RIYADH: Diriyah Co. signed an SR2 billion ($533 million) financing agreement with Arab National Bank to develop hotel-branded residences in Diriyah and Wadi Safar, marking the first partnership between the two companies. The deal was signed by Diriyah Co. Group CEO Jerry Inzerillo and Louai Al-Zahe»»»

Planet One Group Chairman and Founder Sanjeev Mansotra met Honorable Adama Diawara, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Ivory Coast in Dubai on August 12, 2026, amid plans for a $1 billion investment in Côte d’Ivoire’s higher education sector. The prospective commitment brings fre»»»

Doha, Qatar: Upcoming online auctions featuring valuable collectibles, vehicles and motorcycles will be available through the Court Mzadat app this week. The first auction, featuring valuable collectibles, will be held on Tuesday, August 18, from 4pm to 7pm. Items listed for auction include from br»»»

As the 60-day ceasefire deadline is expiring Monday, the US President Donald Trump told Fox News on Monday that Iran should surrender. “I have no time schedule,” Trump said, “I’m not in a hurry. “Midterms have nothing to do with my thinking,” “They should put up the white flag of surrender,” Trump »»»

PARIS: After an intense nine-day tournament, S2G Esports stood the tallest among the 32 teams competing and won the PUBG Mobile World Cup at the Esports World Cup 2026. After qualifying for the tournament as Turkiye’s third seed, S2G fought their way through the group stage and grand finals to emer»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has been named the first-ever recipient of Formula E’s brand-new “Best Host Country” award, recognizing the Kingdom’s outstanding contribution to delivering one of the world’s leading electric motorsport championships. Presented for the first time in the all-electric championsh»»»

Hamas has reaffirmed its commitment to disarm and demilitarize Gaza during direct talks with US President Donald Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, Axios reported on Sunday, citing a source familiar with the matter. The meeting was aimed at locking in a pledge Hamas first made in late Ju»»»

Tehran will pay out cash rewards to any Iranian citizen who kills or captures a US serviceman, Army Chief Amir Hatami has announced, warning Washington against putting troops on Iranian soil. Speaking at an event on Sunday in remarks carried by state broadcaster IRIB, Hatami said the initiative had»»»

Romanian entrepreneurs Alexandru Tudoroiu and Cătălin Mihăilă have launched Drumio, an app that uses AI to generate mileage logs directly on a smartphone, replacing manual Excel records and end-of-month route reconstruction. The app has reached 10,000 downloads less than two months after launch, in»»»

RIYADH: Teams working on Saudi Arabia’s Masam project removed 5,287 explosive devices from various regions of Yemen last week. The devices included 2,075 unexploded ordnances, 68 anti-tank mines 11 anti-personnel mines, and three improvised explosive devices, according to a recent report. The explo»»»

MAKKAH: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has begun a series of preparatory meetings with Hajj affairs offices from more than 75 countries worldwide ahead of the 2027 Hajj season. The meetings are part of early planning efforts to enhance coordination and readiness, facilitate pilgrims’ journeys and i»»»

MINSK (Sputnik) - Belarus and Iran are developing a treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership and a roadmap for the development of comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, the chairman of the Belarusian parliament's lower house, Igor Sergeyenko, said on Monday. During a meeting with»»»

RIYADH: Specialized breeding farmers from around the world have continued to arrive at the International Falcon Breeders Auction in Malham, north of Riyadh, reflecting its growing standing and trusted reputation among breeders, investors, and enthusiasts. The National Center for Falcons welcomed 14»»»

RIYADH: The Buraidah International Dates Carnival has generated more than SR98 million ($26 million) in sales in just 15 days, highlighting the growth of the Kingdom’s date industry. Statistics have revealed that 12,377 vehicles have entered the carnival grounds, transporting 2,084,421 packages of »»»

RIYADH: For a growing number of young Saudi women, summer break is no longer about stepping back — it is about stepping up. Long before receiving their diplomas, high school and university students across the Kingdom are swapping traditional leisure for coding bootcamps, clinical rounds and corpora»»»

RIYADH: Air freight volumes in the Middle East and South Asia fell 6 percent week on week in the first full week of August, the steepest regional decline, as global air cargo volumes dropped 4 percent, according to the latest WorldACD Weekly Air Cargo Trends report. The decline outpaced the 4 perce»»»

UNIFIL said Monday that Israeli ‘military activity’ in southern Lebanon has increased markedly over the past two weeks, with an average of 137 projectiles recorded each day between August 5 and 16. The UN peacekeeping force said the figure rose to 208 projectiles on Saturday and 185 on Sunday, as t»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has completed major improvements on Al Marabea’ Street in Al Quoz, increasing road capacity and easing congestion on one of the area’s key routes. The project covered a 1.1-kilometre stretch between the Al Khail Road exit and Al Asayel Street. The »»»

Mideast negotiator and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner was meeting Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days after the premier rejected the 15-point, U.S.-backed road map to move the ceasefire deal forward in Gaza. The meeting, which had stretched to about three hours as of Monday a»»»

Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Monday they had targeted a Saudi military vessel and four accompanying boats in the Red Sea, as part of their maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia. Yahya Saree, military spokesperson for the Iran-backed Houthis, said they had "succeeded in targeting a military landing shi»»»

Dubai: For millions of Pakistanis, a national identity card is something they carry every day but rarely think about. That could change with a new card that replaces the familiar microchip with something most people already have – a smartphone. The National Database and Registration Authority (NADR»»»

Dubai: Egypt’s embassy in Muscat has warned its citizens against scams involving individuals and tourism companies offering non-existent jobs in Oman after arranging their entry on tourist visas in return for money. The embassy said a large number of Egyptian citizens had fallen victim to fraudster»»»

Dubai: Hundreds of Indian expats on Sunday night took a pledge of loyalty and commitment to the UAE and its leadership, in a moving highlight of an event marking India's 80th Independence Day in Dubai. The gathering, organised by the Indian People's Forum (IPF), one of the largest community associa»»»

BORNOVA: On a Turkish hillside overlooking the olive-covered slopes outside Izmir is a cave known to generations of locals as the place where Homer penned “The Odyssey.” “This place was always called Homer’s Valley by the locals. Travelers from all over the world would come and see the cave where H»»»

RIYADH: Seven red-necked ostrich chicks hatched at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Nature Reserve during the second quarter of 2026, according to the reserve’s development authority. The hatchings reflect efforts to boost the population of a species that has historically inhabited the reserve, re»»»

President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed on Monday Lebanon’s unyielding commitment to the full implementation of the Israeli-Lebanese framework agreement, underscoring the vital, supportive, and earnest role of the United States in facilitating the process. Aoun described Washington as a steadfast partner »»»

The Municipality of Ruse will purchase two electric buses to serve a future public transport route linking Ruse with the Romanian city of Giurgiu, Ruse Mayor Pencho Milkov said. The investment is worth around EUR 1.3 million and is being financed through a European-funded project. A contract for th»»»

Dubai: More than 21,000 participants, delegates and visitors from over 165 countries are expected in Dubai next week for the 22nd Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference and Exhibition, DIHAD 2026. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The event will »»»

Manchester City has announced that Trendyol is set to become the Club’s Official Online Marketplace Partner. Trendyol, one of the world’s leading e-commerce platforms, was founded in Istanbul in 2010 and now connects more than 40 million customers with over 250,000 sellers across a growing internat»»»

Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A Tennessee woman captured video during a recent car trip when a snake slithered out from under the hood of the vehicle. Analissa Hensley said she and her family were in the car when the serpent made its surprise appearance on Callis Road in Lebanon. "I'm sitting there like, 'We ha»»»

The Israeli airstrikes that assassinated two Hezbollah commanders represented “a harsh message to Hezbollah,” following “a security operation carried out about a week prior to the strikes, which Hezbollah is still keeping secret," a diplomatic source said, adding that it is likely to remain unclaim»»»

Dubai: DP World has reached a significant milestone in its US$800 million investment programme to transform the Port of Tartous, completing the delivery of three Mobile Harbour Cranes (MHCs) that will strengthen Syria’s trade infrastructure and support the country’s economic recovery. Sign up for o»»»

Tunis, Aug. 17 (TAP)- Average temperature for July 2026 stood at 31.7°C, that is +3.4 °C above the climate normal of 28.4 °c, making of it the second hottest July since 1950 behind July 2023, the National Institute of Meterology (INM) said in...»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Yemeni Ballistic Missiles Strike Saudi Military Ship in the Red Sea: We’re Closely Monitoring All Enemy Movements 17-08-2026 15:04 PM Yemen»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli light attack drone drops explosives in Dabshe area in Nabatieh district: Al-Manar reporter in southern Lebanon 17-08-2026 14:53 PM »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has opened applications for the Medical Fitness Certificate for individuals intending to perform Hajj in 2027. Applicants seeking the certificate can visit any Family Medicine Clinic affiliated with PHCC throughout the week, and they can visit»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Washington's primary goal remains preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. "The number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Over»»»

Hamas Resistance Movement hailed on Monday the joint statement issued by the foreign minister of UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, KSA, and Egypt to denounce the Israeli rejection of the US plan for Gaza. What follows is the full text of Hamas statement: The Islamic Resistance Moveme»»»

DUBAI: Chinese singer-songwriter Shan Yichun, known for being the youngest star to win reality TV show “The Voice of China,” wore a gown by Lebanese couturier Georges Hobeika to attend the seventh Tencent Music Entertainment Awards at the Galaxy Arena in Macau. The rich purple gown, from the label’»»»

DUBAI: Work by Los Angeles-based Arab-American artist Massoud Hayoun has been acquired by London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the Fenix Museum of Migration in Rotterdam. Both were finalized this year and announced this month. The V&A took “The Master’s Tools,” a 2025 acrylic painting, for its M»»»

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of a deal with Iran on the Strait of Hormuz and called for Iran to surrender. “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the sh*t out of them,” Trump told Fox News journalist Trey Yingst, referring to ongoing »»»

DOHA: The Qatar Diamond Exchange (QDE) has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Diamond Exchange of Singapore, the Shanghai Diamond Exchange and the Tokyo Diamond Exchange during the 41st World Diamond Congress in Singapore. The agreements reflect QDE's strategic focus on developing cl»»»

Israeli occupation forces continued attacks across southern Lebanon on Monday, carrying out airstrikes, artillery shelling, ground incursion and demolition operation in several areas. Al-Manar correspondent reported that an Israeli light attack drone droped explosives in Dabshe area in Nabatieh dis»»»

Dubai: The UAE and central Arabian Peninsula will witness the first seasonal appearance of the Suhail star on August 24, traditionally marking the gradual easing of the intense summer heat and the transition towards milder weather. Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Emirates Astronomy Society and a»»»

The Danube water level remained stable at the gauging stations in Ruse and Silistra over the past 24 hours, according to the Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River Executive Agency. At three of the stations - Svishtov, Nikopol, and Oryahovo - a decrease of one to two centimeters was record»»»

As of August 17, 2026, the average price of AI 92 gasoline in Bishkek has increased by 1 som compared with the previous week. Data from the Antimonopoly Regulation Service under Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Economy and Commerce say. Prices for other major fuel types in the capital remained unchanged ov»»»

Reform U.K.'s Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Robert Jenrick, unveils his party's plans for drastic cuts to welfare at a news conference in London on Monday. Photo by Andy Rain/EPA Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Britain's Reform U.K. party said Monday that it would slash almost $68B from welfare, were it to »»»

Dubai: The 60-day clock has run out on Donald Trump’s Iran deal. Now the US president faces a harder question: What does he do next? The memorandum of understanding signed by the United States and Iran in June was supposed to provide a pathway out of the war. It envisioned an end to hostilities, th»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund reported a 9 percent rise in 2025 revenue to $120 billion, while net profit more than doubled to $17 billion, helped by contributions from maturing portfolio companies. In its annual report, the sovereign wealth fund said assets under management exceede»»»

CAIRO: Weather conditions and ‌operational challenges were hampering salvage efforts for a grounded tanker that was leaking Russian crude oil in a protected marine area off Oman’s coast, the sultanate’s state news agency reported on Monday. Oman has been coordinating the salvage operation with risk»»»