DUBAI: A tanker was struck by an “unknown projectile” off the coast of Oman, a British maritime agency said on Saturday, as the United States and Iran vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel reported it was “struck by an unknown projectile which has caused damage to the engine room,” th»»»

Israeli strikes have continued across Gaza hours after US President Donald Trump announced a “historic agreement” under which Hamas would be disarmed and the IDF would completely withdraw from the enclave. At least one Palestinian was killed and several others were wounded in the attacks on Friday,»»»

Travellers flying to and from the UAE are advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport, as airlines continue to adjust schedules amid operational changes and heightened regional tensions. While most UAE carriers are operating near normal levels, Etihad Airways, Emirates and Ai»»»

The 730-person agency will coordinate intelligence for the prime minister, while a separate foreign intelligence service is planned The photo shows the Prime Minister's Office (Kantei) in Japan. The Japanese government launched the National Intelligence Bureau on Friday as an organization reporting»»»

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 »»»

President Donald Trump claimed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which cost nearly $15 million to renovate, had been damaged by vandals. But in a court filing Friday evening, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the damage was caused by a "botched installation." Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI. | Licen»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s royal reserve authorities marked World Ranger Day on Friday by paying tribute to field rangers safeguarding the Kingdom’s wildlife, natural habitats and biodiversity, while highlighting the growing use of technology and enforcement to strengthen environmental protection. Acco»»»

NEW YORK: A Turkish man was arrested Friday in the United Kingdom on charges alleging he conspired to funnel money and supplies to Hamas through his senior role in what prosecutors say was a sham global humanitarian organization. Mohammad Yousef Hasna, 45, of Istanbul, was ordered held pending extr»»»

MANCHESTER, England: Labour Party candidate Bev Craig was elected mayor of Greater Manchester on Friday, after a vote triggered by the departure of Andy Burnham to become Britain’s prime minister. Craig won 66.3% of the votes in a runoff with Sian Astley from the anti-immigration party Reform UK. “»»»

WASHINGTON: The Justice Department moved Friday to dismiss a criminal case charging a former Olympian with deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, saying evidence prosecutors had recently received refuted the idea that vandals were to blame. Government lawyers said in a 20-page »»»

SEOUL: North ‌Korea accused NATO on Saturday of preparing for war by expanding military ​fuel infrastructure across Europe, saying the alliance’s plans show it is becoming a more aggressive military bloc. In a commentary carried by state media KCNA, North Korea criticized NATO’s Fuel Supply ‌Chain »»»

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Friday that world soccer’s governing ​body had scrapped plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors after widespread backlash. FIFA’s plan was to raise up to $4.2 billion by selling about a 20 percent stake in a new unit that would run FIFA ev»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE is set for another hot weekend, with temperatures climbing to 49C inland on Saturday before the weather becomes increasingly unsettled early next week, bringing the possibility of afternoon showers to eastern and southern parts of the country. The National Centre of Meteorology (»»»

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...»»»

DOHA: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Chairman of the Political Bureau of Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Dr Khalil Al Hayya held a telephone conversation on Friday. At the outset of the call, the Prime Minister and Mini»»»

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»»»

Port Łódź is launching a major redevelopment covering nearly 10,000 sqm. The food court will almost double in size and add six new restaurant tenants, while the 7,000 sqm patio will feature a summer cinema, water playground, winter garden, and additional greenery. The center will also redesign its »»»

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»»»

WASHINGTON: The ​US and Israel are planning a bombing campaign against energy infrastructure targets in Iran, with strikes ‌possible throughout ‌the weekend, ​CBS ‌News ⁠reported ​on Friday, ⁠citing sources. US President Donald Trump has yet to give the final go-ahead ⁠for the strikes, ‌according ‌»»»

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»»»

Canadian convenience-store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard plans to acquire 100% of Żabka Group for PLN 32 per share, valuing the Polish retailer at PLN 32.62 bln. The offer represents a 9% premium to Żabka’s July 30 closing price, although some analysts believe investors could reasonably expect »»»

Poland ranks among the European Union countries with the relatively highest minimum wages after differences in living costs are taken into account, according to Eurostat data. In nominal terms, Luxembourg recorded the highest minimum wage, at EUR 2,771 per month, while Bulgaria had the lowest, at E»»»

The Polish government has launched a PLN 270 mln program to create at least 30 Local Cybersecurity Centers. Local governments may apply through partnerships or consortia consisting of at least two municipalities, counties, or regional authorities. Funding will support employee training, cybersecuri»»»

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»»»