India’s passport ranking has fluctuated over the past two decades, reflecting changing global mobility trends, visa policies and diplomatic ties. In the latest Henley Passport Index 2026, India ranks 81st globally, with passport holders having access to 55 visa-free or visa-on-arrival destinations.»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE is set for a spell of settled summer weather, with fair skies, light winds and calm seas expected to dominate through the weekend, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). Low clouds are forecast to form over eastern areas during the morning hours, while northwester»»»

GLASGOW: The president of Commonwealth Sport, Dr. Donald Rukare, told AFP the Commonwealth Games remains a stage “where champions are made” as Glasgow prepares to host a slimmed down version of the event. The Games were plunged into crisis when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew as hosts in »»»

VOIRON, France: Dutch corner is known for being the biggest and craziest party in cycling. Thousands of orange-clad, booze-fueled cycling enthusiasts and young revellers flock to corner seven of Alpe d’Huez every time the Tour de France climbs the iconic mountain. And they create a unique, noisy an»»»

WASHINGTON: The House adopted a Republican-only $95 billion budget proposal Wednesday, a long-shot effort to fund the Iran war and other White House priorities over objections from Democrats and a few GOP holdouts in a final push before the midterm elections. House Republicans were divided over the»»»

Manila: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Iran’s continued attacks on commercial shipping have rendered a recent agreement with Tehran "invalid" -- even as he stressed that Washington remains "open" to future diplomacy if Iran complies with its commitments. Rubio’s remarks, made»»»

Qatari talent continues to solidify its presence at the world’s biggest sporting events, confirming the status that Qatar has achieved, not only in hosting and organizing major tournaments but also in strengthening the international sports system with national talents who assume leadership roles in»»»

QNA Doha The Qatar Cultural Center for the Blind organised a cultural seminar titled “Artificial Intelligence: Between Assistance and Reliance”, aimed at raising awareness about the optimal use of AI tools and their conscious and responsible application. At the beginning of the seminar, Mohammed Sh»»»

Sea surface temperatures in the Niño 3.4 region of the tropical Pacific have remained above the +2.0°C threshold for a "super" El Niño for more than a week, reaching an anomaly of around +2.1°C by mid-July — more than a month earlier than the 1997/98 and 2015/16 events that mark the previous benchm»»»

Russia's Presidential Administration has lowered its targets for turnout and United Russia's vote share in September's State Duma election, climbing down from the 50% turnout and 55% party-support benchmarks set in February, according to Russian media reports cited by Riddle Russia analyst Ksenia S»»»

Russia is increasingly deploying jet-powered strike drones with speeds far beyond the reach of Ukraine's own interceptor drones, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said, as Moscow's newest models close in on the performance of cruise missiles. In the escalting tit-for-tat missile war, an »»»

Spain midfielder Gavi doesn’t feel ‌Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes should be suspended for his postgame tirade following Spain’s 1-0 victory in ​Sunday’s World Cup final. Tensions were high after the match and Paredes had a hand in elevating them further. While players were mixing it up, Pare»»»

NAZARETH, Israel: The last time Mais Al-Gharam saw her seven siblings was in the Gaza Strip two months before the war. That was before she left the Palestinian territory to go live in Israel and before an Israeli airstrike on the family’s home killed her parents and younger brother. But on this day»»»

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters is shown in Atlanta, Ga. On Wednesday, The CDC increased its count of cyclosporiasis cases in the country. File Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA-EFE July 22 (UPI) -- On Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention increased it»»»

SANTIAGO: Heavy rains sweeping central and southern Chile have left three people dead in addition to power cuts, multiple floods and road closures, authorities said Wednesday. President Jose Antonio Kast traveled to the Biobio region, one of the hardest-hit areas, as the storm system brought strong»»»

MEXICO CITY: Nicaragua’s lawmakers said they will carry out a plan by President Daniel Ortega to abolish elections in the Central American country, prompting renewed criticisms Wednesday by the international community. The move was announced in a statement Tuesday by Nicaragua’s congress, which is »»»

Earlier this week, Andy Burnham traipsed out to Buckingham Palace, symbolically kissed the hands of King Charles III – as tradition demanded – and the “King of the North” was duly anointed the new UK prime minister. Amidst the subsequent euphoria within the Labour Party, the fact that Burnham’s swi»»»

Dubai: A holiday in northern Turkey ended in tragedy after a Saudi tourist was swept away by a fast-flowing river while posing for a photograph in the popular Black Sea destination of Uzungöl, despite desperate rescue attempts by his younger brother and nearby visitors. Abdulaziz Al Harbi, 39, lost»»»

Beirut July 22 (SANA)- Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam affirmed on Wednesday that his country will continue its political and diplomatic efforts to achieve a complete Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory, considering the start of the withdrawal from the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya as t»»»

Democrats grilled US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over the Iran War during his testimony before the US Senate as the White House requested additional funding for operations in the Middle East. The US and Iran resumed regular exchanges of strikes earlier this month, with both sides saying the truce»»»

Dubai: A father's journey from Egypt to Germany was abruptly halted after airport authorities deemed his passport invalid because of a handwritten message left by his young daughter, turning an affectionate gesture into an unexpected travel ordeal. The Egyptian traveller, who lives in Germany, said»»»

Guyana Prime Minister Mark Anthony Phillips said an independent inquiry will be established "as early as possible" to determine what happened before the MV Barima departed and whether operating procedures were followed. File Photo by Nathalia Aguilar/EPA July 22 (UPI) -- Guyana will establish an in»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The situation in the Russian economy is stable, despite the external attempts to destabilize the situation in fuel and energy sector of the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. "Immediately, at the beginning of our meeting, I would like to note that the st»»»

New Delhi: The political confrontation over the NEET-UG paper leak intensified on Wednesday, with India’s Parliament remaining deadlocked as the Opposition renewed its demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. The government insisted it was prepared for a full debate but rejec»»»

Germany's environment ministry on Wednesday approved a French-Russian project to produce fuel rods used in Russian-designed reactors in the northwestern German town of Lingen. The joint venture project by a subsidiary of French company Framatome and Russia's state-owned Rosatom sparked fears o»»»

Kyrgyzstan will be able to significantly reduce its electricity deficit in 2027-2028 after commissioning new generating capacity. However, the problem won’t be completely solved by adding a few new facilities—power plant construction must be ongoing. First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Minister»»»

Dubai: Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, known as du, reported a 12.6% increase in first-half net profit to Dh1.63 billion as service revenue growth and cost controls helped offset softer customer activity during the second quarter. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf N»»»

BEIRUT: Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold their ​next round of US-brokered talks on August 4 in Italy, a Lebanese official told Reuters on Wednesday, as the two countries begin implementing a plan for Israeli withdrawals and Lebanese army deployments in southern Lebanon. The two longtime foe»»»

France's environment minister will remain in her post despite her disagreement with a bill reintroducing controversial pesticides, given the "urgency" to act on climate change, her team said Wednesday. Monique Barbut had submitted her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, but he refused it. Exp»»»

The leaders of India's youth-led Cockroach movement are vowing to continue protesting a day after police cracked down on demonstrators. They have been demanding the country's education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, resign amid repeated leaks for entrance tests to medical schools. While two of the m»»»

Protests continue for a third day in the Indian capital, New Delhi, as pressure mounts on Narendra Modi to sack his education minister. The youth-led movement remains defiant even after Monday's heavy handed police crackdown. While the minister in question says the government remains committed to r»»»

The state-owned airline Aerolíneas Argentinas in May unveiled the plane that was to take the Argentine national football team to the 2026 World Cup. It featured a design that incorporates the No. 10 jersey of the team's captain and star player, Lionel Messi. File Photo by Juan Ignacio/EPA BUENOS AI»»»

Sharjah: Sharjah Police has strengthened its field capabilities with the addition of 130 modern security vehicles to its operational fleet, as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance public safety, improve emergency response times and provide more efficient police services to the community. The flee»»»

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and top army commander Oleksandr Syrsky were both sacked after none of the initiatives they backed helped turn the tide of the conflict in Ukraine’s favor, military expert Alexey Anpilogov tells Sputnik. Syrsky’s insistence in press ganging more Ukrainian»»»

Doha, Qatar: Philippine passport holders can now travel to 65 destinations without obtaining a visa, according to the latest Henley Passport Index released as part of its 20th anniversary edition. The Philippines ranked 72nd globally in the latest passport ranking, sharing the position with Benin R»»»

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia Airports recorded 51 million passenger movements across its network of airports in Malaysia during the first half (H1) of 2026, an increase of 1.8 percent compared to the corresponding period last year, the airport operator said on Wednesday. In June alone, Malaysia Airports »»»

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia writer and director Bassmah Abdullah is combining animation and artificial intelligence in “Shama,” a short film that uses AI-generated cultural imagery as the Kingdom expands its investment in creative industries under Vision 2030. The animator has been producing fiction and c»»»

RIYADH: Most Arab stock exchanges closed the second quarter of 2026 on the up, even as the Arab Monetary Fund’s composite index slipped 0.16 percent, its latest quarterly bulletin shows. Arab equity markets broadly advanced during the quarter, with 13 of the 16 exchanges tracked by the AMF recordin»»»

As another UAE summer brings soaring temperatures and more demanding driving conditions, Gulf News is launching the second edition of its Summer Road Safety Campaign, renewing its commitment to keeping motorists informed, prepared and safe throughout one of the year's most challenging driving seaso»»»

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia writer and director Bassmah Abdullah is combining animation and artificial intelligence in “Shama,” a short film that uses AI-generated cultural imagery as the Kingdom expands its investment in creative industries under Vision 2030. The animator has been producing fiction and c»»»

AI agents being tested in an OpenAI lab went rogue, launching an "unprecedented" hacking attack targeting a database of AI models run by a startup in New York. File photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA July 22 (UPI) -- OpenAI said two of its AI bots launched an "unprecedented" attack, hacking into a startup's»»»

Dubai: Fujairah is set to expand its cargo and container handling capacity through two new multipurpose ports developed under a 50-year concession agreement between DP World and the Fujairah Ports Authority. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The agreement covers the deve»»»

Nazareth: The last time Mais Al Gharam saw her seven siblings was in the Gaza Strip two months before the war. That was before she left the Palestinian territory to go live in Israel and before an Israeli airstrike on the family’s home killed her parents and younger brother. But on this day, she wa»»»

Dubai: Commercial Bank of Dubai’s net loan book crossed Dh100 billion during the first half of 2026 as lending growth and higher non-funded income helped lift profit despite weaker net interest income. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Net loans and advances reached Dh10»»»

“As of today, we have established and will operate a joint contact center at the Promachonas–Kulata border crossing,” said Greek Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis, speaking to journalists following a meeting with Bulgaria’s Minister of the Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev. The meeting »»»

Kinshasa: The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Africa surpassed 1,000 on Wednesday, according to the latest figures released by health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. The DRC Ministry of Health said in its latest situation report released on Wednes»»»

Paris, France: The glittering, vaulted gallery targeted by thieves at the Louvre last October reopened to the public on Wednesday, becoming a novel attraction for tourists even though its priceless exhibits have been removed. The Apollo Gallery, one of the most lavishly decorated rooms of the world»»»

Phil GayleDonald Trump plans new 50% tariffs on Canadian imports, despite the existing US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. https://p.dw.com/p/5HZDlAdvertisementUS President Donald Trump has announced new 50% tariffs on nearly $20 billion worth of Canadian imports, despite the existing US-Mexico-Canad»»»

July 21 (UPI) -- A New York tequila company celebrated the FIFA World Cup by gathering dozens of people to play on the world's longest foosball table. Teremana Tequila assembled a foosball table measuring 525 feet long, approximately the length of 112 standard-sized foosball tables. The table was g»»»

Ukraine has denied that its forces were responsible for the latest drone attacks on tankers using the Russian Black Sea port that ships around four-fifths of Kazakhstan’s oil exports. Kyiv has suggested that the attacks – on waters in proximity to export transit infrastructure that receives Kazakh »»»