MANILA (Sputnik) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned of rising risks of militarization in the Asia-Pacific region and the introduction of NATO elements there, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. "The Russian side drew attention to the growing risks of militarization of the As»»»

A gravity platform for the production of liquefied gas at the center for the construction of large-tonnage offshore structures of Novatek-Murmansk company stands in the village of Belokamenka in the Murmansk region, Russia, in 2023. The European Union passed new sanctions against Russia Thursday bu»»»

Literary readings marking the 84th anniversary of Bulgarian poet Nikola Vaptsarov’s death were held on Thursday at his monument behind the National Art Gallery in Sofia. The event was organized by the Union of Bulgarian Writers (UBW), the Union of Bulgarian Journalists (UBJ) and the Bulgarian Anti-»»»

Climate change is the dominant force behind the falling water level of the Caspian Sea and outweighs human intervention such as upstream damming, water policy researcher Anoush Nouri Esfandiari said on July 22. The world's largest enclosed body of water, surrounded by Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan»»»

The first International Forum of Islamic Civilization earlier this month brought over 450 religious leaders, scholars, diplomats, government officials and other participants from more than 50 countries to Uzbekistan. Across events in Tashkent, Samarkand and Termez on July 7-11, participants discuss»»»

Climate change is the dominant force behind the falling water level of the Caspian Sea and outweighs human intervention such as upstream damming, water policy researcher Anoush Nouri Esfandiari said on July 22. The world's largest enclosed body of water, surrounded by Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan»»»

Trust in Mykhailo Fedorov has surged since President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed him as defence minister on July 15 as part of a surprise government reshuffle, with a new Rating Group poll putting him second only to former commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny among Ukraine's most trusted public fig»»»

China’s continuously growing leverage over Russia is not in question and reports in recent days have continued to stress the point. For instance, Beijing has apparently flexed a muscle by declining to provide marine propulsion systems needed for Russia's planned expansion of the Northern Sea Route,»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy named Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, replacing Oleksandr Syrskyi in the most significant shake-up of Ukraine's military leadership since 2024, Reuters reported on July 21. Zelenskiy announced the decision on the eve»»»

Ukrainian drones struck Wildberries logistics hubs in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk overnight, with the Nevinnomyssk facility left fully ablaze, Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim said on Telegram on July 22, adding that staff had been evacuated and some workers injured. The strikes are the latest in an »»»

DOHA: The Ministry of Social Development and Family (MSDF), in cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) and Qatar Tourism, launched the second edition of its annual Purple Saturday initiative, which offers exclusive discounts, promotions, and services for people with disabiliti»»»

SAO PAULO: Brazil ‌could more than triple its planted area for producing palm oil over the next decade by expanding cultivation on already deforested land in the Amazon, said Victor Almeida, president of industry association Abrapalma. Demand for biofuels is expected to boost growth in the sector, »»»

BARCELONA: Spanish champion Barcelona signed forward Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund on a five-year contract on Thursday, as they rebuild the attack following the departure of veteran striker Robert Lewandowski. Barcelona announced the signing on their website and said Adeyemi was being “reuni»»»

BORDEAUX: French prosecutors have charged a 70-year-old woman with the murder of a British expat who was fatally stabbed in southwestern France in 2025. Karen Carter, who played for the local “Queens of Football” team, was killed in the Dordogne village of Tremolat. The elderly woman was indicted i»»»

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday vowed “stringent punishment” for those involved in exam fraud that has fueled student anger, in his first direct comments tied to major protests challenging his government. “Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth»»»

“The position taken by World Athletics is totally cynical, openly cynical,” political scientist Yevgeny Semyonov told Sputnik, commenting on World Athletics president Sebastian Coe’s announcement that Russian and Belarusian athletes would remain banned from track & field events despite the IOC’s re»»»

Medenine, July 23 (TAP) - The tourism sector on Djerba island (Medenine governorate) is facing a critical situation due to repeated power and water cuts this summer. Several hotel owners in the region told TAP that even the generators and water...»»»

LONDON: Yemen’s pro-Iranian Houthi rebels have claimed attacks in the Red Sea on two Saudi oil tankers and say they will blockade the Bab El-Mandeb strait, a crucial passage into the Red Sea, as part of a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia. Gateway to the Red Sea Known as the “Gate of Tears” in Arab»»»

LONDON: Yemen’s pro-Iranian Houthi rebels have claimed attacks in the Red Sea on two Saudi oil tankers and say they will blockade the Bab El-Mandeb strait, a crucial passage into the Red Sea, as part of a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia. Gateway to the Red Sea Known as the “Gate of Tears” in Arab»»»

July 23 (UPI) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said his government will continue negotiating with the United States despite an additional 25% U.S. tariff on Brazilian products. Lula also said his country will seek to expand exports to other markets if the talks fail. Speaking during»»»

Work is proceeding according to schedule for the Strumyani–Berovo border checkpoint between Bulgaria and North Macedonia to be completed by 2029, Deputy Regional Development and Public Works Minister Desislava Georgieva said on Thursday. She was speaking at a press conference in Blagoevgrad on the »»»

RABAT: Morocco ‌will maintain a customs duty on soft wheat until August 31, effectively extending a halt to imports aimed at protecting the local harvest, the heads of the country’s grain traders association (FNCL) and millers federation (FNM) said on Thursday. Authorities had introduced a 170 perc»»»

Budapest: Fernando Alonso on Thursday warned that Aston Martin's long-awaited upgraded chassis, being introduced at this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, was unlikely to change their position as tail-enders. But, he said, he believed the team would close the gap and may do better once they understan»»»

The Hungarian government has filed criminal complaints over four transactions linked to the state-owned Eximbank, requesting investigations into financing worth more than HUF 1,000 billion – approximately EUR 2.74 billion. The Eximbank investigations will examine whether the high-value transactions»»»

Tunis, July 23 (TAP) - The weather will be cloudy on Thursday night with storms expected in western-central and southern regions, getting partly cloudy in the midland, and clear to a bit cloudy elsewhere. The wind will blow north in the north and...»»»

DUBAI: A new 10-week summer season of horse racing begins on Friday at King Khalid Racecourse in Taif. Races will take place every Friday and Saturday, with the season culminating in the National Day Cup on Sept. 26. A purse of SR450,000 ($120,000) will be up for grabs in both the National Day Cup »»»

STOCKHOLM: After championing huge policy shifts in Sweden by propping up a minority center-right government for four years, the far-right Sweden Democrats say they have won the political arguments and now deserve a share of power for themselves. But it is a demand that could prove a step too far fo»»»

BELGRADE - Serbia has Czechia's support for membership in EU and the Schengen area, Czech PM Andrej Babis said in Belgrade on Thursday, noting that Serbia had an important role in European stability, especially in a time when there is "talk of war, not peace." Speaking to reporters after a meeting »»»

Timișoara recorded the largest increase in visitor numbers among Romania’s urban destinations for the second consecutive year, according to local newspaper Tion.ro, citing an analysis conducted by the city’s tourism promotion organisation, Visit Timișoara. The analysis draws on Mastercard Tourism I»»»

OMV Petrom and the Romanian Rowing Federation have launched a project to build Romania’s first Olympic rowing arena on Lake Pantelimon, near Bucharest. The energy company will provide EUR 1.7 million for the development, according to News.ro. The PETROM Rowing Arena will be Romania’s first rowing f»»»

Damascus, July 23 (SANA) President of the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF), Hamid al-Zaabi, said Syria’s launch of a national strategy to combat money laundering and terrorism financing reflects a clear political commitment to developing the country’s national fra»»»

Residents of the villages of Skobelevo, Bozadzhii and Chokoba in Sliven Region are collecting signatures against the deployment of US Boeing KC-135 aerial refuelling aircraft at Bezmer Air Base in the neighbouring Yambol Region, Skobelevo Mayor Stelli Stefanova told BTA on Thursday. She said the in»»»

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic on Thursday informed the Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office in Belgrade Dominika Krois of Pristina’s unilateral and illegal moves and its violations of fundamental human rights »»»

"I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it," the US president told Axios on Thursday. Israel "would join in two minutes if I ask them to," but the US doesn't "need anybody" for the potential new round of aggression, Trump adde»»»

We condemn in the strongest terms the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by an Israeli minister, accompanied by a group of extremists and under the protection of Israeli security forces. We reiterate that it is the shared responsibility of the international community to prevent the Netanyahu government's p»»»

LONDON — Oil prices surged to $100 a barrel on Thursday as Tehran-backed Houthi rebels targeted Red Sea shipping and US President Donald Trump threatened to strike them in return.International benchmark oil contract Brent North Sea soared more than six per cent to hit the symbolic $100 level, as th»»»

PARIS, France — Coal-fired power generation is set to increase in 2026, driven by supply difficulties and soaring natural gas prices linked to the war in the Middle East, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Thursday.The conflict in the Middle East, pitting the United States against Iran, has»»»

AMMAN — Chairman of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce Issam Ghreiwati has expressed his appreciation to Jordan and the Ministry of Interior following the decision to grant new facilities to Syrian investors and businesspeople.Ghreiwati noted the decision is "pivotal," noting that it reflects the Ki»»»

Haitian Red Cross volunteer Antoine Macul, left, speaks with Napoleon Delfe, 6, at a First Aid Post in Pesionville in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 2010. A 7.0 magnitude earthquake had hit Haiti. On Wednesday, an appeals court paused the deportation of Haitians with Temporary Protected Status at least u»»»

Damascus, July 23 (SANA) CEO of the Syrian Petroleum Company, Youssef Qablawi, discussed with a delegation of the World Bank the current state of Syria’s oil sector and available investment opportunities, as part of efforts to strengthen ties with international institutions and attract investment t»»»

"Russia’s appeal against World Athletics is not just about competition access. It's about preventing political decisions from erasing years of training, sacrifice, and careers," Olympic runner Lyudmila Petrova told Sputnik. "Of course, we must go to court and try to restore justice. It's wrong to p»»»

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed "stringent punishment" for those involved in exam fraud that fuelled student anger. Those are his first direct comments tied to the major protests challenging his government. Meanwhile, the movement has spread from the capital city to other major cities»»»

Young Indians are keeping up the pressure - continuing their demands for the Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan - to step down. This as their online satirical group the "Cockroach People's Party" grows in stature and support. It won millions of followers on social media and tens of thousands of »»»

Meeting with the newly elected Grand Mufti of Muslims in Bulgaria, Ahmed Hasanov, on Thursday, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said that Bulgaria is an example of tolerance, mutual respect and understanding among religious communities, and the Grand Mufti's Office has made an active contribution to this»»»

KYIV: Shipowners have temporarily suspended vessel arrivals at Ukraine’s Black Sea ports for agricultural exports after a recent surge in Russian attacks on ports and merchant shipping, the country’s agriculture minister said. Ukraine has lost about a third of its capacity to export grain via the B»»»

MANILA - Making an additional effort to forge ties with ASEAN countries is in Serbia's state and national interest, Serbian FM Marko Djuric said in Manila on Thursday, adding that, while they were geographically distant from Serbia, ASEAN member states were crucial for the future of humanity in the»»»

Rosalia celebrates after winning International Artist of the Year during the 2026 BRIT Awards live show at the Co-op Live Arena in Britain in February. She is facing growing backlash in Argentina for sharing a video related to that country's defeat in the 2026 World Cup final. Photo by Adam Vaughan»»»

Tunis, July 23 (TAP) - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Ali Nafti received on Thursday Mohammad Habibullah, who presented him with a copy of his Credentials as Ambassador of Bangladesh to Tunisia, with residence...»»»

Ajman: The Government of Ajman, represented by the Department of Digital Ajman, has completed the UAE's first government transaction to renew a trade licence using Agentic AI through a proactive, headless government service model. Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman and Chairma»»»

Prime Minister Rumen Radev met with America for Bulgaria Foundation President Nancy Schiller, which was also attended by the foundation’s Chief Executive Officer Desislava Taliokova, the government information service said on Thursday. During the meeting, the participants discussed projects that, w»»»