Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi denounced the European Union’s interventionist statements on Iran under the pretext of human rights, saying the bloc lacks any moral standing to lecture others because of its own record on human rights. Araqchi made the remarks in a telephone conversation with»»»

DUBAI: Community events and activities are at the heart of the fan experience during the Esports World Cup, and represent one of the core values of the competition currently taking place in France. Beyond the thrilling action on the tournament stages at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, this year mar»»»

All Hungarian citizens affected by the wildfire near Omiš in southern Croatia are safe, according to Hungary’s Foreign Minister Anita Orbán. The situation in the Omiš area has stabilised, although smoke and a strong smell of burning are still lingering in the air. Two Canadair firefighting aircraft»»»

MANCHESTER: Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca ‌remained tight-lipped about Rodri’s future on Friday amid speculation linking their Spain midfielder with a move to Barcelona, saying “anything can happen” before the transfer window closes. The uncertainty comes the morning after an apparent pictur»»»

LONDON: Eurovision organizers are floating major rule changes that aim to prevent influence campaigns affecting voting, the BBC reported on Friday. Voters can vote up to 10 times for their favorite act, according to existing rules. The European Broadcasting Union, in a letter to broadcasters, repor»»»

The US Department of Agriculture has cut its forecasts for Russian and Ukrainian grain exports because of the Black Sea shipping war, and every rival exporter's price has gone up. The department's monthly Grain: World Markets and Trade report, published on August 12 by its Foreign Agricultural Serv»»»

Chittagong: Toxic gas leaked from a vessel at a shipbreaking yard in Bangladesh on Friday, killing at least eight workers, with five others missing, police said. Witnesses said they heard screams from inside the yard in the southeastern port city of Chittagong before workers rushed some of the vict»»»

Kazakh billionaire Timur Turlov did not set out to run world chess. In late June the founder of Freedom Holding Corp, the Nasdaq-listed financial services group, agreed to stand as deputy to Arkady Dvorkovich, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) president seeking a third term. Then on July 23»»»

The US Department of Agriculture has cut its forecasts for Russian and Ukrainian grain exports because of the Black Sea shipping war, and every rival exporter's price has gone up. The department's monthly Grain: World Markets and Trade report, published on August 12 by its Foreign Agricultural Serv»»»

Kazakh billionaire Timur Turlov did not set out to run world chess. In late June the founder of Freedom Holding Corp, the Nasdaq-listed financial services group, agreed to stand as deputy to Arkady Dvorkovich, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) president seeking a third term. Then on July 23»»»

The US Department of Agriculture has cut its forecasts for Russian and Ukrainian grain exports because of the Black Sea shipping war, and every rival exporter's price has gone up. The department's monthly Grain: World Markets and Trade report, published on August 12 by its Foreign Agricultural Serv»»»

MELBOURNE: New Zealand became the latest nation to withdraw its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s reelection bid on Friday over the aborted commercial rights stake sale plan, while Oceania’s confederation cautiously backed the governing body’s leadership. Infantino has faced open revolt»»»

LONDON: Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked outcry both in Israel and the UK after he referred to Britain as the “first Islamic republic” with nuclear weapons. The Israeli prime minister’s comments appeared to mirror inaccurate far-right conspiracies claiming that Britain is being “taken over” by its Mu»»»

OMIS, Croatia: A wildfire engulfed homes in a picturesque Croatian resort overnight, injuring 40 and forcing 1,200 to evacuate, officials said, as EU officials warned that pockets of “very extreme” wildfire conditions were stretching right across the continent. Hundreds more were evacuated from a b»»»

BERLIN: A Berlin theater that has set up an outdoor swimming pool scrapped plans Friday to reserve it for black children and young people for one afternoon, citing a backlash and security fears sparked by “racist agitation.” The Volksbuehne theater and the anti-racism organization Each One Teach On»»»

LUSAKA: Zambia suspended vote counting nationwide on Friday following reports of violence in some districts, the electoral commission said. The copper-rich southern African nation went to the polls on Thursday in an election focused on economic hardship. President Hakainde Hichilema, who has been i»»»

The Varna Appellate Court has made a final decision to terminate the proceedings against Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev, municipal councillors Yordan Kateliev and Nikolay Stefanov, businessman Ivaylo Marinov, and the former head of the mayor’s office, Antoaneta Petrova, and send the case back to the S»»»

Singapore authorities prepare to enforce legislation that goes into effect on Monday, protecting citizens from online sexual abuse including banning the use of artificial intelligence to create explicit images without consent. The laws will also allow authorities to prosecute offenders suspected of»»»

Occupied Jerusalem: Around 70,000 Palestinians performed Friday prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque today, despite heightened Israeli security measures around the mosque and Old City. Palestinians continue to call for worship at Al Aqsa, rejecting Israeli attempts to alter its historical and legal status ami»»»

Agentic AI could change how governments deliver public services by moving beyond answering questions to completing tasks, coordinating across departments and responding proactively to people’s needs, according to experts from Deloitte Middle East. Speaking about the growing role of the technology i»»»

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Mobility has announced a new traffic restriction preventing 50-seat worker transport buses from using a Mafraq Bridge exit leading to the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Road from Monday, August 17. The Integrated Transport Centre said the restriction applies to the Mafraq Bridge exit E328B l»»»

Dubai: Motorists in Dubai can have their vehicles inspected free of charge at AutoPro centres across ENOC petrol stations until August 23, as part of a road safety campaign by Dubai Police. Dubai Police urged drivers to take advantage of the free comprehensive inspections, which are available from »»»

GENEVA: Attacks on health care facilities, workers and patients in conflict zones including Ukraine and Gaza have continued to rise in 2026, reaching an average of more than four per day, the World Health Organization said on Friday. There have been more than 900 attacks between January and August »»»

Manila: On a Manila court made of crushed seashells, an earnest four-year-old sends a forehand sailing wide -- one of dozens of kids aiming to follow in the footsteps of the Philippines' first homegrown tennis sensation, Alexandra Eala. The 21-year-old's rise has sparked a rush of interest in a spo»»»

With US President Donald Trump’s grand objectives for his war on Iran unrealised, he now appears to be trying to negotiate a way out. While months of US strikes on Iran, the assassination of its key leadership, and a naval blockade on its oil exports succeeded in inflicting a steep human, economic »»»

The Wekerle Sándor programme could deliver affordable rental homes and student accommodation, while the government also moves to revisit the M6 motorway deal and several controversial investments Hungary could launch a multi-billion-euro rental housing programme by the end of the year, with the Wek»»»

Rumen Radev's government will hit its hundredth day this weekend and the numbers behind it are still remarkable. Progressive Bulgaria won 131 of 240 seats in April, forming only the second single-party government since 1990. Radev became the first Bulgarian to hold both the presidency and the premi»»»

A container ship carrying cargo moves away from the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in New York City on November 2. A new White House report accuses Chinese companies of doing limited assembly and repackaging in third countries to avoid U.S. tariffs. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Aug. »»»

Kuala Lumpur: The Malaysian economy continued to defy expectations for the third consecutive quarter, growing strongly by 6.0 percent in the second quarter of 2026 despite shocks that have disrupted the global economy, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday. Anwar, who is also finance minister»»»

Geneva: The State of Qatar concluded its discussion of its combined report covering the second to fourth periodic reports on the implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, during the interactive dialogue with the United Nations Committee on the Ri»»»

Russia is stitching together a web of new railway corridors that reach from the South Caucasus to the Indian Ocean, redirecting freight away from Europe and towards Asia and the Global South as it makes a pivot to the east. More than 93% of Russian Railways' (RZD) international traffic already runs»»»

Bulgaria is becoming an increasingly important source of electricity for Romania after drought and record-low Danube levels forced the shutdown of both reactors at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant. The loss of 1,400 MW of nuclear capacity has put additional pressure on Romania's electricity system»»»

LONDON: The Taliban released journalist Hamid Farhadi after he completed a two-year prison sentence on charges of propaganda against the group and cooperation with the exiled Etilaatroz newspaper. Farhadi’s family confirmed his release on Thursday from Bagram prison. He was detained by Taliban Inte»»»

Dubai: Friday saw a steady stream of updates across the region, from maritime developments in the Strait of Hormuz to further adjustments on regional flight schedules. Airlines continue to advise passengers to check their flight status before travelling, while energy markets remain in focus. Here's»»»

The Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) and mobile operators will jointly combat a rise in caller ID spoofing scams, the regulator said on Friday. The initiative involves the three mobile operators holding nationwide licences, A1 Bulgaria, Vivacom and Yettel Bulgaria, as well as industry org»»»

The Reserve Bank of India has moved up the deadline for banks to mobilise foreign currency deposits from non-resident Indians, after the scheme attracted more than $56 billion in inflows. The RBI said on Friday that banks will now have until August 31, 2026, to raise Foreign Currency Non-Resident (»»»

LONDON: The American Israel Public Affairs Committee condemned senior New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman on Wednesday following Friedman’s encouragement of Michigan Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed to “be true to your pro-Palestinian, Arab American roots and stick it to” the pro-Israel lob»»»

NEW DELHI: Tata Steel sold all its stake in Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC to Goa-based club Churchill Brothers for a token amount of 100 Indian rupees ($1.05) on Friday, two weeks after the conglomerate announced it was pulling out of the ISL. Twice national league champions Churchill Brot»»»

Jakarta: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Friday that Southeast Asia's largest economy could achieve a 6 percent growth rate by the end of this year despite global economic uncertainties. In his annual State of the Nation address before members of the Parliament in the capital Jakarta, Pr»»»

KYIV: Russian jet-powered drones struck a home in northern Ukraine on Friday, killing a 29-year-old woman and her 9-year-old son, officials said. The strike came a day after the United Nations said July was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since the weeks following Moscow’s all-out invas»»»

ABUJA: The masked police officers burst into Ahmed Soliman’s hotel room in Equatorial Guinea and dragged him and two dozen other US deportees outside, guns drawn, to deliver a message: go home. “I have police officers yanking on my neck, trying to throw me on the ground, I have officers elbowing me»»»

Hungary is set to begin the controlled sinking of two 80-metre-long barges near Paks on Friday afternoon in an extraordinary effort to raise water levels in the Danube and help safeguard the operation of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced the latest stage of the eme»»»

Israeli settlers are conducting a campaign of violence and intimidation against the Palestinian village of Qusra in the occupied West Bank. Families have had their electricity and water supplies cut off, in what residents say is an attempt to force them from their homes. According to France 24 corr»»»

Zambia's electoral commission on Friday suspended vote counting from Thursday's presidential and parliamentary elections for at least 24 hours due to “violence targeted at poll staff” and reported instances of theft of marked ballot papers. Former minister Brian Mundubile, the main challenger to Pr»»»

Authorities evacuated 525 people from the village of Luglon Friday as a new wildfire tore through southwestern France, burning 1,100 hectares and advancing to within a few kilometres of the village centre amid an unprecedented wildfire season.  French ​authorities evacuated 525 villagers after»»»

Paris: France’s top constitutional authority on Friday struck down a ban on social media access for children under 15, dealing a blow to the legislation championed by President Emmanuel Macron. The Constitutional Council found that Article 1 of the legislation “constitutes an infringement that is n»»»

GERB leader Boyko Borissov has called for political unity after Burgas was selected to host Eurovision 2027, urging Bulgarian cities and institutions to work together to present the country positively to an international audience. In a post on Facebook, Borissov first congratulated DARA, whose Euro»»»

Bulgaria's Central Election Commission (CEC) has approved the official schedule for the country's presidential and vice-presidential election, setting October 25, 2026 as election day and establishing the key deadlines leading up to the vote. The chronogram, adopted on August 13, formally launches »»»

A specialized operation by Bulgaria's General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP) is underway in the Botevgrad area, targeting two alleged criminal groups known locally as “Peevite” and “Inket.” Three people have so far been detained on suspicion of usury, coercion and pimping. The op»»»

Dubai: UAE students who achieved top A-level grades have shared how they adapted to an unprecedented assessment process after formal examinations were cancelled earlier this year. In April, Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel and OxfordAQA cancelled all IGCSE and A-level examinations in the UAE for the May/»»»