BEIRUT: Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt’s call for dialogue with Hezbollah on bringing all weapons under state control has reignited a long-running debate in Lebanon over whether another round of talks can resolve an issue that has defied successive national dialogue initia»»»

BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s decision to take direct control of the country’s intelligence agency after dismissing its chief, Hamid Al-Shatri, has raised questions that go beyond a shake-up at one of Iraq’s most powerful security institutions. At stake is the distribution of sensiti»»»

San Francisco, United States: OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic pledged on Friday to give media outlets and other websites a single way to prevent their content from being scraped to train artificial intelligence (AI) models, amid growing criticisms and legal battles from news publishers. Pub»»»

UAE airports gear up for winter surge as airlines restore services UAE airports are preparing for a busier winter travel season as international airlines gradually restore services and expand their schedules. Scheduled departing seat capacity across the country's airports has risen to 7.2 million i»»»

Former MILF leader Macacua secures Chief Minister role in BARMM's first parliament Abdulraof “Sammy Gambar” Macacua, 69, was elected the first Chief Minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on Friday, defeating former interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim in the »»»

Climate phenomenon could intensify, but its impact on UAE rainfall remains uncertain Abu Dhabi: The UAE's National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has forecast a 96 per cent probability that El Niño will persist from November 2026 to March 2027, with sea surface temperatures potentially rising to an ex»»»

Investigators now get crucial medical evidence sooner under new process Dubai: Dubai Police have introduced a new medical examination system in their Forensic Medicine Department that has shortened waiting times and sped up the release of forensic medical reports. The change means investigators rec»»»

ANTANANARIVO: Raids against online scam centers in Madagascar have exposed ties with a criminal group that ran similar operations in Cambodia, also duping African nationals via alleged human trafficking, authorities told AFP. Conducting romance, cryptocurrency and investment fraud, the sites were m»»»

Oil slick remains off Umm Al Quwain, extending towards Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, and Sharjah Abu Dhabi: The UAE's Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has reported a significant decline in marine pollution following an oil spill from the tanker GEM NO. 2, confirming that the leak has been stoppe»»»

Dakar: The 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the first Olympics ever to be held on African soil, open Saturday in the Senegalese capital marking an historic moment for the continent. Signs proclaiming "Africa welcomes, Dakar celebrates" are abundant across Dakar, which is hosting some 2,665 young competito»»»

Saturday, October 31, is the day of reflection ahead of the second round of Bulgaria’s presidential and vice-presidential election. Under the Election Code, election campaigning is prohibited during the 24 hours before election day and on election day itself. The campaign for Sunday’s runoff, sched»»»

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi air defences intercepted a drone in the Riyadh region on Saturday, according to the spokesman for the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia fighting Yemen's Houthis. "Air defences intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone in the Riyadh region," Turki al-Malki wrote on X»»»

UPDATENovember rates bring motorists relief despite Brent crude approaching $120 a barrel Dubai: UAE petrol and diesel prices for November have been announced, with motorists set to pay less at the pumps despite international crude oil prices climbing sharply during October and Brent approaching $1»»»

Washington, United States: A US federal judge temporarily blocked on Friday the Justice Department from threatening state and local election officials with criminal prosecution if they fail to comply with its directives on processing ballots. The order by Judge Trina Thompson in the Northern Distri»»»

BREAKING NEWSHere's how much it will cost to tank up your vehicle next month Abu Dhabi/Dubai: The UAE fuel price committee on Saturday announced petrol and diesel prices for the month of November 2026. Super 98 petrol will cost Dh4.16 a litre, compared to Dh4.40 a litre in October, while Special 95»»»

SAN JUAN: King Charles III urged more countries to value nature during a visit to Guyana on Friday, praising its efforts to protect its vast forests while generating millions of dollars from carbon credit sales. Charles said finding ways to value nature remained a challenge. “Everybody argues about»»»

Muscat, Oman: Oman said Friday it had rescued 25 sailors from a merchant ship set ablaze in an attack, as Iran reported three oil tankers were halted while crossing the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has restricted maritime traffic through the strait since the Middle East war erupted on February 28 with »»»

Global ETFs drew a record $31b or Dh114b in Q3, but designers say buyers want real gold Dubai: Global gold ETFs drew a record $31 billion or Dh114 billion in the third quarter, yet jewellery designers say Indian families in the UAE will still buy physical gold for Dhanteras. There is no doubt that »»»

Travellers who stayed in Kenya or Ebola-hit countries in the last 21 days are barred entry Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has suspended travel by its citizens to Kenya, halted the issuance of all types of visas to travellers arriving from the country and banned their entry into the Kingdom as part of additio»»»

WASHINGTON: A US official and a coalition of veterans and advocacy groups reported on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration intends to deport some Afghan immigrants back to Afghanistan. Here are more details: Sean VanDeveer, head of Afghan Evac, stated that many of those facing deport»»»

Several social media accounts associated with sharing anti-immigrant views claim French Muslims were responsible for burning five churches on October 17 – the day the nation was rocked by en masse protests. But both this number and story are fictitious. The French government agency that monito»»»

Catherine Viette is pleased to welcome Jens Schumacher, Field Coordinator in Mykolaiv and Kherson with Solidarity International. Just a few kilometers separate the Ukrainian-controlled city of Kherson from Russian-occupied Oleshky. For civilians caught between military occupation, disrupted essenti»»»

The pragmatism characteristic of the Americans could help advance discussions among G20 participants this year, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. A meeting of G20 foreign ministers is taking place in Atlanta on October 30–31, under the American presidency. Lavrov is leading the Russian d»»»

ATLANTA: Top diplomats from the Group of 20 largest world economies will wrap up two days of talks in Atlanta on Saturday without reaching consensus on several critical global security issues after divisions, notably over Russia’s war with Ukraine, overshadowed the start of the meeting. As a result»»»

Entry rules now deter 43% of travelers even as biometrics and AI go mainstream, IATA says Dubai: Passengers are warming to biometrics and artificial intelligence, but visa hurdles and conflict are keeping more people at home. This revelation comes from the latest 2026 Global Passenger Survey (GPS) »»»

WASHINGTON: A US judge ordered ​the Justice Department on Friday to stop threatening to prosecute state and local election officials who do not comply with the Trump administration’s demands related to voting by alleged non-citizens. The ruling comes days before next week’s US midterm elections tha»»»

From fashion and gaming to art and food, Abu Dhabi is making room for every niche Abu Dhabi is getting very specific about how it wants you to spend your weekend. Not just “go out.” More like: go to a pop-up, discover three local brands you have never heard of, drink an iced coffee, take part in a »»»

Saturday temperatures could reach 38°C inland, while mountain winds may climb up to 55km/h Dubai: Parts of the UAE could experience rainfall on Saturday, October 31, as convective clouds develop over eastern and northern areas, with strong winds raising dust and temperatures reaching 38°C inland, a»»»

Share: BEIRUT (AP) — A Lebanese military court has charged 13 people in connection with a seized truck carrying explosives belonging to Hezbollah, state media reported on Friday. The charges marked the latest sign of a dramatic shift in relations between Hezbollah and Lebanon after two wars between»»»

ATLANTA: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed an agreement on Friday establishing a framework for US participation in Expo 2030 Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported. ee According to SPA, the agreement confirms the US as an “official partici»»»

Now get relief from mounting fines as revised rules limit penalties, scraps double charges Dubai: The UAE has capped certain e-invoicing fines at Dh50,000 and scrapped a Dh1,000 daily penalty for system-failure reporting delays, easing the financial burden on businesses ahead of the mandatory rollo»»»

Dubai Ride, Etihad Rail works and UAE road restrictions may affect weekend travel Dubai: Motorists across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah should plan their weekend journeys ahead of time, with road closures, lane restrictions, changing toll rates and revised speed limits affecting several routes from »»»

Kazakhstan harvested 24.3 million tonnes of grain during its 2026 agricultural campaign, marking one of the highest yield levels recorded in the past 15 years, the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture announced on Friday. According to the national railway operator Kazakhstan Temir Zholy, grain exports re»»»

Share: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Friday that a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil struck a naval mine and caught fire while using an unauthorized route in the Strait of Hormuz, HERE IS THE THE LATEST – President Trump said Friday the war with Iran is “going to end soon,”»»»

Satellite tracking and aerial surveillance help monitor the tanker and protect coastlines. Dubai: The UAE is continuing a coordinated maritime and environmental response following an oil spill in its territorial waters, with specialist teams monitoring the tanker GEM NO. 2, tracking the movement of»»»

London: Two international studies have highlighted the potential of blood tests and non-invasive imaging to diagnose metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease and assess liver fibrosis, reducing the need for biopsies. Published in The Lancet and Nature Medicine under the international LI»»»

RIYADH: From school classrooms to digital banking platforms, Saudi Arabia is reshaping how younger generations approach money, with financial education emerging as a key part of efforts to turn saving into a lifelong habit. As the Kingdom marks World Savings Day on Oct. 31, the shift is gaining mom»»»

New trade and investment agreements mark a strategic shift in bilateral relations When Prime Minister Mark Carney visited Abu Dhabi last November, he said Canada and the UAE might look as different as snow and sand, yet are deeply aligned. Eleven months later, that line reads less like diplomatic c»»»

Madrid: Spanish researchers have developed a new iron-based agent for MRI scans that showed potential in detecting heart tissue fibrosis and limiting its progression in laboratory tests. The material, developed by researchers at CIC biomaGUNE and partner institutions, consists of 1.4-nanometer iron»»»

Oman's temporary 30-litre refuelling limit changes the calculation for motorists Dubai: Is it worth driving across the Oman border just to refuel? With UAE petrol prices set for their November review, the answer depends on how much fuel motorists can purchase, the distance travelled and whether the»»»

ATLANTA: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s remarks about continuing strikes on Russian targets, saying they undermined preparations for fresh peace talks, while the European Union’s top diplomat accused Moscow of spreading “lies” an»»»

Paris: Harry Kane captured the Ballon d'Or by the narrowest margin in the award's current voting system after edging out Kylian Mbappé by just 28 points, event organizers France Football revealed on Friday. The magazine published a breakdown of the votes in its Friday edition. Bayern Munich's Kane,»»»

The ‌US State Department said on Friday it had approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine for an estimated $2.1 ​billion. Ukraine will pay for the defensive interceptor missiles with contributions from Canada, Germany and Norway routed through the US JUMPSTART program, along with na»»»

ALGIERS: An Algerian army ‌convoy has arrived in Niger in Algeria’s first foreign troop deployment since it sent forces to ​support Egypt during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. Niger, like other countries in West Africa’s Sahel region, is battling insurgents linked to Al-Qaeda and Daesh. Algeria, which »»»

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday reported 4,852 measles cases in the country as of October 29, up 264 cases from its previous update. Nationwide, hospitalizations linked to measles this year stood at 511 —representing 11 percent of all reported cases r— according to»»»

Addis Ababa: From his office in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, Yeabsera Yismashewa keeps watch over bicycles navigating the city's newly built bike lanes. Yismashewa works as chief technical officer for Addis Bike, the country's first station-to-station bike-sharing operator. Launched in Aug»»»

ALGIERS: An Algerian army ‌convoy has arrived in Niger in Algeria’s first foreign troop deployment since it sent forces to ​support Egypt during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. Niger, like other countries in West Africa’s Sahel region, is battling insurgents linked to Al-Qaeda and Daesh. Algeria, which »»»

TRIPOLI: Libya's National Oil Corporation said an armed group shut a ​valve on Friday on the main Hamada crude oil pipeline that links the Hamada field to the country's largest refinery, Zawiya, halting flows. The closure marks the second time this ‌month that ‌oil flows to ​Zawiya ‌have ⁠been ​hal»»»

MOSCOW: Russia’s atomic power agency said Friday it was in advanced talks with four African nations about building floating nuclear power stations to help overcome power shortages. Alexey Likhachev, director general of the Rosatom state agency said talks were being held with Egypt, Namibia, Tanzani»»»

UNITED NATIONS: Russia vetoed a US-drafted resolution Friday that would have supported Morocco’s demand for sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara and ended the UN’s 35-year peacekeeping mission, which was charged with helping to prepare a referendum on the future of the mineral-rich territor»»»