BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday evening his discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will pay an official visit to Serbia on Saturday, would address several important topics, including the EU path of Ukraine and Serbia, bilateral economic cooperat»»»

A few months ago, we launched our series in which we provided weekly summaries of the news from Hungary’s election campaign. The series continues so that we can report on developments following the historic election and on the steps taken by the new Tisza government. This week, we cover the followi»»»

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged that the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak was the result of a carefully planned conspiracy that began months before the examination, with coaching operators allegedly cultivating National Testing Agency (NTA) subject experts to obtain confidential questi»»»

The Hungarian journalist who has reported extensively on the Georgian Dream government’s excesses – and its ever-closer ties to the Orbán administration and Moscow – has been effectively expelled from the Caucasian country. Local authorities cite irregularities in his residence permit; back home, n»»»

US authorities have moved to shut down an organ donation group accused of pressing ahead with an operation despite a donor showing signs of life. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the move on Wednesday as part of a broader overhaul of the US organ procurement syste»»»

PoliticsGermanyGermany news: Exports and factory data lift economic outlookRichard Connor with AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters, KNA, epd, SIDGerman exports hit a record high in June, while industrial production rose for a third month in a row. Meanwhile, more than 1,000 pigs have died in a fire at a farm in »»»

Dubai: ADNOC’s international investment arm XRG is beginning to see earnings contributions across its expanded chemicals portfolio, with Borouge International, Covestro and Fertiglobe reporting resilient results during the second quarter of 2026. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques &»»»

London: A video showing UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan warmly greeting His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, during a meeting in London has gone viral on social media, with many praising the leaders' hum»»»

Two Bulgarian Air Force Cougar helicopters joined efforts to contain a large wildfire near the village of Slavovitsa in the Pazardzhik region on Thursday, helping firefighters battle the blaze from the air. The fire broke out near the 69th kilometre of the Trakia Motorway, close to the turnoff for »»»

IN BRIEF The Bulgarian media focus heavily on the dismantling of an illegal fentanyl laboratory near Sofia and the investigation into the network behind it. The media also cover the acquisition of F-16 fighters from the US and the issues surrounding the Bulgarian Air Force’s ageing MiG-29s. Other p»»»

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) is selling Dh674 million worth of non-core real estate and financial assets as it sharpens its focus on aviation and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations, even as the group ended the first half of 2026 with a Dh900 million net cash position. The Abu »»»

Colombo: Sri Lanka deployed troops to its main maximum-security prison in Colombo and two other jails on Friday, following unsuccessful breakout attempts in which three inmates were killed and 23 wounded, a government minister said. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said an inmate was killed»»»

US-backed negotiations between Venezuela's interim government and a faction of the opposition began on Thursday after nearly a week of delays, the two sides said. The talks aim to reshape the country's political system and lay the groundwork for eventual elections after years of political turmoil. »»»

DAMASCUS: Syria’s Health Ministry said Friday that 14 people were wounded, three of them critically, but that there were no fatalities in the explosion of a minivan taxi a day earlier in a Damascus suburb. The Health Ministry had said Thursday night that two people were killed in the blast. In a st»»»

Syria's Health Ministry said Friday that 14 people were wounded, three of them critically, but that there were no fatalities in the explosion of a minivan taxi a day earlier in a Damascus suburb. The Health Ministry had said Thursday night that two people were killed in the blast. In a statement Fr»»»

Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev said that Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states need to strengthen joint efforts to ensure food security amid rising global food prices. He made the remarks at the 47th meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, he»»»

First, Nigerian security forces say that they've returned 308 abductees home after freeing them from their kidnappers in a northern forest. Also, in South Africa, the textile industry is facing a workforce crisis after thousands of migrant workers fled the country in the past few months, in the wak»»»

Australian specialist aviation operator Skytraders evacuated an American from McMurdo Station in Antartica on July 31. The American was transported to Christchurch, New Zealand, where they were receiving medical treatment as of Friday. Photo courtesy Skytraders Aug. 7 (UPI) -- An American was evacu»»»

The 47th meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council (EIC) is held in Cholpon-Ata. The heads of government of the Eurasian Economic Union countries participate in the event: Adylbek Kasymaliev — Kyrgyzstan, Nikol Pashinyan — Armenia, Alexander Turchin — Belarus, Olzhas Bektenov — Kazakhstan, »»»

Building an economy often takes decades of patient labour. Yet the collapse of political institutions, or the eruption of conflict in the aftermath of revolutions and coups, can cancel out years of growth with startling speed, condemning nations to a long and punishing struggle to recover what they»»»

Delayed disbursement of funding is a major issue in the cultural sector, Culture Minister Evtim Miloshev said on Bulgarian National Television Friday morning. He said this was a bigger problem than the overall amount of funding allocated to culture. "Many people working in the cultural sector say t»»»

Dubai: Small businesses in the UAE with annual revenue of up to Dh3 million will be able to continue claiming Small Business Relief for corporate tax purposes until the end of 2029. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Ministry of Finance said on Friday that Ministerial»»»

The US dollar edged higher on Friday, against both the Japanese yen and the euro, extending gains from the previous session as growing doubts over reaching a peace deal with Iran bolstered the greenback’s safe-haven appeal. The dollar also gained additional support from rising US Treasury yields fo»»»

The timely disbursement of funding is a major issue in the cultural sector, Culture Minister Evtim Miloshev said on Bulgarian National Television Friday morning. He said this was a bigger problem than the overall amount of funding allocated to culture. "Many people working in the cultural sector sa»»»

Dubai: Emaar Development recorded Dh22.4 billion in property sales during the first half of 2026, while net profit after tax increased 43% to Dh6.7 billion as the developer continued to recognise revenue from projects across its Dubai communities. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques »»»

Iran and Oman are reportedly closing in on a framework to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The emerging deal could potentially leave Tehran with a clear degree of control over the world’s most important oil chokepoint. Now, US President Donald Trump has said that Washington's war with»»»

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that trade negotiations with the United States had turned "nasty" after President Donald Trump derided America's neighbor and its leadership while threatening to expand tariffs. Carney said Canada remained engaged in the negotiations despite Trump's»»»

Kuwait: Hundreds of expatriates in Kuwait have had applications to convert visit visas into residency permits rejected after failing to meet the conditions set out in a recently introduced ministerial decree, according to a security source. The source said many expatriates submitted applications at»»»

Dubai: The US has formally asked the Philippines to extradite Apollo Quiboloy, the controversial Filipino televangelist who calls himself the “appointed son of God,” to face a string of criminal charges filed by federal prosecutors in California. The request, confirmed by Philippine authorities, ma»»»

Kochi: As the sun set over Kochi’s historic Jew Town neighbourhood, Keith Hallegua donned a grey kippah and began a solitary walk to the synagogue at the end of his cobbled street. It was Shavuot, the Jewish holiday commemorating God giving the Torah to Moses. Hallegua reached the 458-year-old Para»»»

JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad announced on Thursday the departure of Brazilian Fabinho after three seasons with the team, during which he won the league and King Cup championships. The club took to social media to pen an emotional goodbye. “Farewell to a brave leader ... He arrived as a star with utmost humil»»»

Some of the materials collected in the case involving a fentanyl laboratory will be shared with US authorities, Interior Ministry acting Secretary General Lyubomir Nikolov told an interview with Bulgarian National Television (BNT) on Friday. Nikolov was speaking about a recently uncovered laborator»»»

In the early 2000s, I worked with domestic violence victims in Seattle, Washington. One of my trainers was a scrappy woman who told me she was a former member of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Looking back, I remember wondering why several former Mossad and IDF personnel were involved in training»»»

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised Bulgarian citizens to avoid traveling to Cuba unless absolutely necessary, including for tourism, citing the country's worsening crisis. The warning was issued by the ministry's Situation Center as conditions on the island continue to deteriorat»»»

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka deployed troops to its main maximum-security prison in Colombo and two other jails on Friday, following unsuccessful breakout attempts in which three inmates were killed and 23 wounded, a government minister said. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said an inmate was killed»»»

Dubai: Dubai Police rescue teams have freed several workers whose hands became trapped in commercial meat grinders at shopping centres and restaurants, using specialist equipment to minimise injuries after conventional medical tools proved unable to safely release the victims. Colonel Khalid Ibrahi»»»

Some of the materials collected in the case involving a fentanyl laboratory will be shared with US authorities, Interior Ministry acting Secretary General Lyubomir Nikolov told an interview with Bulgarian National Television (BNT) on Friday. Nikolov was speaking about a recently uncovered laborator»»»

Dubai: Fly Baghdad has been removed from the US sanctions list after two years, allowing the Iraqi airline to resume normal commercial dealings and begin rebuilding its flight network. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreig»»»

Jakarta: Animal trappers have cut short the two-week rampage of a monkey that randomly attacked 18 people on Indonesia's Sumatra island, prompting dozens of schools to close in fear. The animal, an adult long-tailed macaque, wounded 18 residents of the town of Tembilahan, biting and clawing at its »»»

DUBAI: “Batman: Caped Crusader” has returned for a second season on Prime Video, and if you haven’t yet watched this spiritual successor to the iconic “Batman: The Animated Series,” there’s never been a better time to start the best superhero show on TV right now. Created by “TAS” co-creator Bruce »»»

ABU DHABI: Asma Al-Hosani, Balqees Al-Hashmi and Shamma Al-Kalbani struck gold as the UAE made an impressive start to the Adult division at the 2026 Jiu-Jitsu World Championship on Thursday at Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi. The three gold headlined a five-medal haul for the UAE, which included two si»»»

RIYADH: This summer, Ali Al-Mussa, son of the pioneering Saudi artist Abdulsattar Al-Mussa, made a surprising and significant discovery: an oil painting by his late father of a woman washing another woman’s feet. Ali believes the painting dates back to 1979, and is likely the original on which Al-M»»»

RIYADH: When Saudi actor Meshal “Mish” Alsunaid was a kid — around nine years old — he used to record short skits about knights and ghosts with his cousins on a Nokia phone. “Some of it was shot in Riyadh and some in the Eastern Province; we did some at my grandparents’ house, we did some at my aun»»»

On August 7, 1998, terrorists' bombs detonated within minutes of each other outside of U.S. embassy buildings in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killing 224 people. 1 of 4 | Fire and rescue workers are on the scene moments after a blast at the U.S. Embassy in the Kenyan capital early A»»»

In the 1930s, Japan found itself battling against the spread of leprosy. Faced with the infectious disease, which attacks the nerves and deforms the body, the authorities confined leprosy patients to sanatoriums – some of them on the island of Nagashima. Even after the first treatments ap»»»

Prime Minister Péter Magyar on Thursday accused the former prime minister, Viktor Orbán, of knowing that Hungary’s energy system was on the brink of collapse but failing to act. Hungary could not provide as much electricity as Orbán promised In a video posted on Facebook, Magyar quoted a 2022 bill »»»

Romania will introduce a new framework for recruiting workers from outside the European Union from August 8, as authorities move to tighten oversight of a labour market increasingly reliant on foreign workers. Through Emergency Ordinance 32/2026, the government aims to improve traceability in the r»»»

Romania's Senate on Thursday gave final approval to a bill endorsing the National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Action Plan for 2026-2030, adopting the same version previously approved by the Chamber of Deputies.The bill was passed with 79 votes in favour, 30 against and 13 abstentions. It»»»

Kyrgyzstan has adopted a large package of amendments to the Law «On Public Procurement.» Most of the new rules will take effect on January 1, 2027. The document changes procurement planning procedures, supplier requirements, the work of commissions, appeals, and contract signing. Control over corru»»»

Meta, founded and owned by Mark Zuckerberg, was ordered Thursday to pay New Mexico $567 million for a fund that most of which will go toward treating harms incurred by children due to social media. File Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo Aug. 7 (UPI) -- A New Mexico state court ordered Meta to»»»