Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov has suddenly – and rather unexpectedly – become an adviser to Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. The news caught many conservative military analysts off guard. Why would Italy want him, and what does Rome hope to gain? Let’s try to make sense »»»

BEIJING — Factory activity in China contracted in August for a second straight month, official data showed Monday, as soft demand weighs on the world's second-largest economy.Leaders in Beijing are seeking to maintain pace despite hurdles including trade frictions with Washington and an entrenched »»»

AMMAN — Jordanian and Saudi business representatives have proposed a 12-month plan to speed up trade between the two countries, cut costs and eases procedures for companies and traders.The plan, put forward by committees of the Jordanian-Saudi Joint Business Council, includes a fast-track trade rou»»»

Starting this week, France will charge a penalty on cheaply made clothing sold by ultra-fast fashion retailers, with the fee reaching nearly €20 per item by 2030. Aimed at platforms like Shein, Temu and AliExpress, the levy follows a June law targeting disposable fashion's environmental toll, thoug»»»

Iceland's voters rejected restarting negotiations to join the European Union in a referendum that pitted concerns about geopolitical stability against keeping national control of Iceland’s prized fisheries. Talks with the EU to join the bloc had begun after the 2008 financial crisis but had been en»»»

TEHRAN: A prominent singer has returned to Iran after nearly two decades in exile, as authorities encourage artists living abroad to return home in a show of patriotism against the backdrop of the conflict with the US. Mohsen Namjoo, 50, whose work mixes Persian traditional music with more modern s»»»

MIAMI: Lionel Messi said on Monday he was retiring from international football after leading Argentina to a second successive World Cup final in July. The 39-year-old forward who won the World Cup in 2022 and dragged his nation to the final in the United States only to lose to Spain, said the decis»»»

DAMASCUS: Denmark reopened its embassy in Damascus on Monday after a yearslong suspension of diplomatic activities that began after Syria’s civil war erupted, state media reported. SANA said that Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, accompanied by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani,»»»

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri speaks during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon, in 2020. He said Monday that Lebanon is facing “existential risks.” Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Monday that Lebanon is facin»»»

MIAMI: Lionel Messi said on Monday he was retiring from international football after leading Argentina to a second successive World Cup final in July. The 39-year-old forward who won the World Cup in 2022 and dragged his nation to the final in the United States only to lose to Spain, said the decis»»»

DAMASCUS: Denmark reopened its embassy in Damascus on Monday after a yearslong suspension of diplomatic activities that began after Syria’s civil war erupted, state media reported. SANA said that Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, accompanied by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani,»»»

LONDON: Israeli police on Monday arrested a 15-year-old Jerusalem resident following an assault on an Arab bus driver in Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem, that left the victim hospitalized. The attack occurred around noon on Sunday, according to Israeli media reports, when a local Line 2 bus arrived»»»

Emirati women hold judicial office, lead the registry and make up 2/3 of Executive Team Women now make up 62% of the workforce at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts, with Emirati women holding senior positions across its judiciary, Registry and Executive Team. The DIFC Courts hi»»»

President Donald Trump threatened to escalate attacks on Iran on Monday after fighting intensified for the first time in a month. File Photo by Al Drago/UPI | License Photo Aug. 31 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump threatened to escalate attacks on Iran on Monday after fighting intensified for the fi»»»

LONDON: Queen Rania of Jordan marked her 56th birthday on Monday with a new portrait released by the Royal Hashemite Court, just weeks after welcoming twin granddaughters to the royal family. The Jordanian queen opted for a relaxed, elegant look in the portrait, wearing cream trousers with a pink s»»»

The North Kaibab Trail in Grand Canyon National Park was the site of flooding over the weekend. File Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service Aug. 31 (UPI) -- The National Park Service confirmed Monday that two people died and about 15 people were believed missing Monday in Grand Canyon Nat»»»

Plans call for reorganizing the 15 Regional Inspectorates of Environment and Water and transferring Water Act enforcement to them from the Basin Directorates, Environment and Water Minister Rositsa Karamfilova said Monday. Karamfilova presented the plans at a meeting with the heads of the inspector»»»

LONDON: Israeli authorities arrested seven Israelis over the weekend on suspicion of desecrating Christian and Muslim religious sites in Jerusalem’s Old City. All of the suspects were questioned on suspicion of conduct liable to endanger public safety and were later released under restrictive condi»»»

A ship carrying arms for a right-wing militia, the Altalena was sunk 78 years ago off the coast of Tel Aviv at the orders of Israel’s founders. The discovery of its wreckage last week has given the country’s right-wing government ammunition to target the left and attempt to redirect the campaign fo»»»

Iran's foreign minister has accused Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu of tricking the United States into war with the Islamic Republic. Over six months into the conflict, there appears to be no end in sight. This after the US struck sites in Iran, prompting Tehran to respond. An April ceasefire brought a»»»

87-year-old activist rushed from Ralegan Siddhi for advanced treatment in Mumbai Activist Anna Hazare on Monday was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Bombay Hospital after his health deteriorated. According to medical sources, the 87-year-old activist was initially receiving treatment at»»»

Party affiliation should not matter in choosing a pro-Western president for Bulgaria, Yes, Bulgaria Co-Chair Ivaylo Mirchev said in Plovdiv on Monday. Mirchev spoke to the media after meeting the party’s local organization. He said the candidate, rather than political parties, should be the focus o»»»

Leaders from more than a dozen countries, including Russia's Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping, India's Narendra Modi and Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian, gathered in Kyrgyzstan on Monday for the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a group billed as a counterweight to US influence. »»»

LONDON: Beginning with the start of the new school year on Tuesday, about 45,000 Palestinian students in East Jerusalem starting their first or seventh grades will be re required to study the Israeli curriculum. It is the first time this has happened since Israel occupied the city in 1967. Critics »»»

Four-day festival drew thousands and more than 80 exhibitors to Dibba Al Hisn Sharjah: Sales and financial returns at Sharjah’s Al Maleh and Fishing Festival exceeded Dh1.4 million as visitor numbers jumped 30 per cent from last year, highlighting the growing commercial appeal of traditional mariti»»»

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez speaks as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba during the Closing Session of the VIII Congress of the PCC at the Palacio de Convenciones, in Havana, Cuba, in 2021. File Photo by Ariel Ley Royero/EPA Aug. 31 (UPI) -- The C»»»

DHAKA: Bangladeshi social entrepreneur Runa Khan was named a recipient of the 2026 Ramon Magsaysay Award on Monday, in recognition of her work in improving the lives of marginalized and climate-vulnerable communities. The founder of the grassroots development organization Friendship, Khan has for o»»»

Donald Trump has made sports betting markets at the domestic and global level nervous on multiple occasions throughout his second stint as President of the United States. Most notably, his administration’s decision to let prediction markets run rampant has many operators nervous that their revenues»»»

Expelled Republican congressman George Santos smiles for a photo as he sits with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., as they wait for President Joe Biden to deliver the annual State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 7, 2024. File Photo by Pat »»»

AL-MUKALLA: More than 1,000 political, social, tribal and religious figures from Yemen’s southeastern province of Hadramout gathered in Al-Mukalla on Monday to establish a unified political body aimed at representing the province in an upcoming dialogue expected to be hosted by Saudi Arabia. Openin»»»

There was allegedly a bomb threat that's being investigated An Air India Express flight from Saudi Arabia’s Dammam to New Delhi had to make an emergency landing at Ahmedabad airport on Monday. Ahmedabad Police were quoted by Hindustan Times as saying that a crew member had found tissue in the lavat»»»

For the first time in a month, the US has launched strikes against Iran. The attack targeted the shipping island of Larak in the Strait of Hormuz. The US says it was aimed at preventing Tehran from placing sea mines in the strategic shipping lane, just days after Washington announced it had complet»»»

As rising temperatures reshape France's vineyards, winemakers are turning to Normandy and Brittany, regions once known for cider, not grapes. Those fleeing harsher conditions in traditional areas like the Loire Valley see opportunity up north, though some warn the same climate volatility disrupting»»»

Doha, Qatar: Children of Qataris, Qatari women and GCC citizens, as well as several categories of expatriate residents, are eligible to apply for admission to government schools in Qatar, according to Ghalia Mahdi Al Qahtani, Acting Head of the Student Admission and Registration Department, who has»»»

Authorities in Nepal have warned of possible fresh flooding after water levels rose in the Bhotekoshi River. The floods took place after a glacier collapse. They have killed at least 900 people - with more than 4,000 others missing in Nepal and Tibet. Now, a massive rescue effort continues and comm»»»

Four Squares Cafe is back! After a brief hiatus to renovate, the Eastern Province’s sweet spot returns with a fresh logo. The revamped cafe is well-lit, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, as well as outlets to plug in your devices as you also recharge. It has been the only branch in Alkhoba»»»

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that Lebanon’s stability is essential to Europe’s, supporting U.S.-brokered framework agreemen to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah. File Photo by Rahim Rhéa/UPi | License Photo BEIRUT, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday tha»»»

Seven people have died after a passenger boat capsized in Northern Cyprus. 267 people were on board and 23 are still missing. The boat capsized just a few miles off Kyrenia Port in northern Cyprus - a territory occupied by Turkey but not internationally recognised. The ferry has now completely sunk»»»

The body of a newborn baby was found at a landfill near the village of Shishmantsi in the Plovdiv region, prompting a criminal investigation by Bulgarian authorities. The discovery was reported on August 26 after workers sorting waste on a conveyor belt found the baby's body among the garbage. Part»»»

Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football with immediate effect. The 39-year-old captained Argentina to the final of last month's World Cup in New York, but he was unable to prevent his nation losing 1-0 to Spain and it proved to be the final match of his international c»»»

Damascus, Aug. 31 (SANA) The Syrian Embassy in Tripoli officially resumed its operations on Sunday after a 14-year closure, opening a new chapter in Syrian-Libyan relations and reactivating the Syrian-Libyan Joint Higher Committee. This development crowns a process initiated following liberation on»»»

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev agreed on August 31 to take further steps towards lasting peace and normalised relations between their countries, including closer economic ties and the development of regional transport links. The leaders met on the sid»»»

Opposition leader Sali Berisha has been granted a U.S. visa and is expected to travel to the United States next week, according to sources close to his Democratic Party. Sources confirmed that Berisha had been notified that his visa had been approved. He is expected to collect his passport from the»»»

Anuela Ristani, deputy mayor of Tirana, has announced her departure from office in a social media post, ending an 11-year period of involvement in the management of Albania’s capital. Ristani’s announcement comes just days after Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, who is currently in detention, withdrew the»»»

A man is in a life-threatening condition after plunging on to the paved embankment beside the Danube in central Budapest, near the Pontoon entertainment venue. Accident near popular Budapest riverside venue The serious accident took place in the early hours of Sunday near the Pest end of the Chain »»»

Albania has begun implementing a new project aimed at strengthening security in schools through the use of intelligent camera systems, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced. According to Rama, 20 schools in the capital, Tirana, have already been equipped with the new technology. The cameras are intende»»»

Lebanese House Speaker and Head of Amal Movement Nabih Berri delivered a televised speech on the 48th anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Sayyed Moussa Al-Sadr in Libya, stressing that ‘Israel’ seeks stirring sedition more than eradicating the resistance. Speaker Berri stressed that the civil »»»

Bulgarian Social Democracy – EuroLeft leader Alexander Tomov will run for president in the October 25 election, the party’s press office said on Monday. Tomov, born in Sofia in 1954, is an academic and politician. He studied at the University of National and World Economy and St Petersburg State Un»»»

Warsaw’s Saski Point office building at 111 Marszałkowska Street will be demolished rather than converted into apartments as previously planned. Owner Roceporthill Investments concluded that conversion was impractical after a detailed technical assessment. A new residential building designed by JSK»»»

Polish FoodTech company Botanika Farm has launched an IPO ahead of a planned debut on the Warsaw Stock Exchange’s main market. The company is offering up to 250,000 shares at a maximum price of PLN 69 each, giving the offering a potential value of about PLN 17.3 mln. Proceeds will finance a new pro»»»