PARIS, France: Iran is holding in prison two prominent Iranian graphic design artists after they met two French diplomats in a case that has sparked tensions between Paris and Tehran, their supporters said. Aria Kasaei, 46, and Elly Naghilou, 36, were arrested after meeting the French diplomats in »»»

LONDON: A British student deported from the US after being interrogated for nine hours has said he was profiled for being Muslim. Laith Al-Ani described feeling “kidnapped” upon arrival in the US, when he was interrogated and then detained for another 14 hours by US Customs and Border Protection at»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait HE Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah held a telephone conversation. During the call, the two sides discussed cooperation rela»»»

A New York State Lottery PowerBall lottery sign displays a jackpot of $1.6 billion in December 2025 in New York City. A new Gallup poll released Monday shows that the percentage of those who say they've taken part in a gambling activity over the past year has dropped significantly over the past dec»»»

Doha: Minister of State for International Cooperation HE Dr. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met on Monday via videoconference with UK Minister of State for International Development HE Kirsty McNeill. The two ministers reviewed bilateral cooperation and discussed ways to further develop it, a»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli occupation forces raid the town of Bir Nabala, northwest of occupied Al-Quds (Jerusalem) 17-08-2026 23:31 PM Latest News Urgent New»»»

Riyadh: Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah met on Monday with Sudanese counterpart Mohieldin Salem Ahmed Ibrahim, currently visiting Saudi Arabia. During the meeting, the two ministers reviewed bilateral relations and explored avenues to expand and strengthen co»»»

DAMASCUS, Syria: The death of a young man with a serious medical condition who was arrested and allegedly beaten by Syrian security forces has stirred up dark memories of torture and other abuse in detention centers under the Assad dynasty’s decades-long rule. Syrians have taken to social media and»»»

Paris, France: Spain's World Cup-winning captain Rodri arrived in Barcelona on Monday to sign a contract with the La Liga champions as one of the transfer sagas of the summer draws to its conclusion. "I'm very pleased to be here. The last few days have been intense, but I'm glad everything's sorted»»»

RIYADH: Key education reforms for the coming school year in Saudi Arabia include a strict ban on educators teaching outside their specializations; the introduction of AI tools to ease administrative workloads; the promotion of more than 37,000 educational and administrative staff; and working hours»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iran’s FM Dismisses Drone Attack on Barzani’s Office as False Flag Operation 17-08-2026 23:17 PM Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (image»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi: The Islamic Republic is determined to continue the process of establishing a safe passage for ships»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received a phone call today from his HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain. During the call, they reviewed the fraternal relations between the two brotherly countries and ways to support and strengthen them across various»»»

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The prosecution rested Monday in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy over the killings of her three children in Massachusetts. Clancy, 36, is accused of fatally strangling her children -- 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan -- at their home on Jan. 24, 2023. Th»»»

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates has expressed its sincere condolences and solidarity with the Republic of Zimbabwe over a capsized passenger ferry in Lake Kariba, which resulted in dozens of deaths, injuries, and missing people. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - »»»

NAIROBI: Pirates have seized a cargo ship off the coast of Somalia, monitors reported on Monday, in the latest incident since a resurgence of maritime attacks around the Horn of Africa. Eight people boarded and took control of the merchant ship near Marraye in Somalia, according to alerts by UK Mar»»»

Abu Dhabi: Emirates Transport has announced that around 10,000 school buses equipped with safety and security systems are ready to transport students across the UAE as the 2026-2027 academic year begins. The company said more than 10,000 bus drivers, along with a similar number of transport and saf»»»

IRBIL: Iraq said on Monday it would launch an investigation into an overnight drone attack on the Iraqi Kurdistan prime minister’s office, as Iran portrayed the incident as a ploy to undermine bilateral relations. Kurdistan’s authorities had earlier blamed the attack — which also targeted the home »»»

Saudi Arabia’s coffee culture has become deeply woven into everyday life. Cafes are no longer simply places to grab a quick cup of coffee — they are spaces to work, meet friends, read, socialize and, increasingly, experience culture. Mahd Cultural Cafe in Al-Jazli Shopping Mall in Riyadh’s Al-Narji»»»

IRBIL: Iraq said on Monday it would launch an investigation into an overnight drone attack on the Iraqi Kurdistan prime minister’s office, as Iran portrayed the incident as a ploy to undermine bilateral relations. Kurdistan’s authorities had earlier blamed the attack — which also targeted the home »»»

AMMAN — Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC) President Khalil Haj Tawfiq described His Majesty King Abdullah’s visit to China as a “historic” opportunity to transform Jordanian-Chinese economic ties from a trade-based relationship into a strategic partnership focused on investment, joint production and»»»

The Trump administration is stepping up diplomatic efforts to secure a peace plan for Gaza. US envoy Jared Kushner is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a bid to persuade him to back the proposal. With Netanyahu facing major political and personal stakes ahead of a possible re»»»

President Donald Trump speaks Monday in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. In an interview Monday, Trump threatened to bomb Oman if it "gets in the way" of any potential deal with Iran. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo Aug. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. President Donald Trump threat»»»

QUSRA, West Bank: The Palestinian American whose home in the occupied West Bank has been besieged by Israeli settlers for over a week traveled to his property on Monday to join other family members who have been defending it. The standoff, in the village of Qusra, has seen groups of settlers surrou»»»

NABLUS: Israeli settlers continued to besiege several homes in the town of Qusra, south of Nablus, on Monday for a ninth successive day — under the protection of Israeli occupation forces — in an attempt to seize the properties while imposing a fait accompli. Settlers continued to surround the home»»»

ANKARA: Turkiye is expanding and upgrading several customs crossings along its border with Syria to increase capacity, improve infrastructure and accommodate growing trade ahead of Syria’s reconstruction phase. The country’s Trade Ministry is carrying out the projects to expand border facilities an»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli media: Sirens sounded at Israeli army posts in southern Lebanon 17-08-2026 20:24 PM Latest News Urgent News Israeli media: Sirens s»»»

Las Vegas: Rapper Tupac Shakur was shot dead in an act of gang revenge ordered by a mobster who later boasted of it, jurors heard Monday, as one of America's most anticipated trials got under way, 30 years after the murder. Duane "Keffe D" Davis, a one-time leader of the South Side Compton Crips, o»»»

As the August 20 fireworks approach, forecast uncertainty invariably rises, for late summer brings a confluence of atmospheric influences to the Carpathian Basin. This volatility, coupled with the sudden onset of violent showers and thunderstorms, could place the national day celebrations in jeopar»»»

Ukraine's banks made almost a third less profit in the first half of 2026 than a year earlier, as the wartime windfall that fattened their margins begins to fade. The banking system's net profit fell 32% year on year to UAH54.07bn ($1.3bn) in 1H26, according to National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) data c»»»

A ruble-backed stablecoin built by a sanctioned Russian defence bank has handled nearly $140bn of turnover since it was created 18 months ago. Pyotr Fradkov, chairman and chief executive of PSB Bank and son of a former prime minister, said A7A5 had reached that figure since February 2025. “This is »»»

Poland says it stopped a Russian-directed plot to murder a US citizen in Warsaw - the first time, its prime minister says, that Moscow has tried to kill an American inside another Nato country. Polish security services detained a Russian citizen on August 7 who had been recruited by Russian intelli»»»

In Plovdiv, citizens held a second protest on Monday in defence of the Plovdiv International Fair in front of the town hall, despite the fact that earlier in the day Finance Minister Galab Donev had confirmed before the Supreme Court of Cassation that steps were being taken to protect the state's 2»»»

View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Calgary Zoo (@thecalgaryzoo) Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The Wilder Institute's Calgary Zoo in Alberta revealed a 1-year-old grizzly bear escaped from his enclosure for a brief time before guests arrived. Zoo officials confirmed Fitz the grizzly bear escaped fr»»»

Las Vegas: Rapper Tupac Shakur was shot dead in an act of gang revenge ordered by a mobster who later boasted of it, jurors heard Monday, as one of America's most anticipated trials got under way, 30 years after the murder. Duane "Keffe D" Davis, a one-time leader of the South Side Compton Crips, o»»»

Tunis, Aug. 17 (TAP) – Employees and executives of the Gafsa Phosphate Company (CPG) have decided to observe a three-day general strike September 1 through 3, if their demands are not met, according to a strike notice issued Monday by the Tunisian...»»»

Doha, Qatar: Hamad International Airport (HIA) reminded passengers that its complimentary shuttle service runs every 15 minutes, with no booking or registration needed. HIA, in a post on social media, said that the service is “perfect for tight connections, heavy hand luggage, or longer distances b»»»

Tunis, August 17 (TAP) - President Kais Saied visited on Monday the headquarters of the Higher Council of Education and Teaching in Tunis to attend its inaugural session, emphasising the Council's vital role in improving and reforming the education...»»»

Dubai: Around 1,700 aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been rescued from an alleged large-scale illegal recruitment scheme involving fake job offers in Central Europe, the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said. Authorities arrested Mazhoor Ubongin Khusin, also known as “»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and other members of his Board of Peace in Jerusalem on Monday to discuss the president’s plans for Gaza. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjam»»»

A senior Iranian official warned on Monday that Tehran will escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region, launching an attack if the United States fails to implement a memorandum of understanding within weeks. The threat came as the 60-day deadline stipulated in the “Islamabad Mem»»»

The Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA), chaired by Islam Azzam, has approved two companies to conduct various non-banking financial activities using fintech, following reviews by the committee responsible for examining applications to use fintech in non-banking financial services. The approvals c»»»

The board of directors of the National Investment Bank (NIB), chaired by Ahmed Rostom, has appointed Dalia Mostafa as vice-chairperson and managing director of the bank, as part of efforts to strengthen its leadership with experienced banking professionals with a long track record in managing strat»»»

Egypt’s Electricity and Renewable Energy Minister Mahmoud Esmat has received UAE Ambassador to Cairo Hamad Al Zaabi to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation and support investment in the electricity and renewable energy sectors. During the meeting, Esmat praised the longstanding ties bet»»»

Egyptian Minister of Industry Khaled Hashem participated in laying the foundation stone for the Sungrow Power Suez plant, which will specialize in advanced battery energy storage systems (BESS) and is set to become the first dedicated energy storage systems manufacturing facility in the Middle East»»»

Egypt plans to establish a new investment entity to coordinate its investments in Africa and is urging the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) to expand its backing for continental infrastructure and trade initiatives, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Sunday. Abdelatty, who »»»

LONDON: An Israeli-Palestinian nonprofit organization on Monday urged the EU and the governments of the UK, Canada and Australia to impose sanctions on Avi Bluth, head of the Israeli military’s Central Command, for failure to prevent mounting attacks by settlers on Palestinian communities in the oc»»»

Doha, Qatar: Years of Culture, Qatar’s long-term cultural exchange initiative, has marked a successful summer of international programming, with major exhibitions presented across Mexico, Chile and China bringing Qatar’s creative partnerships to audiences around the world. Spanning three continents»»»

New York, Aug. 17 (SANA) US stocks traded close to record levels Monday as investors awaited earnings from major retailers for further evidence of how high inflation and a slowing labour market are affecting consumer spending. The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% but remained near Thursday’s record high. The D»»»

The Government, trade unions and employers reached an alignment on a mechanism for setting the national minimum wage, the Finance Ministry said Monday. Changes in four equally weighted indicators will determine how much the minimum wage may increase. The Price Index of a Small Basket will be used t»»»