A rockfall occurred in Boom Gorge overnight on August 1, eyewitnesses posted on social media. Witnesses said the rockfall completely blocked the Bishkek—Issyk-Kul road, bringing traffic to a standstill in both directions. Long traffic jams quickly formed, and while waiting for heavy machinery to ar»»»

The Middle East remains on alert as the US weighs further strikes on Iran, Gaza ceasefire efforts continue, and regional shipping and aviation face disruption. Here are the key updates UAE residents need to know today. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click h»»»

Travellers flying to and from the UAE are advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport, as airlines continue to adjust schedules amid operational changes and heightened regional tensions. While most UAE carriers are operating near normal levels, Etihad Airways, Emirates and Ai»»»

WASHINGTON: The State Department is making permanent a pilot program under which citizens from 50 countries, mainly in Africa, are required to post bonds to apply for a US visa, and it’s raising the cost as well, to as much as $20,000. A draft notice published Friday in the Federal Register says a »»»

WASHINGTON: The Justice Department moved Friday to dismiss a criminal case charging a former Olympian with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying evidence prosecutors had recently received refuted the idea that vandals were to blame. Government lawyers said in a 20-page »»»

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Friday that world soccer’s governing ​body had scrapped plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors after widespread backlash. FIFA’s plan was to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling about a 20 percent stake in a new unit that would run FIFA ev»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE is set for another hot weekend, with temperatures climbing to 49C inland on Saturday before the weather becomes increasingly unsettled early next week, bringing the possibility of afternoon showers to eastern and southern parts of the country. The National Centre of Meteorology (»»»

The US military said it has redirected 30 commercial vessels since the start of its blockade of Iranian ports, while maintaining that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to international shipping. In an update posted on X on Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that, as of July 31, its forces ha»»»

NEW YORK: American oil and gas giants raked in massive spring profits while fighting between Iran and the US impeded petroleum shipments and consumers around the world paid more for fuel and confronted shortages. The conflict, now in its sixth month, halted most shipping through the Strait of Hormu»»»

Disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has prompted oil-producing countries in the Gulf to accelerate plans for alternative export routes, with a series of pipeline projects announced or revived. Here is a breakdown of the proposals. - Regional picture -A total of 14.95 million barrels»»»

WASHINGTON: The State Department is making permanent a pilot program under which citizens from 50 countries, mainly in Africa, are required to post bonds to apply for a US visa, and it’s raising the cost as well, to as much as $20,000. A draft notice published Friday in the Federal Register says a »»»

Dubai: Dubai residents will soon have more places to shop, eat, exercise and access everyday services, with nine new malls and community retail destinations planned across the city. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The pipeline stretches from Nad Al Sheba and Sobha Hart»»»

Manila is finally beginning to reshape its automotive policy for the 21st century. The government's decisions on local car-production incentives in 2026 signal a broader shift in Philippine industrial strategy — away from simply protecting conventional vehicle assembly and toward attracting the nex»»»

Elon Musk's xAI sued Minnesota seeking to block the state's law banning nudification technology. File photo by Francis Chung/UPI | License Photo July 31 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Friday turned down a request by Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, to block a Minnesota law banning nud»»»

HOUSTON: A cargo of flagship US light sweet crude loaded in Texas ​was headed to Israel on Friday, the first shipment to the country in nearly three years, ship tracking data showed. Here are the details: Malta-flagged Aframax vessel Captain John loaded ‌US West Texas ‌Intermediate crude at ​Enbrid»»»

As nearly 50,000 North African migrants surged into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta overnight, one group responded with mockery and glee: Israeli politicians and their Zionist supporters, who celebrated the slap in Spanish President Pedro Sanchez’ face. An estimated 49,000 migrants, predominantly youn»»»

The disastrous heatwave and drought across Europe have pushed the Rhine and Danube rivers to historic water lows, forcing two EU countries into atomic energy power-downs while disrupting industrial output and major trade routes. The Rhine and Danube serve as vital commercial corridors, historic bor»»»

WASHINGTON: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pitched President Donald Trump and other American officials on helping Ukraine win permission from tech titan Elon Musk to use his Starlink satellite communications system to guide strikes inside Russia. The push for expanded use of Starlink co»»»

US President Donald Trump and other far-right leaders on Friday seized on Spain's migration crisis to bolster their political messaging on immigration, while over half of the migrants who had crossed the border made their way back to Morocco voluntarily the same day.  US President Donald Trump»»»

New York: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called today for an end to the fighting across the Middle East and urged the full restoration of international navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. "The fighting must stop everyw»»»

Budapest: Hungary is preparing to shut down its only nuclear power plant for the first time in its 44-year history as record-low water levels in the Danube River disrupt cooling operations, authorities said today. The country's Prime Minister Peter Magyar told a press conference that the Paks Nucle»»»

Residents in several Albanian municipalities staged protests on Friday against a proposed territorial reform that would significantly reduce the number of local governments, arguing the plan would weaken local representation and erase community identities. The governing Socialist Party has proposed»»»

Organisations across the UAE now have until August 14 to apply for the fourth cycle of the Parent-friendly Label, the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) has announced. The deadline was extended following strong interest from semi-government, private and third-sector organisations since appli»»»

GENEVA: The Sudanese flashpoint of El-Obeid and surrounding areas are experiencing a spike in malnutrition, gender-based violence and other issues, the United Nations’ children’s agency said on Friday. It said the conflict was “a massive disaster that keeps getting worse.” Now in Khartoum after vis»»»

GAZA/CAIRO: Standing on the roof of ​a war-damaged building overlooking the ruins of Gaza City, beekeeper Ibrahim Al-Dabba gently lifts a honeycomb frame as bees buzz around him. “Bees require trees, we are raising bees among rubble,” he said. For Gaza’s beekeepers, the struggle to rebuild their li»»»

Tokyo: Japan's unemployment rate stayed unchanged at 2.5 percent in June for the third straight month, government data showed Friday. The number of people with jobs in June was down 0.5 percent at a seasonally adjusted 68.46 million, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said. Of thos»»»

Dubai: Emirates ranked among the world’s most operationally reliable airlines in June, recording one of the lowest flight cancellation rates globally despite continued disruption to air travel in parts of the region. According to operational performance data from aviation analytics firm OAG, just 0»»»

People watch through special solar glasses as the moon moves across the sun during the 2024 solar eclipse in Milwaukee, Wis., on April 8, 2024. The first total solar eclipse since the 2024 event will take place in August. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo August will feature three majo»»»

London: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, in London. During the meeting, the two sides discussed a number of issues of mutual i»»»

Rome: A 4.7-magnitude earthquake shook a southern Italian region near Naples on Friday, but authorities said there were no immediate requests for emergency help. The quake was centred at the Campi Flegrei area, according to Italy's Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV). The area, site of E»»»

Hezbollah said Lebanese authorities have taken no action in line with their national and sovereign responsibilities as the Israeli occupation entity continues to destroy villages in southern Lebanon. In a statement, Hezbollah affirmed that the Israeli enemy was continuing, in full view of the Leban»»»

Rome: Italy decided today to suspend the Schengen Agreement, which guarantees free movement with Spain, for one month following the influx of more than 50,000 migrants into Ceuta from Morocco yesterday (Thursday), despite assurances from Madrid authorities that the incident had been contained. The »»»

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Housing Authority (ADHA), in collaboration with the Urban Planning and Permits Centre at the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), introduced the Housing Construction Loan on Subdivided Agricultural Land service, aligning with the goals of the Year of Family. Th»»»

DAMASCUS: In a workshop filled with the scent of walnut wood and the sound of hand tools, Syrian craftsman Firas Salka carefully shapes what will eventually become a Damascus oud, one of the Arab world’s most iconic musical instruments. Over several months, each piece of wood is carved, assembled a»»»

Madrid: Spain confirmed today that it has contained the massive influx of migrants to Ceuta, whose numbers exceeded 50,000, noting that the voluntary return of the majority of those who crossed the land and sea borders yesterday has begun. In a statement today, Spanish authorities revealed that res»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Hezbollah: The primary responsibility lies with the silent, absent, and even complicit authorities, which granted legitimacy to the Israeli»»»

KINSHASA: Democratic Republic of Congo’s fast-spreading Ebola outbreak is now the world’s second-largest on record, government data showed on Friday, as transmission continues to outpace efforts to contain the epidemic. The number of cases reported across Congo has risen to 3,532, the Communication»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Hezbollah: The Israeli enemy continues, in full view of the Lebanese authorities and the international community, to destroy villages and b»»»

Statehood Day in Kiev. Very important. Very historical. “So how can I make it all about me?” the EU said. Here comes Brussels to put the “hood” in “statehood” day, and bring some muscle to Kiev’s mobilization hustle. What a great opportunity for the EU to come back into town for another photo op, a»»»

Budapest has set a new daily heat record after temperatures climbed to 39.4°C in the capital’s Újpest district on Friday afternoon, according to preliminary data from Hungary’s national meteorological service, HungaroMet. The new record is 2°C higher than the previous Budapest record for 31 July, w»»»

Rome: Italy has suspended its Schengen agreement with Spain, following the influx of migrants into the latter's Ceuta enclave in northern Morocco, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Friday. "The temporary suspension of Schengen with Spain is a necessary decision to protect the security of»»»

Smoke rises after an Israeli strike next to the Crusader-period Beaufort Castle, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, in June. File Photo by Atef Safadi/EPA BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 31 (UPI) -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned Israel on Friday for »»»

NEW YORK CITY: The only good news to emerge from the Middle East in recent days was US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an agreement under which Hamas would relinquish its weapons and Israel withdraw its forces from Gaza, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said on Friday as he warned th»»»

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates has condemned in the strongest terms the renewed Iranian hostile attack targeting Kuwait with drones. In a statement, the UAE Foreign Ministry affirmed that this hostile attack constitutes a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of Kuwait and a threat to its secu»»»

A handout photo made available by Gironde Departmental Fire and Rescue Service shows flames engulfing a road as a wildfire spreads in Lege-Cap-Ferret, south-western France, on July 23. The French wine industry may face a tough year. Photo by Damien Renbert/EPA July 31 (UPI) -- Wildfires in France h»»»

Abu Dhabi: Under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Year Of Award has been launched as a national recognition platform establishing the enduring legacy of the annual themes of the UAE Year Of initiative. The Award celebrates individuals and organisa»»»

Doha: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani and Chairman of the Political Bureau of Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Dr. Khalil Al Hayya held a telephone conversation on Friday. at the outset of the call HE the Prime Minister and M»»»

Following reports of a drone attack on a US-owned gas storage vessel at Egypt’s Damietta port, a video purporting to show the incident began circulating online. The footage, however, is unrelated to the conflict in the Middle East. FRANCE 24 found that the footage instead shows a Ukrainian drone st»»»

This photo, taken Friday, shows the trading room of Hana Bank in Seoul as South Korean stocks skyrocketed by a record eighteen percent on semiconductor gains. Photo by Yonhap South Korean stocks skyrocketed by a record 18 percent to reclaim the 6,500-point level Friday, driven by robust semiconduct»»»