Consumer prices rose by 0.6% in a single month Annual inflation in Bulgaria continued to slow in July but remained among the highest in the European Union, according to final data from Eurostat. The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) increased by 4.4% year-on-year, above Eurostat’s earlier »»»

Kyrgyzstan is considering introducing criminal liability for knowingly issuing a false audit report. The draft law was initiated by Zhogorku Kenesh deputy Bolot Ibragimov. The bill proposes adding two new articles to the Criminal Code. The convicted person could also be prohibited from engaging in »»»

The Central Commission for Elections and Referendums of Kyrgyzstan (CEC) has approved the procedure for organizing and conducting remote voting in the presidential election. The decision was made at a CEC meeting today, August 19. The new regulation sets out how remote voting will be organized, how»»»

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry summoned Russian ambassador Mikhail Yevdokimov on August 18 to protest what it called provocative, insulting and threatening statements against Azerbaijan, its people and leadership circulating in Russian media, a day after the Prosecutor General's Office placed three »»»

RIYADH: The Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector has signed a new $50 million line-of-finance facility with Al Salam Bank B.S.C. to expand access to Shariah-compliant funding for private-sector businesses in Bahrain. The institution, known as ICD, said in a post on X the tr»»»

The Union of Poultry Breeders in Bulgaria will mark the 35th anniversary of its founding with a forum at the Inter Expo Center on September 9 and 10, the organization announced. The event will focus on poultry farms automatization, the staffing shortage and the new European security requirements (N»»»

The Ukrainian parliament has unanimously approved Yevhen Khmara as Ukraine's new defense minister, giving their go-ahead to a man who earlier pledged that "Russia will burn" after orchestrating the deadly August 12 attack on the Russian city of Novorossiysk. A career SBU officer, Khmara is notoriou»»»

JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said Wednesday it would launch criminal investigations into two high-profile attacks on Palestinians during the war in Gaza, including the killings of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and her family and of 15 Palestinian paramedics. The military said it would not launch criminal i»»»

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf arrived in neighboring Iraq Wednesday for a three-day visit where he will meet with Iraqi officials and leaders of an Iran-backed political coalition. Iran-backed Iraqi militias have launched and claim drone attacks targeting US bases and diplomatic presence both within the »»»

DOHA: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Wednesday organised an open introductory meeting for the public on Law No. (10) of 2026 regulating unmanned aircraft (drones), as part of its efforts to raise awareness of the legislation, its key provisions and requirements. The meeting highlighted the r»»»

Damascus, Aug. 19 (SANA) Gold prices remained stable in the Syrian market Wednesday, while global bullion prices rebounded as the US dollar and global bond yields eased. According to a bulletin issued by the General Authority for Precious Metals Management, the price of 21-karat gold stood at SYP 1»»»

The possibility of directly electing the president resurfaces from time to time. For now, András Baka was elected by Tisza’s parliamentary majority, but Péter Magyar, the prime minister, has repeatedly indicated that he would support a direct election. Baka, meanwhile, is only an interim president,»»»

Dubai: Dubai will host a packed run of exhibitions, conferences and consumer events through the end of 2026, with GITEX Global, Arabian Travel Market, Beautyworld Dubai, Big 5 Global and Automechanika Dubai among the major shows scheduled between August and December. Get updated faster and for FREE»»»

Eight birds - seven vultures and one crow - have been found poisoned in the Central Balkan Nature Park, the Green Balkans nature conservation organization said on Wednesday. Following alarming data from the GPS transmitter of a bearded vulture, experts from the Park and the Bulgarian Society for th»»»

Damascus, Aug. 19 (SANA) Syria’s oil and gas sector recorded production and continued the rehabilitation of facilities and wells during the first half of 2026, according to the Ministry of Energy. The ministry said the achievements during the first six months contributed to strengthening energy sec»»»

IGA-BARRIÈRE: Isaac Batisa is only a child but he spends his days digging for gold at a mining site in eastern Congo, hoping to earn enough money to support his family. The 11-year-old is among hundreds of people, many of them children, working at the artisanal gold mine in eastern Congo’s Ituri pr»»»

DUBAI: Diriyah Art Futures, an asset of Saudi Arabia’s Museums Commission under the Ministry of Culture, on Tuesday announced the lineup for “Continuum 26,” an exhibition showcasing the creative output of participants in its second Emerging New Media Artists Program. Running from Sept. 3 to Nov. 7 »»»

LONDON: Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios said on Wednesday that he had made “a huge mistake” after testing positive for cocaine. The 31-year-old, who reached the final at Wimbledon in 2022, failed a doping test during an ATP event in Mallorca, Spain, on June 22. “On 17 July 2026, a World Anti-Do»»»

MALMEDY, Belgium: Firefighters managed overnight to fully surround Belgium’s largest wildfire in a century, but the situation on the ground “remains complicated” with crews battling several new flare-ups, authorities said Wednesday. Crisis cell spokesman Tony Hosmans said the fire raging in the Hig»»»

ALKHOBAR: For Anan Al-Mahanna, the distance between years of hard work and a place in Saudi Arabia’s Women’s Premier League once came down to a single match. The Saudi footballer had founded Al-Taqadom’s women’s team in the summer of 2023 and only months later had taken the club to the semifinals o»»»

The rapid rise in gold prices and growing interest among Romanians in precious metal investments have also led to more fraud attempts, according to Avangard Gold. The company says counterfeit products have become increasingly common in recent months, particularly through online marketplaces, privat»»»

Romania ranks among the top 10 European destinations for digital nomads, but it still lacks a coherent strategy for mobile talent. Competitive costs, good connectivity, and access to the European market help, but they are not enough to create real differentiation. What separates a convenient destin»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Malian transitional president Assimi Goita held phone talks and agreed to coordinate efforts to ensure stability in Mali and the Sahel‑Saharan region as a whole, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. "It was agreed to continue coordinating efforts to»»»

Dubai: Google has opened its first office in Pakistan, deepening its decade-long investment in the country as the technology giant seeks to support Pakistan’s ambitions to become a $30 billion IT export hub. The move will create more opportunities for its young workforce. Pakistan Prime Minister Mu»»»

Dubai: The US dollar hovered near multi-month lows against major currencies on Wednesday, with softer Treasury yields and reduced expectations for another near-term Federal Reserve rate increase weighing on the currency ahead of the release of the central bank's latest meeting minutes. Get updated »»»

Diverzum, the digital platform targeting students and Generation Z, has surpassed 100,000 registered users in Romania less than a year after its local launch. Over the same period, the company has attracted more than 50 partner brands and developed collaborations with 10 student organisations acros»»»

Iran’s foreign minister said the Iran war had changed the region’s security thinking, convincing Arab states that security must be collective and regional, not dependent on foreign bases that had become sources of insecurity. In a wide-ranging interview with the president’s communications office, A»»»

Arab Finance: Dubai-based paid public parking provider Parkin Company has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Modon Misr for Asset and Facility Management, Mwasalat Misr, and Redcon Properties to explore the development of smart parking and mobility solutions in Egypt, as per a press re»»»

Dubai: Interviewing the twenty-something crew behind Kalyani, the Malayalam viral hit with more than 97 million Spotify streams and a rather unexpected fan in Snoop Dogg, feels less like a conventional celebrity interview and more like gatecrashing a wild boys’ road trip. They are all squeezed into»»»

Jordan is preparing to mark the 2,000-year anniversary of Jesus Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River, with the Muslim nation investing more than $100 million to draw Christian pilgrims to one of the world’s holiest sites. Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan met with Christian leaders this month a»»»

The US has suspended negotiations with Iran and is seeking to gradually “strangle” the country, CNN reported on Tuesday, after its bombing campaign near the Strait of Hormuz failed to yield the desired results. The US abruptly halted its most recent wave of strikes late last month amid reports that»»»

Agricultural producers across the EU have warned of sharp drops in yields after Europe has been hit by successive heatwaves this summer. Economists have said the losses are likely to push food prices higher in the coming months. June and July were the hottest on record in western Europe, according »»»

US congressional lawyers are struggling with a flood of error-ridden AI-generated legislation, forcing them to spend increasingly more time rewriting proposals produced by chatbots, Politico reported on Monday. Staffers and outside groups have more frequently turned to ChatGPT and Claude to produce»»»

Dubai: Nearly six months into the war, Donald Trump appears to be settling on a new strategy for Iran: Stop chasing an elusive diplomatic breakthrough, maintain economic and naval pressure and wait for Tehran to bend. Iran is signalling something very different. It says that if the squeeze continue»»»

London, Dubai, New York City, Washington, DC, and Amsterdam top the rankings of the world’s most intelligent cities, according to new research from Boston Consulting Group (BCG). However, no city leads across every area assessed, with different combinations of strengths shaping intelligent city lea»»»

Doha, Qatar: With the holidays gradually coming to an end, there are still a lot of event and activities to enjoy across Doha this weekend. Here are some exciting sporting events, family-friendly activities, cultural experiences and entertainment to add to your weekend plans. Family WeekendUntil Au»»»

London: New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham unveiled plans Wednesday to offer those sleeping rough a route off the streets by Christmas, as part of his bid to curb national homelessness. "No one should have to bed down in a doorway or outside a station. But we've seen it for so long that it feels li»»»

Cyprus also reportedly assessed as a possible target if US military action against Iran escalates Iran has reportedly examined options for attacking US military facilities in Europe if US President Donald Trump orders a new escalation against the Islamic Republic, the Financial Times reports, citin»»»

Rumen Radev says the country is better prepared despite record temperatures and prolonged drought Bulgaria currently has five helicopters and their crews on standby for firefighting, as well as a Spartan aircraft that can be deployed if needed, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said at the start of Wednes»»»

Ukraine's popular ex-defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for wartime elections on Tuesday evening, stating that the nation was facing a crisis of governance. Fedorov was dismissed last month, sparking days of protests across Ukraine. It is the first time since Russia launched its full-scale in»»»

Dubai: Oman’s Public Prosecution has warned content creators against exploiting children under 15 or domestic workers in social media content, saying offenders could face up to three years in prison and a fine of OMR5,000. The warning is part of an awareness campaign urging creators to consider the»»»

An unidentified foreign national died after being taken into custody following an altercation aboard a Mumbai-Delhi train during which he allegedly sprayed passengers with a fire extinguisher. The man, believed to be around 45 years old, collapsed while being questioned by railway authorities in Su»»»

RIYADH: Egypt accounts for 48 percent of Africa’s outstanding sukuk, making it the continent’s largest market, as regulatory reforms and closer economic ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council support growth, according to Fitch Ratings. In its latest report, the credit rating agency said African suk»»»

Iran’s highest-ranking military officer has issued a stark warning to Persian Gulf nations, cautioning that any facilitation of U.S. military operations against the Islamic Republic would be treated as direct participation in aggression against Iran. Major General Ali Abdollahi, Chief of Staff of I»»»

Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly received Tuesday, August 18, 2026, Moustafa Shekhon, following President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision to appoint him chairman of the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), and Walid Gamal al-Din, the authority’s outgoing chairman, as part of»»»

Work on a new law to tackle antisocial behaviour by minors is expected to be completed within a few weeks, replacing legislation in force since 1958 that is regarded as outdated and ill-suited to present-day conditions. The new law should provide for more effective prevention and control, Interior »»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is expected to become one of the world’s largest exporters of computing power within eight to 10 years, similar to its current position as one of the world’s biggest oil exporters, according to Rajit Nanda, CEO of DataVolt. DataVolt’s bet on the Kingdom rests on three key facto»»»

ECB economists have warned that the current AI-driven stock market boom is likely to end in a correction, with potentially significant consequences for the euro area due to its exposure to US technology stocks. In a blog post published on 17 August, Malin Andersson, Johannes Breckenfelder, Stefano »»»

Ukraine has been using UK-made jet drones for deep strikes inside Russia for the past six months, The Sunday Times reported on August 16, citing Ukrainian military sources. The use of UK-made weapons to hit targets deep inside Russia has lead to fears that Russia will retaliate by targetting those »»»

Around 7,000 children currently live in children’s homes in Hungary. A report produced in early 2024 exposed appalling conditions in these institutions, but the Orbán government chose instead to conceal the reality: abuse, a lack of psychological support, starvation, and outdated, unusable furnitur»»»