Moscow sees no immediate prospect of resuming Ukraine negotiations in Turkiye but remains open to that path, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Journalists asked Peskov how the Kremlin assessed the possibility of renewing peace talks on Ukraine through Turkish mediation, which Turkish Foreign Mi»»»

ASHGABAT, (Sputnik) - The US' policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran, including the economic sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic, have lost all effect and are no longer able to force Iran to make concessions, Iranian Ambassador to Turkmenistan Ali Mojtaba Rouzbahani said on Thursday. "The faile»»»

ANKARA, (Sputnik) - Turkiye is ready to engage in possible mechanisms to ensure security in the Black Sea after the conclusion of a peace agreement on Ukraine, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday. "We have accepted our partners' proposal regarding possible maritime security provis»»»

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - China is strongly against imposing technological blockades in artificial intelligence, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday. "China opposes drawing ideological lines and imposing technological blockades, aims to coordinate development and security, and»»»

MANILA: The Philippines on Thursday slammed as racist a video posted by Chinese state media portraying the country as a cartoon monkey forced by US and Japanese masters to defend its South China Sea claims.China claims almost the entirety of the crucial waterway despite an international ruling that»»»

DUBAI: Kuwait’s General Staff said on Thursday that its air defense systems were intercepting drone attacks following what it described as “criminal Iranian aggression.” The army said any explosions heard were caused by air defense systems engaging and intercepting incoming threats. Authorities urg»»»

Why is everyone talking about Satluj?Satluj, director Honey Trehan's film based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, has become the subject of intense discussion after it was reportedly removed from streaming platform ZEE5 just days after its release in India. In the UAE, the »»»

Nationwide, in the first half of 2026, all criminal investigation units within the Romanian Police (which have jurisdiction over the investigation of cybercrimes and crimes against computer systems) recorded approximately 15,000 criminal cases. At the end of June, approximately 72,000 cases remaine»»»

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told his US counterpart Pete Hegseth early Thursday that “Israel is determined to keep its forces in security zones” in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip. In a statement, Katz’s office said the two officials spoke overnight and the minister “emphasized Israel’s »»»

The British government said Thursday it had taken British Steel into full public ownership to "protect the future of steel production in the UK", after taking control from Chinese firm Jingye. The country's last factory that can make steel from scratch faced imminent closure last year after Jingye »»»

A drone struck a ship located off the port in Iraq's southern province of Basra on Thursday, a security official told AFP. The ship, which was "carrying American-branded cars", had arrived from the United Arab Emirates and was hit near an oil terminal, the official said. Iraq's oil ministry said it»»»

Pakistan said on Thursday it would encourage the United States and Iran to stop violence and resume talks under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) it helped mediate last month. "While the implementation of the MoU is facing challenges, Pakistan will continue to encourage all sides to end violence »»»

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it has approved the sale of an estimated $1.96 billion in weapons to bolster Saudi Arabia's air defenses, as the war ramps up in the Middle East. "This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by imp»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received a phone call on Thursday from His Majesty King Philippe of the Kingdom of Belgium, during which His Majesty expressed his sincere condolences on the passing of His Highness the late Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al T»»»

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is set to visit Morocco on July 16 in an effort to strengthen ties between Paris and Rabat, whether it is for trade or defence. But as the visit starts, an investigation has revealed that Morocco has used Israeli spyware to spy on several French ministers, in»»»

PRESS REVIEW - Thursday, July 7: we look into new revelations on the Moroccan surveillance apparatus, five years after the first wave of the Pegasus spyware scandal. In other news, support for Israel is floundering on both sides of the political spectrum in Washington ahead of Israeli prime Ministe»»»

RIYADH: Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone generated a record 15.9 billion Egyptian pounds ($314 million) in revenue during fiscal year 2025/26, up 37 percent from a year earlier and 51 percent above budget. Dollar-denominated revenue rose 44 percent year on year to $246 million, accounting for 76 pe»»»

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected claims that Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova’s signature on a joint declaration in Kyiv represents a decision for the country to strengthen its participation in the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” supporting Ukraine. The statement was issue»»»

Member of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, MP Hasan Fadlallah, affirmed that over the past period the bloc made a commitment to itself not to engage in polemics with the President of the Republic. However, what he described as “repeated accusations against our people and the insistence on turnin»»»

Bulgaria's Parliament unanimously approved, at first and second reading in a single sitting on Thursday, the bill ratifying the Agreement on the Interpretation and Application of the Energy Charter Treaty, which was signed in Brussels on February 18, 2026. The agreement addresses the inapplicabilit»»»

Parliament on Thursday approved at first reading legislative amendments that would restore full machine voting, abolish the separate constituency for Bulgarians abroad, and expand voting sections beyond the EU. Lawmakers approved four bills amending the Election Code and rejected two others. The bi»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has climbed to 17th place globally and retained its position as the highest-ranked country in the region in the QS World Future Skills Index 2027, highlighting the country’s efforts to align higher education with the needs of the future economy. The Ministry of Higher Education a»»»

Dubai: The UAE has introduced a unified national framework to regulate the licensing of universities and colleges, a move aimed at raising academic standards, strengthening governance and simplifying oversight across the country’s higher education sector, including institutions in free zones. Appro»»»

Bulgarian companies are among the least indebted in the European Union, according to the latest Eurostat data for the end of 2025. Corporate debt among non-financial enterprises in Bulgaria stands at 45% of gross domestic product, significantly below the EU average of 70.1% and the euro area averag»»»

Ukraine is likely to get a new Prime Minister today and a much more pragmatic government as a result of the surprise reshuffle that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy triggered by asking the current Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko to step down at the weekend. Under the Ukrainian constitution »»»

The Kremlin is pushing the Far East as a major investment opportunity thanks to a sanctions-driven surge in trade with China and a broader wave of investment from across the continent and the Global South. For most of the past decade, Russia's pivot to Asia has been measured in barrels of oil, cubi»»»

Damascus, July 16 (SANA) Director General of the Syrian Investment Authority Talal al-Hilali met Indian Chargé d’Affaires Renu Yadav on Thursday to discuss expanding economic and investment cooperation between Syria and India. According to the Syrian Investment Authority, the talks focused on oppor»»»

Official data released on Wednesday shows China's GDP grew 4.3 percent in the second quarter, compared to a year prior. The last time quarterly growth was that weak was in late 2022, when China was feeling the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Slow consumer demand, despite a surge in exports, helps »»»

Baabda sources on Thursday categorically denied rumors circulating about a possible meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stressing that this matter is “completely off the table, even if they happen to be in Washington at the same time.” The sources ad»»»

Last week’s column ended with reference to my interviews with members of the Afghan women’s cricket team, which had been touring England. Since then, there have been developments in plans for their future. After the International Cricket Council’s Annual Conference in Edinburgh between July 8 and 1»»»

Seoul: South Korea's central bank delivered a quarter-percentage-point interest rate hike Thursday, as widely expected, to tackle high inflation amid lingering Middle East uncertainties. The Bank of Korea (BOK) convened a Monetary Policy Board meeting and lifted the benchmark rate from 2.5 % to 2.7»»»

Dubai: The UAE has taken another step to preserve its modern history by adding the historic Union House in Dubai to the National Register of Modern Architectural Heritage, recognising the landmark where the country's founding leaders signed the declaration of the Union in 1971. The announcement was»»»

CAIRO: Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Palestinian health officials said, as a US-based research group reported a surge in Israeli attacks to levels not seen since the latest truce took effect in October. Medics said an Israeli airstrike killed two p»»»

NEW DELHI: A New Delhi court ordered government doctors on Thursday to monitor activist Sonam Wangchuk’s health daily, as supporters fear for his life after nearly three weeks of hunger strike to protest India’s examination system. Wangchuk, 59, has been fasting since June 28, demanding the resigna»»»

TEHRAN: Tehran on Thursday accused the United States of carrying out a “barbaric attack” after a cancer hospital in Iran’s southwest was forced to evacuate due to nearby strikes.“This barbaric attack, reminiscent of Israel’s atrocities against health care facilities, caused severe suffering and anx»»»

Manama: The General Command of the Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) announced that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed several Iranian aerial attacks. In a statement, the BDF's General Command said that Iran continues its systematic hostile approach through its criminal attacks targeting c»»»

Dubai: Indian community groups in the UAE have called for a permanent solution to the ongoing difficulties faced by Indian expats in accessing passport and attestation services, along with the recent hike in passport fees. Their demands come amid uncertainty over the future of passport and attestat»»»

The paradox comes at a particularly challenging time for the Romanian economy. The European Commission forecasts GDP growth of just 0.1% in 2026, while inflation is expected to remain around 7%, continuing to erode household purchasing power and consumer spending. At the same time, fiscal consolida»»»

RIYADH: The Middle East plays a crucial role in global supply chains for critical materials, particularly aluminum, sulfur and helium, with the region accounting for about 8 percent of global primary aluminum output, a new analysis showed. According to the International Energy Agency’s Global Criti»»»

BUCHAREST - Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said Friday would be a historic day for Serbia-US relations due to the launch of strategic dialogue between the two countries, and noted that there were also plans to sign a MoU on cooperation in the energy sector. "We a»»»

In Canada, more than 100 active wildfires continue to burn in northern Ontario. The smoke has reached Toronto, where authorities are urging residents to stay indoors as air quality has dropped. The city's air quality ranked the worst in the world on July 15 as its skies were shrouded in smoke, brin»»»

Tehran warned Thursday it would target regional infrastructure if the United States carried out threats to attack Iran's infrastructure. Earlier in the day, Iran said it carried out drone attacks on US military bases and facilities in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain after the US completed a new wav»»»

Students and teachers at a primary school in the Israeli-occupied West Bank demonstrated on July 15 against its expected demolition by Israeli forces. Israel has in recent years destroyed thousands of Palestinian-owned homes & vital infrastructures, usually citing a lack of building permits. Ac»»»

The transaction reflects Vastint Romania’s ability to support tenants throughout different stages of their development by offering workspace solutions tailored to evolving business needs. After occupying approximately 380 m²at Timpuri Noi Square, Mogo Romania has relocated to a new office of approx»»»

Hungary is preparing for what could become the country’s biggest wind energy expansion in decades. The government has announced plans to increase domestic wind power capacity from the current 330 MW to between 3,000 and 4,000 MW by 2030, marking a dramatic policy shift after nearly 15 years of virt»»»

A ceremonial send-off was held Thursday in Stara Zagora for 97 Bulgarian service members deploying to Kosovo as part of NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR). The contingent, primarily drawn from the Second Tundzha Mechanized Brigade, also includes personnel from the Joint Forces Command, Military Police Serv»»»

Gaza: The death toll from the Israeli occupation’s aggression against the Gaza Strip has risen to 73,250, with 173,751 others injured, since October 7, 2023. Medical sources in Gaza reported that hospitals across the Strip received the bodies of four martyrs and 28 injured over the past 24 hours. T»»»

Algiers: At least 11 people were killed and 19 others injured in a fire at an orphanage near the Algerian capital on Thursday, the country's Civil Protection authority said. The Authority said in a statement posted on its Facebook page Thursday that 19 people were treated and transported to hospita»»»

WARSAW: Poland has ‌charged an 18-year-old Ukrainian man with inciting ethnic tensions by desecrating memorials to Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War Two, the Internal Security Agency (ABW) said on Thursday. The so-called Volhynia massacres have been a source of tension between»»»

Wellington: New Zealand authorities issued a tsunami warning Thursday following a 5.9-magnitude quake on the western coast of the South Island, warning people there to "move immediately" to high ground. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.People in af»»»