Khaled Al Hameidi Doha In the quiet corridors of the Palais des Nations in Geneva, international human rights discourse often finds itself entangled in the sterile mechanics of bureaucracy. During the interactive dialogue on August 12 and 13 before the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Pers»»»

Europe's gas tanks are emptier than at any point on record for the time of year, and the cargoes that should be filling them are sailing to Asia instead. EU storage sites hit a record low in percentage terms on August 1, at 57.2% full against 57.3% on the same date in 2021, the previous worst year.»»»

Turkey wants to hand Ukraine a stockpile of American cluster bombs that has been sitting in its depots since the 1980s. Moscow has asked Washington and Ankara to explain themselves. Any such transfer would do "serious harm ... to our bilateral relations with Washington and Ankara," Russian foreign »»»

PARIS: Spain international Ferran Torres, who scored the only goal in last month’s World Cup final, signed for reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona on Saturday. The 26-year-old forward cost the Ligue 1 title-holders a reported 50 million euros ($58 million). “Paris Saint-G»»»

The British government is refusing to disclose information on how an Israeli “information warfare” firm targeted Scotland’s pro-Palestine first minister. Nobody’s saying who ordered the operation, but a trail of clues leads through Africa to Tel Aviv. Read more Wired for war: The Israeli spy-tech m»»»

President Donald Trump wants the Strait of Hormuz, between Oman and Iran, to become U.S. territory. Photo by Stringer/EPA Aug. 15 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Friday said he wants the Strait of Hormuz to become U.S. territory. Speaking at an event in New York, Trump said he plans to declare o»»»

RIYADH: While many authors travel the world in search of human stories, Saudi novelist Hadeel Al-Shubaili found hers growing up in the holy city of Makkah, where encounters with pilgrims from around the world inspired her second novel, “For Each of Us, an Ismail.” “The natural instinct in Makkah is»»»

Hungary’s governing Tisza Party is preparing to launch a new online platform called Közhang, promising to give people a direct say in national and local issues and allow them to track what happens to their proposals. The name has a curious connection to Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s past: he appear»»»

JERUSALEM: Israel wants new and more ambitious US-brokered talks with Lebanon after carrying out deadly strikes targeting Hezbollah, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday. The Israeli strikes against Hezbollah “should jumpstart the talks and make them much more serious,»»»

CEUTA, Spain: Moroccan police ​arrested at least 111 people on Saturday as they tried to enter Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, amid tightened security on both sides of the border after social media posts called for another mass migrant crossing. The attempted crossing came two weeks after m»»»

Israel wants new and more ambitious U.S.-brokered talks with Lebanon after carrying out deadly strikes targeting Hezbollah, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday. The Israeli strikes against Hezbollah "should jumpstart the talks and make them much more serious, not do t»»»

Sharjah: A scientific research mission at sea was brought to an abrupt halt after a diver from another team went missing, prompting researchers and crew members to suspend their work and prepare to join an emergency search-and-rescue operation. The incident is documented in the second part of Echo »»»

Dubai: As India marks its 80th Independence Day, its large and vibrant diaspora in the UAE has come together to reflect on what their mother land means to them from thousands of miles away from home. From a poet who calls India "a feeling of motherhood" to a doctor who dreams of a nation that blend»»»

SYDNEY: Australia’s most populous state will start a gun buyback scheme in November, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Saturday, launching a reform promised after last year’s mass shooting at Bondi Beach. A father-and-son duo are accused of opening fire on a Jewish celebration in New South Wales»»»

Lebanese state media said an Israeli strike in the country's south on Saturday killed seven people, including three children and two women, in the worst toll since deals in June saw a lull in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Four people were killed in another Israeli airstrike on a two-sto»»»

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra have huddled inside their homes for days on end, unable to leave because of the threat posed by Israeli settlers. The Israeli military, which over the past three years has displayed staggering military and intelligence capabilities from Beirut»»»

Venezuela's government freed 131 detained ​prisoners on Friday, as human rights groups hailed releases of some ​people ‌they say were being held ⁠unjustly or for political reasons. Venezuela on Friday freed another 131 people considered to be political prisoners, in a sign of progress in talks to r»»»

Lebanese state media said an Israeli strike in the country's south on Saturday killed seven people, including three children and two women, in the worst toll since deals in June saw a lull in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Four people were killed and five others were meanwhile wounded in»»»

Honolulu: A strengthening tropical storm named Lala is set to hit Hawaii's Big Island with hurricane force gales on Saturday, bringing dangerous winds, rainfall and heavy surf. The governor of the US Pacific island state declared a state of emergency as the storm barrelled towards the archipelago, »»»

From a personal message by Dubai's Ruler about the value of family time to a new visa offer for Indian tourists, several stories captured readers' attention this week. Other major developments included Dubai's announcement of a public holiday for the Prophet Mohammed's Birthday, new travel options »»»

Brad Pitt has started drinking again and this really is cause for celebration among millions of ordinary people around the world, because after all, what brings us closer to the great and famous, but our vices? I have often heard people who enjoy a glass of cognac in the morning point out that Wins»»»

Paris, France: British carrier Easyjet has called off about 100 flights out of French airports on Saturday and Sunday because of a strike by cabin crew over repeated changes to their schedules. Unions said about half of the company's 900 French-based cabin crew would join the strike, which would af»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar National Bank (QNB) expects copper prices to maintain their upward trajectory in the coming period, supported by growing global demand for the metal, driven by the accelerating energy transition and the expansion of infrastructure related to artificial intelligence, while the sup»»»

The USS Abraham Lincoln has been grappling with dismal conditions for months during the US-Israeli war on Iran, amid mounting reports of severe exhaustion, supply shortages, and mental-health problems among crew members. The problems have sparked an uproar among crew members’ families and prompted »»»

Dubai: If there is one actor who has become the long-enduring poster boy for patriotic cinema in Bollywood, it is Sunny Deol. For over three decades, this age-defying Indian actor has been Hindi cinema's undisputed face of unapologetic, chest-thumping nationalism. From leading Indian soldiers into »»»

The Minister of Transport and Investment spoke on Friday in Budapest, at the government spokesperson's briefing, about bringing home the full 10 billion euros available from the European Union's recovery fund. Dávid Vitézy also stressed the importance of reviewing the entire motorway concession. Th»»»

UAE travellers flying today should check their flight status before heading to the airport. Most services continue to operate, but airlines are making changes to selected regional routes, particularly flights to Bahrain and Kuwait, amid the ongoing regional security situation. With UAE airports ent»»»

TEWRAN: Iran has not decided to ​resume talks with the United States, and messages being exchanged via Qatar ‌and Pakistan do ‌not ​amount ‌to ⁠negotiations, ​Foreign Minister ⁠Abbas Araqchi said in an interview published on Saturday. Araqchi told ⁠Iranian news ‌outlet ‌Shahrara News ​that separate»»»

The US-Iran conflict remains centred on the Strait of Hormuz, with tensions rising after President Donald Trump said he could declare the strategic waterway US territory. Iran has rejected the claim and said the strait will remain under its authority. For UAE residents, the developments continue to»»»

Just over half of the Ukrainians living abroad still intend to come home, down from more than two-thirds a year ago, as new lives in the EU take root. The share planning to return fell to 53% from 68%, while the share who say they do not intend to return at all doubled to 34% from 17%, according to»»»

Walk the lobby of any five-star hotel in Dubai or Abu Dhabi and you will find a workforce under unprecedented pressure. Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Strategy 2030, a pipeline of major sporting events, and the legacy of Expo are generating sustained demand for hospitality talent at a scale the region has nev»»»

Dubai: If you are an Emirates Skywards member, your Miles can do much more than simply reduce the cost of your next flight. Skywards Miles are the reward currency earned by members when they fly with Emirates, flydubai and partner airlines, as well as through a network of banks, hotels, car rental »»»

SEOUL: Russian President Vladimir Putin told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that Moscow and ​Pyongyang were cooperating across all areas and coordinating efforts to ensure regional security and stability, North Korean state media KCNA reported on Saturday. Putin said in a message to Kim marking th»»»

Dubai: Investors have grown used to sudden bouts of selling in AI-linked stocks, but analysts say the recurring swings are less about discovering new risks and more about fresh evidence forcing markets to reconsider how much companies are spending and how long it will take for those investments to »»»

SIBUT, Central African Republic: The Islamic call to prayer echoes once again across Sibut’s rooftops — a sign that peaceful coexistence has returned to the town in the mostly Christian Central African Republic (CAR) after years of civil war. The conflict emptied the thriving market town around thr»»»

Extreme heat has killed more than 25,000 people across Europe this year, on data compiled by Insurance Journal from government agencies and research institutions in Germany, Spain, France, the UK, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Germany alone accounts for an estimated 11,900 excess heat deaths sin»»»

The escalation of US armed action against Iran, coupled with the sharp weakening of pro-Iranian groups across the region under parallel Israeli operations, has pushed Tehran to abandon its policy of strategic patience. In its place, according to a former ambassador to Tehran, Aleksandr Maryasov, Ir»»»

NEW YORK CITY: Olga Cherevko has spent the past several months crisscrossing Afghanistan, from Bamiyan and Herat to Paktika, Khost and, most recently, Nuristan, where flash flooding recently tore through villages, leaving families with nothing. Across different landscapes and provinces, the stories»»»

DAMASCUS: Rail freight shipments in Syria rose by nearly 59 percent during the first seven months of 2026 as maintenance crews repaired key routes and restored specialized equipment using locally available expertise and parts, the country’s railway authority said. The General Establishment of Syria»»»

NEW YORK CITY: Five years after the Taliban seized control of Kabul for the second time, Afghan women and girls are trapped in what the UN’s top official responsible for the issue described as an unparalleled crisis of rights, which has been worsened by a collapse in international funding that is s»»»

"Le Luxe II" by Henri Matisse is on display at Museum of Modern Art on April 27, 2022, in New York City. Police in Brazil and Italy announced Friday they have recovered stolen Matisse artworks, as well as works by Paul Cezanne and Pierre-August Renoir. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Pho»»»

New York: Luigi Mangione spoke slowly and deliberately as he admitted to shooting US health care executive Brian Thompson, in a stunning confession befitting a crime that has gripped the United States. "I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and he died," Mangione, wearing a yellow prison jumpsuit, told a»»»

LISBON: British cyclist Finlay Tarling, 19, died Friday in a crash during the eighth stage of the Tour of Portugal, race organizers and police said. Tarling, a rider with the NSN Development Team, died following a “serious accident” during the stage between Melgaço and Fafe, organizers said. The po»»»

Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem called Friday for “reversing the sinful, disgraceful and humiliating mistake” of Lebanon negotiating peace with Israel. File Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem lashed out at the Lebanese offic»»»

Extreme heat has killed more than 25,000 people across Europe this year, on data compiled by Insurance Journal from government agencies and research institutions in Germany, Spain, France, the UK, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Germany alone accounts for an estimated 11,900 excess heat deaths sin»»»

JEDDAH: After many years building and developing digital content teams at major media organizations, Saudi media content creator Farah Al-Ibrahim decided to start her own project to tell stories about art, artists and culture. The result was Fann Culture, an independent Arabic cultural media platfo»»»

JEDDAH: After many years building and developing digital content teams at major media organizations, Saudi media content creator Farah Al-Ibrahim decided to start her own project to tell stories about art, artists and culture. The result was Fann Culture, an independent Arabic cultural media platfo»»»

RIYADH: “Sigma,” “chicken banana,” “Italian brain rot” — to an adult scrolling through a child’s phone, the phrases can sound like fragments of a fever dream. But behind the bizarre characters, repetitive sounds, and seemingly nonsensical memes is a digital language increasingly shaping how young p»»»

NEW YORK: Luigi Mangione admitted Friday to gunning down a top US health insurance boss in a Manhattan street as he pleaded guilty to stalking charges before a federal judge. In a crime that shook corporate America and gripped the country, 28-year-old Mangione is alleged to have murdered chief exec»»»

DUBAI: Community events and activities are at the heart of the fan experience during the Esports World Cup, and represent one of the core values of the competition currently taking place in France. Beyond the thrilling action on the tournament stages at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, this year mar»»»