The conflict between the US and Iran entered a new phase overnight on Thursday (July 16, 2026), with fresh US airstrikes, a tougher naval blockade, Iranian retaliation against Gulf states, and growing concerns over shipping, oil prices and regional security. Get updated faster and for FREE: Downloa»»»

WASHINGTON: More than half the House Democrats voted Wednesday to strip $3.3 billion in US aid from Israel, the most substantial signal yet that once rock-solid bipartisan support for the country is disintegrating in the aftermath of its war in Gaza that has killed thousands of Palestinians.The vot»»»

A search for three people missing after their boat capsized in waters off the island of Alcatraz on Tuesday is to be suspended at sunset Wednesday, the Coast Guard said. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo July 15 (UPI) -- A search for three people missing in San Francisco Bay after the»»»

Dubai: The UAE is set for another hot and partly cloudy day on Thursday, with temperatures climbing to 48°C inland and a chance of convective clouds bringing rainfall to eastern and southern areas, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). NCM said a surface low-pressure system extendi»»»

KHAN YUNIS, Palestinian Territories: Armed with paintbrushes and wearing surgical gloves, volunteers inside a large tent in Gaza delicately brushed dust from a stone mosaic before placing it into storage, part of an effort to preserve cultural heritage hit by war. More than 160 historic and cultura»»»

Dubai: In June, Kuwait introduced a new 15-year Golden Residency Permit designed to attract foreign investment and strengthen the country's position as a regional business and investment hub. The programme represents one of the latest initiatives by GCC countries to attract and retain high-value in»»»

UNITED NATIONS, United States: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday named a senior international official from Bangladesh, Rabab Fatima, as the new head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA. A career diplomat who served in several capitals before represent»»»

DUBAI: Iranian attacks targeted Bahrain and Kuwait early Thursday after the US reimposed a naval blockade on Iran and intensified its airstrike campaign in retaliation for Tehran’s attacks on ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The American strikes hit an Iranian army barracks, kille»»»

Explosions have been reported in the Tehran area amid the latest wave of US strikes on Iran, which appear to be expanding beyond previous targets. Get — updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click hereAs of 5am Gulf Standard Time (GST) on Thursday (July 16, 2026), the»»»

The US military on Wednesday launched rare daytime attacks on Iran, including a 90-minute wave of strikes, as it reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Tehran responded with strikes on “US military targets” in Gulf states and threatened to halt energy exports in the region. The ​US conducted »»»

As a clinician, I have spent most of my career on the treatment side of medicine. But anyone who has cared for international patients knows a quiet truth: for someone travelling across borders for care, the hardest part of the journey often has nothing to do with the operation itself. It is everyth»»»

The United States said it has stepped up enforcement of its renewed naval blockade against Iran, announcing that it disabled an oil tanker after the vessel allegedly ignored repeated warnings while sailing towards an Iranian port in the Arabian Gulf. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gu»»»

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Israeli airstrikes have killed at least a dozen people in Gaza over the past two days, local health officials said, as strikes continue almost daily despite a months-old ceasefire with Hamas. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click h»»»

BUNIA, Congo: The number of confirmed cases of Ebola in Congo has reached 2,011, including 754 deaths, according to government data released overnight in what authorities say is the fastest-growing outbreak on record. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click he»»»

NEW YORK CITY: For one afternoon, the corridors of the UN traded the vocabulary of resolutions and official statements for the international language of football. The World Cup semifinal between Argentina and England was showing on two large screens in the delegates lounge on Wednesday, distracting»»»

WASHINGTON: The United States said Wednesday it was instituting a “Do Not Board” order for American citizens who have traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, an effort to prevent Ebola’s spread. The order will prevent passengers from boarding commercial flights to the US unless the individual»»»

TORONTO/NEW YORK: Toronto’s air quality ranked the worst among major cities globally on Wednesday as wildfire smoke from northwestern Ontario blackened skies and spread into the northeastern United States, prompting health warnings and calls for residents to limit outdoor activities. Environment Ca»»»

MOSCOW: ‌The chief engineer at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been killed by a Ukrainian drone near the station, ​the head of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom said on Wednesday. Alexei Likhachev said in a statement that a Ukrainian drone had struck a service c»»»

Dubai: A polished résumé and a confident interview were once among the strongest signals that a candidate was ready for the job. That assumption is now under growing pressure as artificial intelligence becomes deeply embedded in the hiring process. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf»»»

Two projectiles struck the southeastern Iranian cities of Rask and Chabahar in Sistan and Baluchestan province late on Wednesday, with Iranian media reporting explosions. Few immediate details were provided on the damage or casualties. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now»»»

The World Health Organization launched the first clinical trial on Tuesday to test whether an antiviral drug can prevent infection in people exposed to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as the outbreak continues to outpace response efforts and spread beyond known c»»»

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned that regional oil and gas exports could be blocked completely in response to US attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement on Tuesday, the IRGC accused Washington of acting like “pirates” by restricting energy flows in the region and»»»

WASHINGTON: Two human rights groups say Trump administration sanctions imposed on the International Criminal Court over its investigations of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza have illegally impeded their ability to advocate for Palestinians. The organizations say in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that»»»

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said it killed three Hezbollah members in south Lebanon on Wednesday, shortly after US-sponsored Israel-Lebanon negotiations were held in Rome. “Earlier today (Wednesday), IDF soldiers identified three armed Hezbollah terrorists in the area of Beit Yahoun, located wi»»»

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump wants Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to keep pulling over vehicles, signaling his opposition Wednesday to plans announced just a day earlier to suspend most traffic stops following another string of fatal shootings. It’s not clear whether ICE will qu»»»

NEW YORK CITY: As governments scramble to close a multitrillion-dollar funding gap threatening the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Saudi Arabia is promoting a solution rooted not in modern finance but in a 1,400-year-old Islamic tradition. Presenting its third Voluntary National Review at the U»»»

Russia is stepping up efforts to pursue legal action against Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, accusing the three countries of discriminating against ethnic Russians and Russian speakers in a case it plans to bring before the International Court of Justice. An investigation by LRT, Re a»»»

Ottawa: Wildfires sweeping across northwestern Ontario, Canada, in recent days have caused severe smog and a sharp deterioration in air quality in several regions, including Ottawa, the nation's capital, and Toronto, Canada's largest city. On Wednesday morning, Toronto's air quality index ranked th»»»

The Hague: The Netherlands registered more than 900 excess deaths in late June and early July as a heatwave scorched western Europe, health authorities said Wednesday, the latest country to report a surge in mortality. "The cause of these deaths is unknown but it is highly likely the heat played a »»»

LONDON: Oman on Wednesday provided medical supplies and equipment to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, with help from Jordanian authorities. The Jordanian Royal Medical Services and Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization worked with the Oman Embassy in Amman to arrange the shipment which will be sent »»»

Israel has approved more than $400 million to establish dozens of new settlements in the occupied West Bank, despite international condemnation of what critics describe as the de facto annexation of Palestinian territory. The West Bank, which was captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, is home »»»

LONDON: The UK government is working on plans to ban imports and exports involving Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Speaking before the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee on Wednesday, Trade Minister Chris Bryant said there was a “very strong” moral and legal »»»

AMMAN — Jordan's capital market is undergoing a significant recovery, driven by higher market capitalisation, stronger liquidity, increased trading activity and rising stock indices, according to a report by the Jordan Economic Forum (JEF).The report "Amman Stock Exchange: Market Transformations, G»»»

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should continue to use traffic stops despite a decision the previous day to suspend the practice. The ban on vehicle stops came after an ICE agent fatally shot a Colombian driver in Maine and another motor»»»

Large parts of France are facing water restrictions as the country grapples with a drought described as "exceptionally" early and intense. France has been experiencing its third heatwave in as many months, accompanied by fierce wildfires further fuelled by dry conditions. France is experiencin»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, July 15: French papers weep, while the Spanish press celebrates the World Cup semi-final. Also in France, papers discuss the assisted dying bill that will be voted on today. Finally: are cigarettes back in vogue?  PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, July 15: French pa»»»

The number of children arrested for sexual offenses in the UK reached a record high last year, a government-backed report has stated. The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF), a charity researching youth violence prevention, said on Tuesday that 3,809 children were arrested for sexual offenses in 2024-25, up»»»

South American aviation authorities seek to progressively eliminate national barriers to passenger and cargo traffic, turning regional routes into operations similar to traditional domestic flights. File Photo by Mario Tuiz/EPA July 15 (UPI) -- Aviation authorities from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and»»»

CAIRO: A boat carrying about 60 migrants, including women and children, bound for European shores capsized off the coast of eastern Libya in the latest maritime tragedy off the North African country. At least 50 are dead or missing, authorities said. The shipwreck occurred on Tuesday near Bardaa Is»»»

LONDON: Outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Wednesday told voters to put their “vote in the bin” in snap elections that will see hard-right leader Nigel Farage run against joke candidate Count Binface. Farage, who heads the anti-immigrant Reform UK party, stood down as an MP earlier this m»»»

NEW YORK CITY: UN human rights experts on Wednesday condemned Iranian authorities for confiscating the St. Peter Evangelical Church compound in Tehran and evicting 27 members of the country’s recognized Armenian and Assyrian Christian minorities who lived there. The experts said 20 families, most o»»»

Abu Dhabi: The British Embassy in the UAE has confirmed that the UK's travel advice for the UAE remains unchanged, with the country retaining its green safety status despite updated guidance from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on regional tensions in the Middle East. In a p»»»

BY: Ahmad Abu el-Hamd The Egyptian Exchange (EGX) opened Monday’s trading on a positive note, backed by purchases by foreign and Arab traders. The benchmark MSM30 index levelled up 0.09% or 11.86 points to the level of 12,985.15 points, the EGX70 index advanced 2.78% to 517.49 points and the EGX100»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said on Wednesday Serbia was very appreciative of a strategic relationship with the US, and added that, for Belgrade, launching strategic dialogue with Washington was one of the most achievements in decades. Speaking at an international conference t»»»

LONDON: A coalition of 17 UK charities and advocacy groups has called on Andy Burnham, Britain’s incoming prime minister, to take what it described as urgent action over the war in Gaza and the situation in the occupied West Bank, saying the government must do more to uphold international law and p»»»

Hungary’s Chief Medical Officer has warned that some people are using veterinary deworming medicines containing ivermectin or fenbendazole to treat cancer, stressing that these products are not approved for human use, have no scientifically proven anti-cancer effect, and may seriously endanger pati»»»

Dhaka: Bangladesh has confiscated assets worth 760 billion taka (about $6.2 billion) linked to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her family and 10 business groups, authorities said Wednesday. Since Hasina was toppled in a student-led mass uprising in 2024 and fled to India, authorities have inve»»»

The system identifies people banned from attending soccer matches, including members of violent fan groups and thousands of child support debtors. Argentina's Ministry of National Security is coordinating a joint operation with U.S. and British agencies to strengthen security inside and outside Atl»»»

WASHINGTON, (Sputnik) - The United States supports the construction of a pipeline running through Iraq and Syria to weaken Iran's leverage on energy flows by preventing their unobstructed flows via the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg has reported, citing multiple sources. Discussions with officials fro»»»

MOSCOW, July 15 (Sputnik) - Western countries are hoping to gain control over Ukraine's natural resources and land wealth as compensation for their financial losses or in exchange for loans allocated to Kiev, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday. "Western countrie»»»