The child protection profession is in a state of post-traumatic stress; decisions were made over the heads of professionals, who were constantly having to search for the lesser evil — stressed the State Secretary responsible for children's rights and child protection at the Ministry of Social Affai»»»

Strategic workarounds, infrastructure recovery temper market anxiety over conflict Crude oil prices extended their decline on Friday (September 18, 2026), building on a two-day losing streak as immediate Middle East supply anxieties eased. Oil pricesAs of Friday morning in Tokyo (9.25am): Brent: ab»»»

NCM forecasts low east coast clouds and slight seas, with mist possible early on Sunday Abu Dhabi: Temperatures are forecast to reach 44°C in Liwa and 40°C in Dubai on Friday, while rising humidity overnight could bring fog or mist to parts of the UAE, according to the National Centre of Meteorolog»»»

Illegal gold rush, smuggling and bandit violence under scrutiny after fatalities The governor of a central Nigerian state said 37 people suspected of being illegal miners died early Thursday while in the custody of the west African country's civil defence corps. Police earlier said they have launch»»»

Breakthrough highlights rapid embodied AI progress, but consumer robots remain distant A humanoid robot enters a home it has never seen. No map. No special training. No prior data from inside the house. Then it starts making the bed, folding towels and tidying the living room. California-based robo»»»

Age checks could make every account holder surrender more personal data Meta’s settlement with US states marks a major shift in the debate over children’s online safety. For years, social media companies largely offered optional controls and left families to decide whether to use them. Meta will no»»»

Washington will accept only a deal he considers ‘good’ as war enters its 7th month US President Donald Trump has said Iran wants to reach a deal with Washington but is not yet prepared to accept the terms he considers necessary, signaling that diplomacy remains possible even as the US-Iran war cont»»»

Rights groups welcome step, warn many independent news sites stay blocked Venezuela has unblocked some news sites that had been censored for years, its telecom regulator said Thursday, just as US-backed political transition talks were set to resume. Caracas censored hundreds of websites under presi»»»

Inside Ved’s high-speed bid to make Carrefour India’s next one-stop destination Dubai: There is a particular kind of energy that follows Nilesh Ved around, the sort that comes from a man who married off his daughter 45 days ago and is now, without missing a beat, opening one of the biggest Carrefou»»»

Nigeria’s methanol poisoning tragedy exposes risks of unregulated local drinks ABUJA, Nigeria: At least 48 people have died and around 100 others are receiving treatment in southern Nigeria after consuming a locally brewed alcoholic concoction suspected to contain methanol, officials said on Thursd»»»

Operation Economic Outcast zeroes in on Tehran’s growing use of digital assets The US has sanctioned Iranian cryptocurrency exchange BitBank and its alleged network, accusing the platform of moving hundreds of millions of dollars to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and processing pay»»»

French fishermen have agreed to lift their blockades at fuel depots and ports including Nice, after talks with the government over financial aid. They say soaring fuel prices since the start of the war with Iran are pushing them to the brink. Also in the segment - India could be hit by fresh US tar»»»

US push to extend Iran sanctions watchdog fails as Russia and China wield veto UNITED NATIONS: Russia and China vetoed a United Nations resolution Thursday that would have authorised UN experts to keep monitoring sanctions that were reimposed against Iran last year over its nuclear program. The UN »»»

US push to extend Iran sanctions watchdog fails as Russia and China wield veto UNITED NATIONS: Russia and China vetoed a United Nations resolution Thursday that would have authorised UN experts to keep monitoring sanctions that were reimposed against Iran last year over its nuclear program. The UN »»»

How one 'Executive Order' helped break PLDT’s grip on Philippine telecommunications MANILA: Today's young Filipinos are constantly hooked to the web with their gadgets. It was not always been the case. Yes, the technology has evolved; but so did the rules. And that's what happened in the Philippine»»»

Strasbourg, France: The EU laid out plans Thursday for strict age limits for children to access social media, games and AI assistants -- and on forcing companies to make platforms safe before minors use them. The rules for platforms would include a ban on addictive features, so-called endless scrol»»»

Charles Pellegrin is pleased to welcome Hannah Storey, Head of Children and Young People’s Digital Rights at Amnesty International. Digital spaces can provide even young people with community, self-expression, education and opportunities for activism. The deeper problem, she warns, lies in the arch»»»

Share: Palestinians walking in front of buildings partly destroyed by the Israeli bombing of Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip, in December 2023.Credit…Yousef Masoud for The New York Times The Trump administration plans to deliver 60,000 of the powerful munitions at a time when opposition is growing i»»»

The award-winning documentary "NAZA" featuring anonymous military sources speaking about Israel's mass killing of civilians in Gaza has sparked a political firestorm in Israel. The film's directors and their families have received a wave of threats, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced»»»

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan intends to run in an early election in 2028 in order to circumvent the constitutional term limits he would face if he serves out his full current term, a top adviser said Thursday. Under Turkey's constitution, parliament can trigger early elections given »»»

A village in Oxfordshire has held a symbolic referendum to leave the United Kingdom in protest against government plans to house up to 1,200 asylum seekers at a nearby military base. While the vote has no legal force, it highlights wider tensions over the UK's asylum policy and migration debate.»»»

WASHINGTON, (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he is faced with a "big decision" regarding the future of the conflict with Iran amid stalled peace negotiations. On September 9, the president said that the war between the United States and Iran could come to an end right aft»»»

Commenting on Wednesday’s speech by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, President Iliana Iotova said in an interview for bTV on Thursday that she is proud of what she heard. "What I heard and, as a Bulgarian, cannot help but feel proud of, is that our country was mentioned in an exc»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian forces carried out strikes on a dry cargo ship with military cargo in the port of Chernomorsk in Odessa region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday. The Russian armed forces continued to launch strikes using unmanned aerial vehicles against the ports of Ukraine,»»»

Amnesty International has accused Iranian authorities of committing crimes against humanity during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom crackdown, saying more than 500 people, including 71 children, were killed and that the violence disproportionately targeted Kurdish and Baluchi communities. The rights g»»»

$2.8b deal would replenish depleted stocks as concerns grow over use in populated areas Dubai: The United States is preparing a massive new weapons package for Israel that would supply it with 60,000 one-tonne munitions, replenishing stocks depleted by years of fighting across the Middle East — but»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian Central Bank on Thursday challenged an EU regulation that prevents it from recovering 200 billion euros ($229.8 billion) from the Belgium-based Euroclear depository, which has indefinitely frozen Russian sovereign assets. Earlier in the day, the Russian regulator said»»»

An English village has overwhelmingly voted to “secede” from the UK in protest over government plans to house more than 1,200 male migrants at a nearby former military base. The referendum in Piddington, Oxfordshire has no legal force but drew nearly 92% turnout. The result announced on Wednesday s»»»

The State Agency for National Security (SANS) is undergoing internal restructuring, including the removal of a large number of management positions, SANS Chairman Plamen Tonchev told here on Thursday the Parliamentary Committee for Control of the Security Services, the Application and use of the Sp»»»

Launch-day guide: prices, stock, colours and key upgrades for UAE buyers Dubai: The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will officially go on sale in the UAE tomorrow, September 18, with buyers heading to Apple stores to get their hands on Apple's latest flagship smartphones. Pre-orders opened on S»»»

A new opinion from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) says that a civil partnership with an EU citizen is not enough in itself to get residence status in an EU country. The opinion – which is usually followed by the court – from advocate general Laila Medina on Thursday (September 17), was in resp»»»

For decades, the premium property market has operated on a single premise: land is value. That is true, but it is increasingly incomplete. Hungary’s natural capital extends far beyond farmland. Beneath the Carpathian Basin lies a resource that is rare in Europe, attracts growing attention from glob»»»

Bulgaria’s online leisure economy sits at the meeting point of everyday consumer habits, fast-moving digital services and rules shaped both at home and across the European Union. From streaming subscriptions and ticketing platforms to regulated betting and gaming services, people expect convenience»»»

The crew of a Turkish cargo ship hit by Ukrainian drones has filed a complaint against Kiev with the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the attack, which killed one sailor and injured two others, lawyers said on Wednesday. The plaintiffs include 12 crew members, the family of the deceased sail»»»

The strikes targeting the De Novo data center in Kiev on Thursday will create “an information vacuum and eliminate databases used to target our facilities – including those deep inside Russian territory,” military expert Col. (ret.) Anatoliy Matviychuk told Sputnik. Besides being used to store “vas»»»

French fishermen angered by soaring fuel costs blocked access to oil depots and ports on Thursday in the latest wave of protests sweeping France as the country's embattled minority government struggles to finalise a new budget ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections next year. French fish»»»

Ireland will boycott the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest for the second year over Israel's participation, the country's public broadcaster RTE said Thursday. Ireland was one of five countries along with the Netherlands, Iceland, Slovenia and Spain to skip Eurovision this year in protest over»»»

Help AG unveils quantum-safe roadmap and AI security tools at GISEC 2026 Cybersecurity company Help AG, an e& enterprise company, has used GISEC 2026 today in Dubai to launch two new services -Quantum 360 and Help AG.AI- aimed at preparing businesses and governments for the next wave of technology:»»»

Sena UBT leader says protest highlights alleged failure to tackle stray-dog problem A Shiv Sena (UBT) Yuva Sena leader released several stray dogs inside the office of a civic chief in Maharashtra, in a protest over what he alleged was the administration’s failure to address the growing stray-dog p»»»

The US law authorizes President Trump to impose these sanctions, but it does not require him to impose them at this particular level, Ivan Timofeyev of the Valdai Discussion Club told Sputnik, commenting on the so-called “sanctions from hell” against Russia that were earlier passed by Congress. “So»»»

The Saudi East-West oil pipeline, a critical bypass route for the kingdom's oil exports around instability in the Strait of Hormuz, was closed last week after Houthi attacks and may remain shut for up to six weeks. Pakistan has warned that any attack on an empty oil tanker anchored in the Red Sea o»»»

Slow-moving traffic reported across E11, E44 and E311 during Thursday rush hour Dubai: Motorists are facing a slow Thursday evening commute, with heavy congestion and several accidents causing delays across major routes, particularly for traffic heading towards Sharjah, according to Google Maps. Lo»»»

Bulgarian authorities on Thursday outlined measures to safeguard the October 25 presidential election, focusing on political neutrality, vote buying, election-related crime and cybersecurity. The measures were discussed at a national meeting of the Interior Ministry’s senior leadership. Attending t»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iran’s FM Discusses Regional Developments with Turkish, Pakistani Officials 17-09-2026 16:20 PM Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has held se»»»

Shops to shut early, official fuel cut 50% and foreign travel curbed as war bites Dubai: Pakistan has rolled out sweeping fuel-conservation and austerity measures, including early closure of markets, deep cuts in fuel for official vehicles and restrictions on government travel, as the Middle East w»»»

Violent protests have erupted in Serbia’s breakaway region of Kosovo and abroad after a Hague-based special tribunal convicted former politician and paramilitary commander Hashim Thaci of war crimes. In its ruling on Wednesday, the tribunal sentenced Thaci, a commander of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar says the government will submit legislation allowing the tax authority to investigate politicians’ wealth, potentially going back 20 years, including officials whose mandates ended within the past five years. NAV could investigate politicians’ wealth Magyar ann»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has announced the commencement of an e-commerce licence, allowing specific approved commercial activities to be conducted digitally through businesses’ own websites. The initiative comes under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Decision No. 25 o»»»

The Bank of England kept interest rates on hold Thursday while indicating that it could raise them soon in order to dampen inflationary pressures emanating from the fallout of the Iran war. The decision was widely anticipated, with six members of the Monetary Policy Committee voting to keep rates u»»»

The will of Iran and its allies to destroy Israel “has not disappeared” but “has simply weakened,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday. “Even though we have accomplished the bulk of the work, there is still work to be done -- and we will do it. We will eliminate Hamas and, ab»»»