Chinese investment announcements in African countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) rose 254% year on year to a record $33.5bn in the first half of 2026, making the continent the largest regional destination for investment under the programme. The increase lifted the total to »»»

Dubai: After months of conflict, disruption to Gulf shipping and repeated threats to regional energy infrastructure, the Middle East has entered a fragile diplomatic pause. While no major US airstrikes have been reported against Iran in recent days, regional tensions remain high and security author»»»

The government is continuously working to fulfil Tisza's commitments and to create a genuinely functioning and humane Hungary, guided throughout by the aim of ensuring the everyday safety, livelihoods and dignity of Hungarians — said Prime Minister Péter Magyar at Monday's session of the National A»»»

The Investigative Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs continues its investigation into a criminal case opened under the article «Corruption» of the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic. According to the investigation, officials of Kyrgyzneftegaz OJSC and Kyrgyz Petroleum Company CJSC organi»»»

Seitek Zhumakadyr uulu has been appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic. The Cabinet of Ministers’ press service reported. The corresponding order was signed by Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev. Prior to his appointment, Seitek Zhumakadyr uulu serv»»»

KPMG Australia has stopped bidding for new Victorian government contracts as scrutiny intensifies over allegations that employees misused confidential client information to secure business. According to media reports, KPMG will not participate in new Victorian government tender processes until Sept»»»

The ban on gasoline exports from Russia will be extended until 2027. BBC reports, citing Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. «We also decided at the headquarters meeting to extend the ban on gasoline exports for both producers and non-producers. That is, it will be extended until the end»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia is expected to experience above-average temperatures across most parts of the Kingdom during August, the National Centre for Meteorology (NCM) said, forecasting a hotter-than-normal end to the summer season. NCM spokesperson Hussain Al Qahtani said climate projections indicate t»»»

Flyfi, the Dubai-based privacy-first online travel agency, today announced dedicated premium hotel packages for the global cryptocurrency and blockchain conference calendar, allowing attendees to book and pay for accommodation entirely in cryptocurrency — with no account creation and no tracking. T»»»

In all the metaphors and analogies surrounding friendships, the most enduring one is a bonfire in the middle of nowhere. It’s just you, your closest ones, and surrounded by glowing embers. Sometimes, you don’t need to say much. The silence can keep you warm. And sometimes, enough is spoken around t»»»

Manila: Nearly eight decades after building its reputation on jeepneys and commercial vehicles, Philippine automaker Francisco Motors has entered the country's growing electric vehicle market with the launch of the Elektron, its first fully electric passenger vehicle. The five-door compact crossove»»»

July 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Consulate in Toronto was shot at early Monday, according to authorities, marking the second time the facility been targeted by gunfire this year. Deputy Chief Frank Barredo of the Toronto Police Service told reporters in a press conference that a police security detail at »»»

Dubai: The UAE is expected to see another day of unstable summer weather today, with the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) forecasting rainfall over eastern and some inland areas as convective clouds spread beyond the mountains, accompanied by fresh to strong winds and blowing dust. The NCM said»»»

After months of war, disruption to Gulf shipping and repeated threats against regional energy infrastructure, the Middle East has entered a fragile diplomatic pause. While no major US airstrikes have been launched against Iran in recent days, the crisis remains far from over. Get updated faster and»»»

Germany is paying roughly five times more for natural gas than it did before abandoning long-term Russian supply contracts, Berliner Zeitung reported on July 24. German importers paid €12 per megawatt-hour in 2020 under those contracts, which were largely insulated from external shocks such as the »»»

WASHINGTON, United States: The US State Department confirmed Monday that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will be held in Rome on August 4 through 6, as Israel prepares to withdraw from two “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani first announced »»»

The United States walked out of a UN Security Council meeting on Monday during France's remarks on Ukraine, escalating a public dispute between the longtime allies over human rights. The move followed a clash over Washington's vote against extending the mandate of the UN human rights chief, after F»»»

Russia launched a wave of ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight on July 26, striking a residential building in the capital, the Kyiv Independent reported, while Ukraine's air force said Russian forces attacked with 110 air assets in total. Russia fired a selection of its most powerful missiles inclu»»»

Yemen's internationally-recognised government on Monday said it is ready for any escalation with Houthi rebels after the Iran-backed group launched attacks and a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia. Fears are growing that renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels in Yemen may»»»

People leave the scene Sunday night after a fatal shooting during the Bite of Seattle food festival at Seattle Center. Three people were killed and four others were injured in the shooting, according to the Seattle Police Department. Police arrested a 15-year-old in connection with the shooting Mon»»»

In the world of artificial intelligence, frontier models are displaying ever-more sophisticated autonomous behaviour. Industry giant OpenAI has revealed that one of its new agentic models managed to escape what should have been an isolated testing environment to access the internet where it then pr»»»

Maritime traffic patterns diverged sharply this week across two of the world’s most critical shipping lanes in the Middle East, with markedly fewer vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz while activity remained robust through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to ship-tracking data. Between July »»»

American singer D4vd will stand trial on charges of killing and dismembering a 14-year-old girl who prosecutors say threatened to reveal their illegal sexual relationship, a judge ordered Monday. Judge Charlaine Olmedo ruled there was enough incriminating evidence to proceed after a five-day hearin»»»

Magaly Vargas sobbed as she stared down at the square of grey ash where her caravan once stood. "This is where I used to live," she cried. "There's nothing left of it. It's awful. Awful." Around her, crumpled sheet roofs and bars of twisted metal jutted from the ruins of the Pantano del Burguillo c»»»

Oil prices tumbled early overnight on Monday and into Tuesday as the United States and Iran paused tit-for-tat strikes, helping most stock markets climb at the start of a week packed with corporate earnings and central bank decisions. Get — updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app no»»»

President Donald Trump speaks Friday in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. On Monday, Trump said he paused attacks on Iran for negotiations, but Iran says no new negotiations with the United States are taking place. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 27 (UPI) -- Presi»»»

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s administration has told members of Congress it will not finish spending $400 million Congress has authorized for aid to Ukraine until fiscal year 2029, even as Kyiv runs critically low on weapons ​it needs to fend off Russian missile attacks. In May, the Depa»»»

Shots were fired early Monday at the US consulate in Toronto but no one was injured, Canadian police said, the second shooting near the diplomatic compound in four months. Get — updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click hereAn officer guarding the consulate "heard t»»»

Somali pirates who seized the chemical tanker M/T Asana in the Gulf of Aden are holding the vessel and its crew hostage at anchorage in Somalia, security officials said Monday. The Tanzanian-flagged ship, hijacked on July 16, is located near the northeastern fishing town of Jifle, two local securit»»»

HONG KONG — Oil prices tumbled Monday as a pause in tit-for-tat strikes between the United States and Iran boosted hopes for a return to their ceasefire and negotiations on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.After 13 days of attacks on sites in the Islamic republic, the United States held fire over the»»»

AMMAN — The Jordan Strategy Forum (JSF) issued a policy paper titled "Jordan and Economic Corridors: Strategic Opportunities in a Changing Global Economy".The policy paper addressed the rapid transformations in international trade and transport networks, and opportunities that emerging economic cor»»»

Baghdad, July 27 (SANA) Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali Falih al-Zaidi on Monday affirmed the Iraqi government’s firm commitment to the principles of good neighborliness and its refusal to allow Iraqi territory to be used as a corridor or launchpad for any attack targe»»»

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi called on Monday for an investigation into Saudi Arabia's claim that drones targeting its territory had been launched by pro-Iran groups in Iraq, his spokesman said. Get — updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here Zaidi directe»»»

President Donald J. Trump announced that the United States would draw on Iranian funds under American control to compensate for damages caused by recent attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, describing the move as a fair way to hold Tehran accountable without burdening American ta»»»

French firefighters are grappling for the first time with immense fire clouds, known as pyrocumulonimbus clouds, created by extreme wildfires, as they struggle to bring a forest inferno in southwest France under control. French wildfire researcher Jean-Baptiste Filippi says the phenomenon»»»

Tunis, July 27 (TAP) - Six deaths in Algeria, 150 homes damaged and nearly 1,550 fires recorded in 12 days.In Tunisia, more than 240 hectares have been destroyed by fires in July 2026, with over 35 forest fires recorded between June 1 and July 25,...»»»

Manila: Like millions of commuters across Metro Manila, Filipino software engineer RJ Crusem knows the frustration of standing on crowded train platforms without any indication of when the next train will arrive. Unexpected service disruptions and operational glitches often leave passengers strande»»»

African technology startups raised $1.44bn in the first half of 2026, broadly unchanged from a year earlier, but the number of disclosed transactions fell sharply as investors concentrated capital in fewer, larger companies. Funding increased by 1.4% from $1.42bn in the first half of 2025, while th»»»

Public discourse increasingly casts Central Asia as shedding Russian influence – through decolonisation, a pivot to China, or a push for greater sovereignty – but the reality on the ground is far messier, Riddle Russia's Dan Storyev argues in a commentary that sets out the decoupling case only to s»»»

Public discourse increasingly casts Central Asia as shedding Russian influence – through decolonisation, a pivot to China, or a push for greater sovereignty – but the reality on the ground is far messier, Riddle Russia's Dan Storyev argues in a commentary that sets out the decoupling case only to s»»»

Ukraine's decision to strike Iranian-linked vessels in the Caspian Sea this weekend is turning two separate wars into one, commentator Mark Ames argued. “Zelensky bombed the Iranian vessel on the Caspian for the same reason his people paid Loomer to come to Kyiv and interview him: a PR campaign to »»»

Putin’s 27 July decree sets the total authorised strength of the Russian Armed Forces at 2,426,130 posts, including 1,535,000 military personnel. The remaining roughly 891,000 posts are civilian and other non-uniformed personnel - the sixth such increase since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine beg»»»

London, July 27 (SANA) European stocks closed flat on Monday, with gains from easing US-Iran tensions and falling oil prices offset by losses in technology stocks, led by ASML, according to Reuters. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed flat at 644.52 points after hitting its highest level since »»»

News anchors are seen June 30 outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. On Monday, the Trump administration asked the high court to allow it to make sweeping changes to mail-in voting before the miderm elections. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 27 (UPI) -- The Trump administration»»»

LONDON: With the attack by Ukraine on an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea on Saturday, the boundaries between the world’s two largest ongoing wars are blurring, threatening to complicate already mired efforts to bring either to a peaceful conclusion. Hours after the early morning attack, Ukrainian P»»»

Tribune News Network Doha As part of ongoing efforts to back the Palestinian health sector, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has completed the signing of contracts with the 13th batch of Palestinian doctors enrolled on focused medical training programmes in Qatar for 2026-2027. The new contracts f»»»

QNA Doha The National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking (NCCHT) on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Qatar Lawyers Association to enhance the protection of human trafficking victims, provide them with legal assistance and support and ensure their access to legal cou»»»

Khaled Al Hameidi Doha Qatar is intensifying commitment to eliminating viral hepatitis through a renewed national awareness campaign marking World Hepatitis Day 2026, reinforcing a long-term public health strategy centred on prevention, vaccination, early diagnosis and timely treatment. Observed gl»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Liwan Design Studios and Labs, in partnership with the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF), has opened submissions for the second edition of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open Poster Design Competition. Following the success of the inaugural edition in 2024, this year’s initiative invite»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Qatar Charity (QC) has opened four specialised cotton thread production workshops in the Republic of Mali, benefiting women from four cooperatives. The initiative forms part of Qatar Charity’s efforts to promote women’s economic empowerment and support sustainable liveliho»»»