The National - News
Wave of Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon
Damage from an Israeli strike in the village of Kfar Roummane, southern Lebanon, yesterday. Twelve people were killed in a series of attacks.
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Moment of impact
Iranian oil tanker MT Kylo is struck in the Gulf of Oman before sinking on Saturday. The crew were ordered to abandon ship before it was hit, the US Central Command said. It was one of three tankers attacked after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps...
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Warm welcome for new ambassadors
President Sheikh Mohamed receives the credentials of 18 newly appointed ambassadors to the UAE on Thursday, welcoming envoys from Germany, France, the UK, South Korea, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Ireland, Slovenia, Lithuania,...
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Dutch call for Unifil extension as ‘priority’ to support Lebanon
The Netherlands wants UN peacekeepers to stay in southern Lebanon beyond the expiry of their mandate on December 31, a utch minister told The National yesterday. Tension has grown over the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) owing to disputes over...
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Bessent tells G20 new routes will erode value of Hormuz
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that he expects supply chain disruption in the Strait of Hormuz to soon be a thing of the past, as Gulf states fast-track alternatives to send their energy supplies to market. “The oil will be going on...
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Vigil held for flood victims
Nepalis light candles at a vigil for flash flood victims at Swayambhunath Stupa in Kathmandu yesterday. The floods, caused by a glacier collapse last Wednesday, have killed at least 900 people and left nearly 4,000 missing in Nepal, with more dead or...
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UAE plan to produce next generation of tech talent
The UAE yesterday set out plans to develop the next generation of Emirati experts in science and advanced technology. The National Programme for Advanced Sciences and Technology – established on the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed – will seek...
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UAE begins month-long celebration of Emirati women’s role in rise of nation
The UAE will come together on Friday to celebrate the crucial role played by Emirati women in the nation’s rise, and help set the stage for their future progress. Emirati Women’s Day – which was established in 2015 by Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak,...
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Iranians brace for fuel crisis as latest sanctions take toll
Iran was on the brink of a fuel crisis yesterday, a day after the US announced new sanctions in the hope of bringing Tehran to its knees. Officials say fuel prices are expected to rise, with signs of panic-buying in Tehran as more petrol was dispensed...
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King Abdullah II meets Chinese leader
Jordan and China called for a negotiated end to the Iran war that addresses the “root causes” of the conflict, after King Abdullah II met President Xi Jinping in Beijing yesterday. The two leaders discussed Middle Eastern affairs during the meeting....
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Deadly Israeli strike in Gaza
A fireball erupted over central Gaza yesterday as Israel bombed a warehouse in an attack that Palestinian officials said killed a child. Six others were reported injured, some of them seriously, in the attack on Al Zawaida. In a second strike, Israeli...
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Gulf states intensify diplomatic efforts to reopen key waterway
Gulf states have increased efforts to break the deadlock in negotiations with Iran, with Qatar and Oman leading regional diplomatic efforts to secure an interim agreement to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, the UK Maritime...
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Humanitarianism is ingrained in this nation’s culture, says Prime Minister
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday marked World Humanitarian Day by emphasising that helping others is ingrained in the country’s culture. The occasion coincides with the anniversary of a 2003...
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US envoy condemns Israel over strikes on Syrian air force base
US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack yesterday said he was “deeply concerned” by Israeli strikes on a military airfield in the north-western province of Idlib, describing the attacks as an unnecessary escalation. Israeli bombers carried out eight...
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Israel held responsible for obstructing peace in Gaza
The foreign ministers of eight Muslim nations, including the UAE, yesterday condemned Israel’s rejection of the latest proposed roadmap for the disarmament of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. It came as US President...
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Afghan anniversary
A Soviet tank is placed on a square in Kabul on Thursday in preparation for events on Saturday marking the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power
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Al Assad and eight others sentenced to death in Syria
Former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad has been sentenced to death for murder and other crimes connected with his regime’s crackdown against the 2011 revolt in Deraa. The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus yesterday sentenced the former president, his...
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Adnoc Gas awards $8.2bn in contracts to spur growth
Adnoc Gas’s second-quarter net profit reached $664.65 million, beating the company’s estimates “despite exceptional external disruption during the period”, it said in a statement yesterday. The profit announcement was accompanied by news that Adnoc...
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Houthi attacks on Red Sea oil tankers fuel global outrage
A Houthi rebel attack on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea has been condemned by leaders around the world, as the latest regional escalation caused the price of oil to exceed $100 a barrel. The attack on the Saudi-owned Encelia caused a fire to break out...
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Lebanese PM hails ‘beginning of Israeli withdrawal’ from south
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam yesterday visited one of three US-designated pilot zones in southern Lebanon and declared the “beginning of the Israeli withdrawal from our land”. He travelled to Zawtar Al Gharbiyeh a day after Lebanese troops...
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Israeli army bars media from southern Lebanon area
Israeli troops have barred journalists and charity workers from entering an occupied area of southern Lebanon. “Go back,” a soldier yelled through a megaphone to a convoy of cars. He stood on the balcony of a house overlooking a gate that marks the...
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Returning heroes
Just as Argentina’s dream began to crumble, even Lionel Messi’s halo briefly slipped. Enzo Fernandez had just reverted to type and been sent-off for acting the schoolyard bully, upending Spain’s latest teen prodigy, Pau Cubarsi. It was a clear...
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Iran turns its aggression on Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan
Iranian attacks damaged a power generation and water desalination complex in Kuwait, and set off air defences in Jordan and Bahrain yesterday, hours after the US carried out an eighth consecutive night of military strikes on Iran. The escalation came...
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Syria and Lebanon ‘in daily contact’ to tackle terrorism
Syrian and Lebanese forces are liaising daily on counterterrorism and other security matters, Lebanon’s Interior Minister Ahmad Al Hajjar has told The National. Relations between Lebanon and Syria are “currently very good”, he said. He recently held...
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Sheikh Mohamed offers condolences after death of former Emir of Qatar
President Sheikh Mohamed yesterday offered his condolences to Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim after the death of his father, former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa. During a visit to Lusail Palace in Doha, Sheikh Mohamed also extended his condolences to...
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Iraqi state will bring all arms under its control, vows Al Zaidi at White House
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi has pledged to ensure that all Iran-backed militias in his country are disarmed by a September 30 deadline. During a meeting at the Oval Office with US President Donald Trump last night, Mr Al Zaidi reaffirmed his...
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Houthis announce end to truce in Yemeni civil war
Yemen’s Houthi rebels yesterday announced an end to the “de-escalation phase” in the country’s civil war, after strikes hit the airport in the group’s stronghold of Sanaa. The Iran-backed Houthis took over the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting...
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Four days’ mourning declared after death of former Qatari Emir
Qatar’s former ruler, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who oversaw the country’s transformation, has died at the age of 74. The Amiri Diwan, Qatar’s top government body, announced his death yesterday. The royal court declared a four-day period of...
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UAE calls for unity in Gulf as Tehran resumes aggression
Strengthening unity among GCC member states is “an utmost necessity” in the face of threats to regional security and stability, Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, has said. His remarks came after Tehran carried out drone...
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US ready to strike Iran again, says Trump as ceasefire crumbles
US President Donald Trump yesterday threatened to launch further attacks on Iran after declaring that a framework agreement to end the regional conflict was “over”. “We are probably going to hit them hard again,” he said at the Nato summit in Ankara....
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Pharaohs bow out of World Cup
Egypt’s Mohamed Salah applauds fans after the Pharaohs’ 3-2 defeat to Argentina in yesterday’s Fifa World Cup last-16 clash. In a social media post after the match, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi hailed the ‘heroes of the national football...
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UK-French naval force to arrive in Strait of Hormuz imminently
A multinational fleet of warships is expected to arrive in the Strait of Hormuz in the coming days to protect commercial shipping from Iranian threats. Western defence officials yesterday told The National that the naval force would be led by Britain...
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Settler violence in West Bank
A Palestinian restaurant owner inspects the damage to his business yesterday, after it was burnt down by Israeli settlers during an attack on the occupied West Bank village of Luban Al Sharqiya, near Nablus
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Rare bombing attack rocks Damascus, leaving six dead
At least six people have been killed and more than 20 injured after a bomb was detonated in the Syrian capital amascus. The Interior Ministry said the explosive device went off inside a cafe in Al Aijaz area of the city on Thursday. A witness told The...
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Damascus ready for proposals to advance alternative trade route
Syria welcomes proposals to link its ports to Gulf states, and is waiting for practical steps to develop an alternative transit route to the Strait of Hormuz, its Transport Minister told The National yesterday. Yarub Badr said Syria was in the process...
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‘A national achievement added to the UAE’s march to the future’
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, yesterday hailed Etihad Rail’s first passenger train journey as a milestone for the country. The first Abu Dhabi-bound train set off from Al Hilal...
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Arrests of 47 officials ‘only the beginning’, says Iraqi PM Al Zaidi
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi said a series of arrests of politicians and officials on corruption charges at the weekend was only the beginning of his efforts to recover misappropriated public funds. Security forces carried out arrests in...
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Bahrain and Kuwait face missile and drone attacks as US and Iran trade fire
Iran and the US exchanged fire yesterday, with missiles and drones launched towards American military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps yesterday announced that it had fired missiles and drones at eight US military...
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US ‘will be in constant contact with Gulf states’ during talks with Tehran
The US is to keep its Gulf allies up to date and “engaged as much as possible” during talks with Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said. “We will not be making any decisions or commitments that in any way undermine the prosperity, stability or...
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US will not undermine Gulf allies’ security, Rubio vows
President Sheikh Mohamed received US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for talks in Abu Dhabi yesterday, as Washington seeks to assure its Gulf allies that it remains aligned with their interests during peace negotiations with Iran. During their meeting,...
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Rubio lands in Abu Dhabi to start diplomatic tour of Gulf
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the UAE last night to begin a Gulf tour, on the same day as Iranian officials were holding talks in Oman. It came as the US and Iran continued to shore up their diplomatic positions amid negotiations for a...
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US waives sanctions on Iranian oil as Vance hails first day of talks
The US yesterday issued a 60-day waiver of sanctions on Iranian oil exports, after Vice President J Vance reported “good progress” in the first round of peace talks in Switzerland. The general licence issued by the Treasury epartment authorises the...
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Talks get off to a shaky start as US and Iran trade threats
US-Iran talks got under way at the Swiss mountain resort of Burgenstock yesterday, but were quickly put into doubt as reports emerged to suggest that the delegates from Tehran had left the venue in protest. Iran’s Fars news agency reported that the...
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Traffic resumes through Strait of Hormuz
A liquefied natural gas tanker loaded in Qatar crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday amid signs of resumed shipping traffic after the US-Iran framework agreement took effect. Three tankers carrying oil had also crossed the waterway as of 2pm UAE...
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US and Iran set to sign deal after months-long process
G7 leaders yesterday hailed the US-Iran framework agreement as a “historic opportunity”, as American President Donald Trump warned that the conflict could restart if the pact falls through. The agreement is to be signed in Switzerland tomorrow after...
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Trump sets out plans for future dialogue with Iran
US President Donald Trump used his meetings with Arab leaders at the G7 summit yesterday to set out his ambitions for a postwar Middle East, as details emerged of the framework agreement with Iran. President Sheikh Mohamed, Egyptian President Abdel...
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US-Iran framework agreement lays ground for talks to end conflict
Countries in the Middle East and beyond yesterday welcomed the announcement of a framework peace agreement between the US and Iran, which is expected to be signed at a ceremony later this week. Oil prices eased after Washington and Tehran took their...
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At least three killed as Israel strikes Beirut suburbs
Israel yesterday struck Beirut in what it said was a response to cross-border rocket fire by Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military had attacked Hezbollah sites in Dahieh, a southern...
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President receives US envoy to UN
President Sheikh Mohamed receives Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, in Abu Dhabi. During their meeting, they discussed strategic ties between the UAE and US and considered ways to further strengthen co-operation in support of the countries’...
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US strikes ship off Oman as Trump vows to hit Iran hard
The US military said it struck a ship off the coast of Oman that was attempting to transport oil from Iran, prompting India to summon an American diplomat over the incident. The Palau-flagged vessel was hit close to midnight on Tuesday, the US Central...
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Iran and Israel trade strikes as Trump says talks on track
Iran and its allies indicated that the Middle East war had entered a new phase last night, exchanging fire with Israel in response to its operations in Lebanon. A hundred days since the war began, Iran and Israel exchanged their heaviest fire in...
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UAE Games get under way in Abu Dhabi
The torch lit to open the UAE Games yesterday has sparked the promise of new paths and goals for more than 1,000 athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the country. The opening ceremony brought together swimmers and...
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Demand for US exit threatens Iraqi plan for militias
Iraq’s efforts to bring Iranbacked militias under state control could face new obstacles as some hardline and powerful factions say they will not disarm until all US troops leave the country, The National has learnt. The stand-off exposes the limits...
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One killed at Kuwait airport as Tehran escalates conflict
One person was killed and dozens were injured in an Iranian attack on Kuwait’s airport yesterday, on what was one of the Gulf’s worst days of the war in terms of casualties. Iranian drones struck the passenger terminal at Kuwait International Airport,...
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Deadly violence in Lebanon despite Trump intervention
Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed at least a dozen people yesterday, as Hezbollah claimed responsibility for new attacks on Israel’s troops, dimming hopes for a de-escalation brokered by US President Donald Trump. Strikes resumed in southern Lebanon...
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UAE launches plan to cut textile waste in boost to nation’s circular economy
A sustainability project has been launched across the UAE to boost the circular economy and reduce textile waste. About 220,000 tonnes of textile waste are produced each year in the country, state news agency Wam reported. President Sheikh Mohamed...
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Israel seizes historic castle as troops push into Lebanon
The Israeli military yesterday announced that its troops had captured Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon, in its deepest ground advance into the country in 26 years. “Our soldiers are writing a new chapter … by planting their flag at Beaufort...
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Israel strikes Beirut suburbs as talks set to resume in US
Israel has attacked Beirut’s suburbs and declared that its warplanes were “operating nonstop” over Lebanon, as the two countries prepared for another round of talks in the US. An Israeli strike hit a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut, in the...
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Israeli military expands attacks on southern Lebanon
Israeli air strikes killed at least nine people across Lebanon yesterday, the second day of an intensified military assault that comes as millions of Lebanese mark Eid Al Adha. Israel’s military also ordered, late last night, the forced displacement...
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Peace process tested by US strikes and Iranian threats
The peace process in the Iran war was tested yesterday, as the US carried out overnight air strikes while Tehran continued a diplomatic push to recover $24 billion in frozen funds. A spokesman for the US military’s Central Command said it had struck...
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Hajj pilgrimage begins
Muslim worshippers pray around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah yesterday, on the first day of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
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Guardiola waves goodbye
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Liverpool’s Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah both said goodbye to their respective clubs yesterday, heralding the end of an era in the Premier League. City and Guardiola said farewell to one of the most...
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Region needs post-war deal ‘involving Israel and Iran’
The Middle East could lower tension by holding Cold Warstyle talks between rival powers, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb has said. Mr Stubb – whose country oversaw the 1975 Aelsinki Accords that helped to calm US-Soviet tension – said a similar...
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