GULF

The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees is calling on rich Gulf countries to chip in more to help educate, house and provide health care to them

A Gulf state - reportedly Qatar - is accused of attempting to bribe parliament officials.

The visit showcases Beijing's ambitions to expand its influence in the Gulf, a region traditionally seen as a close U.S. security partner. Oil and defense are key to Chinese-Saudi ties.

“We could barely even get a buyer to bid on our shrimp, and that’s scary.”The high price of diesel is a primary, ongoing drag on the industry. Still, as much as fuel prices are a problem, right now that’s not even the main issue, Hance said. “How are your freezers full if we haven’t been harvesting shrimp?”Farm-raised, imported shrimp is how. It’s the same with all Gulf-state processors, most of which process imported as well as domestic shrimp and sell them alongside each other, she said. “Our average price for domestic shrimp this year, it dropped to almost the lowest it’s been,” she said.

How Qataris feel about their country becoming the first in the Arab world to host a World Cup.

French President Emmanuel Macron defended himself for deciding to take a trip to Qatar if the national team makes the World Cup semifinals.

The mean-girl theatrics, high-quality production and outrageous plotlines of Dubai Bling have quickly attracted a large and loyal following.

Thousands of Christians from around the Gulf have packed Bahrain’s sports stadium for Pope Francis’ big Mass

Tom Barrack was accused of being the "eyes, ears and the voice" of the United Arab Emirates.

Hello, and welcome to November! Typically this can be a very active time for us here in Southeast Texas with cold air moving in and interacting with our warm moist Gulf air, forming a secondary severe weather season. Thankfully for us here, our tropical season is done, but that is NOT the case across the globe.

South Padre Island is the ideal destination if you're looking to get away this holiday season.

With their new found swagger, Gulf states are competing to become regional financial hubs, drawing in talent, big business and foreign firms.

Tropical Storm Karl has grown a little stronger off Mexico’s southern Gulf coast and it’s expected to approach land by the weekend without gaining  hurricane strength

The remnants of Hurricane Julia are forecast to try to redevelop before moving into Mexico.

The Vatican says Pope Francis will travel to Bahrain in November, as the pope presses his message of dialogue with the Muslim world

Watch a loop of KPRC 2 graphics as all eyes turn toward Hurricane Ian.

Low flood threats through the start of the weekend

“That really helped our drought conditions here” he said. “Otherwise we’d be in the same position as upstate Texas.”A meteorology rule-of-thumb is that dry begets dry, and wet begets wet. “Unfortunately for Texas, the heat is on and it’s going to stay for at least the short term,” he said. “In Brownsville the past few years we’ve had some sort of tropical uptick by this time,” Mejia said. “Real relief from drought conditions is probably going to have to come from tropical events or some sort of tropical air mass that moves into our area,” Mejia said.

We are keeping an eye on the tropics and are monitoring our next area for potential tropical development over Georgia.

The two miniature golf courses, Putt Putt and Pirates of the Gulf, opened in the early ’90s but closed by the end of the decade.

Though the region's two biggest economies have been trying to trim their generous social services, the sudden rise in inflation has prompted renewed spending.

A Mexican army patrol was surrounded and attacked in the town of Altar, Mexico's president said Monday, on the same day a family of seven were killed on the country's Gulf coast. Altar, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Sasabe, Arizona, has long been known as a staging ground for immigrant smuggling and is reportedly controlled by a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that on Sunday soldiers had detained three criminal suspects, but were quickly surrounded by 10 or 15 pickups and 60 gunmen.

Amazon described its decision as one made to abide by local laws.

This low will be responsible for hor much rain we get the rest of the week

Heat advisory for our northern cities

Heat advisory for our northern cities

Turtle hatchlings took to the sea at the first public viewing event of 2022 at the Padre Island National Seashore.

A statement by a spokesperson of India's ruling party has snowballed into an international controversy.

The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season kicks off on June 1st with an above average number of storms expected through the summer

A satellite image of ocean heat shows the strong Loop Current and swirling eddies. Christopher Henze, NASA/AmesThe Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1, and the Gulf of Mexico is already warmer than average. Even more worrying is a current of warm tropical water that is looping unusually far into the Gulf for this time of year, with the power to turn tropical storms into monster hurricanes. It’s called the Loop Current, and it’s the 800-pound gorilla of Gulf hurricane risks. When the Loop

Petrochemicals business Borouge will list on the Abu Dhabi stock exchange next month, marking the latest in a series of mega public offerings across the Middle East.

Last Wednesday, all the Media-rology lit up with a potential Category 4 hurricane in the Gulf (headed toward Texas, no less) just in time for Memorial Day weekend. The cover shot today shows what was going around. This was a forecast from the American model a good two weeks out. We call these hurricanes from the model a “modelcane” and I’ll explain what’s going on in a moment. Suffice it to say that, first of all, there has never been a major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico in May, so that would be highly unusual, and second, never trust a model more than a week out, especially for tropical systems that develop in the Caribbean’s west end. Trust me, things will change.

There is a major traffic alert in Houston.

Former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton garnered laughter and applause during her eulogy for her predecessor at the State Department, Madeleine Albright, held at Washington's National Cathedral Wednesday. (April 27)

For the Texas shrimp industry and the Gulf shrimp industry in general, it’s been a long while since the good news has outweighed the bad for any length of time. The pandemic, however, unexpectedly produced a rare silver lining last year in the form of higher prices for wild-caught Gulf shrimp. Then came the calamity of fuel prices. For restaurants, offering Gulf shrimp becomes no longer an option once it reaches a certain price point. If and when fuel prices do come enough that boats can make money again, then shrimp prices can come down a bit, making it attractive to consumers and restaurants again, Hance said.

The Sea Shepherd environmental group says scientists estimate that only about eight of the world’s most critically endangered porpoises may remain in the Gulf of California, the only place where the vaquita marina lives

The penalties allow the U.S. to block the assets of the sanctioned people and entities, and to prosecute others who do business with them.

American allies and Moscow’s friends all have good reasons to avoid taking sides in the Ukraine war. But neutrality has its risks, too.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s first visit to the tiny, oil-rich country comes as Israel and the Gulf states advance security collaborations — and as a shadow war between Israel and Iran becomes increasingly public.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is flying to the Gulf state of Bahrain.

The U.S. Trade Representative's Office has filed the first environmental complaint against Mexico for failing to protect the critically endangered vaquita marina, the world's smallest porpoise.

USS Cole destroyer and fighter jets will "assist" United Arab Emirates as the close ally faces increasing missile and drone attacks by Houthis rebels in Yemen.

A major winter storm is expected in a large swath of the U.S., including Texas, nearly a year after a storm devastated the state's power grid and caused hundreds of deaths. But Texas officials say the grid is ready. (Feb. 1)

Kuwait’s foreign minister says he has handed Lebanese officials a list of suggestions for confidence-building measures with oil-rich Gulf states after relations between the two sides deteriorated dramatically over the past months.

The salty water spewing high on a Crane County ranch could be a sign of a “whack-a-mole” future in the Permian Basin.

The popular Packery Channel, which still bears the damage of Hurricane Harvey, is on its way to being shored up against the next storm.

Mobility start-up Lime is planning to launch its e-scooter and e-bike rental service across the Middle East over the next two years.

"Today we mark a significant milestone for our transformation," Saudi Tadawul Group CEO Khalid Al Hussan told CNBC's Dan Murphy on Wednesday.

The United Arab Emirates will have a 4.5-day working week, with the weekend starting on Friday afternoon and lasting until Sunday.

A Lebanese DJ was days away from moving to Riyadh to play for a month in one of the newest entertainment centers in Saudi Arabia's capital when a brief, polite Whatsapp message informed her that the contract won’t go through. The diplomatic crisis is causing anxiety among Lebanese, particularly those who work in Gulf countries, at a time when Lebanon is already enduring an unprecedented economic meltdown.

Jeremy Bowen gets rare access to Marib, where civilians are caught behind the conflict's front line.

In this dangerous game, any move that tips the balance could kick off a conflict. That won’t change until Beijing is able to harness new zero-carbon technologies to replace crude in both civilian and military uses.

Lebanon’s interior minister says that every delay in resolving the diplomatic crisis with Gulf nations threatens to affect the lives of more Lebanese already reeling from a massive economic crisis

Researchers are calling on the public to report monarch butterfly sightings in eight southern and Gulf states.

Pressure is mounting on Lebanese leaders to remove a Cabinet minister whose comments on the war in Yemen sparked a diplomatic row with Saudi Arabia

A new intelligence report casts doubt, saying nations that rely heavily on fossil fuel exports will try to slow the transition.

A new intelligence report casts doubt, saying nations that rely heavily on fossil fuel exports will try to slow the transition.

Texas Monthly adds and updates approximately sixty restaurant listings for our Dining Guide each month. There’s limited space in the print issue, but the

Similar objects have been found on the opposite side of the Gulf, in Florida, and a bit further south.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the al-Qaida extremist group that used Afghanistan as a staging base to attack United States 20 years ago may attempt to regenerate there following an American withdrawal that has left the Taliban in power

Government officials estimate more than 39,000 residents were affected by flooding that overtook nearly the entire city of Tula on Tuesday, with water remaining high on Wednesday.

7 First Alert Forecast 12 p.m. Update, Wednesday, September 8

Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in Louisiana still don't have power 9 days after Hurricane Ida. Gov. John Bel Edwards on Tuesday said that though progress has been made, more than 400,000 are still without electricity. (Sept. 7)

With the situation in the Gulf evolving throughout each day, the KPRC 2 severe weather team is watching it closely. The current models indicate this is likely to be a storm that will impact our neighbors in Louisiana, but the strength and exact landfall location are still unknown.

Galveston authorities tell KPRC 2 they are receiving reports of tar balls in the area.

Tropical Storm Elsa is sweeping over western Cuba with strong rain and winds, and forecasters say it will move on to the Florida Keys on Tuesday and Florida’s central Gulf coast by Wednesday.

Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston will discuss hurricane preparedness for the upcoming hurricane season and the pending tropical disturbance currently in the Gulf.

We’ll have a chance to get either or both of the tropical flare ups to make Tropical Depression status the next 24-48 hours although the one in the Gulf better hurry! Circulation from this morning’s NOAA Satellite is pretty evident and you’ll notice a north movement for now:

The KPRC 2 Severe Weather Team is monitoring severe storms moving through central and east Texas Friday evening.

Friday cold front brings weekend weather changes to SE Texas!

Jordan’s king has addressed the public feud with his half-brother, Prince Hamzah, portraying it as an attempted “sedition” that caused him shock, anger and pain.

GALVESTON, Texas – Last week’s viral video of orcas swimming near a Galveston Party Boat had people talking about the wonders of the island’s wildlife. Greg Whittaker, animal husbandry manager and wildlife expert with Moody Gardens, spoke to KPRC 2 about these unexpected visitors of the Gulf and what other animals Galveston visitors can expect to see around the island. Usually, they would be hunting fish such as tuna and smaller dolphin species,” Whittaker said. Dolphins (Pixabay)Sea turtlesSea turtles, according to Whittaker, are usually found in the bay areas of the Gulf, foraging for food. Larger stingrays are usually found in the deeper waters of the Gulf, while smaller types (usually golden colored) are finding clams on the Gulf shoreline, according to Whittaker.

FILE - In this Oct. 1, 2018 file photo, a woman holds a malnourished boy at the Aslam Health Center, in Hajjah, Yemen. The stark warning comes a day before a pledging conference co-hosted by Sweden and Switzerland. The U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will appeal for $3.85 billion in relief aid for Yemen this year. Wealthy Gulf donors such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which contributed generously to U.N. appeals in 2018 and 2019, cut back drastically on aid to Yemen last year amid the pandemic and corruption in Yemen aid efforts. The rebels have been implicated in stealing aid and using aid access to extort concessions and money.

Our ever present fog stuck around until 10am for the coastal counties along with warmer than normal temperatures for the weekend. MUCH warmer than normal weekend (KPRC)The southerly flow from the Gulf is bringing warm moist air over cooler water and creating the fog issues. The rain amounts will be meager however with about half inch to one inch for the week ahead. Rain chances ramp up Sunday night into Monday (KPRC)We’ll see only slight sprinkle chances today ahead of an increase in those chances Sunday night. AdRain chances at the start and end of the week (KPRC)Remember to check for any changes to this forecast at Click2Houston.com/weather .

HOUSTON – 25 green sea turtles were given a second chance to live and released back to the Gulf thanks to animal care professionals from the Houston Zoo. Partnering with Texas A&M University-Galveston and Texas Parks and Wildlife, the zoo facilitated the rescue after last week’s winter storm, according to a news release. Last week, as Texas experienced unprecedented freezing conditions from Winter Storm Uri, 37 green sea turtles were rescued along the Texas coast. Working with our partners @AggiesByTheSea, the Houston Zoo's veterinary staff oversaw the care & treatment of these wild sea turtles. pic.twitter.com/DqoYsJwLcm — Houston Zoo (@houstonzoo) February 24, 2021Eleven of the turtles rescued continue to receive veterinary care from Houston Zoo and are not ready for release at this time, the news release said.

After almost breaking a record Thursday afternoon with temperatures hitting 80 degrees in Houston, winter is back. The weather is now cloudy, chilly, and damp. Jackets and umbrellas are a must as scattered showers and chilly temperatures will last all of Friday. Expect seasonable weather for Super Bowl Weekend. The long-range forecast features a cold front next week that could bring in a cold winter blast for next week.

Al Thani's arrival in the kingdoms ancient desert city of Al-Ula on Tuesday was broadcast live on Saudi TV. Saudi Arabia announced the reopening of its airspace and borders with Qatar earlier this week. National carrier Qatar Airways said it had started to reroute some flights through Saudi airspace, with the first flight cruising over Saudi skies from Doha to Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday night. The four Arab states severed commercial and diplomatic ties with Qatar in 2017, accusing the country of cozying up to Iran and financing extremist groups in the region, charges that Doha denies. The boycott only pushed Qatar closer to Iran, for instance by forcing Qatar Airways to change routes through Iranian skies.

GALVESTON – The coast and bay offer great weather, incredible events, world-class attractions, award-winning Gulf seafood and an array of shops full of unique gifts for your shopping pleasure. During the holiday season, Galveston’s family of coastal communities is offering two months of magical events and activities from November to New Year’s. There’s plenty of gift shopping you can do with these amazing local vendors for some interesting finds that will impress your family and friends. You can even shop online at each one of the businesses listed below by simply clicking on their names! For more information about all the magical happenings in Galveston, just click here to find out how you can make memories there that you’re family will remember for years to come!

Here are things to know for Wednesday, Dec. 2:1. There is a small chance that some of Wednesday’s storms will produce strong wind gusts. For the first time, KPRC 2′s Bill Spencer is getting answers for hundreds of people -- all at once. They said they have been getting high water bills for months and they are confused as to why. As Spencer learned, things are so out of sorts and an independent investigation is underway.

Winds are turning back onshore and with a southeast breeze moisture is slowly and surely returning to Southeast Texas. Expect a warm and slightly more humid Thursday afternoon. Thursday AfternoonWith more moisture in place patchy fog could be an issue for the Friday morning commute as well as our weekend mornings. Fog Friday MorningThis surge of moisture and unseasonably warm weather is ahead of a couple cold fronts on the way. The second front next Tuesday will cut temperatures slightly returning seasonable weather, afternoon temperatures in the low 70s, back to Houston for Thanksgiving.

Houston – After a record-breaking Thursday, temperatures hit 85 degrees at Bush Airport, unseasonably warm weather continues. FridayOur cool mornings and warmer than average afternoons will continue through the weekend. Missing Fall weather? Not to worry it is on the way for next week! A cold front on Sunday will usher in chilly mornings and mild afternoons.

HOUSTON – The storm is expected to weaken just slightly down to a strong tropical storm before making landfall somewhere between Cedar Key and Clearwater, Florida by this evening. It will bring heavy rain, wind and up to a 2-3 foot storm surge during high tide across central and NW Florida coastline. Eta is approaching the central Florida coastline this eveningEta will move across Florida tonight and tomorrowWe might be nearing the end of hurricane season but the tropics are still very busy! Tropical Storm Theta is churning in the north Atlantic heading towards Spain and Portugal and we will likely be looking at “Iota” over the next few days tracking in the Caribbean towards Central America. Busy TropicsTHETA marks the 29th named storm of the 2020 season breaking the record for the most named tropical systems in a hurricane season.

Lauderdale area since last Thursday, Florida is hoping Eta will continue to drift west and wash itself out over the Gulf. However, the European model and NHC forecast is persistent with a slow north and then northeast trek across northern Florida, which would mean more rain in a different location. The American modelThe GFS, or American model, has consistently shown quite the opposite with ETA drifting west and eventually moving north. Here’s the latest:American Model courtesy Tropical TidbitsThis model suggests that no front gets involved until Sunday, so high pressure continues to send Eta on its westerly drift. Obviously, we have a while to watch this and the path over time will become more certain.

Epsilon is the 27th tropical system of the 2020 Hurricane Season. Thankfully Epsilon is in the central Atlantic and projected to stay in the central Atlantic not threatening the East Coast of the United States. Late Thursday night Epsilon will approach Bermuda as a Category 2 hurricane, but a direct hit to the island is not anticipated. After passing east of Bermuda, it will turn eastward into the north-central Atlantic. EpsilonBeyond Epsilon, there is one spot we are watching in the Northwest Caribbean that has a 20% chance for development.

The national flags of Bahrain, Israel and America, flutter in near the Israeli flag carrier El Al plane that will fly an Israeli delegation, accompanied by U.S. aides, to Bahrain to formalise relations and broaden Gulf cooperation, at Ben Gurion airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool Photo via AP)

After Hurricane Delta made landfall Friday evening as a Category 2 storm with winds of 100 mph near Creole, Louisiana, it has continually weakened overnight and through this morning and as of 10am become a depression. Delta weakens to a depression (KPRC)The biggest threat is still rain with 2-4 inches likely along its path with some isolated amounts possible as much as 6-10 inches for the lower Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys. Delta picks up speed toward the northeast (KPRC)WindCameron and Lake Charles, Louisiana, which took a direct hit from Hurricane Laura, stayed on the “clean” side of Delta -- west of the eye. Compared to Laura, Delta is not as strong and not as well-organized. Delta made landfall near Creole Louisiana, only about 12 miles to the east of the track of Hurricane Laura six weeks earlier.

HOUSTON – At KPRC 2, we’re dedicated to keeping Houstonians informed. As part of our Ask 2 series, the newsroom will answer your questions about all things Houston. Question: 2020 was predicted and has been an exceptional year for tropical storms. But why such an increase in Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico storms? Answer: From KPRC 2′s Frank Billingsley -- “The water temps over the Gulf and the Caribbean are the warmest this year on the planet and the lack of El Niño has meant less shear, or upper level wind, to tear storms apart.

Louisiana residents who are still recovering from the devastation of a powerful hurricane less than two months ago braced for another hit as Hurricane Delta steamed north through the Gulf on Thursday after swiping Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, the Associated Press reported. “They do not retire Greek alphabet storm names -- at least so far,” Gross said. The last time we went through all the letters of the alphabet and moved on to the Greek alphabet was 2005. In 2005, a record-breaking year of devastating hurricanes, we made it through six Greek letters. The Committee also agreed that it was not practical to retire into hurricane history a letter in the Greek alphabet.

Rain and wind, main impacts from Delta (KPRC)Hurricane Delta continues to be a massive, dangerous and major hurricane. Landfall is expected along the Louisiana coast just east of Cameron some late this afternoon or early evening. The storm is being pushed into Louisiana due to a trough of low pressure moving into Texas. Although Delta will be to our east, the rain and wind will make for an uncomfortable day. After Delta, the next ten days are warmer than normal with very little rain.

Two storms in the Gulf (again) looks to be the headline this week with Gamma having trouble with the kickstart due to wind shear and eventually being absorbed by stronger Delta. Right now, Delta is forecast to become a Category 2 hurricane with 105-mph winds headed toward Louisiana. The Florida high is still there (this is an extension of the Bermuda High), but it’s been beaten down a bit by our cold fronts. And as you can see on the forecast map below, a low-pressure system in the upper atmosphere is expected to be over Texas by mid-week. Right now, the only immediate concerns are at the coast with 1-2′ higher tides, rip currents and off-shore seas of 6-9′.

GALVESTON COUNTY – As the wind begins to pick up across the island and another disturbance brews in the Gulf, Galveston County and city leaders are already preparing. During a news conference Saturday, Henry issued a disaster declaration for the county in preparation for what could be “significant damage” and a voluntary evacuation for the Bolivar Peninsula. “The peninsula has a chance of being cut off from the rest of the county,” Henry said. According to Henry, people who feel comfortable being without power for a few days are in the clear to stay home. “We hope you don’t have to execute it, but be prepared in case you do.”Watch the full update below:Galveston County Judge Mark Henry gives update on Tropical Storm Beta.

Nice dry air is slowly taking over behind a cold front! Although we will have seasonable afternoon temperatures close to 90 degrees Friday afternoon, lower humidity will be a treat. While Sunday will still be pleasant showers will return especially along the coast due to a tropical system in the Gulf. 10 day forecastMake sure you stay engaged this weekend and watch the forecast for the Gulf. There are still big questions on how Wilfred will impact our local weather next week and we will get key information over the weekend.

HOUSTON – Governor Greg Abbott is urging Texans to be vigilant over the next few days as he and his office closely monitor a potential tropical development brewing in the Gulf. RELATED: What to know about the two Tropical systems brewing right nowAbbott said the state is preparing its resources to assist communities with potential flooding and heavy rainfall. “I urge Texans across the state to monitor the weather in their area and take necessary precautions to protect themselves and their loved ones from possible flash flooding and heavy rainfall,” Abbott said. “As this Tropical Depression approaches the Lone Star State, we are taking the necessary precautions to keep Texans safe,” Abbott said. “These resources I have rostered will help our communities respond to the severe weather and possible flash floods caused by this Tropical Depression.

Tropical Storm One PATHTropical Storm One 19601960 did not have much action for Texas, but there was Tropical Storm One which is one of those sneaky storms. The next season, 1966, left Texas completely alone and, in fact, didn’t do much to the Gulf:1966 Hurricane PathsBut 1980 was another story. Believe it or not, Tropical Storm Danielle would follow in September, moving into Beaumont where Nederland picked up 18″ of rain. The 1980 season lasted well into November and Texans were glad to see it go. Before Ike, however, was Hurricane Dolly in Brownsville dropping 15″ of rain in Harlingen and causing damage to South Padre.