Share: U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa issued the following statement Monday in which expressed optimism over the U.S.-sponsored talks between Lebanon and Israel on the eve of the talks in Rome but cautioned against rushing into a deal “I am encouraged that talks in Rome remain ongoing, and »»»

NYON - If they beat Kazakh outfit Tobol in the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round, Serbian football club Partizan Belgrade will face Spanish side Getafe in the competition's playoff round, a draw in Nyon, Switzerland, decided on Monday. Getafe will host Partizan or Tobol on August 20, wi»»»

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia welcomed some of the world’s brightest young scientific minds on Monday as the Kingdom opened the third International Nuclear Science Olympiad in Jeddah, bringing together 120 students and experts from 19 countries. The ceremony was attended by Jeddah Gov. Prince Saud bin Abdul»»»

People talk during a power outage in Havana on Saturday. At that point, some 4.5 million Cubans, nearly half of the country's population, were left without electricity due to a failure in the National Electric System that affected seven provinces from the western to the central region of the island»»»

Emerging-market sovereign ratings have proved largely resilient to the US-Iran war in the first half of 2026, Fitch Ratings finds in its Global Emerging Markets Credit Brief for 3Q26, even as the conflict pushed roughly a third of EM sector outlooks to "deteriorating" following the agency's mid-yea»»»

Morocco has named the Tiznit-Dakhla expressway the "President Donald J. Trump Highway", casting the move as a mark of relations with the United States stretching back 250 years, the state news agency MAP reported on August 1. The naming formalises Rabat's embrace of a gesture Trump had publicised d»»»

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook eastern Egypt early Monday, prompting authorities to activate response plans although there were no immediate reports of casualties. Tremors were felt across a wide area, waking AFP journalists in Cairo and reaching as far as El-Arish near Egypt's border with the Ga»»»

Paris, France: Mauricio Pochettino has signed a contract extension to remain the head coach of the United States national team until the 2030 World Cup, US Soccer announced Monday. The 54-year-old took over in 2024 and led the USA to the last 16 at the recent World Cup, which they co-hosted with Ca»»»

An Israeli court has temporarily blocked National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from using Nile crocodiles to guard security prisoners, most of them Palestinians.Ben-Gvir proposed surrounding prisons with crocodile-filled moats in December, arguing that the reptiles would strengthen security an»»»

On the last days of July, over 50,000 illegal immigrants breached the defensive perimeters of Ceuta and Melilla and swarmed into the Spanish enclaves in North Africa. This occurred against the backdrop of the grandly adopted New Pact for Migration in Brussels, which officially entered into force on»»»

Ukraine's long-range drone campaign has entered a new phase, shifting from attacks on Russia's military infrastructure to systematic strikes on the commercial ports, grain terminals and oil export facilities that underpin both Moscow's wartime economy and Kazakhstan's energy exports. Russia has cou»»»

The seventh round of Lebanese-Israeli talks, which will be held at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, will witness a Lebanese participation with an unprecedentedly large political and military delegation led by former ambassador Simon Karam, an informed Lebanese source said. The delegation will include Leba»»»

Doha: Qatar Tourism (QT) has announced that the Hayya platform has been awarded Silver in the Technical Innovation of the Year in Government Technology category at the 2026 Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence, recognising its continued evolution as a digital platform driving AI-enabled, automat»»»

Abu Dhabi: As part of Abu Dhabi's vision for smart mobility, the Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility), an affiliate of the Department of Municipalities and Transport, has organised a series of workshops on smart and autonomous transport across the air, maritime and land sectors. The ses»»»

Dubai: Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has ordered the temporary administrative closure of So Great Restaurant in Abu Dhabi after inspectors found repeated food safety violations that the authority said posed a risk to public health. The authority said the closure was issue»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Cultural Village Foundation (Katara ) has opened applications for the 10th Holy Quran Recitation Award under the motto of amplifying beautiful recitation voices. It said submissions shall start on Monday, Aug. 3, with Sept. 30, 2026, being the deadline for receiving applications. T»»»

London: Oil prices tumbled Monday and stocks mostly rose after US President Donald Trump said he was preparing for new talks with Iran aimed at ending the war in the Middle East. Crude futures slid more than six percent, even though Iran denied that any negotiations were taking place and earlier tr»»»

Brussels, Belgium: EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called Monday for "united action" on border security after a migrant rush on Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta triggered a public spat between Madrid and several European partners. "From this incident, it is clear that we must do more to further»»»

Jennie Shin is pleased to welcome Antoni Vives, policy analyst and the former Deputy Mayor of Barcelona. Vives offers a nuanced geopolitical interpretation of the Ceuta migration crisis, arguing that the events cannot be understood solely as a humanitarian emergency or a spontaneous wave of migrati»»»

Nuclear power is often touted as a solution to global warming. It comes with risks, but creates energy without the same greenhouse gas emissions as coal or gas plants. However, rising temperatures and drought in Europe are creating problems and shutdowns at nuclear power plants. With water levels t»»»

LONDON: Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the walled city of occupied East Jerusalem 27 times in July, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs. Settlers entered the site through the Israel-controlled Moroccan Gate during these tours. Israeli force»»»

MOSCOW: The Russian Embassy in Rome on Monday blamed Ukraine for a deadly weekend bombing at a Moscow restaurant, describing it as an attempt to intimidate the Italian community in Russia. The embassy said “Kyiv terrorists” wanted to “scare the Italians working in Russia and to show them that they »»»

RIYADH: The General Entertainment Authority announced that entertainment events and activities across the Kingdom attracted 45.7 million visitors during the first half of 2026, reflecting the continued growth of Saudi Arabia’s entertainment sector. During the first half of 2026, the GEA continued t»»»

Dubai: Prashant Kishor scored a landmark political victory in Bihar on Monday, defeating the BJP in the high-profile Bankipur Assembly by-election and delivering the first electoral win for his fledgling Jan Suraaj party. According to the final counting figures after 31 rounds, Kishor secured 63,20»»»

A handout photo made available by the Spokane Valley Fire Department shows the Fairview Fire northeast of Spokane, Wash., on Sunday. Photo courtesy of the Spokane Valley Fire Department/EPA Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Nearly 65,000 people have been evacuated in Spokane County, Wash., Monday as wildfires spread»»»

Dubai: One person was killed and five others injured after a gas cylinder explosion at a car showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, authorities said. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.Dubai Civil Defence teams responded to the incident and are cont»»»

According to Colliers’ latest report, CEE Investment Scene H1 2026, commercial real estate investment volume in Poland exceeded EUR 3 bln, representing an increase of 71% y/y and the strongest first-half result since 2018. The performance confirmed Poland’s position as the most liquid and diversifi»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian armed forces struck two dry cargo ships unloading military cargo in the port of Nikolaev, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday. "As a result of drone strikes, two dry cargo ships unloading military cargo in the port of Nikolaev were struck," the statement read.»»»

RIYADH: Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor general of Saudi aid agency KSrelief, recently met Italian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Carlo Baldocci in Riyadh. The meeting at KSrelief headquarters reviewed humanitarian and relief issues of mutual interest. Baldocci praised Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian e»»»

RIYADH: The Heritage Commission has registered 1,173 new archeological sites in the National Antiquities Register, bringing the total number of registered sites across Saudi Arabia to 14,164. The commission said registering archeological sites is a key part of the Kingdom’s cultural heritage manage»»»

Mayors across Burgas Region have committed to accelerating work on their municipal spatial development plans, while the government will help speed up the approval process, Regional Development Minister Ivan Shishkov said here on Monday after a meeting with local officials. Shishkov noted that 52 mu»»»

Damascus, Aug. 3 (SANA) The Syrian E-Commerce Forum 2026 opened on Monday at the Seven Gates Hotel in Damascus, bringing together representatives from government ministries, chambers of commerce, the private sector, technology companies, electronic payment providers and logistics firms. The forum a»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe ‘No Date or Venue’ Finalized Yet for Resumption of US-Iran Direct Talks: Pakistani Sources Respond to Trump 03-08-2026 17:00 PM Flags of Ir»»»

ClimateSpainThe economic toll of Spain's wildfiresAstrid Prange de OliveiraDevastating wildfires are ravaging Spain's tourism, economy and nature. Could the country have done more to prevent them? https://p.dw.com/p/5I3rdIn recent years, Spain has slashed investments in measures to prevent wildfire»»»

Dubai: Air France has extended the suspension of its flights to and from Dubai until August 18, citing the evolving security situation in the Near and Middle East. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The French national carrier said on Monday that flights to and from Dubai»»»

LONDON: The hard-right Reform UK party unveiled plans on Monday for, if it wins power, “the largest military operation” in the Channel “since World War II” to stop migrants crossing on small boats. The proposal — which experts and other political parties promptly rubbished — comes days after tens o»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index rose on Monday, gaining 117.75 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 10,823.62. The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR6.26 billion ($1.67 billion), as 225 of the listed stocks advanced, while 32 retreated. The MSCI Tadawul Index also in»»»

Dubai: Dubai Police recorded a decline in several major crime categories during the first half of 2026, including fraud, cybercrime and economic crime, according to a performance review of the General Department of Criminal Investigation. The results were presented during a meeting chaired by Major»»»

Dubai: The UAE Council For FATWA has issued a nationwide ruling standardising the zakat threshold for dates at 541 kilograms after drying, while clarifying how growers and date companies should calculate and pay the religious levy under a unified framework aligned with the country's agricultural pr»»»

US President Donald Trump has teased new negotiations with Iran after abruptly calling off a major attack in a Truth Social post published on the same day that his media company began selling Wall Street firms millisecond-fast access to the platform’s market-moving content. Speaking to reporters ab»»»

BEIRUT: Lebanon is preparing for a seventh round of US-mediated negotiations with Israel in Rome on Tuesday amid cautious hopes of progress, despite continued Israeli military escalation in the south. Lebanese expectations range from deep pessimism over the prospect of securing further Israeli with»»»

A delegation of 14 Sunni MPs on Monday met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and discussed with him the issue of the amnesty law. Following the meeting, MP Bilal Abdallah stated: “The discussion focused on a single topic: the proposed general amnesty law … We commended the Speaker for his signifi»»»

RIYADH: The appearance of Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund and chairman of Aramco, at the 2026 World Cup final ceremony as he presented the Best Young Player award to Spain’s Pau Cubarsi while the oil giant’s logo dominated the scene was a striking publicity stunt, bu»»»

BELGRADE - The FMs of Serbia and Zimbabwe, Marko Djuric and Amon Murwira signed on Monday in Belgrade MoUs between their ministries. Zimbabwe also announced it would reopen a diplomatic and consular representative office in Belgrade. After meeting in the building of the Serbian Ministry of Foreign »»»

RIYADH: In hindsight, Saudi Arabia’s exit from the World Cup after a stalemate with Cape Verde does not look as bad as it did at the time. The Blue Sharks were one of two teams to put two goals past runners-up Argentina, and the only team in the tournament to avoid both losing and conceding a goal »»»

RIYADH: After nearly 11 months, the Lebanese Premier League has finally come to an end but no one envisioned it would take this long when newly-promoted Jwayya defeated Bourj 3-0 on the opening day back in September. But with the Lebanese Football Association forced to halt football in late Februar»»»

Bali behaves like several islands stitched into one, and the area you choose matters far more than the headline price. A surf town, a wellness retreat, an upmarket beach strip and a quiet family bay all sit within an hour of each other. Anyone weighing properties for sale in Bali is really picking »»»

Gabrielle Carrington, a former finalist in the U.K. version of "X Factor," pleaded not guilty in court in London on Monday to charges she murdered a social media influencer and injured a security guard in an incident outside a nightclub in the capital's Soho nightlife district. File Photo by Mike T»»»

1 of 2 | President Donald Trump delivers an address on election security from the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 16. Pool Photo by Saul Loeb/UPI | License Photo Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The 2026 midterm elections are fast approaching and President Donald Trump has launched a multi»»»

Sharjah: Sharjah City Municipality has urged owners of vehicles, machinery, motorcycles and bicycles that have been impounded for more than six months to complete the necessary release procedures within four days or risk having their property sold at public auction. The municipality said owners mus»»»