GENEVA: Getting humanitarian aid through Israel into Gaza is layered with “delay after delay,” the World Health Organization said Friday, as it decried “chronic shortages” of medical supplies. Reinhilde Van de Weerdt, the WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territories, said the health situatio»»»

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has rewarded her personal communications adviser with a permanent job in the commission’s media department, in a move that reveals how the EU bureaucracy really works, and how von der Leyen has created a royal court in Brussels. Von der Leyen’s Col»»»

LONDON: Ethiopia on Thursday closed its embassy in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave within 48 hours. Addis Ababa accused Eritrea of “direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence” that pose “a direct threat to Ethiopia’s national security.” Eritrea’s»»»

TENNESSEE, USA: Christa Pike was placed on a ventilator and remained unconscious in a hospital in the hours after her failed execution in Tennessee, her attorneys said in a court filing Friday. Hospital staff, her lawyers said, were working to save Pike’s life and as of late Thursday were trying to»»»

American forces are completing their withdrawal from Iraq, yet the country that Washington once promised to turn into a model of democratic transformation in the Middle East is still facing questions that years of military presence never managed to answer. For Iraq, this is a long-awaited political»»»

RIYADH: “You are never alone in the mountains.” That is the promise that greets readers in the opening pages of “A Wild Companion: Sarawat and Hijaz,” a bilingual exploration of the wildlife, plants, stories and cultural memory of western Saudi Arabia’s highlands. Conceived as a “friendly sage” rat»»»

DAMASCUS: Syrian and Austrian officials discussed consular cooperation and issues concerning Syrian refugees in Austria during talks in Damascus. Mohammed Yaqoub Al-Omar, director of the Consular Affairs Department at Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, met with Christoph Weidinger»»»

LONDON: An online fundraiser to support the UK Supreme Court challenge to the ban on Palestine Action has been blocked due to US sanctions against the group. UK company CrowdJustice declined to host the crowdfunding campaign because it uses US company Stripe as a payment processor, The Guardian rep»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Friday that the government should consider phasing out the country’s food retail margin caps, arguing that the measure is increasingly damaging farmers and small shops. Speaking during a stop in Kisvárda as part of his nationwide tour, Magyar said the m»»»

PARIS: A leading Iranian actress has been sentenced to one year in prison in Iran for her support of protesters killed during a crackdown on anti-government rallies in January, a US-based NGO said Friday. Elnaz Shakerdoust, who acted in dozens of films over a two-decade career, said in February tha»»»

New York, Oct. 2 (SANA) A Central Bank of Syria delegation headed by Governor Safwat Raslan took part Friday in a roundtable on Syria hosted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in New York to discuss steps to rehabilitate the Syrian banking sector and strengthen its links with the global financi»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States Coast Guard (USCG) on Friday announced that it has seized a vessel shipping a fuel cargo to Cuba. "The Coast Guard concluded the successful interdiction of the Motor Vessel (M/V) Grace, following a coordinated international enforcement effort confirming the »»»

Bareilly murder case takes dramatic turn 26 months later after victim's son is arrested A 35-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing his mother while she slept and attempting to frame five relatives with whom he had a longstanding dispute, police in India's Uttar Pradesh state said. Th»»»

Damascus, Oct. 2 (SANA) Representatives of local companies participating in the “360 Food Syria” exhibition at the Damascus Fairgrounds said the event provides an opportunity to open new channels for Syrian products to reach foreign markets by showcasing local products and industries and establishi»»»

The Council of Ministers approved on October 2, 2026, a draft law proposing the creation of an independent Fiscal Council that would report directly to Parliament. The proposed institution is intended to strengthen fiscal discipline, transparency and the sustainability of public finances, in line w»»»

CHELYABINSK (Sputnik) - The Russian air defense systems shot down 209 Ukrainian drones in the past 12 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday. "During the day, from 08:00 [05:00 GMT] to 20:00 Moscow time, air defense alert systems intercepted, and Russia is open to dialogue on ensuring s»»»

BAGHDAD: The United States has granted sanctions exemptions for some Iranian airlines to operate flights to Iraq’s holy city of Najaf, the Iraqi prime minister’s office said Friday, as Washington targets Iran’s aviation sector to choke its economy in the Middle East war. It said Baghdad had secured»»»

Operations Room officers aid stranded tourist and donate blood to save a mother Dubai: A stranded European tourist who had run out of money and faced spending the night without a hotel room received unexpected help from Dubai Police officers, while three officers later rushed to a hospital to donat»»»

LONDON: As children in the Gaza Strip return to school after nearly three years of disruption, they are also turning up at artist Maysa Yousef’s door with their plain, light-blue backpacks, distributed by aid agencies, and specific requests for decoration: a rocket ship, perhaps, or a princess, a h»»»

Presidential candidate Iliana Iotova said at a campaign meeting in Samokov on Friday that she would not change her convictions for political advantage. "I do not change my convictions simply because the political climate suggests what would be better or more advantageous for me. I owe much of my de»»»

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye will convene the top committee of their joint defense pact in Riyadh next week to review a surge in Houthi attacks on the Kingdom, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday. The meeting of the Strategic Political Def»»»

Burgas municipal transport operator Burgasbus will expand English-language passenger information ahead of Eurovision, Deputy Mayor Stanimir Apostolov said on Friday in a written reply to a municipal councillor. The additional information will appear on buses, at stops and through the company's digi»»»

On October 25, people will decide what kind of Bulgaria they want, presidential candidate Andrey Gurov said at a meeting with citizens in Gabrovo on Friday. He said he would always identify problems and their cost, work for an independent and secure Bulgaria, serve as president of all citizens and »»»

MUMBAI/DELHI: Hundreds of supporters of the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party protested in India’s financial capital Mumbai on Friday, kicking off a new nationwide campaign against changes to voter rolls they say benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governing party. The demonstration marks the late»»»

THE HAGUE: King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands said Friday he was personally affected by the “explicit” conclusions of a study that said the royal family reaped huge profits from colonialism and slavery. The five volume Leiden University study, that Willem-Alexander commissioned in 2022, concl»»»

SWEIDA: Young people in Syria’s Sweida province are unable to progress through school and university due to a deepening rift between the post-Assad Islamist government and the Israel-aligned Druze leaders of the last area outside central control. Their dilemma reflects deep trauma and lingering ins»»»

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye will convene the top committee of their joint defense pact in Riyadh next week to review a surge in Houthi attacks on the Kingdom, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday. The meeting of the Strategic Political Def»»»

AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdullah II called for a comprehensive regional ceasefire and urged greater US support for de-escalation efforts during a phone call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday. The king stressed the need for an agreement that guarantees the security and sovereignty of Arab s»»»

MEXICO CITY: Loud noises still cause anxiety for Mohammed Abed, a Palestinian systems engineer from Gaza. The planes that crisscross the skies of Mexico City and the rumble of summer thunder evoke memories of the 2025 Israeli bombing campaign in Gaza, where an air strike killed his 4-year-old daugh»»»

Air travel, fuel prices and regional security remain key concerns as tensions escalate Dubai: UAE airports remain open and operational this evening, but travellers should be prepared for delays, cancellations and last-minute changes as airlines continue to monitor the regional security situation. D»»»

Kidnappers allegedly demanded Rs9 million before police traced victim nearly 180km away A Bengaluru man who told his family he was travelling out of the city for a day was allegedly kidnapped, with his father later receiving photographs showing him tied to a chair along with a demand for Rs9 millio»»»

BISSAU: Guinea-Bissau ‘s military government has barred former President Umaro Sissoco Embaló from returning to the country, citing security and public order concerns. Embaló, who ruled the Portuguese-speaking West African nation between 2020 and 2025, planned to return on Oct. 4 and said he would »»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Gen Milan Mojsilovic received on Friday in Belgrade a farewell visit from KFOR Commander Maj Gen Ozkan Ulutas, who will hand over the command of the international security forces in Kosovo-Metohija to Italian Maj Gen Roberto Vergori in mid-Octo»»»

Captain and crew commended by Ghaith Al Ghaith for ensuring safety during flight emergency Dubai: flydubai Chief Executive Officer Ghaith Al Ghaith has praised the airline’s captain, pilots, cabin crew and passengers for their response during a safety incident aboard a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - A US Navy Boeing P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft conducted a patrol mission in the Middle East on Friday lasting about nine hours, according to flight data reviewed by Sputnik. The aircraft departed from Sakhir air base in Bahrain at approximately 3:30 GMT. After circli»»»

Sepang, Malaysia: Max Verstappen chose to go his own way on Friday when he rejected using soft tyres to embark on a long run on mediums in fear of rain in second practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. His decision resulted in him finishing fourth fastest behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc an»»»

The analysis based on inspections of prices at major retail chains will be ready within 10 days, Commission for Consumer Protection (CCP) Chair Maya Manolova told reporters on Friday before one of the inspections. The CCP began inspections at retail chains on Friday to establish the actual prices c»»»

BANGKOK: Taiwan on Friday received the first two of 65 F-16V fighter jets ordered from the US, the island’s air force said, following years of delays. The two F-16V Block 70 jets landed at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung. There are 63 more to be delivered. The self-ruled island, which is also claimed »»»

JEDDAH: Effat University has become the first university in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region to receive institutional accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education. The accreditation also makes Effat the fifth university in the Middle East to receive recognition from NECHE, a US»»»

PoliticsKenyaHas Dangote found the secret to success in Africa?Silja FröhlichNigerian entrepreneur Aliko Dangote bets billions on Africa's future. The expansion of his industrial empire on the continent is unprecedented. Has Dangote cracked the code to business success in Africa, and if so — how? h»»»

WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday issued sanctions against three individuals and two France-based charities that it said were part of a network that raised more than $2 million for Palestinian armed group Hamas. “These designations expose a sophisticated, multi?year financing architecture tha»»»

Reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignored warnings from Egypt and the UAE shortly before the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack should not be assumed to doom him politically, US President Donald Trump has said. The Israeli leader, whose Likud party is facing a difficult election »»»

India takes the spotlight as Guest of Honour at Global Food Week in Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi is set to become a meeting point for the global food and agriculture industry next week, as Global Food Week 2026 opens on Tuesday with new experiences, a Guest of Honour and a full programme of summi»»»

The sarcophagus in which the remains of Tsar Samuel will be laid to rest has been pieced together and sits ready in the southern part of the transept of Sofia's Church of St Sophia. The marble slabs arrived in Sofia on Friday morning in preparation for the transfer of Tsar Samuel's remains on Satur»»»

MADRID: Spain’s government looks set to lose two key votes it needs to ratify a package of emergency measures aimed at tackling the nation’s housing affordability crisis when lawmakers convened on Friday, while protesters march on the Parliament demanding help for renters. The Catalan separatist pa»»»

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, who is dealing with a major hole in his country’s budget and high-profile corruption scandals in his government, has criticized Kiev’s Western backers for their reluctance to provide him with more money. Earlier this year, the EU agreed a €90 billion ($101 billion) loan»»»

Riyadh: Saudi visual artist Reem Alwasiyah, known professionally as Reem Wassy, took part in Roma Impressions 2026, held at Palazzo Velli Expo in September. Participating in Rome was particularly meaningful to Alwasiyah because of the city’s rich history and its profound connection to art. At the e»»»

Geneva: Global life expectancy is close to the levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic, but the outlook for years lived in good health is recovering more slowly, the WHO said Friday. Life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023 -- close to the 73.4 years recorded in 2019 before the pandemic struck, »»»

After an agreement with Greece that Prime Minister Rumen Radev has described as "historic", the remains of Tsar Samuel, one of the most prominent rulers of the First Bulgarian State, will be transferred to Sofia in a state ritual on Saturday, October 3. Tsar Samuel (r. 997–1014) led Bulgaria throug»»»

A senior UAE official said Friday that the incident aboard a flydubai flight to Israel this week was a "terrorist act", praising the captain who helped stop the plane from crashing after he was attacked by his co-pilot. Presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said on X that Smit Machchhar, an Indian nat»»»