Dubai: Before Thaikkudam Bridge took the stage in Dubai, rhythm guitarist Ashok Betty Nelson made me a promise: “If you want to dance, if you want to listen to good melodies, come to our show. You will not be disappointed.” Having now watched them in action at Coca-Cola Arena this weekend as a part»»»

GENEVA: The UN rights chief voiced alarm Monday at the rising civilian toll of escalating hostilities in Yemen, urging restraint and an immediate de-escalation to avoid plunging the country back into a full-scale war.“I urge all parties to halt immediately any actions that risk returning Yemen to f»»»

The Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan (SDMK) has announced a tender among domestic suppliers to purchase influenza and meningococcal vaccines for citizens of Kyrgyzstan planning to perform Hajj in 2027. The suppliers and vaccines must meet specific requirements regarding quality, stora»»»

JEDDAH: Qatar-listed companies posted combined net profit of 23.63 billion Qatari riyals ($6.49 billion) in the first half of 2026, down 11.4 percent from a year earlier, as earnings came under pressure across parts of the market. According to data from the Qatar Stock Exchange, the latest bourse i»»»

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»»»

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo is now the deadliest in the country's history, according to the latest government data, with 2,235 reported killed from the virus. Confirmed cases have risen to 4,945, including 101 new cases detected in the last 24 hours, Congo's public health ins»»»

Firefighters in southwestern France are continuing to battle a wildfire that has burned 1,700 hectares of forest in the Landes region. The blaze has stopped spreading but remains out of control, with 550 firefighters, military personnel and six water-bombing aircraft working to contain it and allow»»»

More than 12,000 people displaced by a deadly 7.7-magnitude earthquake in eastern Indonesia were awaiting urgent aid on Monday as they sheltered at schools, police stations and government offices, while many remained stranded outside.  Thousands of people displaced by a powerful earthquake in »»»

US and South Korean forces began on Monday joint military drills as planned, despite Donald Trump calling for them to be scaled back. Trump said the exercises were too costly and hostile toward North Korea, while critics warned reducing them could weaken South Korea’s security. The drills are set t»»»

At least 19 people were killed Sunday in drone and missile strikes in Russia and Ukraine which destroyed a book market in Kyiv while Moscow faced one of the most massive attacks since the start of the war. Ukraine and Russia have been escalating their long-range strikes for months, resulting in a g»»»

Paris, France: Two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard will not race again this season as he is still recovering from the broken collarbone he suffered in this year's race, his team Visma-Lease a bike announced on Monday. The 29-year-old Dane had had a successful campaign up to his crash »»»

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 »»»

Russia’s comprehensive and coordinated strikes on ports, railway junctions, fuel stations and warehouses are piling systemic strain on the Ukrainian economy, Alexander Dudchak, a researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries, tells Sputnik. These facilities can be described as dual-use, he says, sin»»»

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - Russian forces have announced fresh advances in the Zaporozhye and Donetsk directions, taking control of two settlements as Moscow says its troops continue to push deeper into Ukrainian defensive lines. "Units of the Vostok group of forces advanced deep into the enemy's defensiv»»»

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has announced its ongoing efforts to expand its initiative for the automatic recognition of academic and professional qualifications issued by higher education institutions in the UAE by bringing more universities into the initiative. The ini»»»

DUBAI: Iran ‌said on Monday that two French embassy employees involved in a diplomatic dispute ​last month would not be allowed to return to Iran. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the two had violated the Vienna Convention — which defines the rules and privileges of diplomatic missio»»»

Romania’s domestic energy production fell by 2.6% in the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, while final electricity consumption decreased by 3.3%, according to provisional data published on Monday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS), cited by Agerpres. Elect»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iran’s central bank governor, Iraqi trade minister discuss ways to boost economic ties 17-08-2026 11:05 AM Latest News Urgent News Iran’s c»»»

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»»»

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has firmly rejected any discussion of extending the 60-day period referenced in the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, with spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei declaring that Tehran does not formulate policy under pressure or artificial timelines—particularly when the United States»»»

Checks on individuals’ wealth have become increasingly prominent in the activity of Romania’s tax authority, ANAF, in recent years. Tax authorities have access to a growing volume of information and analytical tools, including through exchanges of information with other countries, making it easier »»»

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»»»

LUGANSK (Sputnik) - Ukraine is frantically trying to solve the shortage of air defense missiles by combining Soviet and Western systems, which ultimately threatens to result in civilian casualties, military expert Andrey Marochko told Sputnik. "According to my information, Ukraine is now franticall»»»

Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Energy explained the causes of the technical failure that occurred in the country’s power system on August 14. According to the ministry, at 3:37 p.m., following a disruption, Kyrgyzstan’s power system became disconnected from the Unified Power System of Central Asia and sw»»»

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»»»

MedLife, Romania’s largest private healthcare network and one of the country’s leading investors in medical genetics, has launched the first gut microbiome test in Romania to be processed entirely in its own laboratories, using shotgun metagenomics technology. The new test provides a detailed pictu»»»

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»»»

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»»»

TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday it will consider three missing pilots to be prisoners in Qatar, despite Doha’s denials, until it clarifies their fate.Tehran has said the Iranians went missing while carrying out an operation against the United States’ Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Mar»»»

Kinshasa: An Ebola outbreak has now killed 2,325 people in Democratic Republic of Congo, making it the deadliest outbreak of the virus, according to government figures released Monday. The deaths were from 4,945 confirmed cases, overtaking an outbreak in 2018-2020 that killed 2,299 people from 3,38»»»

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 »»»

ABU DHABI: The Ultimate Fighting Championship, in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, is set to return to the UAE capital with UFC 333. The event will see UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and undefeated No. 1-ranked contender Movsar Evloev headlining »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe IRGC General Says; ‘Israel’ Too Weak for War with Iran 17-08-2026 10:56 AM A senior IRGC official said that Israel is not capable of waging»»»

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»»»

Athens: Two fires on the Greek island of Salamis near Athens that claimed two lives and led to the evacuation of nearly 600 people have been largely extinguished, the fire service said Monday. "The situation is better, there is no active front," a fire department spokesman told AFP, adding that two»»»

Rescuers were digging through collapsed buildings and clearing landslide-blocked roads Monday as Indonesia's death toll from a powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake rose to at least 54, with thousands of people still displaced across eastern Indonesia, local media reported. The earthquake struck early »»»

Russia has begun its winter campaign to freeze Ukraine into submission early and since the end of July has been tearing into what is left of Ukraine’s power sector. Last year’s campaign only scaled up in September, hitting Ukraine's power grid in the hope of making its major cities unliveable. Temp»»»

Mbay, Indonesia: Thousands of people displaced by a powerful earthquake in eastern Indonesia awaited aid Monday as they camped out at schools, police stations and government offices. The 7.7-magnitude quake early on Saturday killed 54 people and injured more than 100. Rescue officials have said the»»»

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 Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) is recording a 47.1% nominal advance of the BET index since the start of 2026, while the real return, adjusted for accumulated inflation, stands at 41.8%, placing Romania seventh worldwide, according to an analysis by president of the Financial Supervisory Authori»»»

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»»»

Taipei: Taiwan's government will propose record defence spending for 2027, President Lai Ching-te said Monday, as the island democracy faces growing military pressure from China. "Next year's total defence budget -- including both the annual budget and the special budget -- will exceed NT$1 trillio»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States should resume alternate negotiations with Moscow and Kiev to bring the two sides closer together on resolving the conflict in Ukraine, Thomas Graham, former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush and Senior Director for Russia on the National Security»»»

The intensity of the attacks on the Ukrainian front, close to Romania’s border was unprecedented in recent times and the MApN radars discovered, in the proximity of the Romanian air space over 100 drones over the last 96 hours, says the minister of National Defense, Radu Miruta.‘Yesterday and today»»»