Iraq has begun receiving natural gas from the Khor Mor field in the Kurdistan Region under a new agreement aimed at boosting electricity generation and easing power shortages, with Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum supplying 100 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMscf/d) to the Kirkuk Taza »»»

SEOUL: The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday accused Japan of “transformation into a war state” as Tokyo beefs up its military stance in the Pacific. Japan has been gradually moving away from its post-World War II pacifist status — increasing military spending, ramping»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Wakrah have wrapped up their pre-season training camp in Rennes, France, after more than two weeks of intensive preparations ahead of the 2026-2027 campaign. Held from July 17 to August 2, the camp formed a key part of the Blue Wave’s build-up to the new season, with head coach Jose»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar continues to demonstrate economic resilience and stability despite an exceptionally challenging regional environment that has disrupted trade routes, increased transportation and insurance costs, and placed pressure on global supply chains. The National Planning Council (NPC) rel»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Museums (QM) has received international recognition through the 2026 Global Challenge for World Heritage Education Innovative Cases (AWHEIC). Its “Tamkeen: Empowering Arab Youth for Sustainable Heritage” programme received a Star of the Future award, recognising promising initiat»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Cultural Center for the Blind (QCCB) organised a summer camp for its female members. Held in an interactive environment that combines learning and recreation, the summer camp aimed to strengthen self-confidence, develop personal and life skills, and highlight participants’ hi»»»

The Dr Emil Iliev International Jazz Festival aims to help turn Borovets into a year-round destination, Festival Director Tatyana Ilieva said in an interview for BTA on Wednesday. The event officially closed on Tuesday evening. Ilieva said the festival continues to develop in every area with each e»»»

Doha, Qatar: Now in its third edition, the Herfah Programme continues to breathe new life into the traditional crafts that form an integral part of Qatar’s cultural identity and Islamic artistic heritage. An initiative of Qatar Foundation, Herfah is hosted at Al Khater House.Through annual programm»»»

Dubai: The UAE’s non-oil private sector recorded its strongest improvement in four months during July, with new orders growing at their fastest pace since February and companies resuming hiring after cutting jobs in June. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The seasonally »»»

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) - technology that catches CO2 from a factory or power plant and injects it underground - is central to most official net-zero roadmaps, but remains marginal in practice, mired in cost overruns and under preformance, according to a detailed explainer published by Car»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Precision Health Institute (QPHI), a national center for research and implementation under Qatar Foundation (QF), has announced a strategic partnership with Qatar National Library (QNL) to make its specialised educational materials for the Genome Heroes collection available t»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), represented by the Department of Educational Planning, Policies, and Innovation, organised a workshop entitled “Writing Practices and Performance Indicators” as part of its early preparations for the Ministry’s participation in th»»»

Dubai: ADNOC Distribution reported a record net profit of $568 million for the first half of 2026, up 59% from a year earlier, supported by higher fuel sales, network expansion, inventory gains and growth across its non-fuel retail business. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Bala»»»

Doha, Qatar: The curtain fell on the Qatar Toy Festival 2026 with a colourful closing ceremony yesterday at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC), bringing to an end more than a month of celebration of imagination, creativity and family entertainment that attracted thousands of visitors »»»

Dubai: Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum have started supplying natural gas to Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity to support power generation and improve electricity services in Kirkuk. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The companies will deliver 100 million standard cubic fee»»»

South Korean police raided the Starbucks national headquarters Wednesday, the chain's local operator told AFP, following allegations an advertising campaign defamed activists slain in 1980 pro-democracy protests. Starbucks Korea caused an uproar this year when it launched a "Tank Day" promotion on »»»

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could come as soon as Wednesday but warned Iran it would get “hit very hard” if negotiations fell through. Transit of the waterway, a key conduit for global oil and gas supplies, has been a sticking point in talks and »»»

US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor declined on Monday to halt $655.5 million in damages that Palestinian authorities were ordered to pay plaintiffs in a US civil lawsuit concerning attacks that killed and injured Americans in Israel from 2002 to 2004. Sotomayor denied a request by the Palesti»»»

Arab Finance: PRE Group announced that one of its subsidiaries has won a bid to develop an integrated urban project in a prime location in New Zayed City, west of Cairo, according to a press release. Spanning 380 feddans, the development will comprise a diversified portfolio of residential, adminis»»»

ROME: Lebanon and Israel held a fresh round of US-sponsored talks in Rome on Tuesday, with Beirut seeking Israel’s phased withdrawal from the country’s south.Convoys carrying delegations from the two countries arrived in the morning to the US embassy in the Italian capital, where discussions are sc»»»

The three people killed when a gunman opened fire at an In-N-Out Burger in Idaho included a worker at the restaurant chain and a man from the area known for helping others get sober. Authorities released the names Tuesday of the people who died when the 24-year-old gunman opened fire at the Twin Fa»»»

A 22-year-old citizen of Kyrgyzstan sustained severe knife wounds in an attack in Northern Cyprus. The incident occurred on August 3 at a Metropol supermarket in Lefkoşa. According to local police, a 31-year-old man stabbed the woman several times before inflicting a knife wound to his own throat. »»»

Changes to the 2026–2028 medium-term budget forecast and the 2027 budget procedure are on the Government's agenda, the Cabinet press service said Wednesday. The Cabinet will also review a draft decision to repeal the National Assembly's October 31, 2025 resolution imposing temporary restrictions on»»»

US President Donald Trump again claimed the Strait of Hormuz would be opened “very soon,” threatening Iran with military action if it does not happen. “The strait’s gonna be open very soon or they’re gonna get hit very hard,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News.He also claimed the US had prepa»»»

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that "very good discussions" have been made and insisted that Iran was keen to find a way to bring an end to the conflict. Trump said that talks were "ongoing", as Axios reported that the US, Iran and Oman were nearing an interim deal to reopen the strait, whi»»»

Iran and Oman are reportedly nearing a bilateral agreement, also known as "shipping framewo