PANAMA CITY: The United States on Thursday said that it could maintain a naval blockade of ​Iran indefinitely and would ratchet up economic pressure on Tehran as ceasefire talks have floundered, global oil supply is dropping and regional tensions are rising. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told repo»»»

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump is ordering the US Navy to remove the advanced system used to launch fighter jets from its newest type of aircraft carrier and return to using older steam catapults that he has long said he prefers, according to a directive issued Thursday. The new mandate would l»»»

The Trump administration has accused Chinese exporters of building a sprawling system to circumvent US tariffs by routing goods through third countries turning what has long been a familiar feature of global trade — "transshipment" — into a new front in Washington’s economic confrontation with Beij»»»

WASHINGTON: The Pacific-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington has begun heading toward the Middle East as reports have emerged of mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln has been supporting the US war against Iran, and its deployment has incl»»»

WASHINGTON: The Pacific-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington has begun heading toward the Middle East as reports have emerged of mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln.The Lincoln has been supporting the US war against Iran, and its deployment has inclu»»»

TORONTO: Seventh-seeded Iga Swiatek beat second-seeded Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday in the National Bank Open for her first WTA Tour title of the year and 26th overall. Swiatek. from Poland, broke Rybakina’s serve early in the match and went on to take the opening set in 29 minutes. Swiatek »»»

A 2025 Deloitte survey found that around half of Gen Z and millennial audiences feel a stronger personal connection to the creators they follow on social media than to television personalities or actors. It reflects a generation drawn to spaces where they can respond, participate and create, rather»»»

Dubai: UAE parents facing large school-fee payments this month can choose from a range of credit-card instalment facilities, but the cost, repayment period and eligibility rules differ sharply between banks. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.The pay»»»

Have you noticed how everyone seems to be an expert these days — and how little clarity that actually brings? We are living in a time where expertise is everywhere, but something quieter and more essential is becoming harder to find - thinking and reasoning. It sometimes feels as though everyone is»»»

Dubai: The family of an Indian expat in Dubai, who died last week during a vacation in Kerala, has confirmed that final laboratory results show he had contracted leptospirosis, commonly known as rat fever, highlighting risks of infection during rainy-season travel and from rat-infested surroundings»»»

WASHINGTON: The US has received several warnings from Israel over the past year that Iran intended to assassinate President Donald ​Trump, including before a secret Air Force One ruse in Turkiye, that US intelligence officials could not independently verify, according to a current US official and t»»»

The north side of the White House is shown on Sept. 10, 2014 in Washington, D.C. The Trump administration on Thursday announced tariffs of up to 100% on drone imports. File Photo by Ron Sachs/Pool/UPI. | License Photo Aug. 13 (UPI) -- The Trump administration on Thursday announced tariffs on import»»»

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday tariffs of up to 100 percent on imports of unmanned drones and their components to reduce US reliance on imports in an industry dominated by China. The US president justified the decision on national security grounds, according to a White House statement»»»

The Kuril Islands will forever remain Russian land, with Japan looking for trouble by continuing to stick to its claim over the archipelago, former Russian President Dmitry Medvdev has said. The Kuril archipelago came under Soviet control at the end of World War II following Japan’s defeat and was »»»

Tribune News Network Doha Gulf International Services (GIS) reported a net profit of QR67 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2026, as stronger performance from its insurance business helped offset lower contributions from the drilling and aviation segments. The Qatar-based group report»»»

PA Media/DPA London African football boss Patrice Motsepe says the position of embattled president Gianni Infantino can only be decided by FIFA elections. Europe’s governing body UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF, which oversees football in the Caribbean, North and Central A»»»

The Urology Section at Al Wakra Hospital (AWH), part of Hamad Medical Corporation, has achieved re-accreditation as a Center of Excellence for Kidney Stone Management from the USA-based Surgical Review Corporation, valid from June 2026 to 2029. Additionally, eight urologists from AWH have been accr»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Qatar Duty Free (QDF) has marked the conclusion of the Doha edition of Toblerone’s The Ultimate Gift campaign by presenting a donation to Education Above All (EAA) Foundation. The winning bid was the highest recorded across the nine participating airport auctions, with the»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) continues to implement the activities of ‘Care Summer’ organised by PHCC for the first time with the participation of 123 students—63 female and 60 male—across six health centres. The programme combines theoretical and practical compo»»»

Tribune News Network Doha The Urology Section at Al Wakra Hospital (AWH), part of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), has achieved re-accreditation as a Centre of Excellence for Kidney Stone Management (COEKSM) from the USA-based Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), valid from June 2026 to 2029.Addition»»»

First Sermon (Khutbah One) All praise is due to Allah, who has made youth a stage of strength and giving, and has placed within young people determination and the capacities for building and achievement. We bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, and we bear witness that our master and Pr»»»

Scaffolding and tarp covers the building name of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on June 15. The Kennedy Center voted on Thursday to inscribe U.S. President Donald Trump's name on the building for a second time. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 13 (UPI) -- The K»»»

IDLIB: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih visited Maarat Al-Numan in southern Idlib, reviewing recovery programs and services to support thousands of families returning to the area. Salih met with UN agencies implementing support programs and discussed ways to improve basic services and»»»

American journalist Tucker Carlson has told RT that he is not afraid of being killed for using his platform to say what he believes is true. The former Fox News host has adopted a staunch non-interventionist stance toward US involvement in foreign conflicts in recent years, breaking sharply with Pr»»»

Homs, Aug. 13 (SANA) The first Homs Business Forum, organised by Homs Governorate, kicked off on Thursday with the participation of more than 700 businesspeople and investors from Syria and abroad. Homs Governor Murhaf al-Naasan presented the governorate’s investment map, comprising 135 projects an»»»

Turkish investment funds are reportedly urging authorities to crack down on unusual trading activity that has put Turkey’s stock exchange at risk of exclusion from major equity benchmarks. The activity has sent some Borsa Istanbul stock prices soaring, with some traders alleging flagrant manipulati»»»

After almost three decades, the Nato-led KFOR presence at Kosovo’s most sensitive security flashpoints is beginning to change. KFOR has announced that it is gradually handing over security responsibilities at two locations that carry enormous political and symbolic weight: the Serbian Deçan Monaste»»»

The water level of the Caspian Sea has fallen to its lowest point in about 200 years and continues to decline, a local Iranian environmental official said following a meeting among the countries surrounding the body of water on August 12.  Mohammad Reza Kanani, head of the Department of Enviro»»»

Ukraine's power generation capacity has collapsed from just under 60GW before the war to just 12GW today. If Russia's missiles get through this winter the way they did last year, the shortfall could nearly double. Ukraine already has a 5-6GW deficit of power generation between what it can produce a»»»

Ukraine's foreign reserves jumped back above $51bn in June after more than $15bn in delayed Western financing finally landed, ending four months of steady decline. The rebound papers over a widening hole in the country's external accounts. The cumulative goods trade deficit reached $25.8bn in the f»»»

Ukraine and Russia exchanged their heaviest overnight strikes in weeks on August 11-12, with Ukrainian drones and missiles hitting Russia's Novorossiysk grain terminal, a Wildberries logistics hub and an Orenburg oil refinery, while a Russian missile barrage on Zaporizhzhia killed six people and wo»»»

JEDDAH: The Saudi-led multinational maritime defence coalition has finalized key arrangements to activate its command structure, and preparations began to integrate officers and personnel from member states into its command, maritime operations and intelligence structures, the Saudi Ministry of Def»»»

BEIRUT: Human Rights Watch has called on the United Nations to keep an international force in Lebanon after its peacekeepers’ mandate ends this year. The peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, has roughly 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries, and has been in place since 1978. Its prese»»»

RIYADH: It was fitting that the 2026/27 Saudi Pro League season opened with a video showcasing Diriyah's storied history. The club, which has made it to the Kingdom's top tier for the first time since its founding in 1976, represents more than just a football team. It is directly tied to the First »»»

LONDON: US Central Command is establishing what it described as the first multinational task force in the Middle East region dedicated to the use of attack drones across the air, land and sea domains. The new unit, “Task Force Falcon Strike,” will use unmanned, one-way attack drones, which detonate»»»

WASHINGTON: The Utah ‌man on trial for the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk should not face the death penalty because he hit his “intended target” and did not endanger anyone else, defense lawyers said this week. Attorneys for Tyler Robinson, 23, laid out their argument against the deat»»»

SANTO DOMINGO: The Dominican Republic has asked Cuba to withdraw nine embassy staff, giving them seven days to leave, the foreign ministry announced Thursday. The ministry did not explain this decision but insisted it complies with international law, namely an agreement on diplomatic relations call»»»

CASABLANCA: Ghana came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 Thursday and earn one of Africa’s last two chances to qualify for the Women’s World Cup. Nigeria were to play South Africa for the other later as the four beaten quarterfinalists at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations were pitted against each»»»

Hungary enjoyed a spectacular evening at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris on Thursday, with Kristóf Milák setting a European record in the men’s 100m butterfly before helping the Hungarian men’s 4x100m freestyle relay claim a historic gold medal with a national record. The two victories»»»

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice against Harvard University for allegedly allowing anti-Semitism. File Photo by CJ Gunther/EPA Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A federal judge dismissed the anti-Semitism lawsuit against Harvard University filed by the Department of Justice ear»»»

Dubai: Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Humanitarian (DXBH) has facilitated the dispatch of critical humanitarian relief supplies to Gaza. The shipments are part of a new air bridge launched this we»»»

Damascus, Aug.13 (SANA) Syria’s trajectory toward full economic openness is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. Backed by expanding Western, Arab, and international partnerships in energy, logistics, ports, and industrial technology, Syria is successfully overhauling its legislative framework, l»»»

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin visited Russia’s far-eastern Kuril islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting protests by Japan which also claims the territory. Russian-Japanese relations have long been dogged by the contested islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized b»»»

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia's defence minister called Iraq a "cherished neighbour" in talks with a senior Iraqi army official on Thursday, despite last month's deadly US-Saudi strikes on targets in the country. The Riyadh visit was the first announced by an Iraqi security official to Saudi A»»»

Dubai: XRG, ADNOC’s international energy investment company, is entering Venezuela through an interest in the offshore Loran gas licence, giving the Abu Dhabi-based company exposure to one of Latin America’s significant undeveloped gas resources and extending its rapidly growing international gas p»»»

WASHINGTON: An engine fan blade broke off on a Ryanair flight and sent parts flying that shattered a plane window shortly after takeoff in Greece last month, which caused a man’s head to be sucked into the hole in the fuselage before his fellow passengers pulled him to safety, US investigators said»»»

Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, attends a pre-trial appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday. He is due in federal court Friday and may plead guilty to a stalking charge. Pool Photo by David Dee Delgado/UPI | License Photo Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Luigi Mangion»»»

QUSRA: For five nights, Israeli settlers surrounded three Palestinian homes on the outskirts of a town in the occupied West Bank, preventing the families from leaving safely as their food and water supplies dwindled. Qusai Abu Rida was holed up inside with his teenage son when settlers cut the wate»»»

LONDON: The Syrian Arab Republic’s Interior Ministry said on Thursday that it released six people detained during an investigation into a Daesh cell in the southern province of Quneitra, saying it found no evidence that they were involved and apologizing to them and their families. The detentions f»»»

NEW YORK: A right-wing Israeli think tank hired a major Washington lobbying firm to promote a proposal calling for the US to withdraw from the UN, targeting senior officials in the Trump administration and members of Congress, Haaretz reported. The Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist»»»