Bulgaria’s energy storage capacity has reached 6 gigawatts this year, approaching the country’s electricity demand of 7.4 GW and reshaping domestic and regional power markets, Greek outlet Newsit reported. The rapid expansion of battery storage is already affecting wholesale electricity prices and »»»

The Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) has reported that the country's current account deficit reached 8.1% of gross domestic product over the 12 months to July, its highest level since 2009, while forecasting economic growth of 2.8% for 2026. The BNB Governing Council said economic activity continued t»»»

Jakarta: A 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia on Sunday. The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) reported that the earthquake occurred 60 kilometers from the Labuan Bajo area, at a depth of 10 kilometers. Indonesia is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic »»»

Paris, France: Around 1,500 shops and retailers were damaged in French protests on the weekend, with many of them looted, the head of a group representing the sector said Sunday. The cost to the establishments will run to "several hundreds of millions of euros", Alexandre Bompard, president of the »»»

Nearly 1,800 arrested and over 500 police injured in nationwide unrest Dubai: A Rolex store was among the shops looted in the southern French city of Marseille on Saturday as violent protests swept across France, leaving public buildings damaged and hundreds of police officers injured. An Hermès bo»»»

Issued on October 12, the royal decree was published in Oman's Official Gazette on Sunday Dubai: Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq has restored Omani citizenship to 11 people under a royal decree published on Sunday, October 18, in the country's Official Gazette. Royal Decree No. 89/2026, issued on O»»»

What does an OCI card offer? Travel, property rights, and political restrictions American actor Imran Khan, who has Indian origins and holds an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, is an example of how people with ties to India can retain foreign citizenship while enjoying certain privileges in th»»»

Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV addressed thousands of people in St Peter's Square on Sunday in his first weekly Angelus prayer since leaving hospital after lung cancer surgery. A chorus of "Viva il papa!" (Hooray for the pope!) reverberated across the square as the 71-year-old leader of the world's 1.4»»»

London: Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez said he would be fit to return "in a few weeks" following surgery on a fractured jaw sustained during his team's 2-0 Premier League win at Everton. The Argentina international was taken to hospital after colliding with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite»»»

Doha, Qatar: Commander of the Qatar Amiri Guard, HE Major General Staff Mohammed bin Sultan Al Suwaidi, met Sunday with Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to the State of Qatar, HE Antonino Maggiore, at Barzan Camp. The meeting addressed matters of mutual interest and ways to enhance and further»»»

MANAMA (Bahrain) (Sputnik) - Russia supports the peacekeeping efforts of Arab countries aimed at preventing the return of a full-scale war to the Middle East region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Sunday. The Russian foreign minister is in Bahrain's capital, Manama, participating in»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine lost up to 350 soldiers in combat against Russia's Tsentr battlegroup over the past day, in addition to losses in manpower and equipment on other fronts, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday. "The losses of Ukrainian armed formations amounted to up to 350 military »»»

Tragedy strikes 27 minutes into church service in Guayaquil as worshippers watch in horror Dubai: A Catholic priest died after a large wooden cross fell from a church wall and struck him while he was celebrating Mass in the Ecuadorian city of Guayaquil on Saturday, in an incident captured during a »»»

Clifford CoonanInvestors say France needs to get its spending and debt under control. Economic growth is sluggish and fear over French debt has sent the euro tumbling against the dollar. https://p.dw.com/p/5ONU5AdvertisementFrance is under growing pressure to rein in its debt as borrowing costs cli»»»

There are no lost generations. Everyone lives in their own time, with the hope, desire and opportunity to give their best, said Iliana Yotova, incumbent President and presidential candidate in the October 25 election, during a discussion with students in Sofia. She recalled that she graduated from »»»

Students can now complete registration in three minutes Students applying to universities in the UAE can now complete their registration in just three minutes instead of 10 thanks to its new digital platform. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) announced that its Natio»»»

Damascus, Oct. 18 (SANA) President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued on Sunday two decrees appointing officials to senior positions in the country’s energy and economic sectors. Decree No. 190 of 2026 appoints Maher Khalil al-Hassan as executive chairman of the Syrian Petroleum Company. Decree No. 191 of 2026»»»

GERB leader Boyko Borissov said attacks on ships in the Black Sea had severely damaged tourism along Bulgaria’s coast, while describing the recent rise in fuel prices as inexplicable. Borissov said that during GERB’s time in government, policies had focused on developing the Black Sea coast as a hu»»»

Authorities target violations as e-scooter misuse endangers road safety Abu Dhabi Police seized 9,237 electric scooters in violation of traffic rules and regulations during the first 10 months of 2026, following their use on public roads, between vehicles and on routes not designated for them, posi»»»

Oslo, Norway: The foreign ministries of the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Norway have held the third round of political consultations in Oslo. The Qatari side was chaired by Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi, while the Norwegian side was cha»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe National News Agency: Enemy army carries out a massive explosion in Al-Qantara, Marjeyoun District 18-10-2026 13:06 PM Latest News Urgent N»»»

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz is a direct result of aggressive actions by the United States and what Tehran calls the Zionist regime, which he said began on Feb. 28, 2026, and has continued in various forms since. Araghchi made the remarks durin»»»

President Masoud Pezeshkian has pledged that Iran will not bow to aggressors, speaking before Parliament on Sunday to defend his nominee for defense minister, Mehrdad Akhlaghi. During deliberations on Akhlaghi’s confirmation as the nation’s next defense minister, the president said the nominee’s ac»»»

System brings government, conservation groups, and private-sector partners together The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has launched the Abu Dhabi Wildlife Rescue Network, an initiative designed to accelerate emergency responses, coordinate rescue efforts and provide essential care for wildlif»»»

Doha, Qatar: To ensure schools have up-to-date health information for students, the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has introduced an electronic student health declaration form. Launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, PHCC announced this in a social med»»»

Thousands of trucks stranded, border restrictions raise fears of LPG shortage, price hike Dubai: Pakistan has temporarily suspended commercial trade through two major border crossings with Iran, leaving around 2,000 trucks stranded and raising concerns over possible shortages and higher prices of l»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Public prosecution in coordination with the Supreme Judiciary Council announced the auction of vehicles on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, from 4pm to 7pm through the “Court Mzadat” application. Some of the models on auction include 2015 and 2016 model of Lexus, and 2024 model of Yang»»»

The 9th round of the Russia-Gulf Cooperation Council Strategic Dialogue is taking place in Manama, Bahrain. Sputnik brings you a live broadcast from Manama, Bahrain, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is participating in the strategic dialogue between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Counc»»»

Beijing, Oct. 18 (SANA) China’s exports of refined oil products surged 39.4% year on year in September, as the war in the Middle East disrupted global energy supplies, customs data showed on Sunday. Exports of refined petroleum products, including diesel, gasoline, jet fuel and marine fuel, rose 19»»»

Sisi chairs defence council meeting, with MPs due to debate a defensive mission on Sunday Cairo: Egypt’s National Defence Council has approved sending troops to Saudi Arabia on a defensive mission, an Egyptian MP announced on Sunday, with parliament due to consider the deployment at an emergency se»»»

New Dubai rental agreements rise 10.5% to 515,300, as renewed deals reach 521,600 in 2025 Dubai: Dubai's rental market surpassed one million registered contracts for the first time in 2025, with their combined value reaching Dh127.4 billion, up 17.6 per cent from Dh108.3 billion a year earlier, acc»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Municipality announced the issuance of 2,226 building permits during the third quarter of 2026, according to statistics shared in a social media post detailing the performance of building permit system in the country. The figures include 1,631 permits for small projects»»»

New Delhi, India: A speeding truck in India went out of control and killed 13 people when it ploughed into a crowd at a festival, officials said on Sunday, with President Droupadi Murmu describing the deaths as "heartbreaking". The heavily loaded truck reportedly lost control in the early hours of »»»

RIYADH: The Houthi militia’s heinous attacks constitute criminal behavior that required a firm international stance, Jasem Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said on Sunday as Gulf foreign ministers met in Manama to discuss regional and international developments. “T»»»

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Saturday, October 17, 2026, reviewed the economic agenda for Egypt Forum 2026 and the country’s National Economic Transformation Program, aiming at building on previous reforms and strengthening sustainable and resilient growth. Madbouly chaired a meeting attended»»»

Travellers gain Helsinki connections via London and seven European cities under the deal Muscat: Oman Air has signed a codeshare agreement with Finnair, offering passengers more travel options between Oman, Finland and Australia in its first partnership of this kind since joining the oneworld allia»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) Index opened Sunday's trading session down 102.45 points, or 1.16%, to 8,707 points, weighed by losses across five sectors. QSE data showed a positive performance for Insurance (+0.06%), while Telecoms was stable at (0.00%). Meanwhile, performance was neg»»»

DUBAI: Iran’s offer to the United States to reopen the Strait of ‌Hormuz ‌within seven ‌days is still on the table, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Iranian media outlets ‌on ‌Sunday. If Washington ‌accepts ‌Tehran’s conditions, the strategic waterway would be ‌open within six days and US-Iran t»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - If the situation in the Strait of Hormuz persists, it will drive oil prices even higher, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Saturday. "As of now, we still see that shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have not been resumed … Volatility remains high, the marke»»»

Bangkok, Oct. 18 (SANA) An internal economic model at U.S. artificial intelligence company Anthropic projects that advances in AI could help raise U.S. gross domestic product to $44 trillion by 2030 under certain conditions, compared with just over $30 trillion currently, co-founder Jack Clark said»»»

She hopes to build her career in the UAE and help others access similar opportunities Dubai: Before Ana Kristine Elayda could attend online classes during the Covid-19 pandemic, she needed to earn enough money to buy a phone. The teenager from Sorsogon, in the Bicol region of the Philippines, spent»»»

Jakarta, Indonesia: Dozens of critically endangered orangutans have been rescued in recent weeks from rampant wildfires burning across Indonesia that have cloaked the region in toxic haze, conservation groups said. The fires have triggered a months-long pollution spell that has closed schools, fuel»»»

RIYADH: The Houthi militia’s heinous attacks constitute criminal behavior that required a firm international stance, Jasem Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said on Sunday as Gulf foreign ministers met in Manama to discuss regional and international developments. “T»»»

CAIRO: Egypt ​will provide ‌Saudi ‌Arabia ​with all ‌necessary ⁠and ​possible support ⁠to ⁠defend ‌its ‌security ​and stability, ‌its ‌presidency ‌said on Sunday. The Egyptian presidency also said it will continue and intensify political and diplomatic efforts in coordination with regional and inte»»»

Rabbi Elie Abadie left his native Lebanon more than five decades ago and has not even visited since, but his Lebanese roots remain an integral part of his identity. He has 3,000 Arabic songs on his smart phone. His wife, an American, learned from his mother how to cook the Lebanese dishes he loves.»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The United States should renounce claims to global dominance and start cooperating with other countries, because the time of its hegemony has ended, a former vice president of the Washington-based Eurasia Center, Earl Rasmussen, told RIA Novosti. "We are in a very dangerous t»»»

Masked rioters set fire to the 143-year-old town hall as nationwide protests turn violent Paris: The spire of a historic French town hall collapsed in a ball of flames on Saturday night after masked protesters set the 143-year-old building ablaze during nationwide demonstrations over the rising cos»»»

The administration of US President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries while pursuing landmark diplomacy with Moscow in a bid to bring down soaring fuel prices at home and revive stalled peace negotiations. The overtures have left Vladimir Zelens»»»

Indian aircraft barred from Pakistan airspace amid ongoing tensions Pakistan has extended its airspace ban on Indian-registered aircraft and planes owned, operated or leased by Indian airlines until November 24, 2026, keeping restrictions in place for another month amid strained relations between t»»»

UAE and Bahrain emerge as major investors as Pakistan attracts $188 million in nine days Dubai: The UAE has emerged as the largest Gulf investor in Pakistan’s government bonds, pumping $130 million (Dh477 million) into the country’s domestic debt market in just nine days of October, according to th»»»