Richard Branson's VirginTrains won approval from British regulators Monday to access track running beneath the English Channel, bringing the company's plans to launch passenger services from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam susbtantially closer. File photo by Will Oliver/EPA Aug. 17 (UPI) --»»»

RIYADH: Specialized breeding farmers from around the world have continued to arrive at the International Falcon Breeders Auction in Malham, north of Riyadh, reflecting its growing standing and trusted reputation among breeders, investors, and enthusiasts. The National Center for Falcons welcomed 14»»»

RIYADH: Iraq is targeting a 10 percent contribution from tourism to gross domestic product as part of a national strategy through 2035 aimed at revitalizing the sector and creating 1.5 million jobs. The Tourism Authority held a workshop to discuss a proposed vision for developing a national tourism»»»

BAELEN, Belgium: Firefighters battled a massive wildfire that scorched a nature reserve in eastern Belgium and another on a Greek island near Athens where two people were killed on Sunday as hot and dry conditions fueled fires across parts of Europe.A blaze in eastern Belgium burned about 30 square»»»

FRANKFURT, Germany: ‌The EU intends to significantly expand sanctions against Russia ​in the coming months, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told a German newspaper. “EU sanctions have already cost Russia dearly, depriving Russia’s war ‌machine of ‌over €1 ​trillion ($1.16 ‌trillion) ⁠and for ​a»»»

Even in the country most alarmed by it, defence is a top national concern for fewer than one person in three, reports Statista, which asked people in 32 countries whether defence and foreign affairs ranked among the most important issues facing their country. Nowhere did more than about one in thre»»»

BAELEN, Belgium: Firefighters battled a massive wildfire that scorched a nature reserve in eastern Belgium and another on a Greek island near Athens where two people were killed on Sunday as hot and dry conditions fueled fires across parts of Europe. A blaze in eastern Belgium burned about 30 squar»»»

QNA Doha Minister of State for International Cooperation HE Dr. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met with Ambassador of Germany to Qatar HE Oliver Owcza on Sunday. The Minister of State for International Cooperation also metwith Ambassador of the Dominican Republic HE Georges Bahsa Hazim. Durin»»»

LONDON: For decades, governments seeking to influence foreign public opinion have relied on familiar tools: advertising campaigns, lobbying firms, television appearances, social media and carefully placed opinion pieces. Now a new target has emerged — artificial intelligence. Israel has launched an»»»

By Samir Tounsi and Paul Cassedanne in Frankfurt PARIS, France — The heatwaves pummelling Europe this summer will have costly impacts on industries ranging from agriculture to tourism — but that hasn't stopped stock markets from hitting all-time highs.For investors enthralled by soaring corporate »»»

DOHA: Minister of State for International Cooperation HE Dr Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met with Ambassador of the Dominican Republic HE Georges Bahsa Hazim. During the meeting, they discussed cooperation between the two countries and ways to support and enhance it, in addition to several »»»

Baelen, Belgium: Crucial air support swung into action Sunday to help firefighters tame Belgium's largest modern-day wildfire, which has mushroomed in size since breaking out two days ago in a hard-to-access nature reserve. More than 250 firefighters and emergency workers were battling to contain t»»»

RIYADH: King Abdulaziz University, in partnership with the Transport General Authority, has launched Saudi Arabia’s first specialized bachelor’s degree programs in railway transport, aiming to prepare national talent for the Kingdom’s expanding rail and logistics sector. The official launch took pl»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of State for International Cooperation, HE Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met today with Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the State of Qatar HE Oliver Owcza. During the meeting, they reviewed the relations of cooperation between the two countries and ways»»»

Firefighters in Belgium battled one of the country's worst-ever wildfires late on Saturday as a rapidly growing blaze scorched more than 3,000 hectares of land. The EU scrambled helicopters and water bombers as hundreds of villagers were under evacuation orders.  Hundreds of villagers were und»»»

Dubai: AD Ports Group expanded alternative sea, road, rail, and air cargo routes across the UAE during the second quarter of 2026 to keep goods moving amid disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, including critical shipments such as food and pharmaceuticals. Sign up for our daily business newslett»»»

Former Defense Minister Boyko Noev has warned that Bulgaria has systematically underestimated the threat to its security since Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the start of the war in Ukraine, arguing that the country remains poorly prepared to defend its airspace against low-flying drones and has»»»

Hundreds of residents were evacuated and more than 2,700 hectares were scorched as Belgium continued to battle one of the worst wildfires in its history on Saturday. Hundreds of villagers were under evacuation orders in eastern Belgium on Saturday as firefighters battled one of the country's worst-»»»

Europe's gas tanks are emptier than at any point on record for the time of year, and the cargoes that should be filling them are sailing to Asia instead. EU storage sites hit a record low in percentage terms on August 1, at 57.2% full against 57.3% on the same date in 2021, the previous worst year.»»»

PARIS: Spain international Ferran Torres, who scored the only goal in last month’s World Cup final, signed for reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona on Saturday. The 26-year-old forward cost the Ligue 1 title-holders a reported 50 million euros ($58 million). “Paris Saint-G»»»

DAMASCUS: Damascus International Airport is preparing to receive the first direct flight operated by German airline Sundair from Berlin on Saturday, marking a new step toward restoring regular direct air connectivity between the Syrian and German capitals. Omar Hosari, head of the General Authority»»»

HUERTGENWALD, Germany: A wildfire in western Germany that forced the evacuation of thousands of people on Friday has stabilized, local authorities said on Saturday, although residents were still barred from returning home. More than 2,000 people were evacuated from the ‌village of Gey, ‌near the Be»»»

RIYADH: Five falcons were sold for a total of SR348,000 ($93,000) on the sixth night of this year’s International Falcon Breeders Auction, organized by the National Center for Falcons in Malham, north of Riyadh. The auction, which brings together leading falcon breeding farms from around the world,»»»

Water levels on the Rhine have fallen to historic lows, with the gauge at Kaub recording single-digit readings for the first time. German steel and recycling organizations warn that prolonged low water threatens supply chains and industrial competitiveness. Inland waterways carry about one-third of»»»

The foreign policy program of the government of Prime Minister Rumen Radev for 2026-2030 keeps Bulgaria’s membership in the European Union and NATO as the foundation of the country’s international policy, while calling for a more active role in both organizations and a stronger defense of national »»»

DUBAI: Saudi show jumper Abdulrahman Bader Alrajhi is set to take part in the 2026 FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany from Aug. 19-23. The 10th equestrian games will feature six core equestrian disciplines at the historic Soers showgrounds, and will serve as key qualifiers for the Los An»»»

Just over half of the Ukrainians living abroad still intend to come home, down from more than two-thirds a year ago, as new lives in the EU take root. The share planning to return fell to 53% from 68%, while the share who say they do not intend to return at all doubled to 34% from 17%, according to»»»

Extreme heat has killed more than 25,000 people across Europe this year, on data compiled by Insurance Journal from government agencies and research institutions in Germany, Spain, France, the UK, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Germany alone accounts for an estimated 11,900 excess heat deaths sin»»»

Extreme heat has killed more than 25,000 people across Europe this year, on data compiled by Insurance Journal from government agencies and research institutions in Germany, Spain, France, the UK, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Germany alone accounts for an estimated 11,900 excess heat deaths sin»»»

BERLIN: A Berlin theater that has set up an outdoor swimming pool scrapped plans Friday to reserve it for black children and young people for one afternoon, citing a backlash and security fears sparked by “racist agitation.” The Volksbuehne theater and the anti-racism organization Each One Teach On»»»

The Varna District Court has approved the extradition of a 40-year-old man wanted by German authorities, where he is being investigated for attempted murder, the court’s press office said. The district court in Kassel issued a European Arrest Warrant for the Bulgarian national on May 26, after whic»»»

Russia is rebuilding its drone war around the jet-powered Geran-4, a faster machine built to slip past the cheap interceptors now knocking down its slower first generation Geran-2 drone, based on the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 loitering munition that Moscow bought from Tehran at the start of the U»»»

Paris: Firefighters across Europe struggled against multiple fires Friday as a new wave of record-breaking heat baked a swath of the continent, their task further complicated by exceptionally parched landscapes. The historic temperatures are linked to human-caused climate change, and are hitting co»»»

Beijing: A Chinese shipowner is set to begin the first weekly container service through the Arctic on an express route to Europe this Saturday, making the voyages until October and prompting concerns over vessels warming polar ice. The company, Sea Legend, tested the premise last year when it compl»»»

EducationGerman teens worry as schools reopen in pandemicNicolas MartinIn Germany, schools are already preparing for students to return. But some parents and children think that the authorities are being too hasty in easing coronavirus lockdowns. https://p.dw.com/p/3bKihImage: picture-alliance/dpa/»»»

German camera maker Leica has excluded a Russian photographer from its prestigious Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) following Ukrainian criticism over his links to the Russian RIA Novosti news agency. Valery Melnikov, a three-time World Press Photo winner, said in a social media post this week that his l»»»

Părău 2 will combine a 342 MWp solar photovoltaic power plant with 150 MW of co-located battery energy storage system. The battery system will allow electricity generated on site to be stored and dispatched when the grid needs it, supporting the integration of renewable energy and improving the fle»»»

The Danube has dropped to a record low of 31 cm in Budapest, idling nuclear reactors in Romania and Hungary as a fierce drought parches central Europe. The river hit the mark on July 28, Xinhua reported, edging below the 33 cm low set in October 2018. Weeks of heat and thin rainfall have drained th»»»

Washington, United States: Engine fragments struck a window of a Ryanair plane last month resulting in a man nearly being sucked out of the aircraft mid-flight, according to a preliminary report published Thursday by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). A tourist on a flight from The»»»

DOHA: Summer camps across Qatar in 2026 have provided children and young people with more than a way to pass the long school holiday. Government ministries, Cultural Village Katara, sports bodies and community institutions have used the summer season to offer structured programmes combining educati»»»

A sweeping overhaul of Germany’s intelligence services proposed by the government could infringe on police powers in violation of constitutional safeguards, opposition politicians have warned. On Wednesday, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt presented a 730-page package comprising three draft law»»»

Ukraine's power generation capacity has collapsed from just under 60GW before the war to just 12GW today. If Russia's missiles get through this winter the way they did last year, the shortfall could nearly double. Ukraine already has a 5-6GW deficit of power generation between what it can produce a»»»

Poland has arrested a Russian national who was allegedly planning to kill a Ukrainian-American dual citizen in Warsaw, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Thursday. Tusk added that this was the first time that “someone on the order of Russia” had sought to attack an American citizen on NATO territory.&»»»

They look like normal glasses, but there is a minuscule camera that is capturing what is in the eyes of the beholder – and transferring it directly onto social media. A German NGO has launched legal action against Meta on Saturday (8 August), as well as several optical retail chains selling Meta’s »»»

Russia’s Rosatom is accelerating work on the Paks II project, which will provide Hungary with two new nuclear reactors, but a key political relationship behind the massive investment has changed dramatically. While Viktor Orbán’s governments maintained unusually close ties with Moscow for years, Ro»»»

FRANKFURT: German police said on Thursday that a suspicious object found on rail tracks in a Bavarian town did not contain explosives, as initially feared. Earlier on Thursday, buildings near ‌the object ‌were evacuated in the ‌town ⁠of Treuchtlingen for ⁠the item to be moved safely by a robot. Exp»»»

Ukraine has stopped reporting how many missiles the Russian military has fired, as the figures expose deep weaknesses in its air defenses, veteran military analyst Viktor Litovkin tells Sputnik. "They know they can’t intercept even a single [missile] — and it’s becoming harder to keep up the preten»»»

On the Romanian market, through its West Beton division (concrete production and delivery), the company contributed to the development of projects such as Nusco City, HILS Nord, HILS Sunrise, Media City Ghica 2 Apartments, Pipera H, Horizon City, The Edition 1011, Bucharest Metro Line 6, the Buchar»»»

Nadia Comăneci will officially open the third edition of the Singureni Manor Polo Cup international polo tournament, taking place from 25 to 27 September 2026 at Singureni Manor Equestrian Retreat. As guest of honour, she will mark the start of the competition by throwing the first ball onto the fi»»»

On Aug. 13, 2020, Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to full normalization of relations. 1 of 5 | U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd-L), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L), United Arab Emirates' Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al »»»