Sofia has been ranked among the most affordable European destinations for a weekend getaway, placing sixth in a study comparing the costs of accommodation, food and local transportation across 100 cities. The Bulgarian capital is the only city outside Poland in the top six, with the average daily c»»»

The United States and Canada have wrangled for decades over trade, poking each other interminably over sore spots like Canadian softwood lumber imports and U.S. access to Canada's protected dairy market. Somehow the two neighbors still managed to remain friends, allies — and trading partners. Canad»»»

Western sponsors are not interested in helping Ukraine turn into a prosperous and independent state, Bogdan Bezpalko, political analyst and member of the Council on Interethnic Relations under the Russian president, told Sputnik. “Foreign economic players are solely interested in Ukraine resembling»»»

Dubai: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered jailed former prime minister Imran Khan to be taken to a private hospital for comprehensive medical checks after his lawyers raised concerns about his health. Khan’s sister, Noreen Niazi, was allowed entry into Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail on Tuesday a»»»

JEDDAH: Jordan’s tourism income surged 24.9 percent in July to $926.2 million, narrowing the year-to-date decline to 0.2 percent, with total tourism income reaching $4.42 billion, according to official data. The recovery, however, remained uneven across visitor markets, with tourism income from Ara»»»

RIYADH: The agricultural sector in the Madinah region recorded the highest growth among economic sectors at 44 percent, driven by major development projects in the region. A report by the Madinah Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the sector saw commercial registrations increase from 375 in Marc»»»

MADRID: A magnitude-4.8 earthquake caused cracks in walls and sent debris falling in Granada on Tuesday, lightly injuring three people, officials said, days after a slightly stronger quake hit the southern Spanish city. The earthquake took place at around 10:38 am (0838 GMT), with its epicenter in »»»

Dubai: It began, as many important newsroom discussions do, with a snake. Actually, not one snake, but two. On August 17, multiple reports in India said that two snakes were spotted on the lawn of Shah Rukh Khan’s sea-facing Mumbai mansion, Mannat. One, an eight-foot-long, non-venomous Indian rat s»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Finance HE Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari met separately on Tuesday with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of Bangladesh and President-elect of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly HE Dr Khalilur Rahman, and Minister of Finance of Grenada HE D»»»

RIYADH: The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority brought together experts, specialists and creative-content professionals for an open meeting titled “Creative Content Through AI Technologies” to discuss the future of creative content and production. The meeting examined how AI tools are»»»

Kyrgyzstan’s food service sector recorded solid growth. Turnover of restaurants, bars and mobile food delivery and catering services reached 28,714.6 billion soms in January—July 2026, an increase of 8.3 percent. The National Statistical Committee reported. In total, services provided by hotels and»»»

The Palestinian American whose home in the occupied West Bank has been besieged for more than a week confronted Israeli settlers on his property Tuesday and demanded Israeli forces remove them from the area. But on his first day back at his home in the village of Qusra, Loui Ridi was ultimately tol»»»

Doha, Qatar: Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Majed bin Mohammed Al-Ansari held a weekly media briefing on Tuesday, outlining Qatar’s efforts to de-escalate tensions and restore the ceasefire, while emphasizing the necessity of opening t»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe US envoy Barrack blames ‘Israel’ for strikes on Syrian airbase, calls it ‘unnecessary escalation’ 18-08-2026 14:51 PM Latest News Urgent Ne»»»

Kyrgyzstan and Russia plan to create a unified mobile infrastructure that will allow citizens of both countries to use mobile services without changing their SIM cards or paying roaming charges. According to Vadim Smirnov, a member of the board of the Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund, a single SIM c»»»

August 15, 2026 marked the 81st anniversary of Japan's announcement of its unconditional surrender in WWII. Yet 81 years on, Japan continues to remember itself more as a victim than as an aggressor, revealing a deeply alarming disconnect between war memory and historical responsibility. In an inter»»»

Opening arguments were set to get underway Tuesday in a landmark lawsuit brought by 29 states against Facebook and Instagram parent, Meta, alleging the tech giant's products harm children. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo Aug. 18 (UPI) -- A landmark $1 trillion lawsuit brought by 29 »»»

Hezbollah has not yet received a "green light" from Iran to launch operations against Israel and Washington has not given Israel the green light to carry out a large-scale operation on the Ali Taher heights, sources told Al-Arabiya’s Al-Hadath channel. “U.S. intervention halted the Israeli escalati»»»

Israeli airstrikes on an airbase in northwest Syria early Tuesday caused material damage without inflicting any casualties, Syrian state TV reported. State TV said eight strikes hit the runway of the Abu Duhur airbase in the northwestern province of Idlib. It gave no further details. There was no c»»»

Lebanon's judiciary decided on Tuesday to extradite a former Syrian general it detained this month following a warrant from Damascus accusing him of "killing and crimes against humanity", a judicial official said. The official, requesting anonymity, told AFP that Lebanon's public prosecutor "decide»»»

Hamas said Tuesday it remained committed to a Gaza peace deal backed by the United States after envoy Jared Kushner spoke to Israel about pressuring the group on disarmament. "Hamas is committed to this agreed-upon process. It is clear that, so far, the Israeli side has not given the mediators clea»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli Security Establishment Warns of Full Blown Civil War after Knesset Elections in Light of Likud Primaries 18-08-2026 15:06 PM Israel»»»

Kyrgyzstan and China have agreed to simplify and accelerate the supply of fuel and lubricants from China to Kyrgyzstan. The agreement was reached during a meeting between Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Erlist Akunbekov and Chen Xiaojiang, Secretary of the Communist Party »»»

Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Moscow for an official visit on Monday. Sputnik comes to you live as Russian President Vladimir Putin sits down for talks with Myanmar's President Min Aung Hlaing at the Kremlin.The Russian presidential administration said the dialogue would center on »»»

KB Kookmin Bank Vice President Lee Yoon-seok (R) holds an agreement with Kim & Chang senior official Kim Yong-dae at the bank’s head office in Seoul on Friday. Photo by KB Kookmin Bank Aug. 18 (UPI) -- South Korea's leading lender and top law firm have teamed up to provide inheritance financial ser»»»

HORIZON CITY, the residential project developed by British investor Ghai Sant Ram in northern Bucharest, has secured €36.5 million in financing from Libra Internet Bank. The funds will be used to continue and accelerate construction works, with full project completion targeted for the first half of»»»

The company behind the initiative is keeping its identity secret, saying it fears sanctions. A fishing company has approached the Murmansk branch of the Popular Front, asking for help delivering used fishing nets to the war zone in Ukraine, known in Russia as the “special military operation” (SVO).»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of State for Energy Affairs HE Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi met in Doha on Tuesday with HE Dr. Khalilur Rahman, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Discussions during the meeting dealt with energy relations and cooperation between Qatar and Banglad»»»

Madrid: A magnitude-4.8 earthquake caused cracks in walls and sent debris falling in Granada on Tuesday, lightly injuring three people, officials said, days after a slightly stronger quake hit the southern Spanish city. The earthquake took place at around 10:38 am (0838 GMT), with its epicentre in »»»

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema won a second term on Tuesday after campaigning on his record of economic recovery, including a major debt restructuring deal. The 64-year-old faces pressure to deliver more jobs and opportunities as critics accuse his government of failing to ease poverty and be»»»

South Africa hosted a gathering of leaders from the southern African regional bloc amid xenophobic violence and anti-migrant protests. As the continent’s wealthiest country, South Africa has long attracted migrants, but it faces an unemployment rate of over 30 percent and deep-seated inequalities. »»»

DOHA: Qatar, a key mediator in the stalled US-Iran talks, said Tuesday that an agreement between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz would make it easier to resume negotiations to end the Middle East war. After war broke out between the United States and Iran in late February, Tehran effectivel»»»

The United States and North Korea could be edging back toward direct communication, while creating separation with South Korea by cutting down on joint military exercises. US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that Kim Jong Un had responded to his recent diplomatic outreach, marking what wo»»»

A Pakistani court ordered former prime minister Imran Khan to be moved from prison to a hospital over claims of poor health. The 73-year-old cricket star and his wife were sentenced to 17 years of jail last year after facing several graft legal cases.  Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered on Tuesd»»»

At least 10 people were killed and eight wounded in a strike on Pechenigy, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, the local governor said Tuesday, as 620 drones targeted the Moscow region overnight, Russian officials said, with several people wounded and buildings struck.   A total of 620 drones fl»»»

As part of measures to reduce sanctions risks, compulsory liquidation proceedings will be initiated against 19 more legal entities in Kyrgyzstan, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce reported. Chaired by Bakyt Sydykov, Special Representative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic for Special Assig»»»

Bengaluru: A 26-year-old Bengaluru woman has been arrested over the deaths of her husband and four-year-old son, with police investigating whether the child was killed because he witnessed his father’s murder, the Times of India reported. Police allege that Harini conspired with her suspected lover»»»

RIYADH: The inaugural Esports Nations Cup, due to take place in Riyadh in November this year, will be postponed until 2027, the Esports Foundation has announced. The decision follows ongoing assessment of the wider regional situation and consultation with key stakeholders. Given the international s»»»

Sofia Municipality’s mobile automatic monitoring station shows the key air quality indicators are within the norm, Sofia Municipality said on Tuesday. The press release comes after the local authorities received over 40 reports within an hour regarding smoke, smog, and unpleasant odors in various p»»»

Public spending for education in Bulgaria stood at 4.4% of the GDP in 2023. In comparison to 2012, when it was at 3.48%, there is a 0.92% rise over the period, Eurostat said in a press release here on Tuesday.In 2023, public spending on education (from pre-primary to the tertiary level) in the EU a»»»

The Nenets Autonomous Okrug is one of Russia’s least populated regions. Its indigenous peoples include the Nenets and Komi. Governor Irina Gekht briefed Vladimir Putin on the socio-economic development of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and thanked him for a decree marking the region’s centenary. She s»»»

Romania’s gambling industry has spent years getting bigger, more digital, and much harder to monitor. The July audit of the National Gambling Office, or ONJN, showed just how wide that gap became. This was not a small paperwork problem. Auditors found missing tax checks, weak online monitoring, gap»»»

In January—July 2026, trade turnover of cars, motorcycles, parts and accessories reached 48,881.9 billion soms. According to the National Statistical Committee, the figure increased by 33.3 percent compared with the first seven months of 2025. Vehicle maintenance and repair services also recorded g»»»

Airports of Kyrgyzstan OJSC has shown what the renovated Manas International Airport looks like. Reconstruction of the airport began in May last year. As part of the project, the terminal complex was expanded by more than 22,000 square meters, passenger and baggage systems were upgraded, and the nu»»»

Want to win Dh30,000? RTA seeks safety films Dubai: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched the second edition of its Road Safety Film Festival, offering up to Dh300,000 in cash prizes and recognition awards for creative films that promote safer road behaviour. The festival builds »»»

India’s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea seeking to replace hanging with what petitioners argued were less painful methods of execution, leaving hanging as the prescribed method for carrying out the death penalty in the country. However, the court made clear that its ruling need not be the »»»

Belgium is battling its largest wildfire on record, with the blaze scorching around 3,000 hectares and spreading toward the German border, according to local officials. The fire broke out on Friday in the High Fens nature reserve in eastern Belgium and remained out of control on Monday despite cool»»»

A US grand jury has indicted 14 people for allegedly operating a drug ring inside two fraternities at Pennsylvania State University (PSU), where pledges were allegedly forced to cut and package cocaine as part of their initiation. According to Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday, 13 of the de»»»

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner repeatedly contacted the FBI on behalf of a model who alleged that Jeffrey Epstein had raped and trafficked her, but the agency did not contact her until 15 years later, the New York Post has reported. According to a lawsuit filed against the US government by 32 of Epste»»»

ROME: Just three percent of the cropland in Gaza remains accessible and undamaged, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization warned Tuesday, citing an analysis of satellite images. The report found that since October 2025, when a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold, the area of ac»»»