The US military said it has redirected 30 commercial vessels since the start of its blockade of Iranian ports, while maintaining that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to international shipping. In an update posted on X on Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that, as of July 31, its forces ha»»»

NEW YORK: American oil and gas giants raked in massive spring profits while fighting between Iran and the US impeded petroleum shipments and consumers around the world paid more for fuel and confronted shortages. The conflict, now in its sixth month, halted most shipping through the Strait of Hormu»»»

Disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has prompted oil-producing countries in the Gulf to accelerate plans for alternative export routes, with a series of pipeline projects announced or revived. Here is a breakdown of the proposals. - Regional picture -A total of 14.95 million barrels»»»

President Donald Trump said the U.S. would be hitting Iran "very hard" with new airstrikes that could be launched as early as this weekend. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo July 31 (UPI) -- The United States military is preparing to launch a fresh wave of airstrikes on Iran as early as t»»»

WASHINGTON: The State Department is making permanent a pilot program under which citizens from 50 countries, mainly in Africa, are required to post bonds to apply for a US visa, and it’s raising the cost as well, to as much as $20,000. A draft notice published Friday in the Federal Register says a »»»

Dubai: Dubai residents will soon have more places to shop, eat, exercise and access everyday services, with nine new malls and community retail destinations planned across the city. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The pipeline stretches from Nad Al Sheba and Sobha Hart»»»

Manila is finally beginning to reshape its automotive policy for the 21st century. The government's decisions on local car-production incentives in 2026 signal a broader shift in Philippine industrial strategy — away from simply protecting conventional vehicle assembly and toward attracting the nex»»»

Federal officials said drought conditions over the past 25 years have dwindled the water capacity available to the seven states that rely on the Colorado River. File Photo by NASA/UPI | License Photo July 31 (UPI) -- Federal officials on Friday released an updated framework for the Colorado River, »»»

Tunis, July 31, 2026 (TAP) - The Tunisian Confederation of Citizen Enterprises (CONECT) called for the establishment of a legal framework enshrining an official status for farmers, defining their rights and obligations, in order to reinforce their...»»»

Argentina and South Korea are set to deepen their cooperation in the critical minerals industry, the Argentine foreign ministry announced Friday. The deal comes one day after Seoul entered a similar partnership with Chile, during a visit to South America by President Lee Jae Myung. The agreement wi»»»

The US and Israel are preparing a major bombing campaign against Iran’s energy infrastructure that could begin as early as this weekend, according to multiple media reports. The proposed operation would target power plants, oil refineries and other energy-related facilities in what CBS News describ»»»

Elon Musk's xAI sued Minnesota seeking to block the state's law banning nudification technology. File photo by Francis Chung/UPI | License Photo July 31 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Friday turned down a request by Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, to block a Minnesota law banning nud»»»

HOUSTON: A cargo of flagship US light sweet crude loaded in Texas ​was headed to Israel on Friday, the first shipment to the country in nearly three years, ship tracking data showed. Here are the details: Malta-flagged Aframax vessel Captain John loaded ‌US West Texas ‌Intermediate crude at ​Enbrid»»»

The United States’ new tariff regime gives Poland a relative advantage over some competing exporters, although its legal basis may still face court challenges. Since July 24, imports from the EU and 18 other economies have faced a 10% tariff, compared with 12.5% for countries including China, Brazi»»»

Manufaktura in Łódź, managed by Apsys, ended 2025 with 100% retail occupancy and a 2.3% y/y increase in sales. The mixed-use shopping and cultural complex attracts up to 21 mln visitors annually, demonstrating how long-term management can strengthen a property’s value. Since opening in 2006, it has»»»

Poland’s annual inflation rate reached 3.0% in July, in line with market expectations, according to preliminary data from Statistics Poland. Consumer prices rose 0.8% m/m, mainly due to the end of the government’s fuel price support program. Fuel prices increased 15.8% y/y and 13.9% m/m after the s»»»

Greenvolt Power has launched one of Poland’s largest battery energy storage facilities in Turośń Kościelna. The 200 MW, 800 MWh site consists of 196 battery modules and 49 transformer stations and uses lithium iron phosphate technology. It can respond to grid operator signals within seconds, suppor»»»

A modernized T-3 wind tunnel has opened at Warsaw’s Okęcie airport following a PLN 105 mln upgrade financed through Poland’s National Recovery Plan. Operated by the Łukasiewicz Institute of Aviation, it is one of the largest facilities of its kind in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe. The tunne»»»

As nearly 50,000 North African migrants surged into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta overnight, one group responded with mockery and glee: Israeli politicians and their Zionist supporters, who celebrated the slap in Spanish President Pedro Sanchez’ face. An estimated 49,000 migrants, predominantly youn»»»

The disastrous heatwave and drought across Europe have pushed the Rhine and Danube rivers to historic water lows, forcing two EU countries into atomic energy power-downs while disrupting industrial output and major trade routes. The Rhine and Danube serve as vital commercial corridors, historic bor»»»

WASHINGTON: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pitched President Donald Trump and other American officials on helping Ukraine win permission from tech titan Elon Musk to use his Starlink satellite communications system to guide strikes inside Russia. The push for expanded use of Starlink co»»»

Up to 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta in roughly 24 hours, overwhelming border forces and increasing the territory’s population by as much as 70%. The unprecedented influx has triggered a political crisis, raised questions over the true nature of the»»»

US President Donald Trump held a cabinet meeting at the Camp David retreat where he addressed a wide range of subjects, from Iran to the midterm elections. He also blamed the Spanish government for the mass migrant arrivals in Spain's Ceuta enclave, calling it an invasion. FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackso»»»

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Friday that a strengthening El Niño is intensifying an already worsening climate crisis, saying the weather phenomenon is "adding fuel to a planet already on fire" and could drive record-breaking global temperatures. A strengthening El Nino that could»»»

CAMP DAVID, Maryland/DETROIT: U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at Camp David on Friday that he does not think Iran is behind a cyberattack on Minnesota water systems, despite U.S. officials reportedly suspecting otherwise. "We heard in Minnesota there was a cyberattack, and they blame it »»»

US President Donald Trump and other far-right leaders on Friday seized on Spain's migration crisis to bolster their political messaging on immigration, while over half of the migrants who had crossed the border made their way back to Morocco voluntarily the same day.  US President Donald Trump»»»

New York: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called today for an end to the fighting across the Middle East and urged the full restoration of international navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. "The fighting must stop everyw»»»

Twisted metal and chunks of concrete crushing vehicles are all that is left of the Amazon Hub in Edwardsville, Ill., on December 11, 2021. Illinois has led the country in number of tornadoes both in 2026 and 2025. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo Illinois continues to lead the nati»»»

HARLINGEN, Texas: Advocates warn that tens of thousands of migrant children who came to the United States alone could lose legal representation in immigration court and increase their risk of deportation as the Trump administration allows a contract with legal services providers to expire. Friday m»»»

WASHINGTON: OpenAI has discovered other instances in which autonomous agents have ​escaped containment as the company expands its investigation of the hacking incident at tech firm Hugging Face that drew global attention this month, two people familiar with the matter said Friday. The new breakouts»»»

Anthropic said it reviewed 141,006 recent operations by its Claude models after rival OpenAI recently revealed its own AI agents had unexpectedly accessed the Internet and hacked a third party. File Photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA July 31 (UPI) -- Anthropic said some of its artificial intelligence models»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has renewed his criticism of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has said the Israeli leader could be arrested on war-crimes charges if he visits the city. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 over Israel’s mi»»»

Warsaw’s office market is shifting in landlords’ favor as strong demand meets historically low supply. Companies leased more than 416,000 sqm of office space in the first half of 2026, up over 38% y/y, with nearly 283,000 sqm signed in the second quarter alone. Meanwhile, only 45,000 sqm of new off»»»

WASHINGTON: Google rolled back Friday a new feature allowing Google Earth users to generate AI visualizations on top of the service’s satellite imagery, following a furious backlash from researchers and open-source intelligence experts about the potential for disinformation. “We’ve seen geospatial »»»

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh: At least nine Rohingya were missing after a boat carrying them capsized in the Naf, a shared waterway between Bangladesh and Myanmar, police said Friday. The Rohingya were believed to be fleeing ongoing fighting in Myanmar's Rakhine state between the military and the Arakan»»»

Budapest: Hungary is preparing to shut down its only nuclear power plant for the first time in its 44-year history as record-low water levels in the Danube River disrupt cooling operations, authorities said today. The country's Prime Minister Peter Magyar told a press conference that the Paks Nucle»»»

Residents in several Albanian municipalities staged protests on Friday against a proposed territorial reform that would significantly reduce the number of local governments, arguing the plan would weaken local representation and erase community identities. The governing Socialist Party has proposed»»»

GENEVA: The Sudanese flashpoint of El-Obeid and surrounding areas are experiencing a spike in malnutrition, gender-based violence and other issues, the United Nations’ children’s agency said on Friday. It said the conflict was “a massive disaster that keeps getting worse.” Now in Khartoum after vis»»»

GAZA/CAIRO: Standing on the roof of ​a war-damaged building overlooking the ruins of Gaza City, beekeeper Ibrahim Al-Dabba gently lifts a honeycomb frame as bees buzz around him. “Bees require trees, we are raising bees among rubble,” he said. For Gaza’s beekeepers, the struggle to rebuild their li»»»

Tokyo: Japan's unemployment rate stayed unchanged at 2.5 percent in June for the third straight month, government data showed Friday. The number of people with jobs in June was down 0.5 percent at a seasonally adjusted 68.46 million, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said. Of thos»»»

Dubai: Emirates ranked among the world’s most operationally reliable airlines in June, recording one of the lowest flight cancellation rates globally despite continued disruption to air travel in parts of the region. According to operational performance data from aviation analytics firm OAG, just 0»»»

Several of Budapest’s best-known landmarks will temporarily go dark as Hungary introduces further energy-saving measures in response to the country’s critical electricity situation. Officials announced on Friday that the decorative lighting of the Hungarian Parliament will be switched off, while th»»»

The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a procedural resolution allowing the chamber to consider and vote on a package of 74 nominations, including Eric Wendt's nomination to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Albania. The measure passed by a vote of 50-47, with three senators abstaining. While Wend»»»

LONDON: In a move that took international commentators by surprise, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense on Thursday announced the launch of a multinational naval force to counter threats to commercial maritime traffic through the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait chokepoint. The unp»»»

People watch through special solar glasses as the moon moves across the sun during the 2024 solar eclipse in Milwaukee, Wis., on April 8, 2024. The first total solar eclipse since the 2024 event will take place in August. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo August will feature three majo»»»

LONDON: Eddie Howe confirmed on Friday he had stepped down as Newcastle manager to “recharge and take a break” following a turbulent end to his five-year spell at St. James’ Park. Howe revitalized a club that had struggled for decades, securing a first major trophy in 56 years by winning the League»»»

Rome: A 4.7-magnitude earthquake shook a southern Italian region near Naples on Friday, but authorities said there were no immediate requests for emergency help. The quake was centred at the Campi Flegrei area, according to Italy's Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV). The area, site of E»»»

Hezbollah said Lebanese authorities have taken no action in line with their national and sovereign responsibilities as the Israeli occupation entity continues to destroy villages in southern Lebanon. In a statement, Hezbollah affirmed that the Israeli enemy was continuing, in full view of the Leban»»»

Tunis, July 31, 2026 (TAP) - A fire broke out on Friday at the Al Mahatta post office in Redeyef, Gafsa, with no fatalities reported, according to the Tunisian Post.Two employees and one customer sustained minor injuries and were taken to the...»»»

Rome: Italy decided today to suspend the Schengen Agreement, which guarantees free movement with Spain, for one month following the influx of more than 50,000 migrants into Ceuta from Morocco yesterday (Thursday), despite assurances from Madrid authorities that the incident had been contained. The »»»