The Heads of State of Central Asia attend the UIM F1H2O World Powerboat Championships. The Presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, arrived at the competition area. Kyrgyzstan is hosting a stage of th»»»

The 2026 Issyk-Kul Kyrgyzstan Grand Prix, a stage of the F1H2O World Powerboat Championship, has kicked off in Kyrgyzstan. The international competition, which is being held for the first time in Central Asia, takes place on the shores of Issyk-Kul Lake from July 31 to August 2. F1H2O is considered»»»

Dubai: Filipino workers travelling overseas will no longer need to carry a printed overseas employment certificate (OEC) when departing from Manila, as 24 international airlines at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have started accepting the new digital OFW Pass. The move has been expected »»»

Two tanker-related incidents have been reported off Oman as tensions continue to rise across Gulf waters, with maritime authorities urging vessels to exercise caution. The developments come as shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz declines sharply amid the ongoing Iran-US standoff, with ope»»»

Washington, United States: 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 s»»»

San Francisco: U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic said Thursday that three of its AI models accessed or interacted with computer systems belonging to three real-world organizations during internal cyber capability evaluations after internet access was inadvertently left available. »»»

The first session of Bulgaria's 52nd National Assembly was dominated by the newly formed Progressive Bulgaria party, which secured a parliamentary majority following the April 19 snap elections, enabling the adoption of the 2026 budget, changes to electoral legislation and amendments to the Judicia»»»

Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Daniyar Amangeldiev announced that an agreement had been reached to resume fuel and lubricant supplies from Russia. Answering journalists’ questions in Issyk-Kul region, Amangeldiev noted that negotiations on fuel supplies were conducted wit»»»

Russian forces pounded Kiev's defense industry and military logistics hubs overnight in a heavy coordinated strike, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said. The barrage targeted facilities tied to the production, storage, and supply of missiles, drones, radar systems, and electronic-warfare gear for the »»»

Canberra, Australia: The proportion of Australian children with social media accounts fell by 10 percentage points in the first three months of the country's world-first under-16 social media ban, according to new data. The eSafety Commissioner, Australia's online safety watchdog, on Friday release»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has an opportunity to strengthen its retirement system and unlock billions of riyals in long-term domestic investment, according to a BlackRock report, which found that while many workers are financially confident today, fewer are adequately prepared for retirement. The “Read o»»»

Heavy rainfall has triggered landslides, flash floods and widespread disruption across Kerala, with two people killed and rescue operations underway for those feared trapped under debris. In Idukki district, a landslide at Adurmala in Kudayathoor, near Thodupuzha, buried a house, killing Sumathi, a»»»

Canberra, Australia: Scientists have found that mining threatens more than 12,000 species worldwide, including nearly 6,000 already classified as "threatened." Researchers in Australia and Britain combined global maps of mining activity with data on threatened species to examine the extent of minin»»»

George Clooney and his family have evacuated their home in southeastern France after a nearby wildfire threatened the area, his agent said Thursday. Blazes continued to scorch parts of the country during a prolonged spell of extreme summer heat. George Clooney and his family have been forced to eva»»»

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation said on Saturday it welcomed the scrapping of FIFA's proposal to allow private investment in the World Cup. AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa "welcomed the withdrawal of the proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise," the Kuala Lumpur-based bod»»»

Researchers identified the new mineral at the Kirovsky mine in the Khibiny Massif on the Kola Peninsula. It has been named Kola Ashcroftine, a spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education told Sputnik. Even a thin coating of the new mineral on rock is valued at an average o»»»

Los Angeles, United States: A US F-35 fighter jet crashed Friday near a military base in San Diego, but the pilot was able to eject before impact, officials said. "There was an aviation mishap involving a Marine Corps F-35B in the vicinity" of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar at about 10:00 am (170»»»

Paris, France: FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Saturday he had scrapped a plan to allow private investment in the World Cup following fierce backlash from football officials worldwide. "Our purpose has always been -- and will always be -- to unite and improve," Infantino said in a statement»»»

Italy has temporarily suspended Schengen free-movement arrangements with Spain for one month, introducing targeted checks on some travellers arriving from Spain by air and sea. The move follows a surge in migrant arrivals into Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa, from neighbouring Morocco. I»»»

Dubai, UAE: An "unknown projectile" struck a tanker 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", the »»»

Arab Finance: Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Hussein Eissa held an expanded meeting to follow up on the performance of the Metallurgical Industries Holding Company (MIH) and its subsidiaries, according to a statement. The meeting reviewed the ongoing development projects, modernization »»»

The United States and Israel are preparing large-scale strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure, CBS News reported, citing sources. The strikes could occur this weekend, the report said.The White House has received plans for a heavy 2-week bombardment of Iran's missile sites, including options targe»»»

More than 50,000 migrants have already returned to Morocco from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, the 20minutos newspaper reported, citing local police sources. As previously reported by RTVE, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior said more than 48,300 illegal migrants have already returned from Ceuta t»»»

A senior security source commented to the Tasnim news agency on reports of possible US and Israeli attacks on Iran, stating that Tehran has prepared a comprehensive "response plan" in the event of military action. Earlier, CBS News, citing sources, reported that the US and Israel are preparing larg»»»

Restarting Hungary’s Paks Nuclear Power Plant could take up to a week if all four reactor units are shut down simultaneously, according to the plant’s Deputy CEO for Technical Affairs. The unprecedented situation is expected due to the record-low water level of the Danube, which has reduced the ava»»»

A gallery and solo exhibition of photographs by Honored Cultural Figure of the Kyrgyz Republic Erkin Bolzhurov, «From Ulitka’to Esimde,» has been opened in the village of Kuntuu at the art residence of People’s Artist of Kyrgyzstan and film director Aktan Arym Kubat. The Union of Cinematographers o»»»

Pakistani rescuers recovered three bodies on Friday after an avalanche hit Broad Peak during a climbing expedition, officials said. The Gilgit-Baltistan government identified the recovered climbers as Nepalese mountaineer Pur Bahadur Gurung, Omani climber Nathira Ahmed and American climber Mallory »»»

Thousands of migrants have entered Spain’s tiny North African territory of Ceuta from Morocco, with at least 57 people reported dead during the attempt, prompting Spain to deploy military support to reinforce the border. Migrant arrivals surge at Ceuta borderVideos and images from the frontier show»»»

A rockfall occurred overnight on August 1 in Boom Gorge, the Main Traffic Safety Department confirmed the information. According to the agency, traffic police officers and other emergency services are working at the scene, taking all necessary measures to deal with the aftermath of the incident. Al»»»

A rockfall occurred in Boom Gorge overnight on August 1, eyewitnesses posted on social media. Witnesses said the rockfall completely blocked the Bishkek—Issyk-Kul road, bringing traffic to a standstill in both directions. Long traffic jams quickly formed, and while waiting for heavy machinery to ar»»»

The Middle East remains on alert as the US weighs further strikes on Iran, Gaza ceasefire efforts continue, and regional shipping and aviation face disruption. Here are the key updates UAE residents need to know today. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click h»»»

The shutdown of the Paks nuclear power plant is not an emergency — every step is being taken in accordance with the strictest safety regulations and a pre-established procedure, wrote István Kapitány, Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy, on his Facebook page, following a visit to the nuclear po»»»

Deputy Minister of Economy of Kyrgyzstan Benazir Nurlanova met with a delegation of Turkish entrepreneurs. According to the Ministry of Economy, the parties discussed prospects for expanding Kyrgyzstan — Turkey trade, economic, and investment cooperation, increasing the export of domestic berries t»»»

The collection of the National History Museum in Bishkek has been replenished with a valuable historical exhibit that belonged to one of the founders of Kyrgyz statehood, an outstanding statesman and public figure Abdykerim Sydykov. The Ministry of Culture reported. The grandson of the public figur»»»

Industrial producer prices were an average 0.4% lower in June 2026 than in the corresponding period of the previous year. Domestic output prices rose by 1.8%, while non-domestic output prices were cut by 1.4% compared to June 2025. Compared to the previous month, domestic output prices went up by 0»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is expected to experience above-average temperatures across most of the Kingdom through October, with rainfall intensifying from September and potentially reaching heavy to very heavy levels in some areas later in the season, the National Center for Meteorology (NCM) said on Fr»»»

As part of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit to Kyrgyzstan, a ceremony to sign and exchange a memorandum establishing sister city relations between Osh and Azerbaijan’s Ganja took place at Rukh-Ordo Cultural Center in Cholpon-Ata. According to the City Hall of the southern capital, t»»»

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 (»»»