Author: Editorial Team

An Emirati cybersecurity researcher has developed an AI-powered platform that detects deepfakes in images, videos and audio, with the aim of curbing the rapid spread of fabricated content across social media. Bashayer Al Salami built the platform, called Deepy, after her master’s research at Zayed University focused on modern digital threats and the ways AI-generated manipulation has begun to outpace what ordinary users can recognise on their own. “As AI advanced, deepfakes emerged as one of the most serious digital challenges, making it possible to alter images, videos and audio in ways the average viewer cannot easily detect,” she said.…

SEOUL — A Chinese dissident has been detained in South Korea after he made a daring 30-hour escape from China by sea to the country, his fourth attempt to flee authorities in his homeland and reunite with his family who have been granted asylum in Canada. Dong Guangping, a former police officer who has faced years of imprisonment and detention for his activism, fled using an inflatable boat and was picked up by the coast guard in Korean waters on Monday night. South Korea’s coast guard told the BBC that Dong is under investigation for suspected immigration violations and his…

MINA — On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman received Eid Al-Adha well-wishers on Wednesday at the Royal Court in Mina Palace. The reception included royal family members, Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan, senior scholars and sheikhs, high-level guests from Gulf Cooperation Council countries, ministers, commanders of military sectors participating in this year’s Hajj operations and leaders of Saudi scouting groups serving pilgrims. The ceremony began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Qur’an. During the event, the Crown Prince delivered a speech congratulating citizens, residents and…

[Editor’s Note: This article is part of Khaleej Times’ Schools and Parents, a dedicated section designed to support families in the UAE as they explore educational choices. The section offers explainers, guidance from education leaders, expert advice and insights from parents to help readers make informed decisions about schools, curricula and communities.] Dubai families will not see an increase in private school tuition fees for the 2026–27 academic year, offering relief amid ongoing cost-of-living pressures. This recent regulatory decision announced by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) reflects Dubai’s continued focus on supporting families and ensuring stability in the education…

BANGKOK — Rescuers in Laos on Wednesday found five villagers alive inside a flooded cave where they were trapped for a week following heavy rain and landslides. Two other villagers who were with them are missing, Lao and Thai rescue teams involved in the operation said. “We’ve found 5 people alive and all safe. There are still 2 people we are searching for,” Laotian rescue group Rescue Volunteer for People said in a social media post. “At 4:30 pm, we found our target. We found five people. We are looking for the other two,” added Thai rescuer Kengkach Bangkawong in…

MINA — The Ministry of Interior has penalized five Saudi citizens and five expatriates for violating Hajj regulations and instructions by transporting 34 individuals to Makkah without permits to perform Hajj. Hajj security forces apprehended them at the entrances to Makkah. The ministry issued administrative decisions through its seasonal administrative committees with regard to the penalties against them. These include fines of up to SR100,000 for the transporters and those involved in the violations, in addition to imprisonment and publicizing their names in the local media at their personal expense. Fines of up to SR20,000 were also imposed on those…

[Editor’s Note: Follow the Khaleej Times live blog for the latest regional developments with the US-Israel-Iran ceasefire now in effect.] The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the egregious drone attack on an electricity generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Al Dhafra region in the UAE. They underscored that the attack constitutes a flagrant violation of international law with grave risks for civilian lives, infrastructure and the environment. In a statement issued last night, the members expressed deep concern over this dangerous escalation and demanded the immediate and permanent cessation…

LIMASSOL — Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with External Affairs Minister of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Limassol, Cyprus on Wednesday. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the informal Foreign Affairs Council meeting. During the meeting, the ministers discussed bilateral relations between their countries and ways to further strengthen and develop them. The meeting also addressed the latest regional and international developments and included an exchange of views on those developments. Saudi Ambassador to Cyprus Fawaz Alshubaili attended the meeting. Source: Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH—Saudi Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Supreme Hajj Committee Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif held talks with interior ministers of several countries at the ministry’s headquarters in Makkah on Wednesday. They include Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control of Pakistan Mohsin Naqvi, Iraqi Minister of Interior Lt. Gen. Abdulamir Al-Shammari, Lebanese Minister of Interior and Municipalities Ahmad Al-Hajjar, and Kuwait’s Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah. During the meeting, they discussed ways to further enhance security cooperation and coordination between Saudi Arabia and these countries. A number of topics of mutual interest were also…

A line she typed in passing, asking her husband for money to cover a credit card bill, became the evidence that turned years of marital transfers into a debt she was ordered to repay. She did not think she was writing a legal document. She was a wife, asking her husband for money, mentioning in passing that she needed it to cover a credit card bill. The message sat in their chat for years, the kind of line exchanged in every marriage. Then the marriage ended. And that single line walked into a UAE courtroom and changed her life. Ahmed…