New York, July 23 (SANA) UN Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria Karla Quintana said cooperation with Syrian authorities and partners is helping lay the groundwork for a national system to exchange information on missing persons, in line wi»»»

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday vowed to punish those involved in a leaked exam papers scandal that has sparked mass student protests. His promise came a day after thousands of protesters, led by the social media-driven Cockroach Janta Party, demonstrated in New Delhi, spa»»»

Hungary will abolish VAT on prescription medicines from 1 September, Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Thursday. The Hungary prescription drug VAT decision is the latest element of a broader tax overhaul launched since the new government and parliament took office in May 2026. Prescription m»»»

BusinessChinaUS-China AI rivalry heats up as Chinese models gain groundNik MartinChina's AI platforms are rapidly closing the gap with their US counterparts, prompting fresh threats from the Trump administration. With accusations of intellectual property theft, could tensions boil over? https://p.d»»»

“I didn’t kidnap Natalia.” These were the first words of Asen Simeonov after he was detained nearly a month after disappearing with 11-year-old Natalia from her home. Simeonov, 40, was captured late Wednesday night in the Shumen village of Ovcharovo after a 24-day search operation. He was escorted »»»

At least five nurses have reportedly been questioned as witnesses in a Budapest hospital murder investigation involving a 32-year-old female doctor who previously worked at the North Buda St John’s Centre Hospital. The doctor was detained in May and is suspected of killing an elderly patient receiv»»»

DUBAI: The Saudi Arabian national football team have jumped three places in the FIFA World Rankings, which were announced this week following the World Cup. Spain, who beat Argentina 1-0 on Sunday to claim their second World Cup triumph, climbed to top spot. The Saudi team are now in 58th place glo»»»

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday defeated Hong Kong 46-11 to finish top of Group A with a perfect record at the 19th Asian Men’s Junior U-20 Handball Championship. The team secured their fifth consecutive victory in the continental championship being held in Suzhou, China, having already secured th»»»

Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova has appointed Pavel Todorov Gaydarov as a member of the Anti-Corruption Commission, the President's Press Secretariat said on Thursday. Born on April 1, 1979, Gaydarov graduated in Law from Sofia's University of National and World Economy in 2003. In 2005, he obtai»»»

HEADLINES Thursday’s media coverage is dominated by Parliament’s authorization of the temporary deployment of up to eight US aerial refuelling aircraft and 250 military personnel at Bezmer Air Base. Trud reports on the vote, while Nova TV, bTV and Bulgarian National Television (BNT) examined the po»»»

Rep. Jim Raskin on Wednesday referred former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith to the Justice Department for investigation. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 23 (UPI) -- Rep. Jim Jordan, one of President Donald Trump's staunchest allies and head of the GOP-led House Jud»»»

MANILA: The Philippines accused China’s coast guard of firing water cannon and using a “dangerous maneuver” on Thursday to block vessels bringing aid to Filipino fishermen near a disputed South China Sea reef. The incident took place near Scarborough Shoal, hours before Manila hosted a regional sec»»»

The rule of Vladimir Zelensky has been a catastrophe for Ukraine, and that is how it will be remembered once the dust of relentless info war campaigns in his favor – and against his critics – settles. While the corruption of the Zelensky regime is stupendous, that fact – sad as it is – is not what »»»

Doha: Qatar will host the Gulf qualifiers for the FIBA U18 Asian Championship at Al Gharafa Sports Hall from July 25 to 30, with teams from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman competing for three places at the continental finals in India next month. The organising committee confirmed the»»»

Doha, Qatar: The French Tennis Federation (FFT) and beIN Media Group (beIN), the global sports, entertainment and media group, are pleased to announce the extension of its exclusive broadcasting agreement for Roland-Garros across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Asia regions which will s»»»

The man convicted of trying to kill Salman Rushdie spent years researching the writer's whereabouts before stabbing him on a lecture stage, federal prosecutors said Wednesday at the opening of his federal terrorism trial. It is a second trial for Hadi Matar, who was found guilty in a New York state»»»

Poland has received a request from an unnamed NATO member regarding MiG-29 fighter aircraft that Warsaw plans to transfer to Ukraine, raising speculation that the inquiry may have come from Bulgaria. The information was disclosed by Polish Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski in an interview with»»»

Dubai: Ask anyone to name the toughest animal in the desert, and camel wins without much of a fight. Turns out even that title has its limits. Camels have earned their reputation as the toughest animals in the desert, capable of surviving conditions that would kill most other livestock. That reputa»»»

My previous columns looked at how foreign buyers can purchase property in Hungary, which Budapest districts define the city’s premium tier, how a discreet acquisition works and, step by step, what happens between the first offer and registered ownership. There is one question, however, that every o»»»

Speaking to reporters ahead of Thursday's meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council, Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov said: “It is clear that the status quo in the Judiciary continues to operate in the all-too-familiar way.” He was commenting on Wednesday's unanimous vote by the SJC Prosecutors' Cha»»»

Bulgaria recorded the largest government budget deficit in the European Union as a share of gross domestic product during the first quarter of 2026, according to new seasonally adjusted data published by Eurostat. The country’s consolidated government budget deficit reached 7.6% of GDP between Janu»»»

July 23 (UPI) -- A man allegedly armed with a knife was fatally shot by police in the middle of a Madison intersection, authorities said, sparking protests and igniting public anger. The incident occurred early Wednesday afternoon in Madison's Marquette neighborhood. Madison Police Chief John Patte»»»

Sharjah: From busy roads to residential neighbourhoods and commercial hubs, Sharjah’s extensive network of 172,544 high-tech surveillance cameras has become one of the emirate’s strongest shields for public safety — helping police crack serious crimes, monitor traffic and respond faster to incident»»»

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will travel to Tehran on Thursday at the head of a senior government delegation for talks with top Iranian officials on energy, trade, transportation and agriculture. The Iraqi government said the issue of bringing all weapons under state control would not be on th»»»

DUBAI: Mexican chef Victor Martinez’s journey has been shaped as much by circumstance as by ambition. Hurricanes, specifically, have been a “transformative force” in his life — pushing him toward career-shaping opportunities, he tells Arab News. “I started my culinary journey at 17 (at culinary sch»»»

Manila: Vice President Sara Duterte's bank accounts and Income Tax Returns (ITRs) are set to be opened on July 30, following long-standing allegations that she has billions of pesos in bank deposits. As early as 2016, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV alleged that Vice President Duterte and her f»»»

Hungary is facing an increasingly severe drought, with almost 89% of the country now experiencing at least moderate agricultural drought, according to the latest data published by the national meteorological service, HungaroMet. The agency’s latest drought map shows that 89% of Hungary’s territory »»»

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O'Flaherty, published on Tuesday a letter addressed to Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, following his visit to Romania from May 26 to 29, 2026, in which he makes a series of recommendations regarding the long-term care system for the»»»

In a Manila meeting that cut through diplomatic niceties, Russia’s top diplomat laid out Russian troops battlefield assessment directly to US secretary of state, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted. Here’s what else was on the table:Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov doubled down on Russia’s com»»»

MANILA: Top diplomats from Asia, Europe and North America gathered on Thursday for the security-focused ASEAN Regional Forum in Manila, where ministers were expected to issue calls for a peaceful settlement after renewed and intensifying hostilities in the Middle East. The war in Iran and the block»»»

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced the setting up of fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in examination paper leaks, declaring that anyone who harms the future of India's youth "will not be spared." The announcement marked his first d»»»

Hungary’s public broadcaster says its interim leadership has saved almost HUF 7 billion (around EUR 17 million) during its first two weeks in charge, while launching a comprehensive financial and organisational review and preparing a major overhaul of programming. In a statement released on Wednesd»»»

According to Tamás Sulyok, the rule of law ceased to exist when he was removed from office, and he was unconstitutionally stripped of the presidency. The former head of state — who previously served as a member and president of the Constitutional Court — said in an interview published on Wednesday »»»

Three foreign nationals have been detained in Bishkek for public order violations, including urinating and smoking in a public place. They will be deported from Kyrgyzstan after legal procedures are completed. According to the Main Department of Internal Affairs of Bishkek, officers from the Servic»»»

The Polish government has unveiled one of Europe’s most ambitious rail investment programmes, with plans to build 4,700 km of new railway lines, modernise a further 5,600 km and create an integrated high-speed rail network worth around PLN 610 billion. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the project ai»»»

BANGKOK: Five Thai soldiers were killed in an attack at a checkpoint in the country’s insurgency-hit south, the army said, one of the deadliest such incidents in years. Six civilians were also wounded in the Wednesday evening attack in Narathiwat province, one of three Muslim-majority provinces gri»»»

India’s passport ranking has fluctuated over the past two decades, reflecting changing global mobility trends, visa policies and diplomatic ties. In the latest Henley Passport Index 2026, India ranks 81st globally, with passport holders having access to 55 visa-free or visa-on-arrival destinations.»»»

Manila: The Senate impeachment court on Wednesday (July 22, 2026) ordered subpoenas for Vice President Sara Duterte's financial records from six banks, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), marking one of the biggest developments so far as prosecutors w»»»

Ukraine's soldiers and civilians welcomed the appointment of Mykhailo Drapaty as the new army chief on Wednesday, but many said they still wanted former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov restored after his surprise removal sparked the largest war-related protests since Russia's 2022 invasion. Ukrai»»»

NEW YORK: The European Union approved Paramount’s $81 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery this week, effectively clearing another regulatory hurdle for a mega merger that could vastly reshape the entertainment and media landscape worldwide. But the greenlight comes with certain conditions. T»»»

WASHINGTON: The House adopted a Republican-only $95 billion budget proposal Wednesday, a long-shot effort to fund the Iran war and other White House priorities over objections from Democrats and a few GOP holdouts in a final push before the midterm elections. House Republicans were divided over the»»»

Damascus, July 22 (SANA) Damascus Chamber of Commerce President Issam al-Gharyouti met on Wednesday with a delegation from the EU mission to Syria, headed by Program Director Tuuli Räty, to discuss enhancing economic cooperation. The meeting, held at the chamber’s headquarters, focused on the impor»»»

Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Wednesday that Fidesz has fallen below 20% support for the first time in 30 years, sharing the findings of a new Závecz Research opinion poll on Facebook. According to the survey cited by the prime minister, the Tisza Party commands 74% support among decided vote»»»

Senegal will support Macky Sall’s candidacy for the post of Secretary-General of the United Nations. The announcement was made in a press release on Monday, three days after he was granted an audience with current President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. Details by FRANCE 24 correspondent in Dakar, Aminato»»»

Sea surface temperatures in the Niño 3.4 region of the tropical Pacific have remained above the +2.0°C threshold for a "super" El Niño for more than a week, reaching an anomaly of around +2.1°C by mid-July — more than a month earlier than the 1997/98 and 2015/16 events that mark the previous benchm»»»

Russia is increasingly deploying jet-powered strike drones with speeds far beyond the reach of Ukraine's own interceptor drones, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said, as Moscow's newest models close in on the performance of cruise missiles. In the escalting tit-for-tat missile war, an »»»

WASHINGTON: Vice Chairman of FIFA's Referees Committee Hani Taleb Ballan said that Qatari officials continue to strengthen their presence at the world's biggest sporting events, reflecting Qatar's growing role not only in hosting major tournaments but also in contributing to the governance of inter»»»

NAZARETH, Israel: The last time Mais Al-Gharam saw her seven siblings was in the Gaza Strip two months before the war. That was before she left the Palestinian territory to go live in Israel and before an Israeli airstrike on the family’s home killed her parents and younger brother. But on this day»»»

NEW YORK: The man who was convicted of trying to kill Salman Rushdie went on trial again Wednesday, this time in a federal case that casts the stabbing on a lecture stage as an act of terrorism. Prosecutors said Hadi Matar attacked the renowned author and free-speech advocate in 2022 to try to carr»»»

British Airways has launched an investigation after all three pilots operating flight BA276 from Hyderabad, India, to London Heathrow, England, reportedly suffered food poisoning following an overnight stopover. The first pilot was rendered ‘incapacitated’ at 30,000 ft and had to be put on oxygen a»»»