Meta is on trial for intentionally seeking to addict children to its Facebook and Instagram platforms in pursuit of profit, a lawyer for California said on Tuesday, at the start of a trial that could rehsape some of the most popular apps in the world.  Meta knowingly hooked and exploited child»»»

Dubai: British-Palestinian couple and their 14-year-old daughter died after getting into difficulty in the sea off England’s south coast, while a younger daughter remains critically ill in hospital, police said. Sussex Police identified the victims as Hassan El-Khawas, 55, his wife Zeina Alayn, 37,»»»

Dubai: King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has begun the first phase of its “Silent Airport” project at Terminal 5, reducing public announcements as part of efforts to provide passengers with a quieter and more comfortable travel experience. Under the initiative, general audio announcements»»»

A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard figure has dismissed President Donald Trump as “short-sighted” and “childish,” saying he would place more faith in a taxi driver’s word than in the US leader’s statements — a pointed sign of the distrust now shaping Tehran’s approach to Washington. Brig Gen. Moh»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s meteorological summer is nearing its end, with autumn beginning on September 1 and ushering in a transitional period of fluctuating weather and a gradual moderation in temperatures, the National Centre for Meteorology (NCM) said. Despite the seasonal shift, September has histo»»»

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with technology leaders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Wednesday, August 19, 2026. Photo by Al Drago/UPI | License Photo Aug. 19 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump declared "economic warfare" against Iran on Wednesday night »»»

Dubai: Temperatures are forecast to drop across the UAE on Thursday, but unsettled conditions will persist, with blowing dust, possible fog and further rain expected in parts of the country over the coming days. The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) forecast fair to partly cloudy conditions on T»»»

LONDON: Britain said on Wednesday it had summoned Israel’s charge d’affaires and demanded a halt to a major West Bank settlement project after Israeli authorities opened bidding for more than 1,200 homes in the area. The E1 plan, green-lit by Israel last year, has drawn international condemnation, »»»

HONG KONG (AP): A verdict is expected Friday in the case of two organisers of an annual Hong Kong vigil to remember the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown who are being tried under a China-imposed national security law that has stifled Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tu»»»

LONDON: Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have decided to return to the United Kingdom, but they won’t resume their roles as working members of the royal family, British news media reported late Wednesday.The couple’s children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, have already enrolled at Br»»»

KYIV/MOSCOW: Attacks on shipping have shut down more ​than 97 percent of Russia and Ukraine’s grain export capacity in the Azov and Black Sea basin, cutting off a major source of low-cost supplies and helping to drive up global prices. The two major grain exporters have intensified attacks on ports»»»

The longtime publisher of Stars and Stripes has announced his retirement, ending a decades-long career with the military newspaper as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon moves to exert editorial control and eliminate what it asserts are “woke distractions.” Max D. Lederer Jr. announced his re»»»

Washington: US President Donald Trump has said the United States is leading China "by a lot" in artificial intelligence, signalling that the emerging technology will be among the issues discussed when Chinese President Xi Jinping visits in September. "We're leading in every single one, and I will t»»»

CINCINNATI, Ohio: Tommy Paul saved a match point on the way to a 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 upset of top seed Alexander Zverev on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters. The match was interrupted for 90 minutes in the seventh game of the second set by rain and had two more»»»

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court on Wednesday slammed the latest U.S. sanctions targeting senior ICC staff, including its president, as a “flagrant attack” on the global tribunal's independence and vowed to continue seeking justice for atrocities around the world. The »»»

KYIV/MOSCOW, Aug 19 : Attacks on shipping have shut down more ​than 97 percent of Russia and Ukraine’s grain export capacity in the Azov and Black Sea basin, cutting off a major source of low-cost supplies and helping to drive up global prices. The two major grain exporters have intensified attacks»»»

As the summer break winds down, perhaps we should remember that children aren’t the only ones wishing it would last a little longer. Do you remember those last few days of the summer holidays when we were at school? We looked at the calendar and wished someone would give us another week. Just a few»»»

WASHINGTON: Total US debt has topped $40 trillion for the first time, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday, drawing fresh warnings that a fiscal crisis is brewing as ballooning costs for social safety-net programs and interest payments far outstrip revenues held back ​by tax cuts. The Treasury»»»

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was launching a major new campaign to target Iran’s economy, threatening “tremendous” punishment on any country that helps or does business with the Islamic republic. The intensified economic pressure campaign comes as the war nears its sixth »»»

SYDNEY: Australia summoned Israel’s ambassador on Thursday after the Israeli military decided not to pursue criminal proceedings over an airstrike that killed Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six World Central Kitchen colleagues in Gaza. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was “outraged” by»»»

CINCINNATI, Ohio: Tommy Paul saved a match point on the way to a 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 upset of top seed Alexander Zverev on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters. The match was interrupted for 90 minutes in the seventh game of the second set by rain and had two more»»»

Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said Washington has "very draconian sanctions" available against Iran and indicated that further measures could be announced, while asserting that the Strait of Hormuz remained open and the naval blockade had been "extremely effect»»»

NAIROBI, Kenya: A safari helicopter crashed Wednesday morning in a remote part of northern Kenya, killing seven people, including five Americans, according to local police and the US State Department. Among those killed were an executive with Telemundo, the US-based Spanish-language network owned b»»»

Washington, DC: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said he shares a "good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, asserting that their engagement has helped make the United States and its allies safer. "I do have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un, as you know, you've»»»

Satyendra Pathak Doha Gulf airlines could increasingly look to India for artificial intelligence, data analytics, software development and other technology-related functions as they seek to accelerate digital transformation while controlling costs and accessing a large pool of skilled technology pr»»»

The project evidently pursues Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) standards through upgrading systems and infrastructure, improving energy and water efficiency, enhancing indoor environmental quality, using more sustainable materials, and deploying smart solutions that help reduce the en»»»

Satyendra Pathak Doha Indian expatriates in Qatar have welcomed the Supreme Court of India’s move to regulate airfares, saying a transparent mechanism to check sudden increases in ticket prices would provide much-needed relief to NRIs and migrant workers who depend on affordable air connectivity to»»»

Khaled Al Hameidi Doha Education City is transforming the summer months into a season of discovery, learning and community engagement, offering people of all ages and abilities a diverse programme of sports, creative activities, educational programmes and personal development opportunities, a top o»»»

NASA has captured its clearest look yet at the aftermath of a SpaceX rocket stage crashing into the moon, revealing a fresh crater and streaks of material blasted across the lunar surface. The discarded upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket struck the moon on Aug. 5 after spending more than a year in sp»»»

Marine heat wave conditions have been affecting the western Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Atlantic through the summer. This data visualisation, based on Copernicus Marine Service data for Aug. 13, shows sea surface temperature anomalies across the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent Atlantic. R»»»

Gaza: The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) murdered at least 73,407 Palestinian civilians and injured at least 174,335 others since the beginning of the genocide that the Israeli occupation has been committing against the Gaza Strip in October 2023. Medical sources in the Gaza Strip said on Wednesda»»»

Bangui: More than 100 people were killed following a collapse inside a gold mine in western Central African Republic, near the border with Cameroon. Others were injured, while several people remain missing. An official from a Central African mining association said the death toll had exceeded 100, »»»

DUBAI: A Yemeni minister has warned the country’s Houthi rebels are plotting to seize land along the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, which would allow them to further threaten the vital shipping artery. Three Houthi military sources and a spokesman for the Yemeni government forces battling them near the wate»»»

DAMASCUS: Syrian authorities on Thursday received former Maj. Gen. Adel Issa from Lebanon after his extradition to face charges including premeditated murder and torture, state news agency SANA reported. His handover marked the first extradition of a former Syrian military officer from Lebanon sinc»»»

RIYADH: Al-Kholood's historic run to the King Cup final last season remains a surreal achievement for Des Buckingham's side. Against all odds, they fought to avoid relegation in only their second season in the top flight before going on to face Al-Hilal in the final, even taking the lead before fal»»»

WASHINGTON: The Democratic Party’s left wing on Wednesday celebrated its latest stunning upset in a US Senate primary in Florida, extending its winning streak into President Donald Trump’s home state as voters rejected several of his preferred Republican candidates in other races. State lawmaker An»»»

DUBAI: Israel’s airstrike on the Abu Al-Duhur military airport in Syria’s Idlib province on Tuesday was not just an attack on Syrian military infrastructure. Analysts believe it was a calculated message to the post-Assad leadership in Damascus and its Turkish allies. The strike, which damaged the r»»»

More than 7,300 excess deaths have been recorded in France over the historically hot summer as Europe grapples with worsening heatwaves, wildfires and droughts, public health authorities said Wednesday. France has suffered a record-breaking 52 days of heatwaves since mid-June, an AFP analysis found»»»

NEW YORK CITY: The UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher on Wednesday rejected any characterization of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as the “dismantling” of the UN aid system. Despite enormous damage to aid operations there and in Lebanon, he said, the system “has taken the shocks to it and conti»»»

President of the Argentine Republic Javier Gerardo Milei speaks at the United Nations Headquarters in 2025. Bolivian prosecutors will seek six months of pretrial detention for Argentine political consultant Fernando Cerimedo, Milei's former campaign advisor. File Photo by Peter Foley/UPI | License »»»

Péter Magyar’s first 100 days as Hungary’s prime minister have produced two sharply different verdicts. The Tisza government says it has already delivered more than 100 commitments and put the country on a new course, while Fidesz, now in opposition, argues that the period has been defined by broke»»»

NEW YORK: The UN has expressed serious concern over the US decision to impose sanctions on International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, warning that the measures could further undermine the independence of international justice. UN Secretary-General An»»»

Hungary has avoided another shutdown at the Paks nuclear power plant despite the Danube approaching a critical low, Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Wednesday evening. The government now expects the plant to begin restoring additional capacity from Sunday and potentially return to full oper»»»

Aug. 18 (UPI) -- A Florida man launched a miniature basketball into a hoop from a distance of over 100 feet to break his own Guinness World Record. Nicholas DeMarinis, aka Nickybucketz, threw his ball into the hoop from a distance of 102 feet and 11.76 inches to break the Guinness World Record for »»»

Nine birds - eight vultures and one crow - have been found poisoned in Central Balkan National Park, the Green Balkans nature conservation organization and the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) said on Wednesday. Following alarming data from the GPS transmitter of a bearded vultu»»»

United Nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is seriously concerned by the imposition of U.S. sanctions against two top officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said his spokesperson on Wednesday. "We've seen the announcement by the United States regarding the imposition of san»»»

Dubai: Several participants have won cash prizes in the latest UAE Lottery Lucky Day draw held on Wednesday. The UAE Lottery announced the results of Lucky Day Draw No. 260819, held on August 19, with 4,246 participants winning prizes. The winning numbers in the Days section were 3, 10, 11, 15, 19 »»»

Dubai Municipality has completed integrated community market projects for workers in Muhaisnah 2, Al Quoz Industrial Area 3 and Al Quoz 4, while a fourth market in Jebel Ali Industrial Area 1 is scheduled to open in the coming period. Together, the projects span more than 69,000 square metres and f»»»

Ramallah: The Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC) on Wednesday said that Israeli occupation authorities have issued a new declaration to seize approximately 1,152 dunams of Palestinian land in the West Bank. CWRC said that the declaration gives landowners 45 days to file objections b»»»

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday the EU would "stand firmly" behind the International Criminal Court after the US levied new sanctions against its president, Tomoko Akane, in a move the ICC called a "flagrant attack" on its independence. "These sanctions are a flagr»»»