Le Porge, France: Flames roared through crackling pine trees on Thursday as a wildfire gained ground on the coast of southwestern France, forcing more than 20,000 tourists and residents to flee to safety. France has been battered by three heatwaves since May as part of increasingly common extreme w»»»

The Pentagon’s plans to build Ukrainian Magura drones domestically won’t help it win conflicts, “because drones cannot win any war,” but it will “ensure a war-driven marketplace is well-situated for coming global economic and political shifts,” former senior DoD analyst-turned Iraq War whistleblowe»»»

TUNIS: Acting Director-General of the General Directorate of Passports Maj. Gen. Saleh Al-Murabba led the Saudi Interior Ministry delegation to the 22nd Arab Conference of Heads of Immigration and Passport Authorities. The event was held in Tunis on July 22 and 23, with the participation of heads o»»»

The European Commission fined Google $1 billion for anti-competitive practices. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo July 23 (UPI) -- The European Commission on Thursday fined Google more than $1 billion for violating the Digital Markets Act in its use of gate-keeping in its search engi»»»

President Donald Trump said on social media Thursday that Saudi Arabia must sign the Abraham Accords as part of its nuclear deal with the United States. File Photo by Nathan Howard/UPI | License Photo July 23 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said on social media Thursday that Saudi Arabia must sign »»»

Dubai: The UAE is creating a structured gap year programme between high school and adulthood for young Emiratis, backed by the government and tied directly to national workforce priorities. On July 23, following directives from the Education, Human Development and Community Development Council, the»»»

DOHA: The State of Qatar strongly condemned the Houthi group's targeting of a Saudi vessel sailing in the Red Sea, considering it a serious violation of international maritime safety, a direct threat to global energy security, and a clear and blatant breach of international law. In a statement, the»»»

TAIZ: Thousands of Yemenis gathered in the streets of Taiz on Thursday in a massive rally to affirm their support for the Presidential Leadership Council and to demand an end to the nearly decade-long siege imposed on the city by the Houthi militia. The demonstration, taken through the streets of t»»»

ROME: The Venice Biennale ‌would undermine its autonomy and freedom of expression if it bowed to European Union pressure to shut Russia out of its events, the foundation’s chairman said on Thursday, criticizing the EU’s recent decision to cut funding. Earlier this week, the EU said it had decided t»»»

A legal challenge by the Russian Athletics Federation could test whether World Athletics is justified in continuing to bar Russian athletes from international competition, Turkish sports commentator Mustafa Eren told Sputnik. "World Athletics has effectively ignored the IOC's revised approach to th»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) safeguarded more than QR7.9 million in consumers' financial rights during the first half of 2026, according to newly released consumer protection performance indicators. The ministry in a social media post stated that it continued to strengt»»»

Ex-president Tamás Sulyok self-terminates by signing Fundamental Law. Péter Magyar has made his first serious mistake. Fidesz’s server infrastructure has been seized. The prosecutor general has resigned. Fidesz may have lost 900,000 voters since the elections. The Tisza government is moving full st»»»

RIYADH: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has maintained its position as the highest-ranked country in the Middle East and North Africa in the 2025 Government Electronic and Mobile Services Maturity Index, issued by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. Saudi Arabia secured first place »»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has urged Golden Visa holders travelling abroad this summer to familiarise themselves with the consular services available to them, including a Return Document that enables residents to travel back to the UAE if their passport is lost or damag»»»

There are no negotiations are between Bulgaria and Poland regarding the purchase of MiG-29 fighter aircraft, the Defence Ministry's press office said, responding to media reports claiming that Bulgaria had requested the Polish jets. On March 11, the Ministry cancelled a public procurement procedure»»»

DOHA: Minister of Interior, Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), and Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Police Academy HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani attended the graduation ceremony for the second batch of participants in the Security Command and Staff Program»»»

ALKHOBAR: Residents across Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province were urged to take precautions on Thursday after the National Center for Meteorology warned of an intense heatwave expected to push temperatures to between 49 C and 50 C in several cities and governorates. According to the center, the extre»»»

RIYADH: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated his country’s condemnation of the Houthi attack on a Saudi vessel and their threat to navigation in the Red Sea during a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Sharif reaffirmed»»»

Péter Magyar’s house in the picturesque Balaton Uplands – or, more precisely, the Hungarian prime minister’s former family home – has been placed on the market. The fully furnished property in Balatonhenye is available for HUF 299 million, approximately EUR 822,000. According to Hungarian news port»»»

RIYADH: The Museums Commission of Saudi Arabia has launched “Museum on the Road,” its first mobile unit built specifically for students, which was inaugurated on Wednesday at The Cultural House in Riyadh. A specially equipped truck, converted into a fully interactive exhibition space, will travel d»»»

THE HAGUE: International Criminal Court judges reluctantly dropped a case Thursday against a fugitive Sudanese rebel accused of attacking African Union peacekeepers in Darfur nearly 20 years ago, after prosecutors said they could no longer prove their case at trial. Judges were unusually critical o»»»

BusinessCanadaCanada-EU: Closer trade ties to counter Trump?Matt PearsonGiven they share the world's longest land border, Canada and the US have historically enjoyed fruitful trade relations. But with Donald Trump escalating his tariff war, Canada is looking to the EU and further afield. https://p.»»»

Dubai: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank reported a record second-quarter profit before tax of Dh3.83 billion, up 26% from a year earlier, as lending grew and higher fee and trading income broadened its revenue base. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.The re»»»

Washington: President Donald Trump on Thursday said an agreement being reached with Saudi Arabia for a civilian nuclear program requires the kingdom to normalise relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords. In a post on social media, the Republican president said the deal doesn’t allow for en»»»

Employees of state-owned medicine maker BulBio (BB-NCIPD) held a protest in Sofia on Thursday demanding higher wages and urgent measures to stabilize the company. They briefly blocked the boulevard where the company building stands. Demonstrators said that BulBio is experiencing serious financial d»»»

RAMALLAH: The world’s leading authority on food insecurity said Thursday that the situation in Gaza had improved since famine was declared in parts of the Palestinian territory last year, but warned that conditions remained at crisis levels and could slip back into catastrophe. The Integrated Food »»»

RIYADH: Syria’s Tourism Ministry has signed a memorandum of understanding with three Saudi technology firms to help accelerate the digital transformation of the country’s tourism sector. The agreement with Tamkeen, Cipher and Hawaz aims to establish an integrated digital ecosystem to modernize tour»»»

JEDDAH: Jeddah Transport Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi smart mobility provider HopOn Mobility to enhance first and last-mile connectivity and support the integration of shared micromobility services into the city’s public transport network. The partnership aims to impr»»»

A wildfire burns in Burgohondo municipality in Avila province, 60 miles west of Madrid, on Wednesday forcing more than hundred residents to evacuate from the area. Photo by Raul Sanchidrian/EPA July 23 (UPI) -- Three firefighters were killed, two in France and one in Italy, and 12,000 people were f»»»

KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait on Thursday said drones hit its side of the border with Iraq, with one Kuwaiti official telling AFP Iran was to blame. “The Al-Abdali border crossing was attacked this afternoon by hostile drones, resulting in material damage, but thankfully no casualties,” defense ministry spok»»»

Prague: One person died and several were injured on Thursday when a military helicopter crashed in the Czech Republic with five soldiers on board, the army and emergency services said. "A Venom helicopter has crashed at the 22nd helicopter base in Namest nad Oslavou. Five soldiers were on board. Em»»»

In a highly provocative act that threatens to ignite regional tensions, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led over 3,000 settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday, marking the anniversary of the “destruction of the Temple” in a display of force that Palestinian authorit»»»

Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir led hundreds of Israeli Jews into Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Thursday, breaching the site's decades-old status quo as he marked a Jewish day of mourning. The visit coincided with Tisha B'Av, the Jewish fasting day commemoratin»»»

LONDON: The UK considered pausing its trade agreement with Israel last year but elected to continue the deal, Sky News reported on Thursday. The Department for Business and Trade undertook an impact assessment last August on suspending the 2019 UK-Israel Trade Partnership Agreement, a post-Brexit c»»»

LONDON: A mosque in the UK is being attacked every five days on average, statistics show, as a leading Muslim organization sounded the alarm over delays to pledged government security funding. Some mosques are waiting “for months” for the promised funding despite the surge in Islamophobic incidents»»»

BRUSSELS: The European Union’s top diplomat demanded on Thursday that the Houthis “cease” attacks on ships in the Red Sea, after a Saudi vessel was hit by the Iran-backed militants. “The attack on an oil tanker in the Red Sea is unacceptable, illegal and further inflames an already volatile situati»»»

KYIV: Russia ​will step up attacks on vessels in ‌the ‌Black ​Sea, ‌President ⁠Volodymyr ​Zelensky said ⁠on Thursday, accusing Moscow of plans ⁠to ‌undermine ‌Ukraine’s ​grain corridor. Ukraine’s Interfax ‌news ‌agency cited Zelensky as ‌saying that Moscow wants ⁠to block ⁠the grain corridor operat»»»

LONDON: Britain said on Thursday it had withdrawn remaining diplomatic staff from Iran as the conflict between Iran and the United States escalates. “Due to the security situation, UK staff have been temporarily withdrawn from Iran. Our embassy continues to operate remotely,” the Foreign Office sai»»»

LONDON: Barristers in England are changing their speeches after the prosecution of a leading human rights lawyer for contempt of court has left many members of the Criminal Bar Association feeling “scared,” its chair has warned. Rajiv Menon KC is accused of breaking a judge’s directions while actin»»»

DOHA: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), in cooperation with the Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA), organised a specialized workshop aimed at sharing knowledge in the field of competition protection, with the participation of experts and stakeholders from both entities. According»»»

PRAGUE: A Czech army Venom helicopter with five soldiers onboard crashed on Thursday, killing at least one, officials said. The accident took place around noon (1000 GMT) at an air force base in Náměšt nad Oslavou located 180 kilometers (112 miles) southeast of Prague, the Czech military said. The »»»

TIRANA: Albanian police used water cannons ‌and tear gas on Thursday to disperse protesters who threw eggs and bottles at officers, in the latest flare-up of demonstrations triggered by Jared Kushner’s plans to build a multi-billion-dollar resort. The unrest outside parliament was a rare clash in t»»»

NEW DELHI: India issued a security warning Thursday for ships venturing into the Black Sea that are locally flagged or employ its seafarers.The advisory follows a Russian attack Sunday on a cargo ship leaving Ukraine’s port of Odesa that killed four Indian nationals.The “highest degree of caution” »»»

DUBAI: German film composer Hans Zimmer is set for Abu Dhabi, bringing The Next Level tour to the Etihad Arena on Nov. 13 as the marquee night of the 23rd Abu Dhabi Festival. The Academy Award and Grammy winner’s show reworks Zimmer’s best-known film scores into a full arena spectacle of orchestral»»»

GUWAHATI, India: Authorities recovered the bodies of the remaining 13 workers trapped inside a collapsed hydropower tunnel in India, taking the death toll to 25 as authorities ended the rescue operations on Thursday. Multiple agencies had made sustained and coordinated rescue efforts in the four da»»»

Dubai: RAKBANK reported a 25% increase in profit after tax to a record Dh1.7 billion during the first half of 2026, supported by balance-sheet growth, higher deposits and a Dh473 million gain from the sale of its merchant acquiring business. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Bala»»»

BELGRADE - Serbia has Czechia's support for membership in EU and the Schengen area, Czech PM Andrej Babis said in Belgrade on Thursday, noting that Serbia had an important role in European stability, especially in a time when there is "talk of war, not peace." Speaking to reporters after a meeting »»»

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - Global oil prices are rising, with the price of a barrel of Brent crude reaching above $99 for the first time since May22, trading data showed on Thursday. As of 11:59 GMT, the price of September Brent crude futures was up 5.26% to $99.02 per barrel. Minutes earlier, the figure »»»

Barcelona: Barcelona signed forward Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund on Thursday for a reported fee of 29 million euros ($33 million) including potential add-ons. "Adeyemi becomes a new Barca player for the next five seasons, until June 30, 2031," said Barcelona in a statement. The versatile 24»»»

President Iliana Iotova met with European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva, the head of State's Press Secretariat said on Thursday. They discussed the European Union's (EU) Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028-2034. Iotova highlighted the proposed new philo»»»