JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index edged higher on Thursday, gaining 28.77 points, or 0.26 percent, to close at 10,954.46. Total trading turnover on the benchmark index reached over SR5.07 billion ($1.35 billion), with 170 stocks advancing and 90 declining, as nearly 260.86 million shar»»»

Judges from seven courts in Smolyan Region will vote at the Smolyan District Court in the election of members of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) from the professional quota. This is stated in the voter list and the invitation to the general assembly of judges, provided by the Smolyan District Co»»»

Central bankers do not usually forecast the weather. The European Central Bank's chief economist has just put one into his. The Climate Crisis has gone beyond a fringe obsession of hippie tree-hugers and entered the studies of central bankers, who have been forced to sit up and take notice of the u»»»

London: Six years after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dramatically walked away from royal life and moved across the Atlantic, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are preparing to return to Britain with their children. The reported move marks an extraordinary turn in a saga that has included an explosiv»»»

A court Shenzhen sentenced Hui Ka Yan, founder and former chairman of the failed Chinese property giant China Evergrande, to life in prison on Thursday, four months after he pled guilty to embezzlement, securities fraud, corporate graft and other charges. File photo by Wu Hong/EPA Aug. 20 (UPI) -- »»»

Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica has accused YouTube of waging a “war” against people who think independently and “tell the truth,” after the Google-owned platform deleted his channel without any warning. YouTube removed Kusturica’s ‘My Life’ channel on Wednesday, without publicly elaborating on th»»»

LONDON: A convicted people smuggler living in the English county of Leicestershire has been arrested and charged, the BBC reported on Thursday. Twana Jamal Khdir, once described as the “godfather” of the French migrant camps, was charged with a set of immigration offenses. The Iraqi Kurd previously»»»

The founder of China Evergrande Group, the world's most-indebted property developer, was sentenced to life in prison by a Chinese court on Thursday, five years after the firm's collapse shook the nation's economy and financial markets. China sentenced the founder of embattled property giant Evergra»»»

Tehran: Six months into its war with the United States, Iran's military has begun signalling a shift from retaliation to offence, which analysts say could reflect Tehran's belief it holds leverage to advance its demands and break the stalemate. Since US-Israeli strikes launched the war on February »»»

This week The Telegraph reported that “Russians withdraw billions from banks amid fears Putin could seize deposits.” What actually happened is Russian bank deposits have doubled since the start of the war in Ukraine and are still rising. Russians are not taking money out of banks; they are putting »»»

LONDON: The former archbishop of Canterbury has accused Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of using the Christian faith to “channel anti-Muslim feeling.” Rowan Williams also said he would pose some “awkward questions” to anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson over his professed Christian belief. There is an»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Hezbollah Bloc Urges Lebanese Authority to Declare ‘Framework Agreement’ Dead, Quit Talks 20-08-2026 14:47 PM Hezbollah and Lebanon's natio»»»

The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) said on Thursday that the country's legislation governing what happens to children in conflict with the law was adopted way back in 1958. "Reform is decades overdue, yet instead of pursuing it, those in power are proposing something all too familiar in Bulgari»»»

A State Bank of India employee allegedly shot dead his estranged wife outside her workplace in Lucknow before returning home, killing his younger sister and taking his own life on Thursday, in a case police are investigating as a double murder followed by suicide. The killings unfolded within a sho»»»

Eighteen-year-old Teodor Velev, accused of attacking Nepalese citizens in Plovdiv and causing them minor bodily injuries, will remain free on bail after the Plovdiv District Court confirmed the €700 measure. The court hearing established that Velev had already paid the bail and had cooperated with »»»

International payment platforms Sendwave and Wise Group (Nasdaq: WSE; LSE: WISE) have restricted services for Kenyan users amid heightened scrutiny of the country’s anti-money-laundering regime, Business Daily reported on August 18. Sendwave told a Kenyan customer that it was currently unable to pr»»»

A former senior official who worked under US Covid czar Anthony Fauci has pleaded guilty to conspiring to hide government records concerning coronavirus research and the origins of the pandemic. David Morens served as a senior adviser at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NI»»»

Egypt is quietly solidifying its footprint as a massive global manufacturing engine, and Beijing is writing a hefty check to prove it. Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Hussein Issa recently met with executives from a top-tier Chinese industrial giant to hammer out a massive two billion do»»»

IRAN EYES STRIKING US ASSETS IN BULGARIA The topic that Iranian forces had assessed striking US military assets in Bulgaria dominates Thursday’s media. Citing “two regime insiders”, the Financial Times said that “Iranian forces had assessed striking US assets in south-eastern European countries suc»»»

Romania’s real estate investment market attracted transactions worth around EUR 300 million in the first half of 2026, down from approximately EUR 400 million a year earlier and equivalent to around 5% of the total volume recorded across the six largest economies in Central and Eastern Europe – Bul»»»

Leeds, United Kingdom: England's bid to strengthen their grip on the first Test against Pakistan was halted by bad weather as rain delayed the scheduled 10:00 GMT start of the second day's play at Headingley on Thursday. The hosts were well-placed at 112-2, 59 runs behind, after skittling out Pakis»»»

In mid-February 2025, I met Abhishek Bachchan, one of Hindi/Indian cinema’s leading stars and the son of legendary actor, Amitabh Bachchan. He was networking in London as the England and Wales Cricket Board was auctioning off equity stakes in The Hundred. Alongside him were Priyanka Kaul, Dhiraj Ma»»»

Health and family are the top priorities Romanians want to protect, but most would not have the money they believe they would need in an emergency. Some 45% estimate they would need at least RON 20,000 to cope with an accident, illness, or other unexpected event, while 51% say they would have immed»»»

London, United Kingdom: Six years after stepping down as working royals, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are moving back to the United Kingdom within weeks, British press reported late Wednesday. In a surprise move, Harry, the youngest son of King Charles III, and his wife Meghan, "plan to leave t»»»

BEIRUT: Rising about 600 meters above southern Lebanon, Ali Al-Taher Heights might appear to be little more than another piece of contested high ground. But as Israel and Hezbollah edge closer to another potentially dangerous confrontation, the cluster of hills overlooking Nabatieh has emerged as s»»»

BANGKOK: Myanmar’s military chief met Thursday with Thailand’s top general in Bangkok in his first foreign trip since assuming the role, as his coup-staging armed forces shake off their pariah status. Myanmar’s military ousted an elected government in a 2021 putsch, detaining its leader Aung San Su»»»

Syria's interior ministry said authorities took custody of a former general under deposed ruler Bashar al-Assad who was extradited from Lebanon on Wednesday and is accused of crimes including murder and torture. "Today, Syrian authorities received from the Lebanese authorities the former officer in»»»

Dubai: UAE students are celebrating their GCSE and International GCSE results, with pupils across Dubai and Abu Dhabi recording strong performances despite disruption caused by the regional conflict. Major UK exam boards, including Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel and OxfordAQA, cancelled all formal Inte»»»

The Prosecutors Chamber of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) admitted Marinela Toteva and Todor Deyanov to the election of SJC members from the prosecutors' quota. The decision on the candidates' eligibility was taken unanimously and without debate at the Chamber's meeting on Wednesday. Toteva is »»»

Iran is pushing proposals to avert a confrontation between Iraq’s government and Tehran-aligned armed factions over their weapons, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf taking the effort to Baghdad ahead of a Sept. 30 disarmament deadline. Iraqi sources said Ghalibaf’s visit to Baghdad o»»»

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the so-called ‘Economic D-Day’ is a diversion from America’s own crisis: unprecedented debt & surging interest costs. In a post on his X account on Thursday, Iran’s top diplomat warned that continuing failed US policies would deepen Washington’s economic»»»

As the deadline set by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government to bring all weapons under state control approaches, tensions have risen in Iraq. With some factions doubling down on their refusal to surrender their arms, others have begun to back away from their earlier support for the government’s»»»

A Russian missile barrage overnight on Thursday killed at least 12 people and wounded 40 in Kyiv as explosions echoed across the capital throughout the night, local authorities said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had been preparing the attack "for a long time".  Russian bo»»»

The US has imposed sanctions on two senior International Criminal Court (ICC) officials, accusing The Hague-based institution of overstepping its authority. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday designated ICC President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, describing the court a»»»

On Aug. 20, 2012, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and businesswoman Darla Moore became the first female members of Augusta National Golf Club 1 of 7 | Former Secretary of State and Augusta National Member Condoleezza Rice watches the Drive, Chip and Putt National Championship at Aug»»»

Al Ain Misdemeanour Court has convicted two defendants of assaulting a petrol station employee while he was performing his duties, following a dispute over cleaning a vehicle’s windscreen, reported the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department on its social media. The court ordered the defendants to perform tw»»»

Law and JusticeChinaEvergrande founder Hui Ka Yan sentenced to life in prisonLouis Oelofse with AFP, AP, ReutersA Chinese court ordered the former billionaire's assets to be confiscated and fined Evergrande-related companies billions of dollars. https://p.dw.com/p/5J7bdHui Ka Yan, once Asia's riche»»»

As the deadline set by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government to bring all weapons under state control approaches, tensions have risen in Iraq. With some factions doubling down on their refusal to surrender their arms, others have begun to back away from their earlier support for the government’s»»»

The Save Romania Union's (USR) Political Committee on Wednesday unanimously reconfirmed (with 151 members present) its political support for Dominic Fritz as party leader, following the Constitutional Court ruling that could cost him his term as mayor of Timisoara."USR reaffirms unequivocally its p»»»

Al Ain Misdemeanour Court has convicted two defendants of assaulting a petrol station employee while he was performing his duties, following a dispute over cleaning a vehicle’s windscreen. The court ordered the defendants to perform two months’ community service at the same petrol station where the»»»

ISLAMABAD: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani arrived in Islamabad on Thursday to review bilateral ties and regional developments with the Pakistani leadership, state media said, marking the first visit by the country’s top diplomat to Pakistan in 19 years. Al-Shaibani arrived in Isla»»»

Doha, Qatar: The new Qatar Stars League season gets underway at the iconic Lusail Stadium today, with Al Wakrah and Qatar SC carrying the honour of launching the 2026-2027 campaign. The season opener kicks off at 5.15pm. Al Wakrah head into the campaign under Chilean coach Jose Luis Sierra, who has»»»

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong acknowledged on Thursday that it was a "difficult time" in the country's relationship with Israel after its decision not to pursue a criminal investigation into the killing of aid workers. "We have an Australian humanitarian worker who was killed not on the fi»»»

Doha: The Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding (SHTAIU) has unveiled the languages selected for its 13th edition in 2027. As such, SHTAIU is determined to maintain the approach it had adopted in the previous edition of announcing the languages for each new edition mont»»»

Doha: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has launched the Legal Trainer Preparation Programme (Training of Trainers – TOT), a specialised initiative aimed at preparing qualified Qatari professionals to deliver high-quality legal training and establishing a sustainable pool of certified legal trainers wi»»»

Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A vehicle drove into a cycling team from a Tennessee university, killing two students and injuring seven others, according to authorities, who said the driver has been arrested on homicide charges. Eleven members of the Milligan University cycling team were cycling on Highway 19 ne»»»

China on Thursday sentenced the founder of embattled property giant Evergrande to life in prison and fined the company and an affiliate more than $2 billion after a high-profile default five years ago. Evergrande Group was the face of Chinese real estate, surfing a decades-long property boom as it »»»

Amnesty International is demanding the EU stop outsourcing asylum, in a report critical of Italy’s controversial deal with Albania to fast-track deportations of people deemed to come from countries considered ‘safe’. But the NGO’s appeal, along with the EU recommendations due to be published later »»»

Six years after stepping down as working royals, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are moving back to the United Kingdom within weeks, British press reported late Wednesday. In a surprise move, Harry, the youngest son of King Charles III, and his wife Meghan, "plan to leave the United States by the »»»

CINCINNATI: World number one Aryna Sabalenka was sent spinning out of the fourth round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters, beaten 7-6 (9/7), 6-4 by 35th-ranked Czech Sara Bejlek. Sabalenka, who had cruised through the previous round, was ambushed by the 20-year-old, whose movement left the top seed »»»