JERUSALEM: A former head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency on Tuesday said its spies had visited Iran’s Fordow nuclear site “many times” in the past in order to better understand the facility. In June last year, Israel launched a war against its arch-foe Iran with the stated goal of degrading »»»

MADRID: Spain’s World Cup confetti has barely been swept away, but LaLiga is looming large with Barcelona defending their domestic title and Real Madrid, bruised by two trophyless seasons, throwing money, muscle and Jose Mourinho at the problem. A little under a month after Spain beat Argentina to »»»

DOHA: The State of Qatar has intensified its diplomatic efforts to support de-escalation in the Gulf, announcing on Tuesday that negotiations between Oman and Iran over arrangements surrounding the Strait of Hormuz have reached an advanced and potentially decisive stage. The assessment was delivere»»»

DUBAI: Iraq’s government has confirmed that the US-led military coalition is preparing to withdraw its forces from the Kurdistan region and transfer bases to Iraqi forces before a deadline of Sept. 30. “The work is proceeding at an organised pace towards completing this file on September 30 and the»»»

ALKHOBAR: For Ruqayah Suliman, the medal that matters most came only after she learned how to lose. Saudi Arabia’s 26-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu athlete had already suffered several defeats when she began to understand that improving her technique alone would not be enough. Competition brought ot»»»

Wall Street is modestly lower in premarket trading and oil prices settled despite lingering uncertainty about when the Strait of Hormuz will reopen to the global flow of oil again. Futures for the S&P 500 ticked up 0.1% before the opening bell Tuesday, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Ave»»»

BEIRUT: Lebanon has received no Israeli response to proposals submitted during the latest round of direct negotiations in Rome, a Lebanese official source said, as Israel expands military roads and defensive positions in areas of southern Lebanon under its control. The source, who is close to the L»»»

JEDDAH: Qatar’s economy grew 2.9 percent in 2025, with non-hydrocarbon activity driving expansion as inflation remained contained and the country maintained a strong external position and resilient financial markets, according to official data. Non-hydrocarbon GDP grew 4.8 percent over the year, ex»»»

Netflix has been quietly spoiling anime fans lately, and I am not complaining. Just when you think you know what kind of fantasy anime the platform will throw at you next, along comes “The Ribbon Hero” with a giant monster, a magical ribbon and a princess who is much more interested in saving peopl»»»

DUBAI: Lebanon’s basketball season has just concluded with a thrilling Game Seven between Sagesse and Al-Riyadi, providing a fitting finale to a fiercely competitive campaign and another reminder of the sport’s enduring popularity in the country. For Lebanese basketball great and former Sagesse cap»»»

HONG KONG — Oil prices extended hefty gains Tuesday as hopes for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz fade, fanning fresh inflation fears and ramping up bets on at least one US interest rate hike this year.Crude has surged around 10 percent over the past week, with the United States and Iran appeari»»»

Hackers did attack the Hungarian State Treasury’s IT system from Russian servers, according to Népszava, but the operation was not carried out by any Russian intelligence service. Instead, it is alleged to have been the work of an organisation believed to be linked to an Algerian man. The newspaper»»»

Dubai: UAE tax authorities seized 8.45 million non-compliant excise products, including tobacco, energy drinks and sweetened beverages, during the first half of 2026, following more than 103,000 inspections across local markets. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Fede»»»

The World Health Organization says that sequencing shows the fast-moving Ebola outbreak in DR Congo started about three months before the emergency was officially declared in May. Also, it's crunch week for Zambia as voters gear up for presidential elections. Plus a Rwandan mine has become one»»»

Bulgaria still has not received information from Ukraine about the drone that was shot down near the village of Kardam, Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said during a visit to the Yambol region. Bulgarian authorities have also not established whether the drone was carrying explosives. Stoyanov sai»»»

The two girls charged in the brutal killing of 37-year-old Georgi Kuzev in Plovdiv have appealed their detention and are seeking to be released. The Plovdiv Court of Appeal is due to hear their appeals on Aug. 13 at 10 a.m. Kuzev, who was from Krichim, was found in a critical condition by passers-b»»»

President Joseph Aoun announced Tuesday that the negotiations with Israel are “making progress,” adding that “in any case” the talks “are better than the devastating results of war.” “The scale of Israeli attacks on our country has decreased since the signing of the framework agreement, which has p»»»

The survey shows that nearly one in five CEOs (19%) reported increases of more than 10% in energy costs as a result of global shocks. “In Romania, companies are concerned that energy prices may remain high for longer or fluctuate sharply, driving up production costs, particularly given that ours is»»»

Dubai: One is Washington’s closest regional ally, the other its principal adversary. Yet Benjamin Netanyahu and Iran are presenting Donald Trump with much the same problem: Neither appears willing to give him the Middle East exit he wants. Trump is signalling that he would like to lower the tempera»»»

Europe Needs to Start Buying Gas Now - Institute of Energy for South-East Europe About UsMission and VisionBackgroundAnnual ReportArticles of AssociationBoard of GovernorsOrganizationExecutive CommitteeScientific CommitteesResearchInternational Advisory GroupCo-operation in SE EuropeInformation Fee»»»

An American oil company backed by powerful associates of US President Donald Trump has shipped drilling equipment to Greenland without permission from the Danish territory’s government. Is Trump trying to annex Greenland one bite at a time? Less than two weeks ago, a Danish tugboat towed a cargo sh»»»

DUBAI: Satellite imagery obtained by Arab News has revealed the extent of damage to Lebanon’s Beaufort Ridge after the Israeli military said it used hundreds of tons of explosives to destroy an underground Hezbollah tunnel network in the area in late July. Images taken before and after the operatio»»»

Tankers flagged, owned or operated by G7-linked companies lifted 36.2% of Russia's crude exports in July, the highest share in a year and up from 34.4% in June, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea and Maritime Intelligence Risk Suite data, S&P Global reported. Russia exported 4.3mn b»»»

Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to just six vessels on August 10, against a 10-day average of around 11, Reuters reported on August 11, as hopes of a US-Iran peace deal continued to fade. The drop-off is the latest sign that the world's most important oil chokepoint - through whi»»»

Washington: President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order calling for revamped childhood vaccine recommendations that promote his long-held but discredited theory that childhood shots should be spaced out into separate medical visits. The order advocates separating the measles, mumps a»»»

Washington feels good about where talks between Lebanon and Israel are heading, a U.S. State Department official told Al Arabiya English. The official’s remarks come despite the fact that the latest session of talks between the two sides was cut short because of Lebanese frustration with continued »»»

On the basis of his professional record and tenure in high office, András Baka, who is due to be elected president today, may well take a hard line against Péter Magyar and his government, just as he did not hide his criticisms during the consolidation of Viktor Orbán’s power in 2010–11. That, inde»»»

Despite Monday’s meeting between Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister and Ukraine's Ambassador to Bulgaria, the inquiry sent to Ukraine through the security services has still received no response, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said here on Tuesday, commenting the drone that crashed on Saturday in the i»»»

Dubai: Jollibee Foods Corp., the Philippines’ largest fast-food group and one of the country’s most internationally recognised restaurant businesses, has cut its 2026 expansion and spending targets as it navigates a higher-cost environment amid the Middle East conflict. Get updated faster and for F»»»

Despite Monday’s meeting between Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister and Ukraine's Ambassador to Bulgaria, the inquiry sent to Ukraine through the security services has still received no response, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said here on Tuesday, commenting the drone that crashed on Saturday in the i»»»

DAKAR: Democratic Republic of Congo said on Tuesday that confirmed Ebola deaths had reached 2,011, the latest grim milestone in what health officials have described as the fastest-spreading outbreak on record. The latest data from Congo’s public health institute, seen by Reuters, also ‌reported 4,3»»»

LONDON: Just 12 days ago, after months of diplomatic maneuvering between the US, Israel, Hamas and representatives of President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, it seemed that an end to Israeli’s occupation of Gaza might finally be in sight. Today, that hope appears to be in jeopardy, threatened by a»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Central Bank (QCB) has released its 2025 Annual Macroeconomic Review, highlighting the strong performance of the national economy, the continued momentum of economic diversification and the robustness of key macroeconomic indicators. QCB indicated that the annual review reaffirms»»»

Among all the challenges across the Middle East, water security seldom makes the headlines, yet it can keep policymakers awake at night. The Gulf states are among the world’s highest consumers of water per capita but endure some of the most acute water scarcity on the planet. According to the World»»»

Dubai: The region must move beyond its prolonged state of “no war, no peace”, towards sustainable stability founded on international law, peaceful coexistence and respect for sovereignty, Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, said. In a post on X, Gargash said clarity »»»

Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad al-Alimi said on Monday that the latest escalation by the Iran-backed terrorist Houthi group was a new test to the international community’s commitment to protecting peace in the country. During a meeting in Riyadh with ambassadors whos»»»

Doha: The Qatar Stars League (QSL) announced the signing of a partnership agreement with Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, making it QSL’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partner for two seasons (2026-2027 and 2027-2028). It reflects QSL’s commitment to strengthening its community role an»»»

Dubai: A 44-year-old patient died at Tuz Khurmatu General Hospital in Iraq’s Salahuddin province after his condition deteriorated suddenly following a heavy meal shortly after surgery, prompting the hospital to deny claims of a medication error. The patient had been admitted with a condition requir»»»

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday calling for a rethink of school vaccine mandates and the separation of the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot into three vaccines, despite scientific evidence supporting its safety and amid the country's worst measles outbrea»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) will host the 2026 MEPRA Qatar Leadership Majlis on September 10 in Doha bringing together senior leaders to explore the changing nature of influence and what it means for organisations across the region. Held under the theme “The Ne»»»

Malaysia – The spread of hostile content on social media in Malaysia has intensified tensions towards the Rohingya refugee community, leading to the eviction of more than 100 people from their village and the temporary closure of schools attended by refugee children. Malays»»»

Dubai: Dubai gold buyers are facing the highest rates in more than two months after prices extended a rapid August rebound, with 24-karat gold reaching Dh531.25 per gram on Tuesday. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The 24K rate rose Dh3 from Dh528.25 on Monday, while 22»»»

Of late, Pakistan’s diplomatic performance deserves more attention than it gets. Operating in an international system increasingly divided into competing geopolitical blocs, Islamabad has across the summer demonstrated an unusually sophisticated ability to keep multiple doors open at the same time.»»»

Russia killed at least three people, including a three-year-old boy, in a drone strike on the Kyiv-region village of Pukhivka overnight into August 9, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, as Russia combined the attack with a six-missile ballistic strike on Kyiv's civilian infrastructure that killed »»»

Doha, Qatar: QIIB continues to strengthen its record of institutional excellence and leadership in Islamic banking, adding two prestigious ‘Global Business Magazine Awards for 2026’ to its growing list of regional and international accolades. The latest awards are ‘Mobile Banking Experience Qatar 2»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s total retail real estate supply held firm at 5.7 million square meters of Gross Leasable Area during the second quarter of 2026, according to ValuStrat. The overall supply remained evenly split between 2.5 million square meters of organised retail space and 3.2 million square m»»»

Six years ago on August 9 2020, Belarusians went to the polls in a presidential election that Alexander Lukashenko rigged so brazenly — awarding himself over 80% of the vote against a political novice, former English teacher Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya) — that it triggered the »»»

Ukraine's ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has given President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a deadline of August 18 to reinstate him to the post or face mass protests, in the most direct political challenge the president has faced since taking office in 2019. "If our goal is to stop the war, then we»»»

Russia killed at least three people, including a three-year-old boy, in a drone strike on the Kyiv-region village of Pukhivka overnight into August 9, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, as Russia combined the attack with a six-missile ballistic strike on Kyiv's civilian infrastructure that killed »»»

Six years ago on August 9 2020, Belarusians went to the polls in a presidential election that Alexander Lukashenko rigged so brazenly — awarding himself over 80% of the vote against a political novice, former English teacher Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya) — that it triggered the »»»