Dubai: Diplomatic and security activity continued across the Gulf and wider Middle East on Thursday, with sharp exchanges between the US and Iran, a new defence pact among regional powers, continued Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and a counterterrorism operation in Kuwait. For UAE residents, t»»»

LONDON: The Israeli military has reversed an earlier order to evacuate Palestinians from 15 homes in the West Bank village of Qusra, saying residents could remain while troops conduct operations near a recently established settler outpost, according to Israeli media. The military said forces had be»»»

BUCHAREST: Romania on Thursday began a controlled shutdown of the second reactor at its Cernavoda nuclear power plant as a severe drought continues to grip the continent. Scorching heat and low rainfall in recent weeks have left the Danube River at record lows and forced the state-owned Cernavoda p»»»

Three states are scheduled to execute prisoners Thursday. File Photo by Paul Buck/EPA Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Three states are set to execute prisoners Thursday in Tennessee, Alabama and Oklahoma. The three men, all convicted of murder, will be executed by lethal injection. Two of them have not fought the»»»

MIAMI: A federal judge in Miami has postponed a hearing over whether social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate should remain in custody as they fight extradition to the United Kingdom, where the brothers are accused of rape and sex trafficking. US Magistrate Lauren Louis had been scheduled t»»»

OMODA JAECOO is preparing to welcome the new OMODA 4 to Saudi Arabia, introducing a next-generation smart SUV designed for young, connected and technology-minded drivers. Following its recent regional debut in Southeast Asia, OMODA 4 is now set to become an important upcoming product story for the »»»

A partial state of disaster has been declared for seven days within a 500-meter radius of the EMCO facility near the village of Belitsa, the Municipality of Tryavna said. The state of disaster has been put in place to ensure public safety, allow the Bulgarian land forces to clear the area, and prev»»»

Fuel prices in Bulgaria are expected to decline in the coming months as the market moves toward normalization, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Alexander Pulev and Evgeni Simeonov, the special commercial manager of the Burgas oil refinery. Speaking at a briefing at the refine»»»

LONDON: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Thursday that his X account had been hacked after a statement accusing Israel of serious violations of international law in southern Lebanon was deleted. “I am republishing what I wrote yesterday after it became clear to me that someone had manage»»»

GENEVA: The heads of six Arab soccer federations expressed their “full support” and “confidence” in Gianni Infantino on Thursday as the embattled FIFA president fights to keep his job after his failed World Cup private investment plan. The backing came from 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco, Qatar, Eg»»»

The water level of the Caspian Sea has fallen to its lowest point in about 200 years and continues to decline, a local Iranian environmental official said following a meeting among the countries surrounding the body of water on August 12.  Mohammad Reza Kanani, head of the Department of Enviro»»»

DHAKA: The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh announced on Thursday that the number of weekly flights to Saudi Arabia would nearly double and Saudi carriers will get access to another two airports to enable more routes to Riyadh, Dammam, Madinah and Jeddah. Under a new cooperation agreement bet»»»

Soft power, in the form of scientific cooperation, is helping to drive an expansion of China’s economic influence in Central Asia. Uzbekistan and China, for example, recently launched the joint hyperspectral satellite, Samarkand-2028, which will support applications in agriculture, environmental mo»»»

LONDON: An Israeli drone strike killed one Palestinian and wounded several others on Thursday in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, medical sources said. Nasser Hospital received the body of the person killed and several wounded after an Israeli drone struck a motorcycle carrying two people ne»»»

Ukraine halted an intense campaign of drone strikes on oil tankers using the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal at Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk after a request from US Vice-President JD Vance during a call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 31, the Financial Times reporte»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will participate in the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Mongolia on Monday, marking the conclusion of its landmark presidency. The COP17 summit, which runs from Aug. 17 to 28 in Ulaanbaatar, brings together states,»»»

Ukraine does not take back all of its prisoners of war, only those it considers ideologically or politically useful, Institute of CIS Countries leading researcher Alexander Dudchak tells Sputnik. "Those who could tell the truth about conditions in Russian captivity – that they are fed, receive medi»»»

The weekend weather in Hungary will bring the return of intense summer heat, with mostly cloudless skies, virtually no rain and temperatures climbing above 30°C across the country. The hottest conditions are expected on Sunday, when afternoon highs could reach 37°C, according to the latest forecast»»»

Dubai: Priyanka Chopra Jonas marked Sridevi’s birth anniversary with a heartfelt remembrance of the late screen icon as she unveiled the cover of Empress: The Definitive Biography of Sridevi, an upcoming book chronicling the actress’s extraordinary life and career. Taking to her Instagram Stories, »»»

PoliticsEritreaEritrea: Key player in the geopolitical gamble at the HornMartina SchwikowskiAmid growing tensions and security risks in the Horn of Africa, Eritrea, with its strategically important coastal points on the Red Sea, is emerging as an important player in the region. https://p.dw.com/p/5»»»

The National Network for Children, the Parents Association and the Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association have invited Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev to discuss cooperation on preventing the online radicalization of children and young people, the National Network for Children s»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Zionist Attacks Leave More Casualties in Gaza amid Command Rifts over Withdrawal from Strip 13-08-2026 16:23 PM According to Palestinian re»»»

MANILA: The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos to cooperate in research and the training of religious leaders and scholars. The NCMF is the body governing Muslim affairs in the predominantly Catholic Philippine»»»

Ukraine has stopped reporting how many missiles the Russian military has fired, as the figures expose deep weaknesses in its air defenses, veteran military analyst Viktor Litovkin tells Sputnik. "They know they can’t intercept even a single [missile] — and it’s becoming harder to keep up the preten»»»

Dubai: Motorists travelling between Dubai and Sharjah are facing delays this afternoon following multiple crashes and heavy congestion on key routes, according to real-time traffic data from Google Maps. Two separate crashes have been reported on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311), with one near»»»

People carry a huge tricolored flag as they participate in Tiranga Yatra, or the tricolor procession, ahead of Independence Day, in Ahmedabad,Dubai: India is witnessing vibrant Har Ghar Tiranga celebrations ahead of Independence Day, with people across the country displaying the national flag at ho»»»

European stocks mostly rose Thursday as investors welcomed news of easing U.S. inflation, while oil prices fell back from recent gains amid uncertainty over the prospects for the Strait of Hormuz. London's stock market, however, fell as shares in heavyweight mining companies retreated after copper »»»

Dubai: Pakistan has named its first lunar rover “Jinnah-1”, which is scheduled to travel to the Moon in 2029 aboard China’s Chang’e-8 mission, Dawn reported. The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) announced the name on Thursday at a ceremony in Islamabad. Also Read: W»»»

The UAE today officially begins implementing Cabinet Resolution No. (107) of 2026 concerning the Executive Regulation of Federal Decree-Law No. (42) of 2023 on Combating Commercial Fraud. Under the new decision, suppliers are required to immediately stop selling or displaying any non-compliant prod»»»

Inter-agency coordination fell short in a recent child abuse case in Montana, Minister of Labour and Social Policy Nataliya Efremova said on Thursday. Authorities had been aware of the case since early summer, she added. On Wednesday, a five-year-old boy from Montana was hospitalized in critical co»»»

Libya has, within the span of a single day, had a senior intelligence official killed in a car bomb in the east and suffered drone attacks on a major oil refinery near Tripoli in the west. How does this affect ongoing efforts, notably by the Trump administration, to reunify the country's divided in»»»

GANIM, Palestinian Territories: Israel officially reopened the West Bank settlement of Ganim on Thursday more than 20 years after it withdrew from the community, emblematic of the current government’s policy of rapid settlement expansion. The smell of freshly poured asphalt hung in the air above Ga»»»

DUBAI: For roughly its first third, “The Last House” is an enthralling watch — a tense survival thriller that will resonate with pretty much everyone who remembers COVID lockdowns. It centers on a working-class, economically struggling family living in suburban Seattle: dad Jason (Wagner Moura); mo»»»

MAKKAH: In the narrow alleyways of the historic district in the heart of Taif, within the old souk and its winding streets, time seems to stand still, retelling the stories of generations past. The air is thick with the scent of Taif roses, mingling with the aroma of cardamom and authentic Arabian »»»

Russia’s strikes on the Ukrainian ports of Reni and Izmail signal its resolve to cripple the logistics chain moving military cargo “barge → warehouse → train → front,” Konstantin Sivkov, a member of the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences, tells Sputnik. Since 2022, the Ukrainian port »»»

The Government is already implementing much of its 2026-2030 programme, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Investments and Industry Alexander Poulev said on Thursday. The Cabinet adopted a governance programme until 2030 on Wednesday. It is based on Progressive Bulgaria’s programme. Pou»»»

New Delhi: Air India has ordered drug screening for all pilots across Air India and Air India Express following the controversy over a captain who twice tested positive for marijuana after a Phuket-Delhi flight suddenly lost altitude, NDTV reported. The fresh screening begins immediately and will c»»»

The Strait of Hormuz remains squarely under the “management and control” of the Islamic Republic, the head of Iran’s Basij Organization declared on Thursday, asserting that US efforts to spark a fresh confrontation in the strategic waterway have once again ended in defeat. Hossein Taeb made the rem»»»

Dubai: Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered three tombs dating to different periods of the country’s history at the Sheikh Subi archaeological site in the Bahariya Oasis, including a family burial containing five mummies and two collective tombs believed to date to the Roman era. The discovery wa»»»

Sometimes trust develops gradually in settings that most people are unaware of, such as a working group, a ministerial handshake, or an agreement made on the fringes of a summit that garners national attention for a single day. For the better part of a decade, Pakistan and Russia have been developi»»»

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Investment and Industry Alexander Pulev said Thursday that the extension of the UK general license for the Lukoil group of companies in Bulgaria ensures the uninterrupted operation of the refinery and prevents the risk of a sharp increase in retail fue»»»

The Court of Appeal in Plovdiv has upheld the detention of the two teenage girls accused in the killing of 37-year-old Georgi Kuzev, rejecting their lawyers' requests for release under parental supervision. The ruling is final. The decision followed two court sessions lasting nearly two hours each,»»»

“The modernization of the distribution infrastructure is a strategic priority for Rețele Electrice România and a responsibility to the communities. Through such projects, we ensure that our network is ready to support both current consumer requirements and the economic and residential development o»»»

Abdul El-Sayed made history this month in Michigan by becoming the first Muslim nominated by the Democratic Party to run for the US Senate. But elation among many of his fellow Muslim Americans was tempered by awareness of persisting and widespread anti-Muslim sentiment across much of the nation. S»»»

Starting university for the first time can feel exciting, but it can also come with a lot of questions. The workload is different, the routine is less structured and students are expected to take more responsibility for their own learning. For those heading into their first year, the transition doe»»»

Two State Bank of India employees who were engaged to be married in December were found dead in separate locations in Karnataka and Kerala on Wednesday. P Anushree, 25, from Koottakkani in Kasaragod’s Pallikkara grama panchayat, was found dead at her rented accommodation in Hunsur, Mysuru district.»»»

Concerns are mounting in the United States over the mental and living conditions aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, as its deployment continues to set a record at sea. Families of service members and members of Congress have expressed concern about the pressure faced by roughly 5,000 »»»

Sicily’s Catania airport will remain closed until early Friday due to eruptions from nearby Mount Etna that have forced hundreds of flights to be canceled or rerouted over the past week. All arrivals and departures to the island hub will be suspended through 2 a.m. local time on Friday, the airport»»»

A senior Iranian official said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz remains under the control of the Islamic republic after President Donald Trump claimed U.S. control over the strategic waterway. "Today, you see that the Strait of Hormuz is under the management and control of the Islamic republic»»»

At least one government soldier was killed and another critically wounded in clashes between Houthi rebels and the military in the mountainous province of Taiz, Yemeni military officials told The Associated Press. The fighting came as part of a spate of recent attacks by the Houthis on government-h»»»