BAGHDAD: Iraq’s judiciary has sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for the kidnapping of an American journalist who was abducted earlier this year by a powerful Iran-backed group, a judicial source said Monday. At the height of the Middle East war, on March 31, Kataeb Hezbollah kidnapped journalis»»»

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a press conference August 24 at the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C. Bessent and other finance leaders from the G20 countries are taking part in a meeting Monday and Tuesday in North Carolina. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 3»»»

LONDON: Queen Rania of Jordan marked her 56th birthday on Monday with a new portrait released by the Royal Hashemite Court, just weeks after welcoming twin granddaughters to the royal family. The Jordanian queen opted for a relaxed, elegant look in the portrait, wearing cream trousers with a pink s»»»

Uzbek professor of international relations and critical minerals scholar Iqboljon Karabaev has been arrested and charged with espionage in Kazakhstan, according to a report from BBC Uzbek. The 46-year-old, originally from Andijan, was teaching at Maksut Narikbaev University in Astana. "On July 3, s»»»

RIYADH: Hero Esports — Asia’s largest esports company — has announced it will launch the inaugural humanoid combat tournament in Riyadh this September, heralding a world-first fusion of robotics, artificial intelligence and competitive gaming, Speaking to Arab News at LEAP 2026, Danny Tang, Hero Es»»»

Hungary has met all the European Union’s requirements to access “thousands of billions” of forints in EU funding, “in line with its commitments and by today’s deadline”, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Facebook on Monday. “Now the funds from Brussels are welcome to arrive,” Magyar said, thankin»»»

Chinese company Jieya Egypt is investing $67 million to establish an integrated manufacturing complex for disposable hygiene products in the Sokhna Integrated Zone, part of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE). The project will cover 160,000 square metres and is expected to generate around 450 dir»»»

Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Mohamed Farid, Port Said Governor Ibrahim Abu Limon, and Port Said University President Sherif Youssef Saleh launched the second phase of the “Egypt Exports” initiative in Port Said, under the patronage of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and with the partici»»»

BP has started production from the Fayoum 4 well in Egypt’s West Nile Delta, adding new natural gas volumes to the domestic market as the company continues to invest in the region. The well is expected to produce around 80 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (mmscf/d). The start of productio»»»

Salah Gombalat, Minister of State for Military Production, is travelling today to Bosnia and Herzegovina to participate in the First Balkan Shield – Defence Industry Expo and Summit 2026, scheduled to take place in Sarajevo from 1-4 September 2026. The visit follows the directives of President Abde»»»

Mohamed Farid, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, met Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef, Chairman of Oman’s Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ), to discuss strengthening investment and trade cooperation and opportunities for integration between economic, special and f»»»

Plans call for reorganizing the 15 Regional Inspectorates of Environment and Water and transferring Water Act enforcement to them from the Basin Directorates, Environment and Water Minister Rositsa Karamfilova said Monday. Karamfilova presented the plans at a meeting with the heads of the inspector»»»

RIYADH: The fifth edition of the landmark LEAP technology conference began on Monday with major announcements from Saudi AI firm Humain, setting a rapid pace for the Kingdom’s regional technological leadership. “Everything that we’ve talked about is building that intelligence in Saudi Arabia. We co»»»

A ship carrying arms for a right-wing militia, the Altalena was sunk 78 years ago off the coast of Tel Aviv at the orders of Israel’s founders. The discovery of its wreckage last week has given the country’s right-wing government ammunition to target the left and attempt to redirect the campaign fo»»»

Leaders from more than a dozen countries, including Russia's Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping, India's Narendra Modi and Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian, gathered in Kyrgyzstan on Monday for the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a group billed as a counterweight to US influence. »»»

LONDON: Beginning with the start of the new school year on Tuesday, about 45,000 Palestinian students in East Jerusalem starting their first or seventh grades will be re required to study the Israeli curriculum. It is the first time this has happened since Israel occupied the city in 1967. Critics »»»

JEDDAH: More than 11,000 male and female students have enrolled in the Mawhiba Classes program, implemented by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, known as Mawhiba, in partnership with distinguished schools. A further 5,200 have joined the Mawhiba Advance»»»

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez speaks as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba during the Closing Session of the VIII Congress of the PCC at the Palacio de Convenciones, in Havana, Cuba, in 2021. File Photo by Ariel Ley Royero/EPA Aug. 31 (UPI) -- The C»»»

Hungary’s government has already solved several crisis situations since coming to power in May, Prime Minister Péter Magyar told the Bled Strategy Forum in Slovenia on Monday, adding: “I am proud of my government.” He cited the energy supply crisis due to extreme weather conditions as an example, s»»»

Donald Trump has made sports betting markets at the domestic and global level nervous on multiple occasions throughout his second stint as President of the United States. Most notably, his administration’s decision to let prediction markets run rampant has many operators nervous that their revenues»»»

AL-MUKALLA: More than 1,000 political, social, tribal and religious figures from Yemen’s southeastern province of Hadramout gathered in Al-Mukalla on Monday to establish a unified political body aimed at representing the province in an upcoming dialogue expected to be hosted by Saudi Arabia. Openin»»»

There was allegedly a bomb threat that's being investigated An Air India Express flight from Saudi Arabia’s Dammam to New Delhi had to make an emergency landing at Ahmedabad airport on Monday. Ahmedabad Police were quoted by Hindustan Times as saying that a crew member had found tissue in the lavat»»»

Probe finds civilians killed 50 metres from blast as weapon sprays tungsten pellets Dubai: It is supposed to represent the future of American warfare: A new ballistic missile capable of travelling hundreds of kilometres and striking its target with extraordinary precision. But what happened in the »»»

As rising temperatures reshape France's vineyards, winemakers are turning to Normandy and Brittany, regions once known for cider, not grapes. Those fleeing harsher conditions in traditional areas like the Loire Valley see opportunity up north, though some warn the same climate volatility disrupting»»»

As FRANCE 24 kicks off its new season of programmes, we've been looking ahead to perhaps the two most anticipated events to come in the year ahead. In two months' time the US will vote in midterm elections, and in just over six months' time France will vote in presidential elections. In Perspective»»»

Doha, Qatar: Children of Qataris, Qatari women and GCC citizens, as well as several categories of expatriate residents, are eligible to apply for admission to government schools in Qatar, according to Ghalia Mahdi Al Qahtani, Acting Head of the Student Admission and Registration Department, who has»»»

Four Squares Cafe is back! After a brief hiatus to renovate, the Eastern Province’s sweet spot returns with a fresh logo. The revamped cafe is well-lit, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, as well as outlets to plug in your devices as you also recharge. It has been the only branch in Alkhoba»»»

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that Lebanon’s stability is essential to Europe’s, supporting U.S.-brokered framework agreemen to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah. File Photo by Rahim Rhéa/UPi | License Photo BEIRUT, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday tha»»»

Saudi national carrier gets approval to operate three weekly flights on new route Dubai: Saudia will launch direct flights between Muscat and Riyadh from October 27, adding three weekly services as Oman and Saudi Arabia expand air links between the two Gulf neighbours. Oman’s Civil Aviation Authori»»»

Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football with immediate effect. The 39-year-old captained Argentina to the final of last month's World Cup in New York, but he was unable to prevent his nation losing 1-0 to Spain and it proved to be the final match of his international c»»»

Poland’s investment in environmental protection and water management rose 22.5% y/y in 2025, according to Statistics Poland (GUS). Environmental protection spending reached PLN 18.1 bln, up from PLN 15.1 bln in 2024, while water management investment increased to PLN 4.8 bln from PLN 3.6 bln. Waste»»»

Estonia's defence institutions have failed to resolve serious shortcomings in financial and inventory management, increasing the risk of state assets being misused or going unaccounted for, the National Audit Office said on August 28.  The findings raise concerns over Estonia’s ability to mana»»»

1 of 2 | Young men who returned from Spain gather at the Bab Sebta border crossing near Fnideq, Morocco, on July 31. The unrest erupted as thousands gathered near the border, some attempted to cross into Ceuta and clashed with Moroccan security forces. File Photo by Jalal Morchidi/EPA Aug. 31 (UPI)»»»

According to data released by Colombia's Search Unit for Missing Persons, known by its Spanish acronym UBPD, at least 137,000 people have been reported missing in connection with the country's armed conflict since 1921. Photo by Mario Caicedo/EPA Aug. 31 (UPI) -- When Tobías Borda Cepeda disappeare»»»

Damascus, Aug. 31 (SANA) The Syrian Embassy in Tripoli officially resumed its operations on Sunday after a 14-year closure, opening a new chapter in Syrian-Libyan relations and reactivating the Syrian-Libyan Joint Higher Committee. This development crowns a process initiated following liberation on»»»

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev agreed on August 31 to take further steps towards lasting peace and normalised relations between their countries, including closer economic ties and the development of regional transport links. The leaders met on the sid»»»

LONDON: Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank established a new settler outpost called Noa, located near the settlements of Ganim and Kadim, southeast of the Palestinian town of Jenin. It is the eighth settlement founded in less than a year by the Samaria Regional Council, a settler adminis»»»

Buda Castle District council is launching a poll on short-term rentals (Airbnbs), allowing residents’ views to inform decisions on future regulation, the council told Hungarian news agency MTI. Mayor wants a vibrant and attractive residential district The issue is particularly timely because the st»»»

A man is in a life-threatening condition after plunging on to the paved embankment beside the Danube in central Budapest, near the Pontoon entertainment venue. Accident near popular Budapest riverside venue The serious accident took place in the early hours of Sunday near the Pest end of the Chain »»»

A photographic exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Neonatology Clinic at the Maichin Dom Specialized Hospital for Active Treatment in Obstetrics and Gynecology opened in Sofia on Monday in front of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre. The exhibition, titled “Every New Life Deserves a Cha»»»

Albania has begun implementing a new project aimed at strengthening security in schools through the use of intelligent camera systems, Prime Minister Edi Rama announced. According to Rama, 20 schools in the capital, Tirana, have already been equipped with the new technology. The cameras are intende»»»

Bulgarian Social Democracy – EuroLeft leader Alexander Tomov will run for president in the October 25 election, the party’s press office said on Monday. Tomov, born in Sofia in 1954, is an academic and politician. He studied at the University of National and World Economy and St Petersburg State Un»»»

Warsaw’s Saski Point office building at 111 Marszałkowska Street will be demolished rather than converted into apartments as previously planned. Owner Roceporthill Investments concluded that conversion was impractical after a detailed technical assessment. A new residential building designed by JSK»»»

Polish FoodTech company Botanika Farm has launched an IPO ahead of a planned debut on the Warsaw Stock Exchange’s main market. The company is offering up to 250,000 shares at a maximum price of PLN 69 each, giving the offering a potential value of about PLN 17.3 mln. Proceeds will finance a new pro»»»

Poland’s economy grew 3.9% y/y in Q2 2026, up from 3.5% in Q1, supported by stronger investment, industry and construction. Fixed investment rose 8.4% y/y, and ING Bank Śląski expects growth in capital spending to approach double digits in H2 as National Recovery Plan projects accelerate. Exports i»»»

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JEDDAH: A research lab at Jameel Library is inviting people to take a broader view of translation — as a way of moving between languages, images, sounds, experiences and different forms of knowledge. The Task of the Translator Research Lab, developed and facilitated by artist and editor Sarasija Su»»»

The European Commission has placed ChatGPT, Roblox and Reddit under its strictest designations for online platforms under the Digital Services Act. File Photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA Aug. 31 (UPI) -- The European Commission has placed ChatGPT, Roblox and Reddit under its strictest designations for onli»»»

Doha, Qatar: As the new academic year begins, Qatar National Library invites students, researchers, and lifelong learners to a dynamic month of programs spanning mentorship, technology, and literature. The calendar kicks off on September 5 with "The Murshidi Program: Academic and Career Mentoring,"»»»