AL-MUKALLA: A barrage of missiles and drones from Iran-backed Houthi has again struck Yemen’s government-controlled city of Mokha, intensifying an assault on the strategically located Red Sea port that has already forced it to suspend operations. Residents and the National Resistance Forces, which »»»

DOHA: Qatar Foundation (QF) welcomed on Sunday more than 800 newly enrolled students at Education City universities during 'Marhaba', the QF-organized annual welcome event heralding the commencement of the new academic year. The event took place at Multaqa (Education City Student Center) was intend»»»

New York, Aug. 16 (SANA) US retail sales unexpectedly fell 0.6% in July, their steepest decline since May 2025, as spending linked to tax refunds, the World Cup and Amazon’s Prime Day faded, Commerce Department data showed. The fall followed a revised 0.2% increase in June and was weaker than econo»»»

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo is inching closer ‌to retirement.“This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave ​a spectacular legacy,” Ronaldo, 41, told Vogue in an interview published on Sunday.Ronaldo, whose Al-Nassr contract runs until June 2027, previously has stopped short of givin»»»

New Delhi: The Qatar U18 basketball team lost 66-118 to China in their second Group C match at the FIBA U18 Asia Cup, currently being held in India through August 23. The tournament features 16 teams divided into four groups. China dominated throughout the game, winning all four quarters 32-11, 32-»»»

“The Dangers in My Heart: The Movie” brings one of anime’s most charming coming-of-age romances to the big screen, offering fans a nostalgic return to the awkward, funny and increasingly heartfelt relationship between Kyotaro Ichikawa and Anna Yamada. Released in Japanese cinemas earlier this year,»»»

A Spanish soldier died on Sunday while helping efforts to extinguish a major wildfire in Aragon, the northeastern region's leader said, with local media reporting his truck had overturned. "I have conveyed my heartfelt condolences to the lieutenant general of the Military Emergencies Unit (UME) for»»»

ABUJA: Secretary-General of the Muslim World League Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa was received by Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja on Saturday. The Nigerian president commended the league’s initiative for social peace in West Africa, “affirming his full support for the Abuja Declaration, its ac»»»

Washington, Aug. 16 (SANA) Internal divisions and competing centers of power in Tehran have complicated US-Iran negotiations, making it difficult for Washington to determine who has the authority to finalize an agreement, Axios reported. The difficulties prompted the Trump administration to seek a »»»

US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Adm. Brad Cooper has praised the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln, highlighting their teamwork, resilience and focus on wellbeing during a visit aboard the aircraft carrier operating in the Arabian Sea. Cooper described his time on the ship as “awe-inspiring”, »»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Foundation has welcomed more than 800 university students to its unique ecosystem of knowledge at Marhaba – the annual orientation event that kicks off a new academic year at Education City. Designed for students joining Qatar Foundation’s (QF) ecosystem of eight universities, Ma»»»

Author: BEN HALPERN As the world struggles to feed humanity, fuel economies and trade, and fulfill global energy needs, companies and governments are rushing to the vast blue expanse that covers two-thirds of our planet. But should we let them? “A Sea of Wealth” makes the provocative case for why w»»»

PARIS: FaZe Clan have lifted the trophy in Rainbow 6 Siege at Esports World Cup 2026 for the first time, following a 3-1 victory over fellow Brazilian team Furia in the grand finals. With the win, three members of FaZe Clan have become Triple Crown winners: Jaime “Cyber” Ramos, Eduardo “KDS” Chiste»»»

LONDON: The 2026-27 Saudi Pro League season is underway and here are five things we learned from the opening round of games. It has been a busy summer for Cristiano Ronaldo. After winning the title with Al-Nassr in May, going to the World Cup with Portugal in June, and then getting married back in »»»

MADINAH: The Culinary Arts Commission has documented 35 products from Madinah among 180 Saudi products featured in the “Ark of Taste” global initiative. The online registry, established by the Slow Food Foundation, protects heritage food products, supports local producers, and promotes biodiversity»»»

A 28-year-old Pakistani TikTok content creator with more than one million followers was shot dead in Taxila, near Islamabad. According to her family’s police complaint, two unidentified men allegedly opened fire on the car she was travelling in with her siblings. Local media reports identified the »»»

Dubai: Turkish police have seized a large quantity of gold worth millions of US dollars and detained senior figures from the influential Süleymancılar religious community, including its leader Alihan Kuriş, in a sweeping investigation into alleged financial crimes, fraud and money laundering. Polic»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia has banned mobile vendors from operating in nine types of locations, including road intersections, busy roads, cycle lanes and public parking areas, under updated regulations aimed at improving safety and organising mobile commercial activities. The Ministry of Municipalities an»»»

Dubai: An Egyptian archaeological mission has uncovered a massive mud-brick wall, ancient stone roads and an inscription bearing the titles of King Ramses II at Tell Abu Seifi in Ismailia province, shedding new light on the ancient Horus military route and its role in defending Egypt’s eastern fron»»»

Taiyuan: England's Mark Selby defeated Thailand's Noppon Saengkham 10-6 to claim the title of the 2026 World Snooker Tour China Open here on Sunday. After the first session in which two players were deadlocked at 4-4, Selby pulled ahead 8-4 in the second. Mark Selby competes during the final match »»»

DOHA: The Foreign Ministers of the State of Qatar, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Turkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Republic of Egypt have condemned Israel's public rejection of»»»

CAIRO: Five Arab ​countries, together with Turkiye, Pakistan and Indonesia, on ‌Sunday ‌condemned ​Israel’s rejection ‌of ⁠US ​President Donald ⁠Trump’s plan for Gaza. In a ⁠joint statement, ‌the countries, including Egypt, ‌Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE, said ‌the rejection threatened Trump’s intens»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Foreign Ministers of Qatar, UAE, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, KSA, and Egypt condemn the declared Israeli rejection of the Road Map for completing the implementation of US President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, as endorsed by UN Security Council Res»»»

Dubai: Donald Trump gave the United States and Iran 60 days to turn their June 17 ceasefire framework into a broader settlement that could end the war, address Tehran’s nuclear programme and help fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. That clock runs out on Monday (August 17). The war does not. Instead»»»

The Foreign Ministers of UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, KSA, and Egypt condemn the declared Israeli rejection of the Road Map for completing the implementation of US President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, as endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803, »»»

Despite the conspicuous difference in size, speed, and strength between the sexes, a debate is now raging in women’s professional basketball in the United States whether to let men compete alongside the ladies. Nobody would ever confuse Royce White, 35, with a woman. The man with stands 6 feet 8 in»»»

By Samir Tounsi and Paul Cassedanne in Frankfurt PARIS, France — The heatwaves pummelling Europe this summer will have costly impacts on industries ranging from agriculture to tourism — but that hasn't stopped stock markets from hitting all-time highs.For investors enthralled by soaring corporate »»»

AMMAN — Jordanian and Pakistani business chambers have agreed to establish a joint business council as part of a broader push to expand bilateral trade, unlock investment opportunities and build direct partnerships between companies in the two countries.The Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC) and the »»»

LONDON: Israeli settler children were filmed on Saturday night harassing a Palestinian family outside their home in the West Bank village of Turmus Ayya, according to a Palestinian human rights advocate. Ihab Hassan posted two videos on X that he said showed a group of settler children repeatedly t»»»

A week after Israeli settlers began besieging Palestinian homes in the West Bank village of Qusra, human rights activist Netanael Hanadaro joined FRANCE 24 to recount what he witnessed there. He said he and other NGO members reached the isolated homes on foot and left food outside for the trapped r»»»

At least 47 people have been killed after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia, triggering hundreds of aftershocks, widespread destruction and landslides. Rescue operations are underway as remote villages remain difficult to reach and the death toll is expected to rise.»»»

Lala weakened to a tropical storm early Sunday. Photo courtesy of NOAA Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Hurricane Lala weakened to a tropical storm Sunday morning after bringing flooding to the Hawaiian islands, killing one person, local officials said. Hawaiian Gov. Josh Green said a storm-related car crash cause»»»

Ukraine has begun combat-testing jet-powered interceptor drones fast enough to run down Russia's new deadly class of Geran-4 drones that can evade even the best of Ukraine’s new class of interceptor drone, as the drones arms race between the two adversaries continues to unfold. Ukraine’s new drones»»»

MANILA: Malou Elsa Bacay used to leave Manila every week to visit her mother in the province, but since the Iran war dealt a blow to the Philippine economy, such trips can take place only once a month. The Philippines is highly dependent on imported fuel, so disruption to supplies from Gulf countri»»»

LONDON: A 35-year-old Israeli tourist has been arrested in Crete on suspicion of starting a wildfire after allegedly lighting a barbecue at a rented villa despite being warned that outdoor grilling was prohibited because of high fire risk, according to Greek media reports. The man was arrested on S»»»

A 59-year-old woman has been arrested by Kerala Police for allegedly cheating job seekers with promises of lucrative employment in Oman and collecting money for visa processing and other expenses. According to media reports, police identified the accused as L.S., a resident of Vadakara in Kozhikode»»»

KPM Precious Metals (KPM) has set a new Guinness World Record for the world’s longest gold bar, measuring 2.12 metres, marking a milestone for Egypt’s precious metals industry. The record was officially registered under the names of KPM and its brand BTC, which specialises in gold and silver bars, »»»

JERUSALEM: An extremist Israeli lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition publicly advocated for killing “30 to 40” people in Gaza each night, comments that surfaced Sunday and were quickly shared by Palestinian media. Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir made the statement»»»

A Spanish F-18 jet flies over the military base of Torrejon de Ardoz in Madrid, Spain, on August 24, 2021. On Sunday, two Spanish jets as part of NATO shot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace without authorization. File Photo by Mariscal/EPA Aug. 16 (UPI) -- NATO fighter jets shot down a dr»»»

Three commercial vessels were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz over a 72-hour period, with maritime authorities maintaining a severe threat level amid continuing regional tensions. The latest assessment from the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) said the attacks involved two tankers and a bu»»»

MADRID: Spain’s Aragon region deployed what authorities called the largest firefighting arsenal in its history on Sunday as French reinforcements were due to help contain a wildfire that has threatened a 1,000-year-old monastery. The blaze broke out on Monday and had approached the two monasteries »»»

CASTEL GANDOLFO: ‌Pope Leo called on Sunday for an end to violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, ​amid a surge of attacks by militant settlers and a siege in the territory’s village of Qusra. Israeli settlers encircled houses after cutting off water and electricity, in what rights»»»

Dubai: Iraqi authorities have recovered more than $20 million in cash, 200 million Iraqi dinars, 60kg of gold and seven vehicles in the widening corruption investigation involving detained Deputy Oil Minister for Refining Affairs Adnan Al Jumaili, the judiciary said. Investigating Judge Diaa Jaafar»»»

US-based tech billionaire Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have rekindled their friendship after falling out last year, with Musk preparing a major donation to Republicans for the midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people who accompanied the two to China. Re»»»

LONDON: Britain’s minister of state for the Middle East on Saturday condemned what he called “settler terrorism” in the occupied West Bank, after reports that Israeli settlers had surrounded at least two Palestinian homes in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus. Stephen Doughty said the violence m»»»

RIYADH: A Canadian-bred Super White mottled gyrfalcon chick fetched SR1.3 million ($346,600) on Saturday at the sixth International Falcon Breeders Auction in Malham, becoming the event’s highest-priced bird of 2026 and the second-biggest sale in the auction’s history. Two falcons from the Canadian»»»

Dubai: The Indian Business & Professional Council (IBPC Dubai), in partnership with the Consulate General of India in Dubai, celebrated India’s 80th Independence Day with an evening highlighting the country’s growing global influence and its increasingly close ties with the UAE. Held at InterContin»»»

Dubai: It began with a post from an X account in India. Within hours, a fabricated quotation attributed to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander had travelled through Israeli social media and television, entered a speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and crossed the Atlantic to US politician»»»

JEDDAH: Saudi universities have strengthened their presence in the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities, with several institutions improving their position and advancing their research and academic standing. Taif University advanced 219 places to 408th globally following its 627th placing in»»»

The US-Iran standoff continues to affect travel, shipping and security across the Gulf, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a major flashpoint. For UAE residents, the most immediate impact is likely to be felt through flight disruptions, changes to shipping routes and the wider effects on regional »»»