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»»»

LONDON: PIF and Formula E are announcing the expansion of the Driving Force program through a new online platform, giving young people worldwide a backstage pass to the future of motorsport through STEM and sustainability education. The multi-dimensional learning program was first launched in April»»»

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»»»

Strikes on Ukraine’s energy system could force it to halt its resistance, Igor Yushkov, a leading expert at the Financial University and the National Energy Security Fund, tells Sputnik. "All communications depend on electricity," Yushkov says. "Starlink systems, for example, require power, as do d»»»

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»»»

Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem delivered on Friday a televised speech on the anniversary of the Divine Victory over the Israeli enemy in 2006, affirming that the Israeli enemy has always resorted to pretexts in order to wage prepared wars on Lebanon. Sheikh Qassem pointed out that o»»»

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»»»

Grants from the European Union and other partners now cover more than a fifth of Ukraine’s budget revenue, masking a wartime financing gap that widened to $20bn in the first half of 2026. Kyiv’s headline deficit tells a reassuring story. After counting $13.1bn in grants, the central budget shortfal»»»

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»»»

RIO DE ‌JANEIRO: Brazil’s ​federal police on Friday carried out search warrants targeting former ‌Rio ‌de Janeiro ​Governor ‌Claudio ⁠Castro, ​two sources familiar ⁠with the investigation told Reuters. Castro’s lawyer said in ⁠a statement ‌to ‌Reuters ​that authorities ‌had ‌not searched his reside»»»

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»»»

LONDON: Arsenal begin the defense of their Premier League title as one of the few ‌clubs untouched by a close season of managerial upheaval that has transformed the landscape of English football. While Mikel Arteta’s methods are tested and trusted at Arsenal after nearly seven years at the helm, it»»»

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»»»

Jerusalem: US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner will visit Israel next week in hopes of bridging gaps on a Gaza plan rejected by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, officials said Friday. Kushner and Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza of Trump's so-called B»»»

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»»»

Bulgaria participated in the international exercise Black Sea 2026 in Romania, the Border Police General Directorate reported on Friday. The exercise took place on Thursday and Friday in the Romanian city of Constanta and ​​Romanian territorial waters as part of a joint operation, coordinated by th»»»

1 of 2 | Construction continues on the East Wing ballroom on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 14 (UPI) -- The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow it to continue construction on the White House»»»

Speaking to journalists in Pleven on Friday, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said that the government is taking concrete measures to fulfill its programme. "We have eliminated the oligarchy from political power. They are now outside it," Radev said. He was in the city to attend the ceremony at which gra»»»

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»»»

Ankara: The Turkish Directorate General for Maritime Affairs announced that a Turkish-flagged vessel had rescued 48 Sudanese migrants stranded in the Mediterranean Sea off the Greek island of Crete. In a post on X today, the directorate said the vessel Donau Express II rescued the irregular migrant»»»

LONDON: Aston Villa’s 1981 First Division title-winning goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer has died at the age of 78. Rimmer was ever-present as Villa were crowned champions of England, in the forerunner of the Premier League. But he is best remembered for being forced off with a neck injury after only nine m»»»

Mumbai: India's Reliance Industries and Britain's Rolls-Royce announced on Friday plans to jointly design and manufacture engines for the south Asian country's multirole indigenous fighter jet programme. Reliance Industries Limited, India's largest private sector company, has been expanding into de»»»

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»»»

France's constitutional council struck down a proposed ban on social media for children under 15 on Friday, citing freedom of expression. President Emmanuel Macron tasked Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu with re-working ​the draft legislation to take the Constitutional Council's concerns into accou»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Trump Stops Short of Endorsing Netanyahu as His Campaign Falters: Axios 14-08-2026 18:08 PM US President Donald Trump and Zionist Prime Min»»»

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»»»

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»»»

DAMASCUS/FRANKFURT: A former Syrian security officer sentenced to prison in Austria for abusing detainees during Bashar Assad’s rule left the country while appealing against his sentence and returned to Syria earlier this month, according to four sources and messages reviewed by Reuters. Lt. Col. M»»»

PARIS/HAMBURG: Relentless heat and drought could halve this year’s French maize harvest and reduce European Union production to its smallest in decades, analysts said, despite expectations that crops in Poland and Romania will hold up better. The European Commission in late July cut its forecast fo»»»

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»»»

Russia's economy bounced back to 1.3% growth in the second quarter, beating official forecasts after a rare contraction at the start of the year. Preliminary data from Rosstat, the state statistics service, put second-quarter GDP up 1.3% y/y, above the 0.8% the central bank had forecast and the 0.9»»»

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»»»

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»»»