Iran's Hormuz claims dismissed by US amid rising regional maritime disputes The US military on Thursday rejected claims by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that Tehran controls the Strait of Hormuz, that a Singapore-registered container ship sank after "striking a naval mine" and tha»»»

BANGKOK: Shifting geopolitics and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East ​will have a lasting impact on world trade flows as companies hedge their bets against future shocks, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director general of the World Trade Organization, told Reuters on Thursday. Trade had contracted sharp»»»

Artificial intelligence is "changing the security landscape". That's according to Ledger, a French unicorn of cryptocurrency that's seeking a bigger role in digital security. Chief Technology Officer Charles Guillemet says: "Finding vulnerabilities and exploiting them costs almost nothing. So this »»»

EU leaders met Thursday (15 October) for their first face-to-face talks on the 2028–2034 budget, killing the latest negotiation proposal put forward by Ireland. Dublin, which holds the symbolic EU Council presidency, proposed cuts of up to €141bn from the long-term budget, about eight percent less »»»

QNA Doha Qatar is stepping up efforts to strengthen food security through sustainable farming practices and agricultural innovation, with domestic production meeting 99 percent of the country’s needs for fresh poultry and dairy products, according to the Ministry of Municipality (MoM). In a stateme»»»

BANGKOK: Minister of Finance HE Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari headed the StateofQatar's delegation participating in the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group, held in Bangkok, Kin»»»

In tonight's edition: Kenya confirms a second case of Ebola. Also, Nobel Peace Prize winner Navi Pillay warns that international justice is facing growing pressure. Plus millions of people in Nigeria have been without TikTok for about a month. »»»

RIYADH: Japan’s foreign minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, on Thursday offered his condolences for the loss of lives in recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. During a call with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Motegi said that attacks on civilians were intolerable, as he affirmed Japan’s»»»

Romania reported seven people missing on Thursday after two drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea, where several vessels have been hit recently in suspected fallout from the Ukraine war. The attacks are the latest in a series off the coast of Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria in recent weeks. FRA»»»

Bangkok: Minister of Finance HE Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari headed the State of Qatar's delegation participating in the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting, on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group, held in Bangkok, K»»»

LONDON: Israeli troops raided and burned a house and set fire to a nearby animal feed warehouse in southern Syria’s Daraa province on Thursday, Syrian state media reported. State-run Alikhbaria TV said the troops stormed the house in the Wadi Al-Raqqad area of western Daraa before setting both prop»»»

Hungarian house prices fell by 1.4% in the second quarter of 2026, marking their first quarterly decline since late 2022 and the steepest drop among European countries. Prices are still 10.2% higher than a year ago, but the slowdown in demand and more moderate rent increases suggest that the market»»»

LONDON: Missiles used by the Houthis to attack Saudi Arabia draw on a global supply chain, with components originating in countries friendly to the Kingdom reaching Yemen through intermediaries, according to one of the world’s leading experts on the proliferation of arms. Wolf-Christian Paes, who s»»»

Mogadishu: Somalia announced on Thursday that parliamentary and presidential elections would be held next year in the deeply fragmented country that faces a long-running insurgency. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's second term ended earlier this year but his government declared a "transition perio»»»

New York, Oct. 15 (SANA) Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Olabi, said the new Syria had transformed the legacy of the ousted regime into opportunities for cooperation and partnership with the international community, particularly on chemical weapons, while remaining f»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Sadd have signed Qatar international striker Mohammed Muntari from Al Gharafa on Thursday on a two-season deal. The 32-year-old joined Al Gharafa in the 2024-25 season, making 29 appearances and scoring six goals.He previously played for Al Jaish and Al Duhail and had a loan spell a»»»

LONDON: The Syrian Arab Republic’s Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday a fee exemption for Syrian Umrah pilgrims who overstayed in Saudi Arabia, giving them one week to register for procedures to facilitate their return home. The decision, issued by the ministry’s Consular Affairs Directorate, c»»»

AMMAN — The Jordan Strategy Forum (JSF) has issued a report titled “Jordan’s Economy: Encouraging Performance Amid Ongoing Uncertainty” as part of its “Knowledge is Power” series, highlighting the economy’s resilience amid regional challenges.The report reviews key economic indicators for 2026, com»»»

Charles Pellegrin is pleased to welcome Nicolas Vercken, Director of Advocacy for Oxfam France. France’s tax inequality is under scrutiny and Oxfam is challenging the state over its constitutional obligations. “It’s not so much about how much the percentage of tax and the burden of o»»»

North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski has accused Iva Mihailova of illegally crossing into North Macedonia's neighboring country of Bulgaria and warned that she and her father would eventually face justice, despite claims that she left through an official border checkpoint. Speaking at»»»

NATO will put drone strikes in the Black Sea on its agenda at a meeting next week, officials said Thursday, following two new attacks and the disappearance of seven people. Incidents involving civilian vessels in the Black Sea have been on the rise off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania in a suspec»»»

Stambolovo Municipality is among the 20 winners of the EU initiative New European Bauhaus: Boost for Small Municipalities. The project The Green Heart: Stambolovo’s Artery will receive EUR 30,000 in funding from the European Commission to landscape the refurbished sidewalks along the village’s main»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar is stepping up efforts to strengthen food security through sustainable farming practices and agricultural innovation, with domestic production meeting 99 percent of the country's needs for fresh poultry and dairy products, according to the Ministry of Municipality. In a statement»»»

LONDON: Israel has hidden or failed to announce the results of investigations into more than 254 incidents in which its military was accused of killing or injuring civilians in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank, the BBC has found. The failure to disclose the results of incident probes — some almost t»»»

A total of 93% of respondents to a survey of lesbian, bisexual and non-binary people attracted to women in Bulgaria reported experiencing at least one form of harassment or violence during their lifetime, according to a report by the non-governmental organization Lespectra. The report, titled Lesbo»»»

By Staff, Agencies US President Donald Trump has positive net approval ratings in just 10 states, according to a Civiqs state-level tracker cited by USA Today, as Republicans prepare to defend narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. Th»»»

While merchant ships are being attacked by Russia with drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, Prime Minister Rumen Radev is seeking help from NATO and the EU over the crisis in the Black Sea, but at the same time welcomes the deal between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladi»»»

ISLAMABAD: In Pakistan, the security of Saudi Arabia is often described as a “red line,” a position rooted in religious devotion, the sanctity of Islam’s holiest sites and decades of close ties. But the relationship goes far beyond faith and sentiment; the stability of the Kingdom is closely linked»»»

Paris, France: UN chief Antonio Guterres said Thursday that the "war on nature has not yet ended" as he launched a report showing the world was falling short of its biodiversity commitments. Nations will assess progress and pitfalls toward a 2030 goal to stop the destruction of nature when they mee»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Museums (QM) on Thursday celebrated the International White Cane Day under the theme "A Story of Achievement: Beyond the Limits of Sight." The event highlighted the experiences and accomplishments of individuals with visual impairments, emphasized the importance of raising public»»»

An MCA Grup analysis, one of the largest garage and sectional doors local manufacturers, reveals a major discrepancy between Romania and other European markets: while the French sectional door market is over 6 times larger and the Polish market is 4 times higher than Romania’s, and the legislative »»»

AL-MUKALLA: Two security personnel were killed on Thursday in a Houthi missile strike that targeted Aden’s presidential palace, seat of the country’s internationally recognized government. The deceased were members of Prime Minister Shaya Al-Zandani’s security detail. The Houthis also targeted the »»»

Disappointment with the country’s leadership, a growing sense of injustice, and issues relating to income and access to healthcare were among the main topics discussed at a meeting of presidential and vice-presidential candidates Ivan Hristanov and Stoyanka Cherkezova with supporters in Silistra on»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iran’s Precision Strikes Picked Apart Gulf Infrastructure, Blunting US War Plans: Reuters 15-10-2026 19:59 PM By Michael Peel, Ryan McNeill»»»

The 50 millionth request was submitted in Italy for a minibus rental service. Overall, the platform offers more than 26,000 types of services across 19 main categories, while 33% of customers return to request additional services. Currently, a new service request is submitted every four seconds acr»»»

The president should inspire dignity and pride in the Bulgarian people and make them feel safe about who is at the helm of state, presidential candidate and Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov said at a meeting with Pleven residents on Thursday. A candidate seeking the trust of Bulgarian voters »»»

Poland recorded 86 mergers and acquisitions in the third quarter of 2026, up from 73 in the previous quarter and 76 a year earlier, according to a report by Fordata and Navigator Capital. Deal volume rose 18 percent quarter over quarter and 13 percent year over year. Software and health care each a»»»

ADIPEC 2026 will feature a strong presence of leading energy and industrial companies ADIPEC 2026 will spotlight the Middle East’s distinctive role in strengthening global energy security, attracting investment and supporting industrial development, bringing together leading energy executives and i»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia will respond to Ukraine's attacks on its oil refineries, logistics and energy facilities, there was no need for Ukraine to start them in the first place, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. "Yesterday they tried to strike some oil refineries. Now they’ve hit»»»

Bulgaria's Continue the Change (CC) party and Romania's Save Romania Union (USR) have expressed concern over drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea near Bulgarian and Romanian territorial waters, and more recently within Romania's territorial waters. In a letter to NATO Secretary Gene»»»

Protesters gathered outside the Council of Ministers building in central Sofia on Thursday evening, demanding the resignations of President Iliana Iotova and Prime Minister Rumen Radev over their handling of recent drone attacks on merchant vessels in the Black Sea. There was a heightened police pr»»»

The new investors come mainly from Banca Transilvania’s Private and Premium Banking segments, with most accounts being opened by customers in Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest, Constanța, Iași and Timișoara. “The rapid growth in the number of accounts opened via BT Pay shows us that investing is becoming incr»»»

In nanny states, men become state-dependent tradbros whose solution to an inadequate allowance is to pitch a fit, women get infantilized, and kids become insufferable. But what happens when someone dares to step out of line? Enter Louise Montagnon – a 22-year-old master’s student, right-wing activi»»»

BRATISLAVA: Slovakia’s opposition Thursday slammed a planned visit to Russia by the foreign minister, saying the government was exposing the country and EU to intelligence risks in a move akin to “treason.” Juraj Blanar will travel to Moscow in the coming weeks for a meeting of the Russian-Slovak I»»»

Despite growing opposition in France, Slovakia and Germany's Saxony-Anhalt to further financing Ukraine, “the central, crucial actors” such as Friedrich Merz and Emmanuel Macron are still backing the Ukrainian leadership, legal academic and former AfD MEP Gunnar Beck explains to Sputnik. There is, »»»

BEIRUT: Anxiety is rising in Lebanon after statements by Israeli officials and Hezbollah figures over the past 48 hours signaled the possibility of a new war between the two sides. President Joseph Aoun said on Thursday that regional and international developments, as well as Israel’s elections, ma»»»

Modern healthcare is being asked to do something it was never built to do: keep people healthy, not just treat them once they fall sick. Many countries have tried to transition from illness treatment to prevention, but progress has frequently been hindered by fragmented systems, legacy infrastructu»»»

BAKU: His Highness Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani left Baku after participating in the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). HH the Amir and the accompanying delegation were seen off at Heydar Aliyev International Ai»»»

DUBAI: Egypt’s state grain buyer Future of Egypt has tightened quality requirements for wheat imports by requiring a minimum ‘baking-strength’ rating of 160W, three traders said, a move that could further narrow sourcing options as disruptions to Black Sea grain exports increase. FoE did not issue »»»

MAKKAH: As shocked travelers fled in search of safety during the evacuation of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh following the Houthi attack on Oct. 10, Saudi airport employee Abeer Al-Ajmi remained at her post, guiding travelers through the terminal and helping them to make their way out»»»