The U.S. military on Thursday seized another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil, ratcheting up a standoff with Iran a day after its paramilitary Revolutionary Guards took control of two vessels in the crucial Strait of Hormuz. The Defense Department released video footage of U.S. f»»»

Saudi Arabia’s debt market is set for a strategic shift in early 2027, following J.P. Morgan’s announcement that local-currency bonds will be included in its global emerging markets bond index. The move represents a vote of confidence in the Kingdom’s structural reforms and is expected to open the »»»

Dhaka: Bangladesh has recorded 194 child deaths due to measles in an outbreak that began last month, while the number of suspected child cases has exceeded 28,000, government data showed on Thursday. Between three and five children have died from the disease every day for the past week. Five childr»»»

Global — Gold prices retreated toward $4,700 per ounce, declining by nearly 1%, as a stronger US dollar and rising oil prices weighed on the metal, according to data reported by Bloomberg. The pullback follows the extension of a ceasefire between the United States and Iran, which has shifted market»»»

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s president and prime minister accused Israel on Thursday of a war crime, after an airstrike killed a Lebanese journalist in the country’s south, where Israeli forces occupy several areas. Rescuers and the reporter’s employer on Wednesday confirmed the death of Amal Khalil, a 42-yea»»»

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - Sri Lanka is planning to pay for future imports of Russian crude oil in Chinese yuan, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Thursday, citing the country's new energy minister, Aruna Karunatilake. The discussions on the matter are still ongoing, the minister said. "We expect t»»»

Lebanon's president and prime minister accused Israel on Thursday of a war crime, after an airstrike killed a Lebanese journalist in the country's south, where Israeli forces occupy several areas. Rescuers and the reporter's employer on Wednesday confirmed the death of Amal Khalil, a 42-year-old jo»»»

Cairo — Egypt is advancing its state IPO programme with the addition of six new government-owned companies to the Egyptian Exchange (EGX), in a move aimed at strengthening market depth and broadening investor participation. According to official EGX statements, and as confirmed by Deputy Chairman M»»»

Cairo — Egypt has accelerated its industrial expansion drive with the inauguration of nine new industrial projects in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, as Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly led an official tour of the Sokhna integrated industrial area. The projects span strategic sectors including enginee»»»

Global — Gold prices retreated toward $4,700 per ounce, declining by nearly 1%, as a stronger US dollar and rising oil prices weighed on the metal, according to data reported by Bloomberg. The pullback follows the extension of a ceasefire between the United States and Iran, which has shifted market»»»

US Navy Secretary John C. Phelan has stepped down in an abrupt move announced by the Pentagon without any public explanation or indication that his exit was linked to the naval blockade of Iran. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that Phelan was “departing the administration” at on»»»

Warsaw: A 58-year-old woman was killed by a bear in Southeastern Poland on Thursday, Pawel Giba, press officer for the District State Fire Service Headquarters in Sanok, told AFP. A report received by the fire department "indicated that in the village of Plonna a woman was allegedly attacked by a b»»»

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has urged the Trump administration to pressure Israel to scale back its demands and end its military invasion of the country. In an interview with the Washington Post, Salam said Lebanon could not sign any agreement that does not include a “full withdrawal” of Israeli for»»»

The United Nations said Thursday it was "working on" maintaining a presence in Lebanon once the mandate for its UNIFIL peacekeeping force expires at the end of the year. "In terms of the post-UNIFIL, we're currently in the process of working on these options," said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the U.N. Und»»»

LONDON: Independent Arabia has won a Fetisov Journalism Award prize for its investigation into an adoption-brokers network in Egypt, adding to the outlet’s growing list of honors since its launch in 2019. Journalist Salah Labban won the 2025 prize in the civil rights category for his investigation,»»»

JAKARTA: Indonesia will not charge tolls in the Strait of Malacca, its foreign minister said on Thursday, dispelling reports it could follow Iran’s example in the Strait of Hormuz. Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono spoke to reporters in response to media reports over the possible blockage of the»»»

NAIROBI: A Tanzanian government report into election violence that killed hundreds is “an attempt to whitewash the regime’s crimes,” the main opposition party told AFP on Thursday. A commission of enquiry reported on Thursday that 518 people were killed in protests and violence around the election »»»

BRUSSELS: The European Union on Thursday approved a massive loan package to help Ukraine meet its economic and military needs for the next two years, the bloc’s Cypriot presidency said, after Hungary lifted its veto. The EU also approved a new raft of sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukrain»»»

Dubai: Iran’s move to impose and reportedly collect tolls from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz marks a direct challenge to international law and a dangerous escalation in its confrontation with the United States and its allies. A senior Iranian parliament official has claimed that Tehran»»»

MP George Adwan said Thursday at a press conference held by the Strong Republic bloc in parliament that "what happened over the past two years is that a certain faction dragged Lebanon into a war in support of Gaza, and the result was the destruction of Gaza and hundreds of thousands of martyrs. Th»»»

Colombo, Sri Lanka: Cyber criminals hacked into the Sri Lankan finance ministry's computer system and siphoned off $2.5 million, the government said Thursday, the most amount of cash ever stolen by hackers from a state institution. The cyber attack is a major blow to Sri Lanka, which is recovering »»»

Damascus, April 23 (SANA) After one year in power, Syria’s government is focusing on reintegrating the country into the global political and economic system, seeking to end decades of sanctions and isolation. While officials say the most difficult phase has passed, the country still faces deep stru»»»

Dubai: Air travel across the UAE continues to operate under strain nearly two months after the US-Israel-Iran conflict that erupted on February 28, with airlines relying on restricted air corridors, longer flight paths, and reduced schedules to maintain connectivity. The aviation sector has been am»»»

There is a unique sense of pride that comes from witnessing a nation transform challenges into a masterclass in stability. Over the past 50 days, as regional uncertainty dominated global headlines, I have watched the UAE once again demonstrate why it stands as a global standard for crisis managemen»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister for International Economic Cooperation Nenad Popovic met on Thursday in Belgrade with Russian Deputy FM Alexander Grushko, who is on an official visit to Serbia for a meeting of a Serbia-Russia intergovernmental committee on trade and economic and science and technical c»»»

GENEVA: The United Nations said Thursday it was “working on” maintaining a presence in Lebanon once the mandate for its UNIFIL peacekeeping force expires at the end of the year. “In terms of the post-UNIFIL, we’re currently in the process of working on these options,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the »»»

London: Both chambers of Britain's parliament have approved a bill that would ban children aged 17 and under from buying cigarettes during their lifetime. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill aims to stop anyone born after January 1, 2009 (now aged 17) from taking up smoking. Health minister Wes Streeting ca»»»

Gold prices fell on Thursday, pressured by a stronger dollar and elevated oil prices that stoked inflation worries, as investors tried to assess the conflict direction from stalled US-Iran talks. Spot gold was down 0.9% at $4,696.71 per ounce, as of 1135 GMT. US gold futures for June delivery fell »»»

Dubai: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank reported a record first-quarter profit, supported by strong lending growth, higher fee income and improved efficiency, as it navigated an evolving operating environment. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.Profit befor»»»

Dubai: The UAE will transform half of its government sectors, services and operations to autonomous artificial intelligence systems within two years, under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The major government shift was announced by His Highness Sheikh Mo»»»

Dubai: Emirates Minting Factory has launched a limited-edition gold and silver coin collection in collaboration with Dubai Gold District, with proceeds set to benefit Ferjan Dubai, a social enterprise focused on community development across Dubai. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf »»»

Our weekly digest of Hungarian politics continues as we report on developments after the historic April election and on the formation of the Tisza government. This week we cover the following topics: After 10 days, outgoing foreign minister Péter Szijjártó has resurfaced. The newly-victorious Tisza»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday there was no time pressure to end the war with Iran and no deadline for when American military action would resume in the absence of a deal, saying the Iranians were more fearful of the U.S. maritime blockade than they were of the bombing. Photo by Dan»»»

While the colonialism of old involved “the looting of gold and silver and the ransacking of nations,” digital age neocolonialism is all about “forcing citizens and countries to use certain technology while extracting their personal data,” Facebook whistleblower and censorship expert Ryan Hartwig te»»»

Dubai: Workplace stress is no longer just a matter of fatigue or burnout. A new report by the United Nations' International Labour Organisation (ILO) has revealed that it is linked to nearly 900,000 deaths every year worldwide. The study entitled “The psychosocial working environment: Global develo»»»

A massive granite statue discovered in Sharqia during residential excavation, believed to date to the era of Ramses II; transferred to San al-Hagar for examination and restoration near Tell el-Faraoun under strict legal supervision A massive ancient granite statue believed to date back to the era o»»»

Dubai: Indian filmmaker Anubhav Sinha’s latest Hindi-language rape trial drama Assi is not an easy watch and it’s not meant to be. Starring Kani Kusruti, Tapsee Pannu, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, and Mohammed Zeeshan, the compelling and visceral courtroom procedural out on Zee5 now delves into sexua»»»

On April 25, the Indian Premier League will be halfway through its 19th edition. Coverage of it dominates the Indian-owned and based cricket media. Last week, Harsha Bhogle, one of its long-serving commentators and journalists, declared that the IPL “has to be one of the greatest sporting phenomena»»»

JEDDAH: Syria has announced plans to launch the Damascus Market for Foreign Exchange and Gold, aiming to strengthen monetary policy and enhance financial stability. Governor of the Central Bank of Syria Abdulkader Husrieh said the initiative is part of a broader strategy to create a balanced and tr»»»

Seven people have been arrested for alleged power theft by illegally connecting their homes to the electricity grid following police raids on Roma camps in central Greece, authorities said Thursday. A police statement said Wednesday’s operation near Lamia was intended “to enhance the public’s feeli»»»

BUDAPEST - The Hungarian oil firm MOL said on Thursday it would retain the Pancevo oil refinery for the long term if it became the majority owner of the Serbian oil company NIS. MOL said the refinery had a very important strategic role in ensuring stable and uninterrupted energy supply. "MOL's obje»»»

The White House has reportedly drawn up a NATO “naughty and nice” list, sorting member states into tiers as it considers how to reward countries that backed the US war against Iran and punish those that did not. According to Politico, the internal paper was prepared ahead of NATO Secretary General »»»

BARCELONA: A feature of Jordan’s rise to footballing prominence over the past two years has been their fearsome attacking triumvirate. Stade Rennais’ Musa Al-Taamari might win all the plaudits but his partners in crime, Ali Olwan and Yazan Al-Naimat, scored the goals that delivered World Cup qualif»»»

In 2025, the national poverty line in Bulgaria was set at BGN 866.67 per person per month, with 1,368,700 people, or 21.2% of the population, living below it, according to data published on Thursday by the National Statistical Institute. Compared with the previous year, the poverty line increased b»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow is contributing to stabilizing prices on energy markets and minimizing the consequences of the crisis amid the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. "At the moment, you know, we are contributing to this price stabilization and »»»

As the United States edges closer to a critical May 1 deadline in its war with Iran, a decades-old law is quietly becoming one of the most consequential forces shaping the next phase of the conflict. Nearly eight weeks after Washington joined Israeli strikes against Iran, President Donald Trump fac»»»

RIYADH: Female labor force participation across Gulf Cooperation Council countries climbed to 39.3 percent in 2025, as employment gains and falling joblessness signal steady progress in the region’s workforce diversification efforts. The number of employed women rose to 7.3 million in 2025 from 5.7»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe The Israeli army is aware that Hezbollah carried out operations over the past two days but has not disclosed them publicly: Hebrew media 23»»»

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that regular and reserve soldiers in the Israeli army have been looting civilian property from homes and shops in southern Lebanon, with the knowledge of their commanders and without any prevention or accountability. Citing testimonies, the Israeli paper said »»»