Dubai's driverless taxis are no longer just a pilot programme you watch drive past. As Gulf News reported this week, Apollo Go's autonomous fleet is now open to the public in Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim for a flat Dh5 a ride, a promotional fare from RTA and Dubai Taxi Company that replaces the free rid»»»

Obesity may be keeping more than half a million people out of work in Britain, a new research presented at the International Congress on Obesity in Mexico has found. Scientists from the University of York analyzed data from 284,258 UK Biobank participants – working-age men (38-65) and women (38-60)»»»

OTTAWA: President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Canada for wildfire smoke spreading across the United States and said he would add the “incalculable cost” of dealing with the pollution to existing tariffs on Canadian goods. Heavy smoke from hundreds of Canadian fires enveloped a swath of the US fro»»»

NEW YORK: Boeing projected Friday a global commercial fleet of 50,000 planes in 2045, more than 90 percent of which will be more fuel-efficient “new-generation” aircraft. That compares with today’s global fleet of 28,000 airplanes, reflecting higher long-term demand due to economic growth and addit»»»

Dubai: A proposal by Iran and Oman to introduce transit charges for ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz could create one of the world's largest maritime revenue streams while adding a fresh cost to global energy trade. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The propose»»»

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed that it destroyed a depot housing American unmanned surface vessels and the “main artificial intelligence center” in Bahrain in retaliation for US strikes on Iranian bridges and other civilian infrastructure. In a statement issued on Frida»»»

Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, R-S.C., assumed her temporary seat on Tuesday after being nominated by Gov. Henry McMaster to serve out the rest of the year in her brother’s stead. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 17 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Friday asked Sen. Darline Graham Nord»»»

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq: Drone and rocket strikes killed nine members of an Iranian Kurdish armed opposition group in Iraq’s Kurdistan region on Friday, the exiled party said, blaming the attack on Iran. In Irbil, the capital of Kurdistan, the US-led anti-jihadist coalition shot down several drones and »»»

US strikes hit transport infrastructure in Iran, including bridges, overnight between Jujly 17 and 18, Iranian media reported, marking a further escalation more than a week after fighting resumed around the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Even as the campaign intensifies, the White House insists the do»»»

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez on Friday dropped out of the race for governor due to issues with her campaign's finances. Photo courtesy of Governor of Wisconsin's office July 17 (UPI) -- One of the leading democratic contenders for Wisconsin governor on Friday quit the race due to troubling fin»»»

MIAMI: Didier Deschamps brings the curtain down on a remarkable 14-year reign as France coach on Saturday when Les Bleus face England in the World Cup third-place play-off. Waiting in the wings is Zinedine Zidane, Deschamps’ former teammate and one of the all-time great French players. Deschamps, 5»»»

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., right, won his court case to stay on the primary ballot in Florida. File Pool photo by Justin Lane/UPI | License Photo July 17 (UPI) -- Republican Congressman Cory Mills won the first round of his bid to stay on the primary ballot in Florida. Mills was sued June 19 by prima»»»

WASHINGTON: After months of a regional war that has left Iraq once again caught between Iran, the Gulf and the US, Baghdad is attempting an ambitious diplomatic pivot — hosting talks it hopes will transform the country from a battleground into a broker. The proposal, announced by Iraq’s Foreign Min»»»

SpaceX's next-generation Starship is stacked on the pad atop the new Super Heavy V3 booster at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX rescheduled its 13th flight test for Monday. Photo courtesy SpaceX | License Photo July 17 (UPI) -- SpaceX announced Friday that it has rescheduled its 13th launch of»»»

NEW YORK: Argentina’s Mauricio Pochettino is weighing ‌whether to coach the United States Men’s National Team for the next four years, which would include the 2030 World Cup hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Pochettino has been engaged in contract talks to stay with the USMNT side that reached»»»

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium: Series leader Kimi Antonelli hailed his Mercedes team on Friday after bouncing back to top the times in second free practice ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix. The 19-year-old Italian, who also gesticulated at Carlos Sainz for what he said was “a dangerous momen»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam recently destroyed 4,573 landmines and other unexploded weapons in Yemen’s Abyan governorate. The controlled demolitions took place in the Wadi Dofs area, the project said on Friday. The devices included artillery shells, antipersonnel and antitank mines, hand g»»»

July 17 (UPI) -- Italy returned to Mexico a collection of 27 pre-Columbian archaeological artifacts and fossils recovered during separate investigations into the illicit trafficking of cultural property, authorities from both countries said. The handover occurred Thursday at the Mexican Embassy in »»»

NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia has established an advanced model for sustainable urban development, progressing from planning and policymaking to implementation and measurable impact, Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majed Al-Hogail has said. Guided by the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom»»»

BARCELONA: Almost two decades ago, photographer Joan Monfort didn’t think much of his photo shoot of a teenage Lionel Messi bathing a cute baby boy in a plastic bathtub. Not until the remarkable twist of fate became clear years later, when that infant blossomed into Lamine Yamal. Now those images o»»»

After over a year and a half of the ongoing conflict, Russia has handed over more than 18,500 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers, while Ukraine has returned just 569 in exchange, according to data from the Russian Ministry of Defense. Russia's peak transfers - up to 1,200–1,245 bodies at a time - »»»

JEDDAH: Muslim World League Secretary-General and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa opened Al-Rahman Mosque in Auckland, New Zealand, and delivered its first Friday sermon. Al-Issa also led worshippers in prayer following the mosque’s official in»»»

DUBAI: More airlines are restoring flights to parts ‌of the Middle East after the conflict that followed US and Israeli strikes on Iran, but some carriers have kept suspensions in place. Below is an update on the status of airlines’ flights, in alphabetical order: AEGEAN AIRLINES Greece’s largest c»»»

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force Brigadier General Majid Mousavi vowed that Iran’s precision strikes against the enemy would continue until security is restored to southern Iran. “In our strategic calculus, land is land; from Tehran to the south, all of Iran is one i»»»

Liverpool FC have officially announced that Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has signed a new long-term contract, committing his future to the Premier League club until 2031. Reward for remarkable development The new agreement comes just three years after Szoboszlai joined Liverpool from RB »»»

US President Donald Trump’s veteran teleprompter operator Gabriel Perez is under investigation over an alleged insider betting scheme tied to the president’s speeches. The aide is believed to have earned thousands of dollars by placing bets on the contents of Trump’s remarks on prediction market Ka»»»

The Russian armed forces continued to strike Ukrainian ports and vessels operating in the interests of the Ukrainian military, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday. A Russian drone strike on the port of Yuzhny in Ukraine's Odessa region hit a dry cargo ship delivering supplies to the Ukraini»»»

LONDON: West Ham United ‌captain Jarrod Bowen has pledged his future to the club as they prepare for life in the second-tier Championship following relegation from the Premier League, the England forward said in an interview published on Friday on the team’s website. The 29-year-old was part of the»»»

Ukraine’s lawmakers approved chairman of the national gas company Naftogaz’s board, Serhii Koretskyi as the new Ukrainian Prime Minister on July 16 in anticipation of intense winter attacks by Russia. Zelenskiy announced a surprise government reshuffle at the weekend, after asking Ukraine’s Prime M»»»

Nvidia slipped below Apple early Friday as the world's most valuable publicly traded company due to the latest selloff in semiconductor shares. Shares of Nvidia were down more than four percent as worries about the valuation of artificial intelligence equities dogged the market, giving the company »»»

Dubai: Dubai's food sector continued its rapid expansion in the first half of the year, with 1,898 new food establishments opening across the emirate, equivalent to around 316 new businesses a month or 10.5 every day, according to Dubai Municipality. The latest figures bring the total number of foo»»»

Iran’s March drone and missile attacks disabled numerous critical US radars and forced it to “expend a significant portion of their air and missile defense stockpiles,” military expert and CAST security think tank senior research fellow Yuri Lyamin told Sputnik. Lyamin pointed out, for example, tha»»»

A massive public rally was held today, Friday, in Saada Governorate, Yemen, as part of the “Friday of Mobilization” campaign, in response to a call from Ansarullah leader Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. Participants chanted slogans such as “Aggression for aggression, siege for siege” and “With our un»»»

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms served in Taco Bell have cause many of the cyclosporiasis illnesses. File Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA July 17 (UPI) -- Federal officials said they have traced the cyclosporiasis outbreak th»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has expressed its solidarity with the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria over the victims of a fire at an orphanage east of the capital, Algiers, which resulted in a number of deaths and injuries. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) conveyed its sincere co»»»

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces raided multiple militant hideouts in the country’s northwest region, killing Pakistani Taliban and seizing a cache of weapons, the military and local officials said. The military said Friday it used intelligence sources to target militants in operations carried »»»

A day at Lake Balaton is becoming increasingly expensive for many families, with beach admission fees often overtaking accommodation costs as the biggest holiday expense. For a family of four, a full day at a paid beach can easily cost HUF 10,000–15,000, prompting many visitors to seek out the lake»»»

KAMPALA: An elementary school bus carrying pupils back from an educational tour to a scenic waterfall in Uganda veered off the road and overturned, killing at least 20 children and one adult, police said Friday. The bus crashed Thursday night in the Kapchorwa District in eastern Uganda while return»»»

Dubai: Moving to a new country often begins with excitement to new opportunities, new surroundings, and the promise of a different future. But behind many expatriate stories is a challenge of building a life from the beginning. For Egyptian expat Ahmed Youssef, that challenge came at a time when th»»»

Abu Dhabi: The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) has launched a comprehensive infrastructure development and road expansion project is underway on the E20 highway to improve traffic flow and accommodate rising mobility demands. Among the key improvements are the widening of its lanes»»»

RIYADH: Tuwaiq Academy has announced the launch of a new set of “Tuwaiq Executives” programs, set to run at its headquarters in Riyadh from July to December. The programs aim to develop leaders and decision-makers and equip them to keep pace with emerging technologies through partnerships with lead»»»

Russia continues to recruit Africans to fight on the front in Ukraine. The Stop Russian Recruiters platform, which is linked to Urkaine's Ministry of Defence, has now identified nearly 3,000 recruits. Around one in six has already been killed. Among the countries most affected are Cameroon, Ghana, »»»

This week in Reporters: a special report by FRANCE 24's The Observers. After a leak of confidential documents revealed how Russian agents have been planting hundreds of articles in French-speaking media outlets in West and Central Africa, FRANCE 24 travelled to Dakar, Senegal, to investigate this s»»»

French President Emmenuel Macron visited Fontainebleau on the outskirts of Paris, after devastating wildfires that scorched at least 10% of the 20-thousand-hectare forest. Macron warned it would ‌take several weeks for the fire to be completely ⁠extinguished but pledged to replant the historic doma»»»

RIYADH: A Saudi security guard who became the target of online mockery has sparked a wider conversation about the dignity of work, with many Saudis rejecting attempts to belittle the profession and describing it as an honorable role that serves both people and the country. Mousa Al-Saad, who has wo»»»

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said the two-decade-long campaign to restrict weapons solely to state authorities and bolster national sovereignty has yielded significant milestones. In an interview published Friday in the Saudi daily Okaz, Geagea lauded the Lebanese Cabinet, arguing that its p»»»

The European Union's renewed drive to expand eastwards could face its biggest political obstacle yet if French far-right leader Marine Le Pen wins the 2027 presidential election, potentially derailing accession hopes for Ukraine and the Western Balkans at one of the most critical moments in the blo»»»

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Maritime has advised boat owners, jet ski riders and other marine users to familiarise themselves with the fines that apply across the emirate's waterways, encouraging everyone to follow safety requirements and obtain the necessary permits before undertaking maritime activities»»»

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated on Friday in a launching ceremony of the country's first hydrogen-powered train, Indian media reported. The train took off from the Jind station in the state of Haryana, the state-run All India Radio News reported. The train is the first in India to »»»