On a warm afternoon in May, a simple gathering on Margaret Island had slowly turned into a small Filipino feast. We were there for a friend’s birthday. Around the picnic blankets were the usual signs of a celebration: cake, drinks, bags of snacks, and people taking photos for their Instagram. There»»»

BELGRADE- Serbian caretaker Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic announced on Friday a 175 mln euro World Bank loan for the construction of the first phase of gas infrastructure in Serbia had been approved. In an Instagram post, Djedovic Handanovic wrote that the project inclu»»»

EU governments are deadlocked on how to proceed with a major overhaul to the bloc’s pesticides rules following a sustained pushback from scientists and countries outside the EU. The revisions to the pesticides regulation form part of a food-and-feed ‘Omnibus’ law proposed by the EU Commission last »»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump on Friday said he expects "tremendous" things to occur following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. "Tremendous things will be happening," Trump said via Truth Social. Donald Trump called his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping "ver»»»

Great Britain is going through a war scare. Or to be precise, its combined political and media establishment is subjecting its people to a relentless propaganda (in up-to-date NATO-speak “cognitive warfare”) campaign to create a sense of impending war against Russia. As you would expect, that war i»»»

September is proving a miserable month for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Two weeks ago, his Christian Democratic Union suffered a crushing defeat in Saxony-Anhalt, where the Alternative for Germany won 43.8% of the vote against just 17.2% for the CDU, then, on September 20, another humiliation »»»

Virtually all of America’s most powerful technology executives joined US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a lavish White House state dinner on Thursday, as AI emerged as a major theme of the Chinese leader’s visit. The black-tie dinner in the White House East Room brought to»»»

Bulgaria's ruling party backed President Iliana Iotova on Friday in a controversy over the country's position on a joint UN statement on Ukraine. MP Anton Kutev of the Progressive Bulgaria parliamentary group said that Iotova stayed out of the meeting at which the statement was presented and did no»»»

MP Hassan Fadlallah of Hezbollah on Friday snapped back at Free Patriotic Movement chief Gebran Bassil over recent remarks criticizing the Iran-backed group and the recent wars it has fought. “Lebanon is in dire need today of honesty, loyalty, and words that unite rather than divide -- a national d»»»

About 250 affected jets are already flying, but Airbus says there is no safety risk Airbus has identified a manufacturing quality defect affecting about 500 A321neo aircraft, including roughly 250 already in service. The European planemaker said the problem could reduce corrosion resistance inside »»»

Albania’s top state officials and senior security leaders are expected to meet Monday morning at the Palace of Brigades for a session of the National Security Council, amid heightened attention over an investigation involving a former intelligence chief. The meeting, convened by President Bajram Be»»»

The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly has produced one of the most politically damaging scenes for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent years: as he approached the podium on September 24, dozens of diplomatic delegations left the chamber. Western media coverage plac»»»

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan will hold chief of staff talks to support the kingdom, Riyadh said in a statement on Friday, as Yemen's Houthis ramp up attacks on the world's top crude exporter. The Iran-backed group has escalated its attacks on the kingdom since July, ending a years-long truce a»»»

NEW YORK - The Republic of Serbia established diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Tonga on Thursday. On the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly session in New York, Serbian caretaker FM Marko Djuric and Tonga's Minister for Infrastructure Tevita Fatafehi Puloka attended the signing of a »»»

A good turnout highlights the strength of Dubai’s forex and online trading community Forex Expo Dubai 2026 has broken its own Guinness World Records title for “Largest Attendance at a Forex Event”, welcoming 23,816 attendees for its ninth edition at Dubai World Trade Centre (Halls 1-5) on 22–23 Sep»»»

Argentina's poverty rate jumped to 32.3% in the first half of 2026, official data showed Thursday, as incomes failed to keep pace with the rising cost of basic goods, a setback for libertarian President Javier Milei little more than a year before he seeks reelection. The national statistics agency,»»»

The Tirana City Council has asked Albania’s Special Prosecutor’s Office (SPAK) and the General Directorate of Prisons to allow Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj to participate in the council’s upcoming meeting on September 29. The meeting is scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. in the Tirana City Council cham»»»

Tunis, Sept. 25 (TAP) - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ali Nafti called in New York for deepening relations between Tunisia and the European Union (EU) within the framework of a balanced and solidarity-based...»»»

Israel’s military said two of its soldiers were killed in northern Gaza on Thursday while inspecting an unexploded Israeli drone near a military post. They were the first Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza in months. The drone exploded as the soldiers approached it, the military said Friday. They were»»»

NEW YORK - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met on Thursday in New York with the UK's special Western Balkans envoy Karen Pierce, noting that Serbia and the UK had a mutual interest in establishing strategic dialogue as an additional framework for cooperation on bilateral and regional issues, sec»»»

Ukrainian forces encircled in the DPR town of Dobropolye “attempted to break out several times,” but to no avail. “We eliminated 50 fighters and destroyed several armored vehicles in the process,” former Spetsnaz officer Anatoly Matviychuk told Sputnik, commenting on the fierce fighting around the »»»

Couple were preparing for pre-marriage medical checks when an argument turned violent Dubai: An 18-year-old man has died after being stabbed during an argument with his 19-year-old fiancée in the Turkish city of Adana, as the couple were preparing to complete formalities ahead of their marriage. Lo»»»

Iran war and soaring fuel costs accelerate airline's retirement of older A330 jets Qatar Airways has retired its remaining Airbus A330 passenger aircraft and is sending some of its A330-trained pilots to Rwanda’s national carrier as the Iran war continues to disrupt Gulf aviation and drive up fuel »»»

The Air India-flydubai tie-up links UAE travellers to more Indian and global destinations Dubai: Indian travellers in the UAE could get more ways to connect to destinations across India and beyond through a new Air India-flydubai interline partnership, as the two airlines link their networks throug»»»

Inspections found illegal alterations, overcrowding and bachelors in restricted areas Dubai Municipality has carried out more than 16,000 inspection visits across residential areas of the emirate since the beginning of 2026, identifying 2,395 building and occupancy violations. The inspections inclu»»»

With Saudi oil facilities, cities and ships off its coast coming under escalating attacks, the kingdom's top religious authority has called on soldiers to be prepared to defend the country from Iran-backed Houthis. The strongly worded statement from Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh al-Fawzan, who tradition»»»

New York: The State of Qatar participated today in the high-level ministerial meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign A»»»

Two midwives were flown in by helicopter as tiny North Ronaldsay celebrated a rare arrival For 34 years, no baby had been born on the tiny Scottish island of North Ronaldsay. That changed at 4.05am on September 15, when Duncan Wilder Thorstein Traill Suarez Ford entered the world in an ancestral fa»»»

Largest-ever narrowbody order deepens Turkish Airlines-Boeing ties amid fleet growth Turkish Airlines has finalized a deal with Boeing for up to 150 737 MAX aircraft, the carrier's largest single-aisle order to date. This ends months of uncertainty after negotiations over engine terms had threatene»»»

Police in Montana Region seized a total of 132.55 kilograms of cannabis leaf and flower during an operation targeting illegal cultivation, the Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry said on Friday. A well-maintained cannabis plantation with 70 plants, some reaching 4.5 metres, was discovered»»»

The Sofia City Prosecution Office (SCPO) filed an indictment against six people for participation in an organized criminal group trafficking in migrants, the SCPO press service said on Friday. According to the indictment, the group operated in Bulgaria from the summer of 2017 until April 1, 2022. O»»»

President Joseph Aoun praised the army on Monday for defending all Lebanese, including those standing against it. "You defend all our people, even the very few who stand against our homeland and our state," he told army personnel. "Your weapons are the only legitimate weapons — not by force, nor un»»»

In southern Lebanon, eight-year-old Yara Ajami started the academic year this week in a doorless, windowless classroom after her school was destroyed by an Israeli strike. Well known in the area for its excellence, Ajami's elementary school in Burj Qalaway was struck by Israel in May. "We are happy»»»

Doha, Qatar: The State of Qatar strongly condemns in the strongest terms ballistic missile attacks by the Houthi group on the Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu, describing them as a violation of Saudi Arabia's sovereignty and international law. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its categorical»»»

New York: The State of Qatar, in partnership with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the United Kingdom, hosted Friday a "Call to Action" meeting on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Minister of State at the M»»»

NEW YORK - Serbian caretaker FM Marko Djuric met on Thursday in New York with US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Sarah B Rogers to discuss strengthening of Serbia-US relations. Special attention was devoted to US participation in EXPO 2027 Belgrade. Djuric noted tha»»»

The applicants were found staying in a hot, cramped, reportedly unregistered facility Dubai: Seven Filipino workers preparing to leave for Dubai have been moved to a safer temporary accommodation after Philippine authorities found them staying in an unsafe and reportedly unregistered facility in Ma»»»

Dubai ranks 14th globally, with both UAE cities among world's top 15 AI hubs in new index Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi has been ranked the leading city for artificial intelligence in the Middle East and North Africa and 11th worldwide in a new global index measuring cities’ ability to develop, finance and »»»

Tunis, Sept. 25 (TAP) - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ali Nafti met on Thursday in New York with CEO of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Marie-Antoinette Rose Quatre.The meeting took place on the...»»»

“People coming from Western countries…we have a different approach to elections, much more ascetic, I’d say, detached, where everything is very formal and you get into the polling station only for casting your vote and nothing else,” Portuguese election observer Marco Marsili told Sputnik. “But her»»»

In this edition, we focus on Afghanistan, which recently marked the fifth anniversary of the Taliban's return to power. Since then, the exclusion of women and girls has become normalised, with the government systematically dismantling the rights of more than half the country's population. Annette Y»»»

As Washington scrambled to contain the consequences of the Houthis' dramatic advance along Yemen’s Red Sea coast last week, US Vice President JD Vance confirmed US media reports that the Trump administration was "engaged in direct conversations with the Houthis." Days earlier, Reuters reported that»»»

Drivers and supervisors receive safety training to prevent risks and accidents Dubai: Dubai Police has trained 476 school bus drivers and supervisors in a series of road safety workshops aimed at strengthening student protection during daily journeys to and from school. The awareness programme, org»»»

Pope Leo XIV on Friday arrives in France for a four-day visit – his fifth Apostolic journey since becoming pontiff last year – during which he hopes to repair the Catholic Church’s standing after sexual abuse scandals while also addressing issues such as the need to regulate AI. FRANCE 24 guides yo»»»

October 2026 marks 10 years since the Calais "Jungle" in northern France was dismantled by French police. The camp was home to thousands of migrants who wanted to cross the Channel and reach the UK. A decade on, migrants continue to dream of reaching British shores and the "Jungle" has been replace»»»

CCTV shows the monkey knocking the elderly woman down before attacking her daughter nearby Dubai: A 91-year-old woman has died after being attacked by a monkey outside her home in southern India, an incident captured on CCTV. The woman, identified as Najamunnisa Begum, was walking through the compo»»»

Funeral prayers will be held after Asr on Friday at Al Qusais Cemetery Mosque Dubai: An Egyptian woman has died in Dubai while giving birth to twins, turning what had been expected to be a moment of celebration for her family into tragedy. The woman, identified as Marwa Ahmed Al Amin Bakhit, died d»»»

The European Commission presented on Friday updates on five infringement procedures against Bulgaria concerning energy, money laundering, drugs, consumer rights and environmental protection. The European Commission decided to open infringement procedures by sending a letter of formal notice to Belg»»»

Baku, Sept. 25 (SANA) Chairman of the Syrian Council for the Coordination of Joint Business Councils Tarek Bilal said Friday that the Syrian delegation’s participation in the second Azerbaijan International Investment Forum is a step toward expanding economic relations and building new partnerships»»»

President Joseph Aoun praised the army on Monday for defending all Lebanese, including those standing against it. "You defend all our people, even the very few who stand against our homeland and our state," he told army personnel. "Your weapons are the only legitimate weapons — not by force, nor un»»»