DUBAI: In the early evening of Jan. 24, 2026, 5-year-old Hind Rajab took her final breaths while pleading over the phone for emergency workers to rescue her. “Please come take me, I beg you. Please come. Call anyone to come and get me, please,” she said. Rajab had been traveling with her father and»»»

RAVENNA, Italy: Former Brazil star Ronaldinho, who retired from the game in 2015, said on Thursday that he was making a comeback 11 years later with Italian third-division side Ravenna to try and score “a 300th goal.” The 46-year-old, who won the World Cup in 2002 and the Ballon d’Or in 2005, ended»»»

Ravenna: Former Brazil star Ronaldinho, who retired from the game in 2015, said on Thursday that he was making a comeback 11 years later with Italian third-division side Ravenna to try and score "a 300th goal". The 46-year-old, who won the World Cup in 2002 and the Ballon d'Or in 2005, ended a glit»»»

QASMISHLI: Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi on Thursday said the integration of the Kurdish administration within Syria’s state institutions was complete, marking the end of the Kurds’ long-held dream of autonomy. The announcement follows months of negotiations between the two sides after a Janua»»»

LONDON: A letter from T.E. Lawrence in which he complained he was no longer able to travel outside the UK, less than 15 years after his role in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire, sold at auction on Thursday for more than $14,000. In the letter, written in October 1932, Lawrence expresses h»»»

The FBI arrested a woman for planning to attack the New York state capitol building. File Photo by Justin Lane/EPA Aug. 20 (UPI) -- An Albany, N.Y., woman was charged Thursday with supporting a terror group after allegedly planning an ISIS-inspired plot to attack the New York State capitol building»»»

JERUSALEM: Israelis began moving into the occupied West Bank settlement of Kadim on Thursday, the local settler council said, the last of four communities from which Israel withdrew more than two decades ago to be repopulated. It came a week after Israel officially reopened neighboring Ganim, in a »»»

DOHA: The State of Qatar condemned the bombing at an educational centre in Kabul, Afghanistan, which injured dozens of people. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated Qatar's firm stance against violence, terrorism, and criminal acts, regardless of motives. The»»»

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the strong partnership between the United States and Hungary in a message marking Hungary’s national holiday, published on the State Department’s website on Thursday. Rubio noted that 20 August was a reminder “of the historic ties between our peoples”. “The»»»

ISLAMABAD: Iran would first have to acknowledge what it had done to Syria and its people before any future Pakistan-led mediation could help restore ties between Damascus and Tehran, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani said on Thursday. Shaibani was speaking to journalists in Islamabad»»»

Doha: The State of Qatar condemned the bombing at an educational center in Kabul, Afghanistan, which injured dozens of people. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated Qatar's firm stance against violence, terrorism, and criminal acts, regardless of motives. The»»»

Tunis, August 20, 2026 (TAP) – Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri on Thursday called for increased vigilance ahead of the rainy season, stressing the need to increase preventive measures against extreme weather and mitigate its potential impact...»»»

Damascus, Aug. 20 (SANA) UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Claudio Cordone on Thursday condemned the Israeli strikes on Abu al-Duhur Airbase in Idlib countryside, describing them as an unacceptable escalation against Syria. In a post on X, Cordone said diplomacy must remain the primary path, while »»»

Former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-CA, speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on June 14, 2023. The FBI has executed a number of warrants against Swalwell over sexual-misconduct allegations. File Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo Aug. 20 (UPI) -- The FBI on Thursday seized e»»»

Everything that has kept the Russian economy growing since 2020 has now been exhausted and long-term growth could drop to 1.6%, a Kremlin think tank told Vladimir Putin on August 19. Without a change of model, growth settles at 1.6% a year over the coming decade - roughly half the 3% Putin has set »»»

CAIRO: Egypt and Qatar have urged the US and Iran to return to the negotiating framework agreed in June so that they might reach a “final and lasting agreement” that brings regional stability. The Egyptian foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, and his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman»»»

Washington: The United States on Thursday warned allies and China alike to join President Donald Trump's new campaign to isolate the Iranian economy and "collapse" the government in Tehran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's comments underscored how Trump is shifting to economic rather than mili»»»

Speaking to journalists in Ruse on Thursday, GERB leader Boyko Borissov asked why President and Supreme Commander Iliana Iotova has not convened the Consultative Council for National Security (CCNS) regarding reports of threats against Bulgaria. "Some of the most respected media outlets in the worl»»»

BARCELONA: The Joan Gamper Trophy has inaugurated FC Barcelona’s league season for the past seven decades. Every August, the Catalan giants go to great lengths to line up a marquee opponent, and this year they invited the biggest club in Africa and the Arab world — Al-Ahly SC. When the friendly was»»»

Leeds: Pakistan dismissed Jordan Cox and Joe Root to give themselves renewed hope in the first Test against England at Headingley on Thursday. Both Cox (73) and Root (66) hit fifties as they shared a third-wicket partnership of exactly 150 on a rain-marred second day that threatened to leave Pakist»»»

An upcoming network of railways and highways stretching from Russia to the Indian Ocean coast will become a mega project comparable to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Andrey Grozin of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies explains to Sputnik. The recent transport crises a»»»

Demand remained buoyant in Central and Eastern Europe with consumers continuing to spend more on average during each visit to NEPI Rockcastle shopping centres with average basket spend up 3.3%. This supported like-for-like tenant sales which were 2.7% higher than a year ago. Occupancy remained clos»»»

Dubai: A 21-year-old son of a Rajya Sabha MP has been booked after an Aston Martin he was allegedly driving at high speed struck and killed a 26-year-old retail worker outside Hyderabad’s Inorbit Mall, police said. Lingamaneni Sanjush, son of Jana Sena Party MP and businessman Lingamaneni Ramesh, w»»»

Over the past decade, Bulgaria has lost over 100 protected birds of prey, most often due to illegally placed poisoned baits as stated by WWF Bulgaria in a position on its website regarding the dead birds found in the Central Balkan National Park, including protected species of vultures. "This lates»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Western countries do not view Ukraine as an independent state but use it as a staging ground for threats against Russia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. "Judging by its course in recent years, I mean the West, it does not even need Ukraine a»»»

Members of the Panama Police guard the entrance to the port of Balboa (Pacific) in Panama City, Panama, in February The ports of Balboa (Pacific) and Cristobal (Atlantic), near the Panama Canal, were paralyzed amid the transition of the operator after the departure of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutc»»»

Supertree is launching Modullo, a new semi-private mini-office concept, following a 20% increase in demand for workspaces designed for professionals and small teams in the first half of 2026, compared to 2025. This new segment is developing alongside steady demand for offices for medium-sized teams»»»

Dubai: A six-year-old boy collapsed in his classroom and died after being slapped by his teacher for not completing his homework at a private school in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam on Thursday, police said. The incident, involving Pranay Teja, took place at a school in the city’s One Town area, I»»»

BusinessGlobal issuesDrought in Germany and Europe are driving up costsAstrid Prange de OliveiraOngoing drought in Europe is causing rivers to dry up and crops to fail. Transport costs are rising and the price of food has exploded. Is inflation due to extreme weather? https://p.dw.com/p/5J9iUThe Rh»»»

CAIRO: Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy on Thursday condemned Israel’s move to advance the E1 settlement project in the occupied West Bank, warning that it would divide Palestinian territory and further isolate East Jerusalem from its Palestinian surroundings. Fahmy also condemned recent I»»»

WASHINGTON: The United States will impose “the toughest sanctions in history” on Iran, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday as he urged Beijing ​to cooperate with Washington. Bessent said he would hold a press conference on Monday to discuss details. “It is a one-two punch. We have »»»

The political will and the actions taken by the Bulgarian government to combat money laundering, the shadow economy, and corruption are another guarantee for Bulgaria's strong position to leave the shameful "grey list", Prime Minister Rumen Radev said during a Council for Coordination and Cooperati»»»

Among the main factors behind the recovery are hopes of progress toward an agreement between the conflicting parties regarding the future of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as stronger demand through exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with particularly strong activity during Asian trading»»»

Central bankers do not usually forecast the weather. The European Central Bank's chief economist has just put one into his. The Climate Crisis has gone beyond a fringe obsession of hippie tree-hugers and entered the studies of central bankers, who have been forced to sit up and take notice of the u»»»

Russia and Myanmar signed ten documents in the Kremlin on August 18, including a joint declaration on countering Western sanctions. The talks between Vladimir Putin and Myanmar's president Min Aung Hlaing produced a package covering nuclear power, liquefied natural gas, a deep-water port and search»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Appeals Chambers of the Investment and Commerce Court has upheld a lower court's ruling that orders a driver and an insurance company to jointly pay QAR450,000 in compensation to a victim who suffered a broken leg in a traffic accident. According to Al-Sharq, the plaintiff filed a »»»

Riyadh: Known to thousands simply as Falafel in Hotpot, Xuling, a Chinese/Arabic content creator, has built a unique platform connecting two of the world’s oldest civilizations — those of China and Saudi Arabia. Through language, culture, and everyday experiences, she shares a fresh perspective on »»»

Russian attack drones struck two dry-cargo vessels laden with ammunition and military gear in the port of Chernomorsk, along with a fuel and lubricants storage tank destined for the Ukrainian military, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported. "Over the course of the day, strike unmanned aerial veh»»»

A frigate from Russia’s Northern Fleet is escorting the LNG carrier Portovyy en route from the Baltic Sea towards Murmansk. The tanker is likely to proceed to the Northern Sea Route. The two vessels were spotted together in the Baltic Sea earlier this week. The frigate Admiral Kasatonov was on its »»»

RIYADH: Joint efforts by the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology, also known as Etidal, and Telegram have resulted in the removal of 34,290,268 items of extremist content and the shutdown of 1,275 channels used to publish and promote such material during the first half of 2026, as part o»»»

Ankara, Aug. 20 (SANA) Türkiye’s Ministry of Defense denied on Thursday the presence of any Turkish military delegation at Abu al‑Duhur Airbase in northern Syria, whether before or during the Israeli airstrikes on the facility, stressing that Israel must halt its attacks and comply with internation»»»

BEIRUT: Lebanon and Saudi Arabia officially relaunched their overland trade route on Thursday, as Lebanese customs authorities began operating an advanced scanner at the Masnaa Border Crossing with the Syrian Arab Republic. Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Fahad bin Abdulrahman Al-Dosari took part in th»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Union is aiding terrorism by transferring income from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. "Transferring funds to Ukraine is nothing less than aiding and abetting terrorist attacks. This is a direct»»»

WASHINGTON: A new US aircraft carrier strike group has arrived in the Middle East, the US military announced Thursday, after conditions aboard a long-deployed carrier provoked fresh criticism of President Donald Trump’s war against Iran. “The George Washington Carrier Strike Group is operating in M»»»

WASHINGTON: A new US aircraft carrier strike group has arrived in the Middle East, the US military announced Thursday, after conditions aboard a long-deployed carrier provoked fresh criticism of President Donald Trump’s war against Iran. “The George Washington Carrier Strike Group is operating in M»»»

US President Donald Trump has vowed to target any country helping Iran’s economy, shifting from his previous focus on military threats. Trump made the remarks after a 60-day window to negotiate a peace deal with Tehran expired on Monday without breakthroughs. “I am announcing the MOST CRUSHING ECON»»»

The Financial Times reported this week, citing two people described as close to the Iranian leadership and specifically to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that Tehran has been assessing options for striking American military sites outside the Middle East should Donald Trump order a fresh esc»»»

Dubai: The National Media Authority has taken legal action against a female resident over social media content it said insulted Emirati women and suspended her advertiser permit for three months. The authority said the woman had published the content through her account on a social media platform i»»»

President Donald Trump’s social media rhetoric threatening a “crushing economic operation” against Iran preceded a 3% bump in oil prices on Thursday. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Oil prices were up 3% Thursday after President Donald Trump's threat to impose a "c»»»

Israelis began moving into the occupied West Bank settlement of Kadim on Thursday, the local settler council said, the last of four communities from which Israel withdrew more than two decades ago to be repopulated. It came a week after Israel officially reopened neighboring Ganim, in a move emblem»»»