BAMAKO: Mali’s junta chief on Thursday pardoned a French intelligence agent serving a 20 year jail term, a rare conciliatory gesture following years of tension between the west African nation and its former colonial ruler. The decision came as Mali’s military authorities have been weakened by a mas»»»

CASABLANCA: Ghana came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 Thursday and earn one of Africa’s last two chances to qualify for the Women’s World Cup. Nigeria were to play South Africa for the other later as the four beaten quarterfinalists at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations were pitted against each»»»

BEIRUT: Syrian and Lebanese officials have agreed to strengthen coordination along their shared border, including measures to combat smuggling, while easing the movement of travelers and goods through official crossings, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported on Thursday. Delegations from the two »»»

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East on Jan. 26. Senate Democrats want details about the status of the ship's operations following reports of attempted suicides by sailors. File Photo by Will Tyndall/U.S. Navy/UPI | License Photo Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Senate Democrats are pressing»»»

A passenger train derailed in southern England Thursday, injuring nine people. File Image courtesy of UPI Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A passenger train derailed in southern England Thursday, seriously injuring two people. Police and emergency services are on the scene outside of Lewes, England, in East Sussex»»»

Hungary enjoyed a spectacular evening at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris on Thursday, with Kristóf Milák setting a European record in the men’s 100m butterfly before helping the Hungarian men’s 4x100m freestyle relay claim a historic gold medal with a national record. The two victories»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe US military lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones during the war with Iran, equivalent to approximately 25% of the fleet it had before the wa»»»

ROME: Italy’s Sara Curtis broke her own 50m women’s backstroke world record on Thursday when she won gold in 26.56 seconds at the European Championships in Paris, a day after she had set the previous record. Curtis, 19, had smashed five-time Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown’s ‌2023 record ‌on Wednes»»»

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice against Harvard University for allegedly allowing anti-Semitism. File Photo by CJ Gunther/EPA Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A federal judge dismissed the anti-Semitism lawsuit against Harvard University filed by the Department of Justice ear»»»

Dubai: Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Humanitarian (DXBH) has facilitated the dispatch of critical humanitarian relief supplies to Gaza. The shipments are part of a new air bridge launched this we»»»

Damascus, Aug.13 (SANA) Syria’s trajectory toward full economic openness is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. Backed by expanding Western, Arab, and international partnerships in energy, logistics, ports, and industrial technology, Syria is successfully overhauling its legislative framework, l»»»

ROME: Italy’s Sara Curtis broke her own 50m women’s backstroke world record on Thursday when she won gold in 26.56 seconds at the European Championships in Paris, a day after she had set the previous record. Curtis, 19, had smashed five-time Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown’s ‌2023 record ‌on Wednes»»»

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin visited Russia’s far-eastern Kuril islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting protests by Japan which also claims the territory. Russian-Japanese relations have long been dogged by the contested islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized b»»»

BEIRUT: A British company said Thursday it has been hired to salvage a grounded Russian shadow fleet tanker off Oman’s coast and stop an oil spill that is threatening wildlife as it reaches the country’s shoreline following its dramatic spread in recent weeks. Satellite images have shown that oil f»»»

Doha, Qatar: Consumers in Qatar should verify that weight-loss medicines and other therapeutic products are registered in the country and obtain them only from licensed healthcare facilities and pharmacies, a Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) official has said, amid growing interest in slimming prod»»»

Dubai: Three people were killed and 11 injured after a gas cylinder exploded at a restaurant inside a shopping mall in New Cairo, triggering a fire and causing a lift to collapse, Egyptian media reported. Emergency services were called to the mall in the Tagamoa area following reports of a fire ins»»»

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia's defence minister called Iraq a "cherished neighbour" in talks with a senior Iraqi army official on Thursday, despite last month's deadly US-Saudi strikes on targets in the country. The Riyadh visit was the first announced by an Iraqi security official to Saudi A»»»

Dubai: XRG, ADNOC’s international energy investment company, is entering Venezuela through an interest in the offshore Loran gas licence, giving the Abu Dhabi-based company exposure to one of Latin America’s significant undeveloped gas resources and extending its rapidly growing international gas p»»»

WASHINGTON: An engine fan blade broke off on a Ryanair flight and sent parts flying that shattered a plane window shortly after takeoff in Greece last month, which caused a man’s head to be sucked into the hole in the fuselage before his fellow passengers pulled him to safety, US investigators said»»»

NEW YORK CITY: Yemen’s permanent representative to the UN, Abdullah Al-Saadi, told the Security Council on Thursday that Saudi Arabia’s sustained political, economic and humanitarian support has been essential in keeping state institutions functioning, even as he delivered a sweeping condemnation o»»»

Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, attends a pre-trial appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday. He is due in federal court Friday and may plead guilty to a stalking charge. Pool Photo by David Dee Delgado/UPI | License Photo Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Luigi Mangion»»»

Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A pair of loose goats wandered into a transit station in Portland, Ore., and even briefly boarded a bus before fleeing the area. The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon said on social media that a 911 call came in reporting two goats wandering loose at the FX2»»»

MADRID: Celta Vigo postponed their La Liga opener against Osasuna because of a fungus outbreak on the field of their stadium Thursday. La Liga said both clubs and the Spanish soccer federation agreed to the postponement of Sunday’s game because of an “illness that has affected the stadium’s pitch.”»»»

QUSRA: For five nights, Israeli settlers surrounded three Palestinian homes on the outskirts of a town in the occupied West Bank, preventing the families from leaving safely as their food and water supplies dwindled. Qusai Abu Rida was holed up inside with his teenage son when settlers cut the wate»»»

LONDON: The Syrian Arab Republic’s Interior Ministry said on Thursday that it released six people detained during an investigation into a Daesh cell in the southern province of Quneitra, saying it found no evidence that they were involved and apologizing to them and their families. The detentions f»»»

NEW YORK: A right-wing Israeli think tank hired a major Washington lobbying firm to promote a proposal calling for the US to withdraw from the UN, targeting senior officials in the Trump administration and members of Congress, Haaretz reported. The Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist»»»

Steven King, owner of Metro Shooting Supplies, shows the proper use of the popular Smith & Wesson AR-15, 556 caliber rifle at his store in Bridgeton, Mo. on Nov. 12, 2014. A federal judge last week struck down regulations on silencers, shot-barrel rifles, and short-barrel shotguns. File Photo by Bi»»»

Families rest Thursday in a shelter in Chico, one of Colombia's poorest departments, after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck several regions of the country three days earlier. Photo by Mauricio Duenas Castaneda/EPA Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Colombia's government declared a state of economic, social and ecol»»»

Polish inflation accelerated to 3.0% year on year in July from 2.5% in June, with fuel prices responsible for much of the increase. Fuel costs jumped 13.9% month on month after government measures cushioning prices ended. The result nevertheless remains within the National Bank of Poland’s inflatio»»»

President Karol Nawrocki has signed legislation introducing Personal Investment Accounts, known as OKI, clearing the way for the new savings vehicle to launch on January 1, 2027. Investment assets held within an OKI will be exempt from Poland’s capital gains tax up to PLN 100,000, while a separate »»»

Leader of Yemen’s Ansarullah Movement, Sayyed Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, said that the repeated insults against the Holy Quran and the burning of the Noble Book represent “a hostile stance against Islam and Muslims,” calling on Islamic countries and peoples to take pressure measures, includin»»»

Rome: A powerful explosion rocked an ammunition factory near Rome but no injuries were reported, emergency services and the factory owner said. Firefighters and police were at the site near Colleferro, a town about 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Rome, and "complex operations" were under way,»»»

LONDON: A passenger train derailed Thursday in southern England, leaving at least three cars flipped on their sides. Aerial footage showed firefighters and paramedics attending to passengers in a field next to the derailed train, with several ambulances and three helicopters standing by. There were»»»

The Danube has begun falling again at Paks, increasing the threat of further restrictions or even a complete shutdown at the Paks nuclear power plant, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Thursday. The government has already begun emergency river-engineering works, while two 80-metre barges are bein»»»

Damascus, Aug. 13 (SANA) Rail freight shipments in Syria rose by nearly 59% during the first seven months of 2026 as maintenance crews repaired key routes and restored specialised equipment using locally available expertise and parts, the country’s railway authority said Thursday. The General Estab»»»

Dubai: I reluctantly have a confession to make, and it’s not something I’m particularly proud of. And no, it’s not my other terrible habit; privately judging whether every newborn baby is actually as cute as everyone insists. This is worse. Donald Trump’s youngest-ever White House press secretary, »»»

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has adopted a timeline for the presidential and vice-presidential elections on October 25, 2026, the CEC's press service said on Thursday. By September 4, the CEC must announce the list of places outside the country where at least one polling station was formed»»»

PARIS: The world is not on track to meet its commitments to protect nature, the UN’s biodiversity chief warned on Thursday, just weeks before a major conference addressing the subject in Armenia. Because humans pose an immense threat to Earth’s land, seas, animals and plants, almost all countries a»»»

ISTANBUL: The 2027 ‌Spanish Super Cup will be played in Istanbul, LaLiga champions Barcelona said on Thursday, as the four-team event moved from Saudi Arabia for the first time since 2021. Next year’s knockout tournament featuring Barca, LaLiga runners-up Real Madrid, Copa del Rey winners Real Soci»»»

TORONTO, Canada: More than 110,000 Canadians have signed a petition as of Thursday calling for the removal of controversial US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, the latest sign of deepening rifts between the neighboring countries. Hoekstra, a relentless defender of President Donald Trump and a former Repub»»»

KIMANA, Kenya: Lying on the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust, the elephant slowly exhausted himself in futile attempts to stand, the latest potential victim of a still-mysterious ailment in southern Kenya. Distressed vets administered a glucose injection — the only option, given that the cause»»»

LONDON: Aston Villa may have lost the UEFA Super Cup clash ‌with Paris St. Germain on Wednesday but their teenage forward Brian Madjo stole the show with a delayed debut display which augurs well for this season season. Madjo became the youngest-ever player to score in the Super Cup when he netted »»»

CALIFORNIA: Jake Hemann grabbed a board and headed out to surf. But an hour later, he wound up sitting at the lifeguard station soaking his foot in a pail of hot water alongside four other beachgoers. It is a common scene at Bolsa Chica State Beach and some other popular beaches in Southern Califor»»»

CALI, Colombia: With arms raised and fists clenched, rescuers in Colombia called for silence Thursday as they listened for signs of life in the rubble left by a deadly earthquake that has killed more than 270 people and left hundreds more missing. The call for quiet was part of last-ditch efforts t»»»

ROME: A powerful explosion rocked an ammunition factory Thursday near Colleferro, a town about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of Rome, police said. Firefighters and police were at the site and “complex operations” were underway, police told AFP without immediately providing further details. The»»»

NEW YORK CITY: Members of the UN Security Council condemned an escalating wave of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and international shipping. They warned that the threat of Yemen relapsing into full-scale war was at its gravest level in four years, and pressed Iran to end its support for the group. »»»

Israeli soldiers observe Palestinians during a raid in the town of Qusra in the West Bank in Israel Thursday. The Israeli army entered Qusra following days of a settler siege on Palestinian homes and declared the area a closed military zone to dismantle the illegal settler outpost. Photo by Alaa Ba»»»

The Regional Inspectorates of Environment and Water (RIEW) in Bulgaria carried out more than 2,100 inspections at 2,009 sites across the country in July, the press office of the Environment and Water Ministry said. Fire prevention at waste treatment facilities, protecting the cleanliness of the Bla»»»

Meeting with Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu here on Thursday, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said that the future of the region will increasingly be determined by connectivity between Bulgaria and Turkiye as a factor in the development of Southeastern Europe, creat»»»

A person checks a garbage container, looking for food, in Havana last summer. File Photo by Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Extreme poverty affects 94% of Cubans, and eight in 10 have been forced to skip a meal because of a lack of money or food, according to a study released Thursday as C»»»