jean Ernest Masséna Ngalle Bibehe held talks w»»»

Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, and Minister of State for Military Production Salah Gomblat held a meeting to review progress on jointly implemented national healthcare projects, with both sides pledging to accelerate completion of ongoing works and expand future co»»»

Discussing an August 2 confrontation between a group of young foreigners and Bulgarians in the Bulgarian mountain resort of Bansko, Asen Levov, the manager of the hotel which housed the group of foreign children, told reporters on Wednesday that police had previously been called to the hotel on sev»»»

Russia is refining its use of hybrid interference to undermine European Union enlargement countries by combining disinformation, covert political financing, cyberattacks, economic pressure and proxy actors in ways tailored to local vulnerabilities, while the EU's response remains uneven despite a g»»»

Russia is refining its use of hybrid interference to undermine European Union enlargement countries by combining disinformation, covert political financing, cyberattacks, economic pressure and proxy actors in ways tailored to local vulnerabilities, while the EU's response remains uneven despite a g»»»

As Ukraine goes through the fifth year of full-scale war, a quiet but unmistakable movement is underway. Families are packing what they can, often saying goodbye to aging parents and family dogs, and leaving for safer ground—whether to western Ukrainian cities or across borders into Europe. They ar»»»

The Senate Commerce Committee advanced the Kids Online Safety Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., which requires online companies to develop products with children's safety in mind. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The Senate Commerce Committee on Wedne»»»

Tehran: Iran and Oman have agreed a route for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz and are putting the final touches on arrangements for jointly managing the waterway, Tehran's foreign ministry said Wednesday. But official sources briefing Iranian media stressed that any reopening of the strait wo»»»

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said at her morning press conference Wednesday that authorities will seek to apprehend the perpetrators and the masterminds behind the killing of content creator Cesar Gastelum, while the investigation continues to shed light on the crime that occurred the day be»»»

NEW YORK: A US appeals court said on Wednesday that a New York City law requiring food delivery companies to share customers’ data with restaurants is unconstitutional. In a 3-0 decision, the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said the law violated the First Amendment’s protection against»»»

Progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed narrowly won Michigan's Democratic US Senate primary, US media projected, handing the party's left wing a significant victory in a pivotal battleground state. The upset over establishment-backed Haley Stevens is expected to sharpen debate over the Democrats' dir»»»

Dubai: Abdul Al Sayed has spent much of his career fighting public health crises, from lead poisoning and medical debt to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the 41-year-old public health leader is preparing for the biggest battle of his political career after winning Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary — »»»

As the United States approaches November’s congressional midterm elections, anxiety is mounting within the Republican Party over the prospect of losses that could extend into states long regarded as Republican strongholds. According to The Independent, several Republican senators believe President »»»

The “whitelist” mode - under which mobile internet access is restricted to services approved by Russia's Ministry of Digital Development - has shifted from an emergency measure to a permanent fact of life across central Russia. In July, only 30.5% of mobile-network user sessions in the Central Fede»»»

Cameroon has discussed an overhaul of its ship-registration system with the United States as it seeks to curb fraudulent use of its flag, including by tankers linked by European authorities to Russia’s sanctions-evading shadow fleet. Transport Minister Jean Ernest Masséna Ngalle Bibehe held talks w»»»

PARIS: France’s push to enlist its car industry to produce military drones is moving to industrial implementation, as partnerships between automakers, car-part suppliers and defense firms turn lessons from the war in Ukraine into working assembly lines. Since the start of the year, at least six def»»»

RIYADH: ADNOC Distribution expects its acquisition of Shell Downstream South Africa’s portfolio to begin contributing to the company’s financial flows after the deal closes in the first half of 2027, according to CEO Bader Saeed Al-Lamki. Completion of the deal will proceed in line with procedures »»»

Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., said he would complete his current term but won't seek reelection. A day earlier, the House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured over "inappropriate" relationships with young female staff members. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Rep. »»»

The French publication L’Express has published what it describes as the first comprehensive ranking of European intelligence services, placing Bulgaria among the weakest-performing countries while the United Kingdom's MI6 secured the top position. The assessment is based on interviews with around 1»»»

Doha, Qatar: Lusail International Circuit (LIC) has partnered with Novikov Doha to introduce an exclusive hospitality offering, further enhancing its premium guest experience and setting a new benchmark for Formula 1 hospitality in Qatar. Renowned for its fusion of Pan-Asian and Italian cuisine and»»»