Dubai: Two Egyptian sailors detained aboard the vessel "Reem Al Bihar" at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port since January have been released and cleared to return home, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said. The ministry said on Tuesday that diplomatic efforts conducted over several months had secured the sailors’ »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Football Association (QFA) Refereeing Department concluded its Elite Referees Camp, held from August 7 to 18 with the participation of a number of leading lecturers and experts in the field. Held in preparation for the new season, the camp featured a comprehensive program cov»»»

Hungarian foster parents who cared for a seriously ill six-year-old boy say they cannot understand why the country’s child protection authorities placed him for adoption in the United States – and they continue to fight for his return. Tibike, who does not speak English, was handed over to American»»»

Hecklingen, Germany: Germany on Tuesday opened a new drone defence research centre, less than two weeks after an explosives-laden unmanned aerial vehicle was found at Leipzig airport, a key logistics hub for weapons sent to Ukraine. "We are significantly strengthening our ability to respond to host»»»

Firefighters were battling a blaze in Sharjah’s Industrial Area 5, with no injuries reported, authorities said. The Sharjah Civil Defence Authority said its teams were continuing efforts to bring the fire under control and prevent flames from spreading to neighbouring premises. Get updated faster a»»»

The United States and Canada have wrangled for decades over trade, poking each other interminably over sore spots like Canadian softwood lumber imports and U.S. access to Canada's protected dairy market. Somehow the two neighbors still managed to remain friends, allies — and trading partners. Canad»»»

JEDDAH: Jordan’s tourism income surged 24.9 percent in July to $926.2 million, narrowing the year-to-date decline to 0.2 percent, with total tourism income reaching $4.42 billion, according to official data. The recovery, however, remained uneven across visitor markets, with tourism income from Ara»»»

MADRID: A magnitude-4.8 earthquake caused cracks in walls and sent debris falling in Granada on Tuesday, lightly injuring three people, officials said, days after a slightly stronger quake hit the southern Spanish city. The earthquake took place at around 10:38 am (0838 GMT), with its epicenter in »»»

Dubai: It began, as many important newsroom discussions do, with a snake. Actually, not one snake, but two. On August 17, multiple reports in India said that two snakes were spotted on the lawn of Shah Rukh Khan’s sea-facing Mumbai mansion, Mannat. One, an eight-foot-long, non-venomous Indian rat s»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Finance HE Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari met separately on Tuesday with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of Bangladesh and President-elect of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly HE Dr Khalilur Rahman, and Minister of Finance of Grenada HE D»»»

RIYADH: The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority brought together experts, specialists and creative-content professionals for an open meeting titled “Creative Content Through AI Technologies” to discuss the future of creative content and production. The meeting examined how AI tools are»»»

The Palestinian American whose home in the occupied West Bank has been besieged for more than a week confronted Israeli settlers on his property Tuesday and demanded Israeli forces remove them from the area. But on his first day back at his home in the village of Qusra, Loui Ridi was ultimately tol»»»

Doha, Qatar: Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Majed bin Mohammed Al-Ansari held a weekly media briefing on Tuesday, outlining Qatar’s efforts to de-escalate tensions and restore the ceasefire, while emphasizing the necessity of opening t»»»

Archaeological excavations of sites dating back to the 1st-2nd centuries are ongoing in Andigen jailoo (pasture) in Batken district, the Batken District Department of Internal Affairs reported. According to police, the work is being conducted in Samarkandek aiyl aimak, where historical and archaeol»»»

Opening arguments were set to get underway Tuesday in a landmark lawsuit brought by 29 states against Facebook and Instagram parent, Meta, alleging the tech giant's products harm children. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo Aug. 18 (UPI) -- A landmark $1 trillion lawsuit brought by 29 »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli Security Establishment Warns of Full Blown Civil War after Knesset Elections in Light of Likud Primaries 18-08-2026 15:06 PM Israel»»»

The company behind the initiative is keeping its identity secret, saying it fears sanctions. A fishing company has approached the Murmansk branch of the Popular Front, asking for help delivering used fishing nets to the war zone in Ukraine, known in Russia as the “special military operation” (SVO).»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of State for Energy Affairs HE Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi met in Doha on Tuesday with HE Dr. Khalilur Rahman, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Discussions during the meeting dealt with energy relations and cooperation between Qatar and Banglad»»»

Madrid: A magnitude-4.8 earthquake caused cracks in walls and sent debris falling in Granada on Tuesday, lightly injuring three people, officials said, days after a slightly stronger quake hit the southern Spanish city. The earthquake took place at around 10:38 am (0838 GMT), with its epicentre in »»»

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema won a second term on Tuesday after campaigning on his record of economic recovery, including a major debt restructuring deal. The 64-year-old faces pressure to deliver more jobs and opportunities as critics accuse his government of failing to ease poverty and be»»»

South Africa hosted a gathering of leaders from the southern African regional bloc amid xenophobic violence and anti-migrant protests. As the continent’s wealthiest country, South Africa has long attracted migrants, but it faces an unemployment rate of over 30 percent and deep-seated inequalities. »»»

At least 10 people were killed and eight wounded in a strike on Pechenigy, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, the local governor said Tuesday, as 620 drones targeted the Moscow region overnight, Russian officials said, with several people wounded and buildings struck.   A total of 620 drones fl»»»

As part of measures to reduce sanctions risks, compulsory liquidation proceedings will be initiated against 19 more legal entities in Kyrgyzstan, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce reported. Chaired by Bakyt Sydykov, Special Representative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic for Special Assig»»»

Bengaluru: A 26-year-old Bengaluru woman has been arrested over the deaths of her husband and four-year-old son, with police investigating whether the child was killed because he witnessed his father’s murder, the Times of India reported. Police allege that Harini conspired with her suspected lover»»»

Sofia Municipality’s mobile automatic monitoring station shows the key air quality indicators are within the norm, Sofia Municipality said on Tuesday. The press release comes after the local authorities received over 40 reports within an hour regarding smoke, smog, and unpleasant odors in various p»»»

The Nenets Autonomous Okrug is one of Russia’s least populated regions. Its indigenous peoples include the Nenets and Komi. Governor Irina Gekht briefed Vladimir Putin on the socio-economic development of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and thanked him for a decree marking the region’s centenary. She s»»»

Romania’s gambling industry has spent years getting bigger, more digital, and much harder to monitor. The July audit of the National Gambling Office, or ONJN, showed just how wide that gap became. This was not a small paperwork problem. Auditors found missing tax checks, weak online monitoring, gap»»»

Want to win Dh30,000? RTA seeks safety films Dubai: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched the second edition of its Road Safety Film Festival, offering up to Dh300,000 in cash prizes and recognition awards for creative films that promote safer road behaviour. The festival builds »»»

Belgium is battling its largest wildfire on record, with the blaze scorching around 3,000 hectares and spreading toward the German border, according to local officials. The fire broke out on Friday in the High Fens nature reserve in eastern Belgium and remained out of control on Monday despite cool»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s tourism recovery in the second half of 2026 will depend heavily on the restoration of international air connectivity, with airlines gradually bringing back services after regional disruption affected passenger flows and hotel demand earlier this year, a new report says. Sign up for o»»»

Manufacturing is gaining ground in Romania’s industrial and logistics market, as more companies consider the country for production and nearshoring activities. Around 28% of publicly announced leasing transactions in the first half of 2026 involved manufacturing space, nearly double last year’s sha»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani sent a cable of congratulations to HE Hakainde Hichilema of the Republic of Zambia on the occasion of his re-election for a second presidential term, wishing him success in his duties and the relations between the two countries continued deve»»»

Dubai: The UAE Tourism Council has discussed expanding the acceptance and use of the Jaywan card across the tourism sector, alongside joint tourism offers targeting citizens and residents and greater cooperation with benefits programmes including Esaad, Fazaa and Al Saada. Sign up for our daily bus»»»

Тhe Municipality of Kostinbrod, near Sofia, is urging local residents on its official Facebook page to avoid staying outdoors due to the large fire in the Republic of Serbia, which has brought heavy smoke in the area. The Municipality called on residents to close windows and doors, avoid staying ou»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe West Bank Erupts as Israeli Raids, Settler Attacks Intensify; Likud Primaries Shake Up Netanyahu’s Party 18-08-2026 13:53 PM A fresh wave o»»»

Dubai: A Syrian court sentenced Wassim Al Assad, a cousin of ousted ruler Bashar Al Assad, to death after convicting him of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country’s nearly 14-year conflict. The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus found Wassim Al Assad guilty of offences i»»»

Leading UAE property developers will present their latest residential, commercial and mixed-use projects at a two-day property exhibition in Hyderabad later this year, as organisers seek to strengthen investment ties between the UAE and India. The Property Grand Expo, organised by The Times of Indi»»»

Romanian investment management company SAI Globinvest listed its second ETF on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) Regulated Market on 18 August, under the ticker GIBXTETF. The Globinvest BET-XT ETF aims to fully replicate the structure of BVB’s BET-XT benchmark index. Launched by BVB in 2008, BET-X»»»

Dubai: Alliance Aviation Services has appointed aviation industry veteran Steven Greenway as its new chief executive, with the former Saudi budget airline flyadeal's boss set to take charge of the Australian specialist aviation company from October 1. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheq»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe The End of the American Middle East: Foreign Affairs 18-08-2026 13:17 PM The Foreign Affairs magazine published an article about the end of»»»

Romanian consumers spent RON 68 billion on fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and Electro-IT products in the first six months of 2026, up 3.2% compared with the same period last year, amid high inflation, weak consumer confidence, and purchasing power around 6% lower than in 2025, according to Niels»»»

Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered on Tuesday that jailed former prime minister Imran Khan be moved to hospital for medical checks, after a petition by his lawyers over claims of poor health. Justice Shahid Waheed said 73-year-old Khan, who has been in jail since 2023 on corrupti»»»

Dubai: Donald Trump once argued that the quickest way for an American president to lose credibility was to draw a red line and then fail to enforce it. Nearly six months into the Iran war, the US president risks confronting that test himself. Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with military actio»»»

Doha, Qatar: Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi met on Tuesday with Ambassador of the State of Libya to the State of Qatar HE Mohammed Mustafa Al Saghir Al Lafi, on the occasion of the end of his tenure. HE Secretary-General of the Ministry of Fo»»»

Washington: An Indian-origin woman who has lived in the United States for 27 years has been detained by immigration authorities, months after a judge terminated earlier removal proceedings against her, NDTV reported. Venkata Narsamamba Vasamsetty, a grandmother of two and a lawful permanent residen»»»

Two Chinese shipping giants have stopped sending oil ​tankers through the Strait of Hormuz and Bab Al-Mandeb and are instead collecting oil cargoes outside the Gulf, Reuters reported, citing three industry executives, tanker ‌trackers and a ship broker. State-controlled COSCO Shipping Energy Transp»»»

An international center for the study of arid territories and the impacts of climate change is planned to be established in Bishkek. It will bring together scientists from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of the Kyrgyz Republic reported. A»»»

Three people were killed in an explosion at the Baniyas thermal power station on Syria’s Mediterranean coast on Tuesday, Syrian state media reported. The blast occurred at the power facility in the Baniyas area of Tartus province, state news agency SANA confirmed. Authorities and emergency teams we»»»

A farming family in rural America has rejected a multimillion-dollar offer to sell their land for a data center development, joining opposition to a rapid buildout of such facilities driven by the AI boom in the US. According to the Wall Street Journal, a mother and daughter from Maysville, Kentuck»»»

Dubai: The UAE Ministry of Finance has partnered with DIFC Academy to launch two specialised programmes aimed at developing the next generation of financial leaders and advisers across federal entities. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click hereThe Certified»»»