Indian authorities on Friday detained Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the satirical youth movement "Cockroach Janta Party", ahead of a new protest in New Delhi, live images from the group showed. Police earlier closed a central New Delhi park in an attempt to stifle near-daily demonstrations ca»»»

Pope Leo XIV celebrated a mass at Rome's Gemelli hospital Friday after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung, photos released by the Vatican showed. Doctors said his recovery was progressing normally but that further tests would show whether the cancer had spread. Pope»»»

MOSCOW: Russia has seized local assets of four companies from France, Germany, Sweden and Belgium, according to a decree by President Vladimir Putin, in retaliation for Europe’s wartime support for Ukraine. Thursday’s decree listed assets belonging to French flooring maker Tarkett, German packaging»»»

Bangkok, Oct. 16 (SANA) Syria and Lebanon have agreed to establish a joint technical team to address financial and banking challenges and propose solutions to strengthen economic, investment and trade ties. The agreement was reached during a meeting on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings of the In»»»

KALEMIE, DR Congo: US businessman Erik Prince and his mercenaries have emerged as key players in the war-stricken Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), fighting for its government as Washington vies for strategic minerals in the country, researchers and local sources told AFP. Numerous foreign parami»»»

The Ministry of Education and Science has received a letter from Miroslav Dachev, Rector of Sofia's National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA), which includes a roadmap drawn up in accordance with September 18 recommendations of an interdepartmental working group to address students' and le»»»

JOHANNESBURG: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has lifted the suspension of the country’s national police chief, Fannie Masemola, his office announced on Friday. Masemola is expected to resume his duties on Monday after he was suspended in April when he was charged with breaking finance laws»»»

A historic monastery complex in southern Slovakia, purchased with Hungarian public money under the former Orbán government, remains unusable despite HUF hundreds of millions of being spent on its renovation. The Orbán administration paid approximately EUR 219,000 for the properties in Šahy (Ipolysá»»»

Information Services, Bulgaria's national system integrator, publicly demonstrated the computer system that will process voting data for Bulgaria's October 25 presidential election. At the Parliament building on Friday, the company explained how the election process works, from voting and vote coun»»»

In tonight's edition: As former Congolese president Joseph Kabila returns to centre stage with a new alliance with the M23 rebels, political leaders in DR Congo are having to choose sides. Also, the US is calling for restraint in Ethiopia as a rights group warns that the conflict in Tigray is alrea»»»

Critically acclaimed Irish novelist Sally Rooney's announcement that her books could no longer be sold in the UK due to her support for proscribed group Palestine Action has left British booksellers rushing to stock up on her works before distributors run out. The British government's ban on the gr»»»

Our guest is veteran French journalist and commentator Bernard Guetta, who is a Member of the European Parliament for the centrist Renew group. He tells the programme that Donald Trump is "a liar, because he tried to tell the American people that Zelensky and the Ukrainian resistance were responsib»»»

Bulgaria marked Aviation and Air Force Day on Friday with the laying of wreaths and flowers at the Monument to the Aviator in Sofia. In 2026, Bulgarian military aviation marks the 114th anniversary of its first combat flight. President Iliana Iotova inspected the guard of honour and laid a wreath i»»»

SOFIA: A string of drone attacks on at least seven cargo vessels in the Black Sea this month, off the coasts of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria, has some members of the alliance wondering if Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking escalation to test their support for Ukraine in its war agains»»»

DP World says an east coast gateway could give cargo owners faster, alternative routes Dubai: Fujairah’s location on the UAE’s east coast could give cargo owners an alternative gateway to global markets and cut sailing times on some Indian Ocean services by up to five days, according to DP World. T»»»

DAMASCUS/LONDON: Iran has managed to export some liquefied petroleum gas and jet fuel since July, despite a US naval blockade, shipping intelligence showed and people involved in security said. Tehran has in recent weeks been concealing such cargoes among a growing volume of ship-to-ship transfers »»»

The Pink October event takes place on Saturday, October 17 Dubai: Dubai Miracle Garden, the world’s largest natural flower garden, will open its gates at 6am on Saturday, 17 October, ahead of regular visiting hours, for a Breast Cancer Awareness Walk and Run starting at 6:30 AM, in support of Pink »»»

Joint European action is needed to safeguard the Black Sea and build consensus on turning it into an area of shared security, Bulgarian National Assembly Chair Mihaela Dotsova said, as quoted by the Bulgarian Parliament on Friday. She was speaking at the European Conference of Presidents of Parliam»»»

BAGHDAD: Iraq’s prime minister completed his cabinet line-up by appointing a US-designated terrorist after receiving Washington’s approval, in a bid to advance efforts to disarm Iran-backed groups in the country, diplomatic sources told AFP. On Thursday night, Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi announced »»»

Brussels: France and Germany confirmed Friday that they had reached a deal aimed at protecting Europe's struggling automotive sector, with agreements on the flashpoint issues of EU car emissions and "made in Europe" components. The pact, which is likely to shape EU policy going forward, envisages a»»»

US: The United States is making an unprecedented attempt to revive three shuttered nuclear plants to meet rising energy demand, including from large-scale data centers. No commercial nuclear reactor is known to have resumed generating electricity after beginning the decommissioning process that tak»»»

Israel said commercial goods usually delivered into Gaza by private merchants have not entered the beleaguered territory for days because of Hamas threats and a taxation scheme, an accusation the group rejected. Despite a fragile ceasefire observed since October 2025, the Gaza Strip remains engulfe»»»

Bangkok: The State of Qatar has participated in a meeting of Arab central bank governors with World Bank Group President HE Ajay Banga, held on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group in Bangkok, Thailand. Minister of Finance HE Ali bin»»»

Sharjah says it diverts 93 per cent of waste from landfills, with plans to double capacity Sharjah: The UAE plans to produce half of its crops locally as part of efforts to strengthen food security, while Sharjah is preparing to double the capacity of a waste-to-energy plant after diverting 93 per »»»

Iraq's prime minister completed his cabinet line-up by appointing a U.S.-designated terrorist after receiving Washington's approval, in a bid to advance efforts to disarm Iran-backed groups in the country, diplomatic sources told AFP. On Thursday night, Zaidi announced the completion of his governm»»»

Only 400 million jobs are forecast for 1.2 billion new workers, leaving a major shortfall Abu Dhabi: The world faces a potential shortfall of nearly 800 million jobs over the next 10 to 15 years, with 1.2 billion young people expected to enter the labour market but only 400 million jobs projected t»»»

Bulgaria’s minimum wage will increase by more than 6.5%, while public-sector salaries will rise by over 5%, Progressive Bulgaria (PB) Floor Leader Petar Vitanov told reporters here in Parliament on Friday. Teachers’ salaries are expected to increase by more than 7.5%, while the government also plan»»»

Nomad Capitalist awards the UAE 96 out of 100 for taxation, the top score in the rankings Dubai: The UAE has been ranked the third-best place to live in the world in the 2026 Nomad Capitalist Lifestyle Index, placing just behind Monaco and Andorra while taking the top spot globally for its tax envi»»»

KABUL: Lying in her hospital cot, the 3-year-old girl roamed the room with her gray-green eyes, but her body was listless. Her mother sat by her bedside, quietly weeping. Just a few months ago, she lost her 5-year-old daughter, Khadija, to the same condition: malnutrition. Both girls had the same s»»»

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed its right under international law to take all necessary measures to defend its security and protect citizens and residents, following a UN Security Council statement condemning attacks against the kingdom. In a statement, the Saudi foreign ministry welcomed the S»»»

BUCHAREST: Romania resumed a search on Friday for seven sailors missing from a chemical tanker hit by a drone near its Black Sea coast, the latest in a series of attacks highlighting risks to commercial shipping near NATO’s eastern flank. The missing crew were among 12 sailors aboard the San Marino»»»

SportsRwandaFormula One in Rwanda: More sportswashing or opportunity for Africa?Jonathan HardingFormula One will return to Africa for the first time since 1993. There is concern Rwanda are using it as another sportswashing opportunity, but there is also hope the event's legacy can impact wider Afri»»»

Sofia Municipality and three companies from the construction and innovation sectors have established a platform to promote climate-neutral buildings and construction in the capital through expert exchange, joint work and innovative solutions, the municipality said on Friday. The founding memorandum»»»

Appointment of a new leader follows its biggest regional wealth investment in two decades HSBC today announced the appointment of Sami Abouzahr as Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking (IWPB), UAE and Middle East, effective immediately. Sami relocates to the UAE from Hong Kong, where he »»»

GENEVA: Gains ‌in tackling malnutrition in Gaza remain fragile and could be undermined by disruptions to supplies entering the Palestinian enclave, the UN children’s agency UNICEF said on Friday, urging that all crossings remain open. Israel said on Wednesday commercial goods were no longer enterin»»»

Iraq has lost around $60 billion during the Middle East war, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Thursday, with Iran blockading a waterway that is crucial to global energy flows. OPEC member Iraq was producing about four million barrels of oil per day before the conflict, exporting about 3.5 mill»»»

Police restrictions and park closure follow protests over India’s voter-roll revision Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke was detained from his Delhi residence on Friday, minutes before he was due to leave for a flag-waving protest rally, as authorities tightened restrictions and closed a »»»

A 17-year-old Hungarian girl says a plain-clothes police officer promised to make her misdemeanour case disappear before taking her to a secluded street and asking whether he could kiss her. Her mother reported the incident to prosecutors the same day, and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee is provid»»»

By Staff, Agencies Hamas has marked the second anniversary of the martyrdom of its former political bureau chief, Yahya Sinwar, praising his role in the movement’s military and political leadership and describing his legacy as part of the broader Palestinian struggle for freedom and independence. I»»»

Sheikh Mansoor honours winners of the 14th Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport Dubai: Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has awarded $100,000 to a bus project in Jordan's capital and given away Dh240,000 in cash prizes to six UAE student projects at the Dubai Award for Sustainable Trans»»»

DHAKA: Abul Monsur Reaz was standing in a line to collect his boarding pass last Saturday, when a Houthi strike hit the Riyadh airport. Moments after the explosion, believing he was near his life’s end, the 38-year-old Bangladeshi pilgrim tried to remember the faces of his family back home: his 3-y»»»

Bangkok, Oct. 16 (SANA) Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh met with Jihad Azour, director of the International Monetary Fund’s Middle East and Central Asia Department, to discuss Syria’s financial reform agenda and preparations for the IMF’s Article IV consultations. The meeting took pla»»»

By Staff, Agencies The Handala hacking group has claimed responsibility for breaching the communications of Tzipi Livni, a former “Israeli” foreign minister and deputy prime minister, alleging that leaked documents expose undisclosed cooperation between her and the entity's Prime Minister Benjamin »»»

Bulgarian Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva has asked Health Minister Katya Ivkova for an update on plans to consolidate adopted children’s medical and vaccination records in the National Health Information System (NHIS), the Ombudsman’s Office said. The request follows a complaint from a Sofia woman wh»»»

More than 75% of polling stations will use voting machines under the amendments to the Election Code, and the system is ready for the elections, Information Services Executive Director Ivaylo Filipov said here on Friday after a public demonstration of the vote-processing system for the October 25, »»»

President and candidate for president in the upcoming elections Iliana Iotova is portraying her opposition to sending Bulgarian troops to the front in Ukraine as the main dividing line between herself and her opponents, Anna Bodakova said on Friday in a declaration on behalf of Democratic Bulgaria »»»

LONDON: A federal judge restricted how the Justice Department could access records seized from Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington home before approving a search warrant, citing constitutional protections for members of Congress, CNN reported this week. US Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh required prose»»»

The ink had barely dried on an agreement between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump over Iran when events in Yemen placed fresh pressure on Beijing. The agreement nudges China gently off the fence, prompting Xi to press Tehran more than he has done to date, so the timing was»»»

Hungary has joined Italy, Poland and Czechia in demanding a delay to the EU’s planned carbon pricing scheme for heating and transport, triggering a three-hour argument at a Brussels summit. Most member states rejected the proposal, raising questions about the future of one of the bloc’s key climate»»»

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told Al-Jadeed TV on Friday that he met with a number of Lebanese officials over the past two days to exchange views and positions, describing the atmosphere of the meetings as good. He added that a recent meeting in New York with Lebanese officials»»»