JEDDAH: Ehsan Bafaqeeh, Jeddah’s new mayor, has pledged to prioritize the development of municipal services, expanded fieldwork and improvements to residents’ quality of life, he told Al-Eqtisadiah. Appointed by a royal decree issued on Sunday at the “excellent” grade rank, Bafaqeeh succeeds Saleh »»»

DAMMAM: The Eastern Province municipality has reviewed plans for the second season of the Global City Dammam project, which will feature major expansions, world markets, and an interactive fountain, with more than 5.2 million visits expected. After recording more than 3 million visits in its first »»»

Doha, Qatar: The State of Qatar condemned the continued attacks targeting the headquarters of the Consulate General of the State of Kuwait in the city of Basra, in Iraq, along with the accompanying violation of the sanctity of consular missions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that targeti»»»

Doha, Qatar: The State of Qatar condemned in the strongest terms the repeated Iranian attacks that targeted the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the State of Kuwait. It added that it considers these attacks a blatant violation of the sovereignty of these sisterly states, and»»»

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States would be paid for guarding the Strait of Hormuz after declaring that it would be “taking over” the strategic waterway. “We’ll become the guardian of the Strait,” Trump told Fox News, adding that the US had been guarding it for “n»»»

Dubai: For UAE travellers planning a European summer holiday, 2026 has turned into one of the most challenging travel seasons in recent years. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.First came flight disruptions linked to regional conflicts, followed by fewer flight options o»»»

Dubai: Britain has unveiled plans for one of its toughest measures yet against Iran, proposing legislation that would ban the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and make supporting the force a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Also Read: Who are Iran’s IRGC and why the »»»

London: At least 2,700 people could have died in England and Wales as a result of heatwaves that struck in May and June, according to a study released Monday. Experts from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used weather data, climate model»»»

Bahrain's military on Monday accused Iran of targeting civilians with its latest attacks on the kingdom, after Tehran said it had struck U.S. military facilities and infrastructure there. "Iran continues its systematic hostile approach through its heinous attacks with missiles and drones that targe»»»

Athens: Fire has severely damaged a badminton hall built for the Athens 2004 Olympics, causing the roof to cave in. The fire department said it sent nearly 40 firefighters and 13 vehicles to contain the fire, which started late Sunday, inside the hall, which had not been used for several years. It »»»

Washington, United States: President Donald Trump said Monday the United States was "taking over" the Strait of Hormuz as fighting over the strategic waterway threatened to derail efforts to permanently end the war in the Middle East. "We're taking over the Strait. They have nothing. They've got no»»»

Hungary’s National Assembly convened on Monday for a politically charged session dominated by debate over the government’s proposed constitutional amendment, while the opposition Fidesz and Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP) parliamentary groups stayed away from the proceedings. Fidesz and »»»

Arab Finance: The Egyptian Customs Authority and the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce have signed a guarantee agreement under the UN International Transport of Goods under Cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention), according to a statement. Minister of Finance Ahmed Kouchouk, Minister of Tra»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s benchmark Tadawul All Share Index, or TASI, closed 0.16 percent lower at 10,801.71 on Monday. The MSCI Tadawul 30 Index, or MT30, declined 0.26 percent to 1,437.61, while the Nomu parallel market index slipped 0.07 percent to 22,539.59. A total of 201.2 million shares were tr»»»

LONDON: US Congressman Ro Khanna has accused the Israeli government and military of lying about his detention during a visit to the occupied West Bank. The California Democrat representative posted footage on social media of Israeli settlers and soldiers blocking the path of his convoy last week, T»»»

MANILA: The Philippines has strengthened cooperation with Saudi Arabia in addressing human trafficking, authorities say, following a joint program in Manila on knowledge sharing. The Philippines hosted this month a delegation from the Saudi National Committee on Combating Human Trafficking under a »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia is developing its economy, improving its armed forces and achieving new results in the defense industry, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday. "We are developing our economy, strengthening our finances, improving our armed forces, achieving new results in the fi»»»

DOHA: Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity of the State of Libya HE Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibeh has arrived in Doha to offer condolences on the passing of HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Upon their arrival at Hamad International Airport, the PM and the accompany»»»

DOHA: President of the Republic of Maldives HE Dr Mohamed Muizzu arrived in Doha on Monday to offer condolences on the passing of HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The president and the accompanying delegation were received upon arrival at Hamad International Airport by Minister»»»

Dubai: Dammam recorded the fastest residential property growth among Saudi Arabia’s main cities during the first quarter of 2026, with the value of home sales rising 71% in three months to SAR3.6 billion. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Around 2,900 homes were sold in »»»

The political bureau of Yemen’s Ansarullah Movement confirmed that “the criminal Saudi regime bombed Sanaa Airport in a dangerous escalation aimed at preventing our delegation from returning home, but this attempt failed.” Ansarullah explained that “the crime of targeting Sanaa Airport constitutes »»»

Damascus, July 14 (SANA) UK Special Envoy to Syria Barrie Peach said Monday that the inaugural session of Syria’s People’s Assembly, held on Sunday, marked an important step in the country’s political transition, reaffirming the United Kingdom’s support for efforts to strengthen Syrian state instit»»»

RIYADH: Egypt’s trade deficit widened 20.2 percent year on year to $4.8 billion in April, compared with $4 billion in the same month a year earlier, as imports continued to outpace a strong recovery in exports, official data showed. According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statis»»»

RIYADH: Middle East and North Africa venture funding showed signs of deeper stress in the first half of 2026, with startup investment falling 22 percent year on year to $1.35 billion while deal count dropped 41 percent to 214 transactions, the lowest half-year total since at least 2022, according t»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke by phone on Monday with Italian Deputy PM and FM Antonio Tajani about current European and regional affairs, Serbia-Italy relations and opportunities for advancing them further. "We exchanged views on Serbia's European integration process, continu»»»

Supplies are being funneled from Europe to Ukraine's ports via Romania, which is why Russia's latest barrage of precision strikes, including on Izmail, has been so relentless, retired Russian Navy Captain First Rank Vasily Dandykin tells Sputnik. The strategic goal of this pummeling of Ukraine’s po»»»

Rompetrol Energy, the operator of the cogeneration plant on the Petromidia platform, has successfully tested the plant’s capability to operate in island mode and to start up without power supply from the National Energy System (SEN), under the hypothetical scenario of a large‑scale blackout. This c»»»

Doha, Qatar: President of the Republic of Maldives HE Dr. Mohamed Muizzu arrived in Doha on Monday to offer condolences on the passing of the Father Amir HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. His Excellency and the accompanying delegation were received upon arrival at Hamad International Airport by»»»

TUNIS, July 13 (TAP) – The Assembly of People's Representatives (ARP) will continue on Tuesday, starting at 10:00 a.m., its plenary session to examine two draft laws.The first concerns the approval of a guarantee agreement signed on November 3, 2025...»»»

RIYADH: Dammam led Saudi Arabia’s residential property market in the first quarter of 2026, with quarterly sales values surging 71 percent year on year to SR3.6 billion ($957 million), latest data showed. According to real estate advisory and property consultancy Cavendish Maxwell, around 2,900 hom»»»

TUNIS, July 13 (TAP) – Declared investments in Tunisia’s industrial sector reached 754.6 million dinars (MD) by the end of April 2026, marking an 18% increase compared with the same period in the previous year, according to the latest Business...»»»

Iran on Monday fired "warning shots" at two ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, state television reported, as Tehran and Washington battle for control of the strategic waterway. "This morning, two ships that were attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz illegally were targeted and stopp»»»

Israeli forces on Monday shot dead a Palestinian worker as he attempted to climb over a barrier separating Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. The Ramallah-based ministry reported that 30-year-old Naser Kaabneh "was killed by Israeli gunfire this morning nea»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity of the State of Libya HE Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibeh has arrived in Doha to offer condolences on the passing of the Father Amir HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. Upon their arrival at Hamad International Airport, His Excellency an»»»

There's a new buzz around campus as the UAE's first native swarm of bees has found a home at Deira International School (DIS). DIS has become the first school in Dubai to join Terra Expo City Dubai's Hundred Hives initiative, bringing a working beehive onto campus and giving thousands of students a»»»

London, July 13 (SANA) Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to its lowest level in five weeks on Sunday, with only six vessels transiting the strategic waterway, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler, as renewed military exchanges between the United States and Iran heightened »»»

Kochi: In a first for Kerala, a BJP councillor will take the oath of office from inside a central jail on Tuesday after the Kerala High Court allowed the swearing-in ceremony to be conducted within the prison premises. R. Sugathan, elected from the Vazhottukonam ward of the Thiruvananthapuram Corpo»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Yemeni Transport Minister: Iranian plane lands in homeland carrying patients, stranded individuals and official delegation 13-07-2026 15:25»»»

Among the EU countries, Bulgaria reported the highest ratio of hospital beds per 100,000 people relative to its population size, with an average of 870 hospital beds, followed by Germany (759), Romania (731), Austria (655) and Czechia (639), according to data published by Eurostat on Monday. Conver»»»

The number of foreign students at the University of Food Technologies in Plovdiv has doubled in 2026, rising from 100 to 200, the university told BTA on Monday. The figure is expected to increase further as admissions are still open. The university emphasized that international enrollment has been »»»

President Joseph Aoun vowed Monday not to compromise on Lebanon's sovereign rights or the security of its southern border, ahead of crucial regional negotiations in Rome. Aoun insisted on a full Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territories and a written commitment from Israel that it has no amb»»»

LONDON — World oil prices surged Monday as a fresh flare-up between the United States and Iran rattled investors, while a selloff in chipmakers sent South Korea's stock market plunging.European equities were muted and the dollar was mixed against main rivals."While [oil] prices are still not at cri»»»

International and regional investors have committed more than US$1.1 billion (approximately EGP55 billion) to new hospitality developments in Sharm El Sheikh, reinforcing Egypt’s strategy to expand tourism capacity and attract higher international visitor numbers as the sector continues to underpin»»»

Dubai: Businesses are increasingly choosing the DIFC Courts to resolve commercial disputes, with nearly one in three cases filed during the first half of 2026 brought through agreements that expressly selected its jurisdiction. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.A record »»»

Brussels, Belgium: The EU said Monday that European donors had put some $1 billion on the table to help initial recovery efforts in war-torn Gaza. "We will present the initial package today of almost 900 million euros or one billion dollars," Dubravka Suica, EU commissioner for the Mediterranean, s»»»

Sharjah: The Department of Municipal Affairs has launched a campaign to encourage residents to replace single-use products with environmentally friendly alternatives as part of the emirate's wider efforts to promote sustainable living. The 'Sharjah Deserves the Best' campaign will run until Decembe»»»

New Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola said he was impatient to sign more new players as the Premier League side set out to improve on last season’s campaign. Liverpool, who finished fifth last season, have so far signed center-back Jeremy Jacquet from Stade Rennais and winger Victor Munoz from Osasun»»»

RIYADH: The journey may have ended for all eight Arab nations at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but the tournament will remain ingrained in the memories of Arab fans who supported each nation as one of their own. The JAX District Coca-Cola Fan Zone has been one of the prime spots to watch the World Cup i»»»

Speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah’s leadership have received a “new message” from the Iranian leadership, which was sent on Sunday, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Monday. “Tehran informed the Qatari and Pakistani mediators that ending the war on Lebanon and completing the Israeli withdrawal are pr»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Marko Djuric met on Monday in Belgrade with OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu to discuss further cooperation with the OSCE, the situation in Kosovo-Metohija, as well as current regional and global issues. Djuric noted that Serbia maintained good cooperation and intens»»»