BANGKOK — International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva said on Saturday this year's Annual Meetings with global policymakers were marked by "optimism and worry" about the global economic outlook as the event wound down in Bangkok.

Georgieva also said her organisation had a "responsibili»»»

Bangkok, Oct. 17 (SANA) Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh held Saturday a series of high-level meetings with international financial institutions and banks on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, advancing Syria’s reintegration into the global financial system, secur»»»

Justice Minister Toni Gogu has condemned the violence following tonight’s protest in Tirana, after fires reportedly affected the High Court building and damage was reported at the entrance of the Bank of Albania. In a public statement, Gogu emphasized that both institutions are independent and serv»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran is ready to assist in ending hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Shiite Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, that rules northern Yemen, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday during talks with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty. The me»»»

KATMANDU: Nepal’s devastating floods should be a turning point for global climate action, with the international community helping the Himalayan nation recover, a top UN official told AFP on Saturday. The country suffered one of the worst disasters in its history on August 26, when a mountain colla»»»

Hungary’s political and diplomatic landscape continues to evolve rapidly. This week brought important developments in relations with Ukraine, a potential breakthrough over billions of euros in frozen EU funds, and fresh debates over migration, economic policy and the country’s international partner»»»

Psychological support and safe spaces prioritised for children in custody cases The UAE has launched a series of national initiatives aimed at protecting children during family disputes and improving child custody arrangements, with a focus on their psychological wellbeing and family stability. The»»»

Baghdad, Oct. 17 (SANA) Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani signed several agreements and legal instruments within the framework of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) with OIC Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian, Cultural, and Social Affairs Dr. »»»

NEW YORK: Jewish Americans feel they have a lot at stake in this month’s contentious elections in Israel as three years of Mideast conflicts rile up emotions across the United States, from street protests to the midterm races. But they are sharply divided along political, religious and often genera»»»

Donald Trump’s waiver of US sanctions on Russia erodes the effectiveness of the Graham* Act’s “secondary sanctions by tariff” coercive mechanism, Mohammed Saqib, secretary-general of the India-China Economic and Cultural Council, told Sputnik. The waiver "allows Trump some flexibility, but weakens »»»

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior announced on Saturday, October 17, that four Saudi nationals had been executed after being convicted of terrorism-related offences. In a statement, the ministry said the four were convicted of joining a foreign terrorist organisation, opening fire on secu»»»

Polish households hold an estimated PLN 1.5–2 bln in bank deposits, yet domestic investors accounted for only about 10% of recent commercial real estate transactions. At Property Forum 2026, panelists argued that Poland lacks accessible collective investment vehicles to channel savings into offices»»»

Polish consumers transferred 425,608 mobile numbers during a three-month period, signaling substantial movement in the telecom market. Net results varied sharply among major carriers: one ended the quarter with more than 26,500 numbers gained, while another lost 50,900. The figures also mark a majo»»»

The General Assembly of Prosecutors, convened to elect members of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) from the prosecutors’ professional quota, elected its chair and the members of the election commission, and designated the polling sections here on Saturday. Prosecutor Viktor Malinov was elected ch»»»

Kathmandu: Nepal's devastating floods should be a turning point for global climate action, with the international community helping the Himalayan nation recover, a top UN official told AFP on Saturday. The country suffered one of the worst disasters in its history on August 26, when a mountain coll»»»

ADDIS ABAB: Ethiopia released two opposition party members and a lawyer close to the party without charges, one of their lawyers told AFP on Saturday, after they were arrested in August and accused of plotting “terrorist attacks.” The release comes despite a growing crackdown on dissent in the spra»»»

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke granted bail after signing peace bond in Delhi court Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder and convener Abhijeet Dipke was granted conditional bail by a Delhi court on Saturday after being arrested in connection with the party’s ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ rally at Central Park in C»»»

JEDDAH: On Oct. 8, Khaled Zaal was staring through the window of King Khalid International Airport at a parked Saudia aircraft, bored by a delay that had already stretched past two hours, when he saw a small ball of fire emerge silently from the top of the plane’s fuselage. A fraction of a second l»»»

Only 29.8% of Polish adults ages 18 to 24 say they feel financially confident, the lowest share among young people surveyed in Central and Eastern Europe. The figure fell nearly 12 percentage points y/y, from about 42% in 2025. Overall, 53% of Poles report financial confidence, with a wide gender g»»»

Poland’s digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said government is demanding changes from digital platforms to improve children’s online safety. At a Friday meeting, he called for age verification, immediate removal of accounts belonging to children under 13, faster content moderation, and al»»»

Shanghai: Top seed Alexander Zverev fell to a relentless Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday, failing to return to the final he last reached in 2019. Davidovich Fokina, ranked 26th, came back to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 and will play either Daniil Medvedev or»»»

The Lebanese Army deployed in and around Dahieh on Saturday following tensions involving Hezbollah supporters. The developments come amid friction between Lebanese authorities and Hezbollah over a truck carrying around 800 kilograms that was seized at the Dahr al-Baidar checkpoint. Hezbollah has de»»»

Mecca executions, Muscat housing ban and MrBeast surprise among top stories Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s nationwide crackdown on residency violations, the execution of two Bangladeshis in Mecca and BR Shetty’s $15 billion lawsuit lead this weekend’s digest. Elsewhere, Muscat tightens housing rules, while »»»

Summons unserved, court orders bailable warrant against YouTuber Dhruv Rathee A Delhi court has issued a bailable warrant against YouTuber Dhruv Rathee in an eight-year-old criminal defamation case filed by Vikas Pandey, after being informed that a fresh summons issued could not be served as the pr»»»

Lebanese authorities are investigating how a former Syrian militia commander suspected of committing crimes during the government of ousted President Bashar Assad was abducted in Lebanon and taken to Syria, judicial and security officials said. Syria's intelligence department said Thursday that it »»»

Lebanese authorities are investigating how a former Syrian militia commander suspected of committing crimes during the government of ousted President Bashar Assad was abducted in Lebanon and taken to Syria, judicial and security officials said. Syria's intelligence department said Thursday that it »»»

Doha, Qatar: Poland's reclassification from an emerging market to a developed market reflects three decades of economic and institutional progress, supported by market reforms, European Union membership and deeper integration into Western European supply chains, Qatar National Bank (QNB) said in it»»»

“I sincerely hope that the procedure will be completed, including the election of members from the parliamentary quota, and that this will be the last General Assembly chaired by an acting Prosecutor General,” acting Prosecutor General Vanya Stefanova said at the opening of the General Assembly of »»»

CJP’s Ratna Singh calls Dipke’s arrest a violation of fundamental rights New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activist Abhijeet Dipke, who was detained by Delhi Police ahead of the planned ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ rally in the national capital, is scheduled to be produced before the Special Executive M»»»

The General Assembly of Prosecutors has begun its proceedings to elect members of the new Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) from the prosecutors’ professional quota. The assembly started an hour later than scheduled because there was no quorum at the initial count. During Saturday’s General Assembly o»»»

Tesla Inc.’s new "flying” car drew awed reactions from Wall Street and EV fans alike. It even won over one of Elon Musk’s notable adversaries. "Wow the new Roadster looks quite amazing,” Sam Altman posted Friday on X. "Good job @elonmusk.” The OpenAI chief executive officer was among a number of bi»»»

Families explore study abroad and career options at Edufair Abu Dhabi 2026 Abu Dhabi: Following a successful Dubai edition that attracted more than 7,000 visitors, Edufair returns to Abu Dhabi as families weigh an expanding range of degree programmes, overseas study destinations and career options.»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s cybersecurity market expanded 10.7 percent annually to SR16.3 billion ($4.35 billion) in 2025, as businesses and government entities increased spending on digital protection amid the Kingdom’s broader technology transformation. Private sector spending accounted for 69 percent»»»

Translated by Al-Ahed News, Hezbollah Media Relations Hezbollah’s Media Relations has clarified the circumstances surrounding an incident in the Gallery Semaan area, rejecting misleading media reports and stressing that the party has no connection to the warehouse at the center of the case or its c»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar expressed his satisfaction on Friday in Brussels, as — according to a video message he shared on his social media page — at the two-day EU summit "we achieved success on every issue important to our country," with Hungarian interests prevailing on every key que»»»

Muscat: Qatar have qualified for the Tent Pegging World Cup in Jordan after finishing first in the qualifying play-off tournament hosted by Oman over three days. The Qatari team secured the top spot with 414.50 points, finishing 1.50 points ahead of runners-up Iraq in a closely contested competitio»»»

BANGKOK: Pakistan’s finance minister on Saturday told AFP the country had so far withstood the shock from skyrocketing energy prices due to the Iran war, but that attacks on infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries were “worrying” for the country’s longer-term economic outlook. In an»»»

Hungarian billionaire Dániel Jellinek has been granted release from pre-trial detention under strict conditions in a major corruption investigation involving the country’s former state-owned bus operator. Hungarian billionaire to be placed under house arrest in major corruption case Hungarian billi»»»

US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order directing that a number of sanctions, restrictions, and tariffs, stipulated by the recently enacted law on sanctions against Russia and Iran, not be applied. "As described further in section 4 of this order, I am hereby waiving the application»»»

Indian ambassador to the UAE will inaugurate the two-day event Dr Deepak Mittal, Ambassador of India to the UAE, will inaugurate Gulf News Edufair Abu Dhabi today, as the two-day event opens at Radisson Blu Hotel & Resort Abu Dhabi. The event brings together more than 20 universities, education pro»»»

UNITED ​NATIONS: An informal poll by the United Nations Security Council on Friday placed former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan as the narrow frontrunner in the race to become the 10th UN secretary-general, two people close to the process said. But there was no clear winner as all candi»»»

Brussels: The State of Qatar, under leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, has attached great importance to its strategic relationship with the EU and continued to pursue diplomatic initiatives to support peace and stability, HE Shura Council Speaker Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghani»»»

As transatlantic relations confront renewed geopolitical uncertainty, former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves delivers a pointed assessment of Washington's shifting approach to Russia's war on Ukraine and the profound implications for European security. At the heart of his analysis lies a fu»»»

BEIRUT: Lebanese authorities were investigating how a former Syrian militia commander suspected of committing crimes during the government of ousted President Bashar Assad was abducted in Lebanon and taken to Syria, judicial and security officials said Friday. Syria’s intelligence department said T»»»

Damascus, Oct. 16 (SANA) Syria and the International Monetary Fund discussed expanding technical assistance to improve tax administration, public spending and budget planning, the Finance Ministry said on Friday. Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh met with senior officials from the IMF’s Public»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has called for stricter border controls and the swift return of irregular migrants, backing a tough proposal during heated talks between EU leaders in Brussels. Prime Minister Péter Magyar has backed tougher European measures against irregular migration, arguin»»»

Hezbollah’s Media Relations Department issued a statement to clarify the incident in Gallery Semaan area near Beirut’s Dahieh, stressing that the security forces’ patrol and raid of a warehouse took place without following the agreed-upon procedure between Hezbollah and the security authorities. Wh»»»

WASHINGTON: White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia was pushed out Friday after less than a week in the high-profile job, following a series of blunders that added to distractions for her embattled boss President Donald Trump. “Can confirm,” a White House official told AFP, after Fox News report»»»

WASHINGTON: A White House official said Friday that Press Secretary Katie Zacharia was leaving her role after just a few days on the job, following a lackluster press briefing performance and scrutiny over her resume. President Donald Trump has fired Katie Zacharia as press secretary, advisers to t»»»

Famous for its cowboy culture, Wyoming is the least populated, the most rural and the most conservative of all the US states. With two weeks to go until the midterm elections, our reporters James André and Sylvain Rousseau travelled across this Republican stronghold and found that the par»»»