Moscow continues to send GRU officers to Norway under diplomatic cover. The Barents Observer looks at their identities. Colonel Sergei Belousov has held the position of military attaché at the Russian embassy in Oslo since around the middle of 2025. According to leaked data, Belousov is registered »»»

Dubai: There's that one moment at a boarding gate when a person's true character shows itself. The first boarding call sounds — group one, mind you — and suddenly half the waiting area rises as if to a starting gun only they could hear. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & BalancesS»»»

The State has earmarked EUR 20 million for preparations for the Eurovision Song Contest 2027 through the end of this year, Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov said in Burgas on Thursday, as the host city began work on the organization of the event and Sofia Municipality sought detailed feedback on wh»»»

If Lebanon and Israel fail to agree on a new pilot zone in south Lebanon, Washington will designate the aforementioned zone, U.S. General Joseph Clearfield told Lebanese officials during his latest visit to Beirut, according to a senior Lebanese official. The Lebanese official spoke to al-Joumhouri»»»

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri has emphasized the importance of UNIFIL forces' presence in southern Lebanon and their assigned role, both in “maintaining security in the south and in supporting the Lebanese Army's deployment across all Lebanese territory up to the international border, as stipul»»»

Cairo: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met in Cairo on Thursday with Secretary-General of the League of Arab States HE Nabil Fahmy. At the outset of the meeting, His Excellency congratulated the Secretary-General of the Arab Leag»»»

Moscow continues to send GRU officers to Norway under diplomatic cover. The Barents Observer looks at their identities. Colonel Sergei Belousov has held the position of military attaché at the Russian embassy in Oslo since around the middle of 2025. According to leaked data, Belousov is registered »»»

Doha, Qatar: The State of Qatar, the Republic of Türkiye, and the Arab Republic of Egypt, in their capacity as mediating countries, strongly condemn the recent Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, which have resulted in the loss of civilian lives, including women and children, and express their deep »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom is holding talks with another 15 countries on the construction of nuclear power plants, Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev said on Thursday. Russian President Vladimir Putin convened a meeting to discuss the development of nuclear energy. On Th»»»

The founder of China Evergrande Group, the world's most-indebted property developer, was sentenced to life in prison by a Chinese court on Thursday, five years after the firm's collapse shook the nation's economy and financial markets. China sentenced the founder of embattled property giant Evergra»»»

Dubai: Pakistan has abolished the Personal Baggage Scheme for importing used vehicles for overseas Pakistanis, while retaining the Gift and Transfer of Residence schemes under stricter conditions aimed at preventing their commercial misuse. Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan confirmed the »»»

Tehran: Six months into its war with the United States, Iran's military has begun signalling a shift from retaliation to offence, which analysts say could reflect Tehran's belief it holds leverage to advance its demands and break the stalemate. Since US-Israeli strikes launched the war on February »»»

Dubai: Qatar Airways is on track to complete its Starlink rollout across its Boeing 787 fleet by the end of 2026, after equipping more than half of its aircraft with the high-speed satellite Wi-Fi service. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & BalancesThe Doha-based airline has now f»»»

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev spoke by phone with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte about the security situation in Europe, with particular attention to concerns over possible aggressive actions by Iran, according to the Bulgarian government. Rutte reaffirmed NATO's full support and the read»»»

CAIRO: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met in Cairo on Thursday with Secretary-General of the League of Arab States HE Nabil Fahmy. At the outset of the meeting, the PM congratulated the Secretary-General of the Arab League on th»»»

Pushpajothi Ravikumar broke the Guinness World Record for the most words written on a sticky note: 150. Photo courtesy of Guinness World Records Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A United Arab Emirates woman broke a Guinness World Record by managing to hand-write 150 different words onto a single sticky note. Pushp»»»

Aug. 19 (UPI) -- It was a calamari catastrophe on a Rhode Island road when an overturned tractor-trailer spilled "a substantial portion" of squid into traffic. The Narragansett Police Department said in a news release that the tractor-trailer was carrying thousands of pounds of squid to be processe»»»

Dubai: More than 24,000 new real estate units were added to Dubai during the first six months of 2026, an increase of 36% compared with last year, according to figures reviewed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Thursday. A total of 104 real estate projects were completed during»»»

The Sofia City Prosecution Office (SCPO) has opened an investigation into whether officers from the General Directorate Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC) overstepped their powers while checking Movement for Rights and Freedoms Chair Delyan Peevski, who enjoys immunity as a Member of Parliament. Off»»»

The Danube has completely receded from the Bulgarian bank at the Vidin-Kalafat Bridge, leaving part of the riverbed exposed, a BTA reporter found on the scene Thursday. At the 796th river kilometre, the water has receded toward the Romanian bank, where the waterway also runs. The receding water has»»»

President Joseph Aoun met Thursday with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican and thanked him for his efforts to support Lebanon in resisting Israeli aggression and securing the liberation of its territory. Aoun urged the Pope to compel Israel to commit to the U.S.-brokered Framework Agreement, halt its dail»»»

Israeli strikes and shelling targeted overnight into Thursday Houla, Markaba, Wadi Slouqi, Qabrikha, al-Mansouri, Majdalzoun, Ali al-Taher and Touline, as troops carried out detonations in Zawtar al-Sahrqiyeh, Majdalzoun, al-Mansouri and al-Khiam. The United Nations peacekeeping force in south Leba»»»

CAIRO: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met with Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt HE Dr Mostafa Madbouly on the sidelines of the seventh session of the Qatari-Egyptian Joint Higher Committee, held in Cairo, Egypt. Duri»»»

CAIRO: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates of the Arab Republic of Egypt HE DrBadr Abdelatty on the sidelines of the seventh session of the Qatari-Egyptian Jo»»»

Doha, Qatar: Governor of the Qatar Central Bank HE Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saoud Al-Thani met on Thursday with Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the State of Qatar HE Bakhyt Batyrshayev. During the meeting, they reviewed key facets of bilateral cooperation between the two countries»»»