Architect Stoyan Petkov has taken over GERB local organizations in the Varna region. The new chairman of both the city and regional party chapters was officially introduced by the leader Boyko Borissov. He explained that party members, including MPs, MEPs, district and municipal mayors had rallied »»»

BEIRUT: Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon continued on Monday, as a 60-day deadline set by an agreement in June between US-Iran to reach a deal on ending their conflict expired, an arrangement Tehran previously said also applied to Lebanon. However, an official Lebanese source told Arab News that»»»

BEIRUT (Sputnik) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to maintain the Israeli military presence in the Gaza Strip and is bearing responsibility for a possible failure of mediation efforts to resolve the conflict, League of Arab States (LAS) Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy said on Mo»»»

LONDON: In a sign of the growing pressure on Syria’s embattled captagon networks, smugglers are increasingly taking to the air — not in aircraft, but using balloons in an attempt to bypass tighter border controls and carry the illicit drug into Jordan and beyond. Increasingly, however, their balloo»»»

The Mount Etna volcano spews smoke and ashes during volcanic activity in Sicily island, Italy, on April 15, 2025. File Photo by Orietta Scardino/EPA-EFE Aug. 17 (UPI) -- A 30-year-old American tourist died on Sunday in Italy after being struck by lightning while hiking on Mount Etna in Sicily. The »»»

Forty-two weapons were recovered by the Mexican military in Naco, Sonora, in 2009. File Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service accused the intelligence services of a Western country of preparing, together with»»»

AL-MUKALLA: At least seven missiles launched by the Iran-backed Houthis struck two government-controlled areas on Yemen’s Red Sea coast on Monday, as the militia continued to mourn dozens of fighters killed during its latest military escalation, local officials said. Two missiles struck Mokha seapo»»»

By UPI Staff A look at the women who have served as presidents of Latin American countries, both elected and interim. This collection highlights the modern female leaders who have shaped national politics across the region in recent decades. Violeta Chamorro, Nicaragua President-elect of Nicaragua »»»

Dubai: After spending nearly six months largely out of sight, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is beginning to show what his Iran will look like. And it looks increasingly like a country preparing for a long fight. Khamenei has installed a string of veteran military and security har»»»

Russia's meat and feed exporters face a choice between two very different markets: Iran, slow and bureaucratic but predictable, and the Philippines, fast-growing but brutal on price. This is what Russia's pivot to Asia looks like at the level of an actual container. Shut out of European agricultura»»»

Russia's meat and feed exporters face a choice between two very different markets: Iran, slow and bureaucratic but predictable, and the Philippines, fast-growing but brutal on price. This is what Russia's pivot to Asia looks like at the level of an actual container. Shut out of European agricultura»»»

Five years after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has called on Washington to reopen its embassy in Kabul and deepen diplomatic and economic engagement with the country. The appeal includes potential US investment in Afghanistan’s mineral resources an»»»

Russia's banks are earning more than ever, yet beneath the record profits lie mounting bad debts, a flight to cash and a corporate-loan pile that few in Moscow can measure. The country's largest lender, state-controlled Sberbank, posted a record IFRS net profit of RUB1.01tn ($12.6bn) in 1H26, up 19»»»

Russia's meat and feed exporters face a choice between two very different markets: Iran, slow and bureaucratic but predictable, and the Philippines, fast-growing but brutal on price. This is what Russia's pivot to Asia looks like at the level of an actual container. Shut out of European agricultura»»»

Russia's main state development bank has sacked its chief economist over a speech he gave three months ago, in which he said the Russian economy would survive. Andrei Klepach, chief economist at VEB.RF for 12 years, was dismissed on August 16. VEB.RF chairman Igor Shuvalov let him go on an instruct»»»

Anxiety in Russia has climbed back to the level it reached when Vladimir Putin ordered mobilisation four years ago. Some 57% of Russians describe the situation in their country as tense and a further 13% call it critical or explosive - 70% between them, the highest since September 2022. Only 19% sa»»»

London: The head of Cambridge university Monday condemned a "racist feeding frenzy" prompted by plagiarism claims against black academic Jason Arday, as his supporters prepared for a London vigil after his death last week. Arday, who became Cambridge's youngest ever black professor in 2023, was fou»»»

MOSCOW: A Russian court on Monday sentenced prominent opposition politician Lev Shlosberg to 11 years in prison over his criticism of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine. The 63-year-old is among the very few Kremlin opponents who remained in Russia after it launched a sweeping crackdown on dissent follo»»»

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan monks have joined residents of the coastal locality of Hiriketiya in protesting the presence of Israeli tourists, whom they accuse of setting up illegal establishments and disturbing the peace near one of the country’s most famous Buddhist temples. Hiriketiya is a fishing villag»»»

1 of 3 | The U.S. Supreme Court once again rejected President Donald Trump’s attempt to appeal the verdict in E. Jean Carroll’s sexual abuse and defamation case on Monday. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court once again rejected President Donald Trum»»»

Dubai: James Dacombe left school as a teenager to build a technology company. Eight years later, the British entrepreneur has become Europe’s youngest self-made billionaire, after his artificial intelligence chip start-up Olix secured a $3.3 billion valuation. The 25-year-old joined the billionaire»»»

A ⁠Ukrainian ​missile ​strike killed six people ​and ‌wounded ⁠another ‌four, including a ⁠child, in ​Russia's border ‌Belgorod region, the ‌acting ​governor said on Monday. The assault came as Russia targeted port infrastructure in Ukraine's Izmail district in the southern region of ​Odesa ‌overni»»»

Emirates NBD has launched what it says is the UAE’s first dedicated transition finance framework, creating a formal structure to help companies in high-emitting industries secure funding as they move towards lower-carbon business models. The framework is designed for corporate and institutional cli»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe IRGC Responds to Trump’s Allegations about Backchannel Talks: We Are the Arm and Voice of the Iranian People 17-08-2026 17:08 PM The Islami»»»

The ever-expanding radius of Russian strikes – targeting a vital steel plant in central Ukraine, drone factories in Kiev, and seaborne logistics along the Black Sea are aimed at systematically dismantling the country’s MIC, RANEPA Institute of Law & National Security expert Alexander Stepanov told »»»

1 of 2 | The Trump administration has paid billions of dollars in an ongoing effort to kill wind energy projects in the United States. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The Trump administration has agreed to pay out about $4 billion to companies to encourage them not »»»

DUBAI: ‌Iran will escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and beyond, and launch an attack if the US fails to ​implement an interim peace deal fully in a matter of weeks, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday. If the US does not meet that deadline and diplomacy fails, Tehran would cond»»»

Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov told the press Monday that he would be keeping away from politics until Eurovision 2027. The popular song contest will be held in Burgas in May. The mayor said that at a news conference where reporters asked him about his political aspirations. "I have made a vow to sta»»»

The 2028 presidential race is already taking shape around a paradox: Vice President Sara Duterte remains the strongest early candidate in the polls, yet the impeachment trial that could define her political future is still unfolding. That combination makes any forecast tentative. Duterte has a powe»»»

PARIS: After an intense nine-day tournament, S2G Esports stood the tallest among the 32 teams competing and won the PUBG Mobile World Cup at the Esports World Cup 2026. After qualifying for the tournament as Turkiye’s third seed, S2G fought their way through the group stage and grand finals to emer»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has been named the first-ever recipient of Formula E’s brand-new “Best Host Country” award, recognizing the Kingdom’s outstanding contribution to delivering one of the world’s leading electric motorsport championships. Presented for the first time in the all-electric championsh»»»

Mideast negotiator and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner was meeting Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days after the premier rejected the 15-point, U.S.-backed road map to move the ceasefire deal forward in Gaza. The meeting, which had stretched to about three hours as of Monday a»»»

Dubai: For millions of Pakistanis, a national identity card is something they carry every day but rarely think about. That could change with a new card that replaces the familiar microchip with something most people already have – a smartphone. The National Database and Registration Authority (NADR»»»

Dubai: Hundreds of Indian expats on Sunday night took a pledge of loyalty and commitment to the UAE and its leadership, in a moving highlight of an event marking India's 80th Independence Day in Dubai. The gathering, organised by the Indian People's Forum (IPF), one of the largest community associa»»»

BORNOVA: On a Turkish hillside overlooking the olive-covered slopes outside Izmir is a cave known to generations of locals as the place where Homer penned “The Odyssey.” “This place was always called Homer’s Valley by the locals. Travelers from all over the world would come and see the cave where H»»»

The Israeli airstrikes that assassinated two Hezbollah commanders represented “a harsh message to Hezbollah,” following “a security operation carried out about a week prior to the strikes, which Hezbollah is still keeping secret," a diplomatic source said, adding that it is likely to remain unclaim»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Washington's primary goal remains preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. "The number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon," Trump wrote on Truth Social. Over»»»

Hamas Resistance Movement hailed on Monday the joint statement issued by the foreign minister of UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, KSA, and Egypt to denounce the Israeli rejection of the US plan for Gaza. What follows is the full text of Hamas statement: The Islamic Resistance Moveme»»»

Reform U.K.'s Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Robert Jenrick, unveils his party's plans for drastic cuts to welfare at a news conference in London on Monday. Photo by Andy Rain/EPA Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Britain's Reform U.K. party said Monday that it would slash almost $68B from welfare, were it to »»»

Dubai: The 60-day clock has run out on Donald Trump’s Iran deal. Now the US president faces a harder question: What does he do next? The memorandum of understanding signed by the United States and Iran in June was supposed to provide a pathway out of the war. It envisioned an end to hostilities, th»»»

CAIRO: Weather conditions and ‌operational challenges were hampering salvage efforts for a grounded tanker that was leaking Russian crude oil in a protected marine area off Oman’s coast, the sultanate’s state news agency reported on Monday. Oman has been coordinating the salvage operation with risk»»»

The U.N. rights chief voiced alarm Monday at the rising civilian toll of escalating hostilities in Yemen, urging restraint and an immediate de-escalation to avoid plunging the country back into a full-scale war. "I urge all parties to halt immediately any actions that risk returning Yemen to full-s»»»

Dubai: Before Thaikkudam Bridge took the stage in Dubai, rhythm guitarist Ashok Betty Nelson made me a promise: “If you want to dance, if you want to listen to good melodies, come to our show. You will not be disappointed.” Having now watched them in action at Coca-Cola Arena this weekend as a part»»»

GENEVA: The UN rights chief voiced alarm Monday at the rising civilian toll of escalating hostilities in Yemen, urging restraint and an immediate de-escalation to avoid plunging the country back into a full-scale war.“I urge all parties to halt immediately any actions that risk returning Yemen to f»»»

GAZA CITY (Sputnik) - Palestinian movement Hamas on Monday welcomed a joint statement by the foreign ministers of eight Arab and Islamic countries condemning Israel's rejection of the roadmap proposed by the Board of Peace for further implementation of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the wa»»»

Officials in Washington are allegedly discussing the possible use of nuclear weapons against Iran as the months-long conflict continues to escalate, former US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed. Greene, once a prominent MAGA ally, made the allegation in a post on X on Sunday. She said»»»

US President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to substantially scale back joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump said he was “not happy” that Washington had agreed to take part»»»

US President Donald Trump called for US-South Korean military drills to be scaled back just hours before they were due to begin, describing North Korea as 'unthreatening and respectful'. South Korea said it hoped Trump’s personal relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could help bring Py»»»

Manila: Around 5.08 million people across 10 regions in the Philippines have suffered from extreme rainfall brought by tropical cyclones and monsoon rains, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Monday. The OCD reported about 1.45 million affected families, with 24,893 people seeking shelter in 523»»»