Damascus, Sept. 23 (SANA) Syria plans to build or rehabilitate about 2 million homes by 2035 to cut its housing deficit by more than 70%, as authorities seek to address a shortage estimated at 1.9 million units in 2025. The housing gap could widen to 2.5 million units by 2030 unless supply increase»»»

Veit-Ulrich BraunMillions of charter overnight stays add pressure to the Adriatic. A floating hub offers sewage disposal, freshwater and waste services closer to boats. https://p.dw.com/p/5N2U8AdvertisementCroatia's Adriatic coast is one of Europe's top tourism destinations, attracting millions of »»»

New York: Qatar's Free Zones Authority (QFZ) chief has discussed potential cooperation with Hillwood and The Perot Group on the sidelines of the Qatar Economic Forum Special Edition at UNGA 2026. CEO of QFZ HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Faisal Al-Thani met with Ross Perot Jr., the chairman of Hi»»»

The parliamentary Committee on Economic Policy, Investments, and Industry approved at first reading on Wednesday the bill ratifying Amendment No. 1 to the Framework Agreement between the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Bulgaria and Lockheed Martin Global, Inc. regarding the F-16 Block 70 Ind»»»

Lagos: Nigeria and the French firm TotalEnergies announced Wednesday a deal to invest $800 million in an offshore natural gas field to advance the country's hydrocarbon ambitions. Since his election in 2023 President Bola Tinubu has promised to boost Nigeria's oil and gas production, which despite »»»

Doha: Qatar Chamber hosted a dialogue session organized by the Women Entrepreneurs Community (WEC), an initiative of the Youth Initiatives Incubator under the Ministry of Sports and Youth, in cooperation with the Young Entrepreneurs Club, women entrepreneurs to exchange experiences. The Chamber's h»»»

NEW YORK, (Sputnik) - A meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ended in New York after approximately one hour. Lavrov arrived in New York City on Tuesday to participate in the High-Level Week of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. H»»»

Trump sees momentum after indirect Iran talks as oil falls and aviation sanctions bite The US-Iran conflict has entered a potentially significant diplomatic phase, with the two sides holding their first indirect talks in months on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. US President D»»»

Hungary could soon have 12 official public holidays instead of 11, as lawmakers from the governing Tisza Party have submitted legislation to make Christmas Eve a permanent day off. If approved, the change could take effect before Christmas 2026, while most shops would be required to close on 24 Dec»»»

Israeli officials have hit back at French President Emmanuel Macron after he criticised Israel’s conduct in the occupied West Bank during his address to the UN General Assembly. But while Macron used strong words against Israel, France allowed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plane to fly throug»»»

Defense funding will rise in Bulgaria’s 2027 budget, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, although he did not give a specific percentage for the increase. Radev said the higher allocation is both necessary and required under the coalition agreement. "This is not merely a necessity dictated by the secur»»»

NEW YORK - Serbian caretaker FM Marko Djuric met on Wednesday in New York with St Lucia's FM Alva Romanus Baptiste and thanked the country for supporting the preservation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia. The ministers met on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly sessi»»»

The most powerful venture capital firm in Silicon Valley is starting a two-year private school for young people intended to replace college, as some U.S. tech elite question the benefits of a classical university education. The Horowitz Andreessen Academy, or HAA, is backed by veteran investors Mar»»»

The Foreign Affairs magazine published an article titled, “The Stalemate With Iran Is Not Sustainable,” to discuss the diplomatic strategy to end the war. “For six months, the war with Iran was disruptive but manageable. The Strait of Hormuz was largely closed to maritime traffic, blocking a transi»»»

The United States has delivered 16 million rounds of ammunition to the Lebanese Army, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut said on Wednesday. “Over the past 6 years, the United States has delivered more than $800 million dollars in military assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces to build their long-term rea»»»

Doha, Qatar: Xiaomi today unveiled the new REDMI Note 17 Series, introducing three smartphones designed around long-term durability, extended battery life and flagship-grade experiences. The lineup includes the first-ever REDMI Note 17 Pro Max 5G, alongside REDMI Note 17 Pro 5G and REDMI Note 17 5G»»»

Papers on constitutional battle over Election Commission to be placed before Chief Justice Who should choose the officials entrusted with overseeing elections in the world’s largest democracy? That question is at the heart of an important constitutional battle before India’s Supreme Court, where tw»»»

Satellite-to-phone tech promises full coverage beyond the limits of 4G and 5G Before you picture streaming Netflix from the middle of the empty quarter, here's the new picture of connectivity in dead zones. Oceans, deserts, and mountain ranges, make up most of the earth’s surface, yet the people an»»»

The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, has said that Hezbollah has conducted a deep review of the course adopted since October 8, 2023, objectively identifying any flaws or shortcomings in its performance. In an interview with the al-Modon news portal, Raad noted that Hezboll»»»

BELGRADE - It is shameful and deeply hypocritical that Croatian PM Andrej Plenkovic is lecturing Serbia on EU integration while his government is openly obstructing regional cooperation and rehabilitating ustasha symbols, says Serbian Progressive Party leader Milos Vucevic, who is also adviser to t»»»

Albania’s government has temporarily delegated the administrative powers of the head of the State Intelligence Service (SHISH) to Elvis Lila, director of the agency’s Operations Department, following the dismissal of Vlora Hyseni, according to an order published in the Official Gazette. Prime Minis»»»

Business and philanthropy leaders discuss water financing ahead of December UN conference New York: Global business, investment and philanthropy leaders have called for stronger private-sector involvement in water infrastructure as the world faces an annual investment gap of up to $141 billion to a»»»

Parliament on Wednesday backed first-reading amendments to the Insurance Code allowing the Financial Supervision Commission (FSC) to act on its own initiative when funds managed by the Guarantee Fund face a shortfall. The bill was tabled by Daniel Parushev of Progressive Bulgaria and a group of MPs»»»

The fight against the oligarchy waged at the expense of the poorest Bulgarians continues, MP Tsoncho Ganev of the Vazrazhdane party told journalists in Parliament on Wednesday. "Having 'frozen' the pensions and maternity benefits of 'oligarch-pensioners' and 'oligarch-mothers,' the government and t»»»

More than 550,000 low-income people will receive a one-off payment of EUR 50 to help offset higher consumption costs resulting from increased fuel prices, under a new government measure adopted by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday. Eligible recipients include people and families with incomes be»»»

A total of 18,430 Bulgarian citizens from 66 countries had registered by 11 a.m. on Wednesday to vote abroad in Bulgaria's October 25 presidential election, Boriana Stoynova, head of the Information and Communication Systems Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a briefing on the pre»»»

Yemeni factions fighting the Iran-backed Houthis are united mainly in one thing — their opposition to the rebels who control the country's north and have recently advanced along its Red Sea coastline. But beyond that, the groups fighting under the banner of Yemen's internationally recognized govern»»»

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa insisted at the U.N. Wednesday that the Golan Heights region will remain Syrian after Colombia last month recognized Israeli sovereignty over the strategically important territory. "Any attempts that violate our sovereignty, violate international law, will be stoppe»»»

The meeting comes as part of Russia's participation in the 81st session of the organization. Sputnik is live from New York where Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is holding talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.The two top diplomats are expec»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A US-registered NATO Saab 340B ISR reconnaissance aircraft has been flying near the borders of Russia's Kaliningrad region for a third consecutive day, according to flight data reviewed by Sputnik on Wednesday. The aircraft took off at approximately 07:56 GMT from an airbase east»»»

Lithuania’s parliament has backed a constitutional amendment that would lift a ban on nuclear weapons, thus bringing the NATO member a step closer to hosting them on its territory. Russia has warned the Baltic country, which borders its Kaliningrad Region, that such a move would have significant se»»»

A Budapest court has ordered the detention of two men suspected of involvement in a fatal stabbing in the city’s popular nightlife district. Both men have previous criminal convictions and allegedly attempted to hide the weapon and their clothing after the attack. The Buda Central District Court ha»»»

The newly opened Burgas branch of the University of Forestry has begun its first academic year with around 20 students enrolled in Landscape Architecture and Forestry, University Rector Dr. Hristo Mihaylov said here on Wednesday. Students have enrolled from Sofia, Blagoevgrad, Sliven, Haskovo, Yamb»»»

The armed forces budget will increase in 2027 despite the difficult budgetary situation and the need to reduce the deficit, Prime Minister Rumen Radev told journalists on Wednesday at the Slivnitsa Training Centre. He was attending a demonstration of capabilities and combat skills following the con»»»

Doha, Qatar: Doha Film Institute (DFI) today announced that Doha Film Festival (DFF) 2026 will open with the MENA premiere of The Station (Al Mahattah), the acclaimed debut feature from Yemeni-Scottish filmmaker Sara Ishaq, taking place from Nov. 19-27, 2026, in Doha. A bold and deeply human story »»»

OpenAI’s Sam Altman will pitch the idea of creating global AI standards when he speaks at the United Nations on Wednesday, positioning himself as a centrist on the question of whether to slow down the technology’s progress. Altman, the company’s co-founder and chief executive officer, is set to app»»»

Report says Gyanesh Kumar overruled objections from two members 14 times over 10 months New Delhi: India’s political opposition demanded the removal of the top election official on Wednesday after a newspaper investigation alleged that decisions behind a contentious voter-roll revision may have bee»»»

Located near Cernica, approximately 20 minutes from the Pallady commercial area, Liziera de Lac was created to offer a new quality of residential living close to Bucharest, built around a strong connection with nature, excellent city connectivity and a high quality of life. The project brings toget»»»

Washington: Apple announced that it has postponed the launch of advanced OLED screen technology in iPhones for several years, previously expected to be used on the company's 20th anniversary phone. The new technology is called Color Filter on Encapsulation (CoE) OLED; a key feature of it is elimina»»»

New York: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs HE Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi met separately with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia HE Tone Kajzer; Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of the Solomon Islands HE Rick Houenipwela; Undersecretary of State at the Minist»»»

Colombo: Sri Lanka's recovery from the worst economic crisis in its history could be upended by the El Nino climate phenomenon and fallout from the Middle East crisis, the IMF warned Wednesday. The South Asian nation's economic collapse of 2022 was triggered by a severe foreign exchange shortage th»»»

Police say 41-year-old ignored cabin crew as aircraft prepared to land in Perth A passenger on a Qantas flight in Australia allegedly tried to open an aircraft door while the plane was still in the air, after abusing another traveller and cabin crew, police said. The 41-year-old Western Australian »»»

Alfred Holding launches Creditmarket.ae and Holidaymarket.ae, for finance and travel Alfred Holding, the parent company behind Insurancemarket.ae, has launched two new consumer platforms, Creditmarket.ae and Holidaymarket.ae. This marks the group's first major expansion beyond insurance in its 16-y»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran held indirect talks with the United States through Qatar on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi outlin»»»

NEW YORK - Serbian FM Marko Djuric met on Tuesday in New York with Ghanaian FM Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly session to discuss cooperation between the two countries. Djuric once again thanked Ghana for its "support for the preservation of the sovereignty »»»

Postgraduate and specialised programmes target skills in AI, business and leadership For professionals looking to add new qualifications, strengthen specialist skills or prepare for their next career move, postgraduate education is increasingly becoming part of the career plan. Gulf News LevelUP, t»»»

Decision to hand back archipelago has been a bone of contention with Trump administration London: Britain will rework its deal to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a minister confirmed Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump branded the agreement “terrible” during his first meeting with UK»»»

Cash, weapons and luxury watches uncovered in Naples Camorra stronghold Italian police found over three million euros in cash stashed inside the walls of an alleged drug lord's house following a tip-off, a top anti-mafia prosecutor told AFP Wednesday. The raid also uncovered Kalashnikovs, along wit»»»

DOHA: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani, chaired the weekly Cabinet meeting held at the Amiri Diwan. Following the meeting, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs HE Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohannadi»»»

New SIFC system gives applicants a way to submit queries and follow their progress Dubai: UAE-based Pakistanis exploring a business investment back home have a new channel for contacting Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). The council has launched a digital Ticketing Hub wher»»»