François Picard is pleased to welcome Rana Mitter, historian, author and ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. He sees the significance of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as it pertains to the evolution of a changing international system. Once largely a symbolic veh»»»

Nepalese police personnel put on protective body suits and gloves before a mass burial for flood victims in the Devghat jungle in Chitwan district, Nepal, on Monday. Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA Sept. 1 (UPI) -- The death toll from a flash flood that hit northeastern Nepal nearly a week ago conti»»»

On Sept. 1, 2004, a group of Chechen separatists took more than 1,000 people hostage at a school in Beslan, Russia, ultimately killing nearly 340 people, including children. 1 of 3 | Russian soldiers give first aid to a former hostage after special forces enter her school in Beslan, North Ossetia, »»»

The number of building permits issued for residential buildings in the first seven months of the year, namely 18,848, fell 11.6% compared with the same period in 2025, according to data the National Institute of Statistics (INS) released on Monday.According to the source, decreases were recorded in»»»

The government approved on Monday the specific rules governing the concession procedures for offshore wind farm sites in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea.Furthermore, a government decision also approved the amounts of royalties and fees applicable to concessions. 'The legislation sets out the g»»»

Interest expenditure exceeded 40 billion lei in the first seven months of the year, one of the "bills for the imbalances accumulated in recent years", and fiscal adjustment must continue to ease pressure on financing costs, interim Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare said."The seven-month budget defi»»»

The execution of the general consolidated budget in the first seven months of 2026 ended with a deficit of 48.08 billion lei, 28.36 billion lei lower than the deficit worth 76.44 billion lei recorded in the same period of 2025, representing a nominal reduction of 37%, according to data the Finance »»»

The Senate and the Deputies’ Chamber start on Tuesday the second ordinary parliamentary session of the year.The two Chambers were convened by the President of the Senate and, respectively, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, in accordance with the decisions published in the Official Gazette, »»»

The president of the Alliance for Romanians’ Union, George Simion considers that ‘until at least 21 September’ there will not be appointed any premier. This militated against for early elections.On Sunday, the Alliance for the Unification of Romanians unanimously adopted, within the National Board »»»

Liberal MEP Siegfried Muresan said Monday that the priorities presented by Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Sorin Grindeanu for the next two years amount to a "populist agenda". He argued that the Social Democrats no longer have credibility to make promises in areas such as agriculture, labour,»»»

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel is coming to Bucharest, where she will launch her book "Freedom: Memoirs 1954-2021" on Tuesday.According to a Litera Publishing House press release, the event will take place at the Romanian Athenaeum at 19:00 in the form of a public dialogue between Angela Me»»»

PSD President Sorin Grindeanu stated on Monday in Sinaia that the Social Democrats would attend the consultations at Cotroceni Palace regarding the formation of a new government with their own nominee for prime minister, and he specified that he is taking on this role himself.Grindeanu was asked wh»»»

President Nicusor Dan will attend on Tuesday the International Meeting of Orthodox Youth (ITO) at the National Cathedral, the Presidential Administration announced.According to the same source, the head of state will deliver an address.The International Meeting of Orthodox Youth, the largest event »»»

Defence Minister Radu Miruta is attending an informal meeting of the defence ministers of European Union member states in Wicklow, Ireland, on Monday and Tuesday.According to a National Defence Ministry (MApN) press release sent on Monday, the agenda includes current issues concerning EU support fo»»»

Faced with the "storms" in international politics, Romania has managed to respond not only defensively but assertively, interim Foreign Minister Oana Toiu told the opening of the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy on Monday.Oana Toiu said that Romania is resilient in the current security context.»»»

Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu met Monday with U.S. Congressman Mike Rogers, Chair of the House Armed Services Committee, where they discussed regional security developments and the strategic importance of the Black Sea.According to an Interior Ministry statement, the meeting took place during a»»»

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is currently effectively the largest regional organisation not only on the Eurasian continent but in the world as a whole, Russian President Vladimir Putin said today at a meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State in Bishkek. According to Putin, the SC»»»

Hollywood actress Bai Ling has arrived in Kyrgyzstan within the 6th World Nomad Games. Bai Ling is a Chinese-born actress who rose to prominence through her work in Hollywood and appearances in numerous international film projects. She is known to audiences worldwide for her roles in films includin»»»

Geneva: Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva H E Dr. Hend Abdulrahman Al-Muftah participated yesterday in the opening of the 16th session of the Investment, Enterprise and Development Commission of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Developme»»»

Doha, Qatar: Chairman of Qatar Chamber (QC), Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, received yesterday, at the Chamber’s headquarters, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Ecuador, H E Alejandro Dávalos, in the presence of Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Republic »»»

KATMANDU, Nepal: Devastating floods on the China-Nepal border have killed at least 987 people in Nepal, the disaster authority said Tuesday, taking overall deaths to more than 1,000. Chinese state media earlier confirmed 16 people were killed in Tibet, bringing the total toll from Wednesday’s disas»»»

SACRAMENTO, California: California would allow Jews to voluntarily identify their Jewish heritage on state forms under a bill the state Legislature passed Monday. The bill, which lawmakers sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, would require state agencies that collect demographic information to add “Je»»»

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that Tehran would "immediately" reciprocate if the United States returned to a June deal aimed at ending their war. "I state explicitly that if the United States returns to its commitments under the aforementioned memorandum of un»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Palestinian Sources: Classes suspended across occupied Al-Quds schools to protest Israeli curriculum imposition 01-09-2026 09:50 AM Latest »»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar suffered a heavy 123-70 defeat to Japan in the fourth window of the second stage of the FIBA Asia Qualifiers for the 2027 Basketball World Cup at Toyota Arena Tokyo yesterday. Japan dominated the opening quarter 29-11 before Qatar produced a better second period, narrowly losing »»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar clinched the U19 Asian Men’s Youth Handball Championship after defeating Bahrain 28-24 in the final in Amman, Jordan, yesterday. Qatar dominated from the outset, taking a 16-10 lead into half-time before maintaining control in the second half to secure the continental title with »»»

Azerbaijan's banks are expanding credit more than 15 times faster than the economy they lend into, with profits up a quarter and a bad-loan surge abruptly stalling. Sector assets reached AZN61.0bn ($35.9bn) as of August 1, up 9.5% year on year, with net loans to customers of AZN30.1bn ($17.7bn) on »»»

Doha, Qatar: Defending champions Al Sadd will begin their Qatar Cup title defence against Al Gharafa today as the four-team tournament gets underway with the semi-finals. Al Sadd face Al Gharafa at Khalifa International Stadium at 5pm, while Al Rayyan take on Al Shamal at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium a»»»

Joint initiatives must yield concrete results, enhance the well-being of our peoples, and foster unity among our states, the President of Belarus stated at the SCO Summit in Bishkek. «Regular contact between our relevant agencies has been established. And we hope that the quantity of meetings will »»»

Singapore: Oil prices gained on Tuesday as renewed tensions in the Middle East renewed fears of ‌supply disruptions from the world’s key crude-producing region. Brent crude futures were up 56 cents, or 0.6%, to $91.05 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 83 cents, or 1%, to»»»

September marks the start of a sustained cooling trend that will continue into autumn Dubai: The UAE entered meteorological autumn on Tuesday, marking the end of the summer season under the climate calendar and the beginning of a gradual decline in temperatures over the coming months. Ibrahim Al Ja»»»

The B2B platform is supported by Towr’s nationwide transportation network Towr, a UAE-based automotive logistics and vehicle transportation company, is helping businesses manage vehicle movements more efficiently through its dedicated B2B platform. Designed for dealerships, garages, rental companie»»»

Hurricane Katrina was located more than 1,000 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula on Monday. Image courtesy NOAA Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Karina strengthened into a major Category 4 hurricane Monday and was moving west into the open waters of the Pacific Ocean, forecas»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed a decree "On assigning the geographical name ’Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Peak’ to an unnamed mountain peak, 4,050 meters high, located in the Ala-Archa State Nature Park in Alamedin district of Chui region. According to the document, the initiativ»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) yesterday released its key performance indicators for the second quarter of 2026, highlighting substantial advancements across digital service adoption, industrial growth, commercial activity, and consumer rights enforcement. The Ministry re»»»

Samarkand, Uzbekistan: Participants in the International Media Forum visited the historic city of Samarkand on August 27, touring the Imam al-Bukhari Memorial Complex and some of the city’s most prominent cultural and religious landmarks. The visit formed part of the forum’s programme introducing i»»»

Doha, Qatar: QNB Group, a leading financial institution in the Middle East and Africa, has successfully renewed its ISO 22301 Business Continuity Management Systems certification, reaffirming its commitment to operational resilience, service continuity and international best practices. This achieve»»»

Doha, Qatar: With the start of the new school year, beIN Media Group, the global sports, entertainment and media group, has announced the launch of three original Arabic-language productions next month. Highlighting the leading entertainment network’s continued commitment to delivering premium chil»»»

Doha, Qatar: Aspire Academy successfully concluded its International Fencing Camp 2026, bringing together 66 athletes and coaches from seven countries for an intensive week of training, competition and knowledge exchange. Held from August 23 to 29, the camp gathered participants from Qatar, Saudi A»»»

Seven people are under investigation in connection with an organised group suspected of procuring and storing explosives, explosive devices and drones in Serbia before sending them to predetermined locations in European Union countries. The group is also believed to have planted explosives near gas»»»

CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov met with CIS Secretary General Sergei Lebedev on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek, the CSTO press service reported. The sides discussed the implementation of a roadmap for developing cooperation between the CIS, CSTO and SCO, as well as interacti»»»

Doha: The Embassy of Malaysia in Doha organised a flag-raising ceremony to mark Malaysia’s 69th Independence Day, which falls on August 31, 2026. The event, held on the evening of Sunday, August 30, 2026, symbolically coincided with the early hours of Monday, August 31, 2026 in Malaysia. The ceremo»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Museums has announced an expansive exhibition programme for the second edition of Design Doha, which will run from November 5, 2026, to January 31, 2027, bringing together more than 100 multidisciplinary designers and studios from across the Middle East, North Africa and South As»»»

Doha, Qatar: A Qatari benefactor has registered a new charitable will dedicating one-third of her estate to the Waqf Fund for Righteousness and Piety, with the proceeds designated to support the “Waqf Al-Wuqoof” initiative, the General Directorate of Endowments at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic »»»

Doha, Qatar: Birla Public School reaffirmed its commitment to professional excellence, continuous learning, and holistic student development by organising a comprehensive series of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) sessions for its teachers from August 23 to 27, 2026. Designed to strengthen»»»

Missile and drone barrage hits capital as children prepare to return to school A "massive" Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv and its surrounding areas killed at least four people and wounded more than a dozen others, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday. The strikes came as children were set to »»»

Emergency crews have been using helicopters and other aircraft to reach stranded areas Kathmandu, Nepal: The death toll from catastrophic flooding in Nepal and China passed 1,000 on Tuesday, authorities said, as rescue teams worked to reach communities cut off by the disaster. Nepal's disaster agen»»»

Duane “Keffe D” Davis was found guilty Monday of orchestrating the 1996 murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur, becoming the first person convicted in the decades-old case. The 63-year-old faces a possible life sentence after a Las Vegas jury deliberated for less than three hours. A jury found Duane “Keff»»»

Doha, Qatar: On the eve of this summer’s HEC Paris Commencement Ceremony, more than 144 graduates and their families from across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) gathered in Paris for the fourth HEC Paris, Doha Graduation Reception, celebrating the achievements, leadership and transformative jour»»»

Doha, Qatar: Thirty young Quran reciters from eight countries will gather in Doha this week to compete for the top three places in the inaugural global “Rofaqa” Orphans category of the Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani Quran Competition. The in-person final stage will take place on September 2 a»»»