Friday sermons condemn violence, urge prayers for Saudi Arabia's security Dubai: Imams of the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina condemned the Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh during Friday sermons, denouncing violence against civilians, travellers »»»

The Israeli Embassy in Tirana has announced its temporary closure amid the ongoing protest situation in the Albanian capital, with no reopening date set. In a notice published on its official page, the embassy said its reopening would depend on how the situation develops. “Due to recent development»»»

Bangkok: The State of Qatar has participated in a meeting of Arab central bank governors with World Bank Group President HE Ajay Banga, held on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group in Bangkok, Thailand. Minister of Finance HE Ali bin»»»

Sharjah says it diverts 93 per cent of waste from landfills, with plans to double capacity Sharjah: The UAE plans to produce half of its crops locally as part of efforts to strengthen food security, while Sharjah is preparing to double the capacity of a waste-to-energy plant after diverting 93 per »»»

Crammed with beds and stretchers, the dilapidated Al Jumhuri hospital in Yemen's besieged city of Taiz is running so low on fuel and medicine that it may have to close, officials warn. With pro-Iran Houthi fighters surrounding Taiz and blocking all supplies, the facility is symptomatic of a collaps»»»

Iraq's prime minister completed his cabinet line-up by appointing a U.S.-designated terrorist after receiving Washington's approval, in a bid to advance efforts to disarm Iran-backed groups in the country, diplomatic sources told AFP. On Thursday night, Zaidi announced the completion of his governm»»»

Pope Leo seen celebrating mass in hospital where he had lung cancer surgery Rome: Pope Leo XIV was seen celebrating mass in the hospital where he had a lung cancer operation in the first images of him since the procedure, released by the Vatican on Friday. The two photos showed the pope standing up»»»

Only 400 million jobs are forecast for 1.2 billion new workers, leaving a major shortfall Abu Dhabi: The world faces a potential shortfall of nearly 800 million jobs over the next 10 to 15 years, with 1.2 billion young people expected to enter the labour market but only 400 million jobs projected t»»»

BRUSSELS: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday hailed his first meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar as “very good,” as Kyiv and Budapest sought a thaw in relations after years of friction. Since Hungary’s pro-EU conservative leader took office in May, both countries have »»»

Prime Minister Edi Rama has issued a new statement on social media, addressing the country’s current situation and latest developments. In a brief but pointed message, Rama struck a defiant tone, reaffirming his commitment to Albania and suggesting that the country is now stronger than ever. “I hav»»»

Vienna: Fruit and vegetable harvests are down 30 and 40 percent respectively in Austria this year due to prolonged heat and drought over the summer, the Chamber of Agriculture said Friday. Onions and carrots are down 25 percent compared to the previous year, while some crops such as white cabbage a»»»

Nomad Capitalist awards the UAE 96 out of 100 for taxation, the top score in the rankings Dubai: The UAE has been ranked the third-best place to live in the world in the 2026 Nomad Capitalist Lifestyle Index, placing just behind Monaco and Andorra while taking the top spot globally for its tax envi»»»

PARIS: Wildfires that swept through France this summer resulted in around 22,500 insurance claims, with total losses estimated at up to 563 million euros ($634 million), the federation of insurers said on Friday. France experienced its hottest summer on record in 2026, marked by heatwaves, drought »»»

KABUL: Lying in her hospital cot, the 3-year-old girl roamed the room with her gray-green eyes, but her body was listless. Her mother sat by her bedside, quietly weeping. Just a few months ago, she lost her 5-year-old daughter, Khadija, to the same condition: malnutrition. Both girls had the same s»»»

New York: The State of Qatar has called for further diplomatic efforts to resolve the Middle East conflicts, warning that continued tensions and restrictions on vital maritime routes threaten regional stability and the global economy. Addressing a quarterly open debate of the United Nations Securit»»»

Iran-linked espionage networks raise concerns across Gulf and Arab nations Abu Dhabi: Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee at the Federal National Council (FNC), said the UAE faced multiple security challenges during the Iranian missile and drone »»»

The first injectable flu vaccines are expected to arrive in Bulgaria by the end of October, Health Minister Katya Ivkova told reporters in Veliko Tarnovo, where she attended the graduation ceremony for the Class of 2026 at the Veliko Tarnovo branch of Varna's Prof. Dr. Paraskev Stoyanov Medical Uni»»»

BUCHAREST: Romania resumed a search on Friday for seven sailors missing from a chemical tanker hit by a drone near its Black Sea coast, the latest in a series of attacks highlighting risks to commercial shipping near NATO’s eastern flank. The missing crew were among 12 sailors aboard the San Marino»»»

SportsRwandaFormula One in Rwanda: More sportswashing or opportunity for Africa?Jonathan HardingFormula One will return to Africa for the first time since 1993. There is concern Rwanda are using it as another sportswashing opportunity, but there is also hope the event's legacy can impact wider Afri»»»

Sofia Municipality and three companies from the construction and innovation sectors have established a platform to promote climate-neutral buildings and construction in the capital through expert exchange, joint work and innovative solutions, the municipality said on Friday. The founding memorandum»»»

Appointment of a new leader follows its biggest regional wealth investment in two decades HSBC today announced the appointment of Sami Abouzahr as Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking (IWPB), UAE and Middle East, effective immediately. Sami relocates to the UAE from Hong Kong, where he »»»

MANILA: Philippine authorities are preparing to bring home seven Filipino nationals injured in last weekend’s deadly Houthi strike in Riyadh, the Department of Migrant Workers has said. Filipinos are among more than 300 people injured when a Houthi missile struck King Khalid International Airport l»»»

GENEVA: Gains ‌in tackling malnutrition in Gaza remain fragile and could be undermined by disruptions to supplies entering the Palestinian enclave, the UN children’s agency UNICEF said on Friday, urging that all crossings remain open. Israel said on Wednesday commercial goods were no longer enterin»»»

Iraq has lost around $60 billion during the Middle East war, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Thursday, with Iran blockading a waterway that is crucial to global energy flows. OPEC member Iraq was producing about four million barrels of oil per day before the conflict, exporting about 3.5 mill»»»

Reliance says it welcomes competition, after Musk blamed ‘oligarchs’ for Starlink’s delay Dubai: It all started in early October, when Elon Musk decided to vent out his frustration on his social media platform X. But what really was bothering the world’s richest man, that he had to publicly call it»»»

Police restrictions and park closure follow protests over India’s voter-roll revision Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke was detained from his Delhi residence on Friday, minutes before he was due to leave for a flag-waving protest rally, as authorities tightened restrictions and closed a »»»

Lebanon’s central bank has this week canceled the local license of Bank Saderat Iran, one of Iran's largest banks, as the United States steps up pressure on countries to sever commercial ties with Tehran. In an interview with Bloomberg, Central Bank Governor Karim Souaid stated that the move aims t»»»

Sheikh Mansoor honours winners of the 14th Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport Dubai: Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has awarded $100,000 to a bus project in Jordan's capital and given away Dh240,000 in cash prizes to six UAE student projects at the Dubai Award for Sustainable Trans»»»

On the night of October 16, 1946, 10 individuals were hanged in the Nuremberg prison. These were the main Nazi criminals who had been captured and brought to trial. Despite the horrifying scale and brutality of the crimes, the Nuremberg Trials remain one of the most controversial proceedings in wor»»»

DHAKA: Abul Monsur Reaz was standing in a line to collect his boarding pass last Saturday, when a Houthi strike hit the Riyadh airport. Moments after the explosion, believing he was near his life’s end, the 38-year-old Bangladeshi pilgrim tried to remember the faces of his family back home: his 3-y»»»

LONDON: The security of the West is being fought over in the mountainous region surrounding the Yemeni city of Taiz, the country’s former prime minister has warned. If the key city falls to the Iran-backed Houthis, Western security will suffer enormously, said Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, now adviser to»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine likes to hit its infrastructure in order to denigrate Russia and ask for help from the West, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday. "Committing attacks, including on its own civilian infrastructure and civilians, followed by accusations again»»»

Bangkok, Oct. 16 (SANA) Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh met with Jihad Azour, director of the International Monetary Fund’s Middle East and Central Asia Department, to discuss Syria’s financial reform agenda and preparations for the IMF’s Article IV consultations. The meeting took pla»»»

By Staff, Agencies The Handala hacking group has claimed responsibility for breaching the communications of Tzipi Livni, a former “Israeli” foreign minister and deputy prime minister, alleging that leaked documents expose undisclosed cooperation between her and the entity's Prime Minister Benjamin »»»

Experts and people with disabilities discussed accessibility in Bulgaria as part of the international AccessibleEU project, which forms part of the European Accessibility Resource Centre and is funded by the European Commission. The forum took place here on Friday. Steli Peteva, Director of the Ins»»»

Beijing: China proposed export controls on Friday for technologies in the artificial intelligence, biotech and solar sectors, as it aims to rival the United States at the forefront of innovation. China and the United States have been locked in a tech race, with both sides accusing the other in rece»»»

Shevchenko claimed the title at the U23 World Wrestling Championships, defeating Belarusian Kseniya Terene in the final of the women’s 68kg category. Japan’s Rai Hoshino and Italy’s Laura Godino took bronze. The championships run through October 18. In May, United World Wrestling (UWW) announced th»»»

Riyadh airport remains closed as Indian carriers extend Saudi flight suspensions The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia has issued a fresh advisory urging Indian nationals to follow local authorities’ instructions and exercise caution as flight disruptions continue across the Kingdom. In an update issu»»»

US President Donald Trump has accused Ukraine of selling American-supplied missiles on the black market, questioning the whereabouts of billions of dollars in military and financial aid provided to Kiev under his predecessor, Joe Biden. In an interview with Newsmax aired on Thursday, Trump lashed o»»»

ROME: Pope Leo XIV’s recovery from lung surgery has progressed so normally that the Vatican on Friday stopped providing morning updates confirming he had woken up and had breakfast, even as questions swirled about what his cancer means for the future of his young pontificate. In the near term, Vati»»»

There will be 11 F-16 fighter pilots by the end of the year, Major General Nikolay Rusev, Commander of the Bulgarian Air Force, told journalists on Friday. He was attending a ceremonial wreath- and flower-laying event at the Monument to the Aviator in Sofia to mark Bulgarian Aviation and Air Force »»»

LONDON: A federal judge restricted how the Justice Department could access records seized from Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington home before approving a search warrant, citing constitutional protections for members of Congress, CNN reported this week. US Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh required prose»»»

The ink had barely dried on an agreement between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump over Iran when events in Yemen placed fresh pressure on Beijing. The agreement nudges China gently off the fence, prompting Xi to press Tehran more than he has done to date, so the timing was»»»

Hungary has joined Italy, Poland and Czechia in demanding a delay to the EU’s planned carbon pricing scheme for heating and transport, triggering a three-hour argument at a Brussels summit. Most member states rejected the proposal, raising questions about the future of one of the bloc’s key climate»»»

The couple reportedly fell in love a year ago and have held a ring ceremony An unusual relationship has attracted attention in Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh, India, where 75-year-old Ramsugar is reportedly set to marry 30-year-old Rani Rajput, according to local reports. The couple reportedly f»»»

Russia could make a major return to the Olympics in 2028 under its national flag for the first time in years, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Paolo Zampolli, has said. Russian athletes were barred from numerous international competitions following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict i»»»

Self-contained communities help people reclaim time while promoting connection Seven hundred night-blooming jasmine plants might seem an unusual contribution to neighbourhood life. For Tariq Fahim, a resident of DAMAC Hills 2, the explanation was simple: he wanted the community to smell better in t»»»

Marra rises early to sweep the yard, feed the chickens and then have her favourite coffee Kugova: At 117, Qamile Marra is not particularly concerned with proving she may be the world’s oldest woman - or even persuading Albanian pension officials that she is not dead. For a woman born under Ottoman »»»

An operation to tow the motor vessel Chelsea 3 is under way after its anchor caught the seabed and secured the vessel’s position, the press centre of the Тransport Ministry announced on Friday. According to the statement, the vessel is located 12.5 nautical miles south of Maslen Nos and 10.7 nautic»»»

Romania faces a difficult path to economic recovery as weak household consumption, elevated energy costs, and fiscal consolidation weigh on growth, according to the World Bank’s October 2026 Macro Poverty Outlook. The institution expects economic activity to recover gradually from 2027, but warns t»»»