RIYADH: As Saudi Arabia’s transformation under Vision 2030 continues to accelerate, Portugal says it is looking for ways to strengthen its engagement with the Kingdom through business partnerships, cultural exchanges, and the growing community of its citizens living and working in the country. In a»»»

Montevideo: The State of Qatar and the Oriental Republic of Uruguay have signed a letter of intent aimed at strengthening cooperation in international mediation, as the two countries seek to expand coordination on the peaceful resolution of conflicts. The agreement was signed in Montevideo on Thurs»»»

MoFA reiterates support for all measures to safeguard Kingdom’s security and stability Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned the Houthi drone attack on the Taiba power distribution station in Madinah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affair»»»

Sharjah Police facilities win age-friendly award for senior citizen access Sharjah: Five Sharjah Police facilities have been recognised with the age-friendly buildings award, highlighting the force’s ongoing efforts to make its services and infrastructure more accessible, comfortable and inclusive »»»

Washington, Oct. 1 (SANA) The United States has removed Syria from the list of countries subject to a comprehensive policy of denial for licenses and other approvals related to defense trade under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The US Department of State announced on Thursday»»»

National Assembly Chair Michaela Dotsova described State Agency for Child Protection staff as Bulgaria's unsung heroes on the agency's 25th anniversary, Parliament's press service said on Thursday. She said their work was measured by the number of smiles they brought, rather than the number of repo»»»

Offensive military infrastructure is being deployed around the Kaliningrad region, Alexander Stepanov, an expert at the RANEPA Institute of Law & National Security, told Sputnik, commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks about a potential NATO attack. “Four multinational groups, comp»»»

TUNIS, Oct 1, 2026 (TAP) - A new "Beja 2" factory was inaugurated on Thursday in the Beja industrial zone.The new site belongs to the German company Kermberg Schubert, specialised in the manufacture of automotive cables, and was built on an area of...»»»

Artificial intelligence has no intuition and no ability to truly reflect, even though it can analyze data and make decisions almost instantly, retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski tells Sputnik, commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin's warning about the looming risks of AI. AI ta»»»

The annual awards for Bulgaria's insurance and pension sectors were presented on Thursday evening at an official ceremony. The 2025 Insurer of the Year awards in the General Insurance and Life Insurance categories went to DZI General Insurance and DZI Life Insurance, respectively. Pension Assurance»»»

Geneva: The State of Qatar has reaffirmed its support for the Federal Republic of Somalia's government institutions and efforts to strengthen security and stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Speaking during an interactive dialogue on a UN human rights report on assistance to Somalia, »»»

Tunis, Oct. 1 (TAP) - The Tunisian National Railways Company (SNCFT) said that passenger transport on the international Tunis–Annaba line in Algeria will be operated by bus from Souk Ahras to Annaba as of Thursday, October 1, 2026, due to railway...»»»

LONDON: Lebanon foiled on Thursday an attempt to smuggle about 245 kg of highly explosive material from Syria, the latest in a series of reported weapons-trafficking cases along the neighboring countries’ porous border. The seizure followed surveillance and monitoring operations along Lebanon’s nor»»»

Sabaa news agency quoted a Yemeni source as saying: “The lie as well as gross fabrication propagated by the Saudi regime—alleging that Yemenis targeted a power station in Medina—is completely baseless.” This new fabrication is an attempt to mask the failure of its previous lie regarding the targeti»»»

RIYADH: Gulf states on Thursday condemned a Houthi drone attack on a power distribution station in Madinah that supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, reiterating their solidarity with Saudi Arabia amid renewed attacks on the Kingdom. The UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait issued separate statements de»»»

Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has been selected to design a new tower in Rinia Park in Tirana, according to an announcement by the Albanian Prime Minister’s Office. BIG’s proposal envisions a three-dimensional structure elevated above ground level, with a series of volumes desi»»»

Politicians, academics and entrepreneurs discussed the benefits, risks and requirements for introducing and using artificial intelligence (AI) effectively in Bulgaria at a national forum on Thursday. The forum, Building with Artificial Intelligence: From Campus to Smart City, was organized by the U»»»

MONTEVIDEO: The State of Qatar and the Oriental Republic of Uruguay have signed a letter of intent aimed at strengthening cooperation in international mediation, as the two countries seek to expand coordination on the peaceful resolution of conflicts. The agreement was signed in Montevideo on Thurs»»»

Cape Town: India will meet defending champions Australia and bitter rivals Pakistan in their first two matches at the 2027 Cricket World Cup, the International Cricket Council announced on Thursday. The India-Australia match, a repeat of the 2023 final, will be in Cape Town on October 7 and the Ind»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth discussed the two countries’ strategic defence partnership and efforts to strengthen regional security during a phone call on Thursday. “In a call with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, we reviewed the Saudi-U»»»

Tunis, Oct. 1 (TAP) - The publication of Decree-Law No. 3 of 2026, amending certain provisions of Organic Law No. 2012-23 establishing the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE), has brought the legislative framework governing the electoral...»»»

Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has said Moscow hopes Hungary will continue its economic cooperation with Russia, while warning that Budapest’s recent actions could affect bilateral ties. Kremlin hopes Hungary will continue economic cooperation The Kremlin hopes “reason will prevail” in Hungary and that»»»

Tokyo: President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani crowned the medalists in the Equestrian Jumping team event at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games during a ceremony held in Tokyo. His Excellency presented the medals to the winning teams: Saudi Arabia claimed go»»»

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration on Thursday imposed fresh sanctions on Iran, targeting its rail and automotive conglomerates and international suppliers to the sectors, the Treasury Department said, in the latest US push to isolate Tehran economically. The sanctions are part of the department’»»»

Three teams track complaints from the 04 platform to final resolution Dubai: Dubai Police has launched a dedicated “Pulse” Room to accelerate the handling of customer complaints, strengthen follow-up and ensure cases are resolved and closed in line with strict quality standards. The facility, which»»»

Fines of up to SR10,000 apply for breaches of new architectural guidelines Dubai: Jeddah has made Hejazi coastal architectural design guidelines mandatory for all new residential building permits and applications to renovate residential facades, with fines of up to SR10,000 for violations, the Jedd»»»

Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign finally got the dramatic election-season image it had been waiting for when the Israeli occupation prime minister appeared at Ben Gurion Airport to greet Zionist passengers who had just survived a “potentially catastrophic Flydubai flight,” according to the Zionist pol»»»

ADDIS ABABA: Eritrea said it was breaking diplomatic ties with its neighbor Ethiopia on Thursday, in response to the earlier expulsion of its diplomats from Addis Ababa. “Eritrea has no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia with all the negative corollaries t»»»

BEIRUT: The deputy director-general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization told AFP on Thursday that she was “deeply concerned” about the impact of the latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict on agriculture in south Lebanon. The latest war “puts additional pressure on farmers and rural communities »»»

The presidency must act as an independent counterbalance and ensure public money is put to the best possible use, presidential candidate Andrey Gurov said in Kyustendil on Thursday. He was addressing a meeting at the Regional Cultural Institute. The president should support the government when it p»»»

Some stories do not end when they are published; they remain open, and years later they return to you, or you return to them. You discover that what you thought you knew then was only part of a much bigger story. The story of Israeli spy Eli Cohen in Syria is one such example. In March 2004, I inte»»»

The last US troops belonging to the global coalition to fight the Islamic State (IS) have left Iraq, where they were stationed at Victoria Base at the Baghdad International Airport. But in reality, many had already left well before the 30 September 2026 deadline, starting when Israel attacked Iran »»»

Hungary has voted in favour of new EU rules designed to make the return of people without a legal right to stay more effective, including stricter measures and the possibility of return hubs outside the bloc. EU approves new return framework The Council of the European Union has given its final app»»»

LONDON: Police on Thursday arrested a dual UK-Iranian national on suspicion of plotting a terror attack following a security incident at a US-run military air base in England that British authorities have linked to Tehran. The 27-year-old man was arrested in London on Thursday, and police have sear»»»

The European Commission closed an infringement procedure against Bulgaria, which was launched over delays in notifying the Commission of measures fully transposing Directive (EU) 2022/2555, known as NIS2. The Innovation and Digital Transformation Ministry was notified on Thursday, the Ministry’s pr»»»

Poland’s housing market has stabilized, with developer contract signings up 15% to 19% y/y, but growth is increasingly concentrated among large companies. Their stronger brands and lower financing costs help them gain share as the fragmented sector consolidates. The market has about 800 developers,»»»

Buildings affect health, comfort and energy use because people spend about 90% of their lives indoors, said VELUX Polska’s Aleksandra Stępniak at Business PRECOP 2026. She argued that building modernization should be seen as an opportunity for lower costs, better well-being and greater energy secur»»»

Capital Park plans to begin construction of Nowy Wełnowiec, a mixed-use district in Katowice, in spring 2027, starting with three residential buildings. The project will cover more than 30 hectares and is expected to take about 10 years to complete. Later phases will add recreation areas and retail»»»

Polish stocks fell broadly on Oct. 1, giving the WIG20 and WIG indexes their steepest losses since Aug. 27. The WIG20 dropped 1.9% to 4,102 points, while the WIG lost 1.6%. Seventeen of the 20 blue chips declined, and nearly 60% of listed stocks finished lower. Banks and Allegro were among the weak»»»

Tauron plans to repurpose sites at four coal power plants, in Jaworzno, Siersza, Łaziska and Łagisza, for new energy and industrial projects, reusing existing land and grid connections. In Jaworzno, it signed a letter of intent with the city to study a waste-to-energy plant that could produce elect»»»

Northland Power secured about PLN 500 million in financing from Canadian and Polish institutions for two battery storage projects under construction in Poland. Mieczysławów will provide 200 MW and 800 MWh, while Kamionka will provide 100 MW and 400 MWh, for combined capacity of 300 MW and 1.2 GWh. »»»

RIYADH: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Deemah Al-Yahya as a member of the UN High-Level Panel on Freedom of Transit for Landlocked Developing Countries. Al-Yahya represents the Arab region on the panel, a role that reflects her expertise and contributions in the fields of the d»»»

Since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, which led to the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Iraq has undergone a qualitative shift in regional and international balances of power. The two main players in the Iraqi arena are the US and Iran, and both compete for influence. Iran has invested patiently a»»»

TUNIS, Oct 1, 2026 (TAP) - President of the Tunisian Water Observatory Houcine Rhili called for the adoption of modern solutions and technologies to limit the evaporation of dam water.Speaking at a press conference organised on Thursday by the...»»»

Attack knocked out transformer but did not disrupt electricity network Dubai: A Houthi drone struck a civilian electricity distribution station in Medina that supplies power to the Prophet’s Mosque, knocking one transformer out of service but leaving the wider electricity network unaffected, the Co»»»

Cairo: The State of Qatar participated in the 37th Ministerial Meeting of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment, held Thursday at the Arab League's General Secretariat in Cairo, under the chairmanship of the Republic of Yemen. Minister of Environment and Climate Change HE Dr»»»

WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday announced fresh sanctions targeting Iran’s largest automakers, as well as major rail, manufacturing and metals companies, as Washington seeks to exert maximum pressure in its war against the country. “Because the rail and automotive sectors represent some o»»»

LONDON: Smit Machchhar, the FlyDubai captain who was attacked mid-air by his co-pilot, has been moved from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi for continued medical treatment.The Indian pilot was initially taken to hospital in Tabuk, where the flight made an emergency landing on Wednesday morning after he wa»»»

Manama: Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said that the GCC states' economies have demonstrated strong fiscal and macroeconomic resilience. In this regard, he underlined that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) commended the resilience of GCC economie»»»

Tunis, Oct. 1 (TAP) - Tunisia and Japan are preparing to conclude a bilateral investment agreement aimed at strengthening investor protection and providing better guarantees to economic operators, which is expected to boost capital flows between the...»»»