In France, a child is reportedly raped or sexually assaulted every three minutes. In a bid to put an end to sexual and gender-based violence, French MPs have voted for a comprehensive bill that could turn into law by the end of the year; it has yet to be debated by the more conservative Senate at t»»»

Anti-terrorism prosecutors said a 14-year-old involved in a shooting that wounded teaching staff at a school in the south of France earlier this week was acting out of revenge for bullying. The teenager was charged with attempted murder and remanded in custody Wednesday. A 14-year-old charged with »»»

Tunis, Oct.15 (TAP) - President Kais Saied chaired Thursday in Bizerte a ceremony to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of Evacuation Day.The Head of the State saluted the flag at the Martyrs Square as the national anthem was performed and reviewed a...»»»

DUBAI: North Macedonia is opening an embassy in Riyadh, and its foreign minister has told Arab News he wants it up and running within months. For a small Balkan country of under two million people, it is a deliberate step. Timcho Mucunski, who serves as minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade»»»

Two foreign nationals aged 21 and 20 have been detained over the deliberate burning of Starlink antennas at a secret facility near Sofia, Bulgaria in what authorities are investigating as a terrorist attack, Faktor.bg reported, citing Prosecutor’s Office sources. The two men were arrested on Monday»»»

Prime Minister Rumen Radev said Bulgaria would seek European Union support for a moratorium on attacks against commercial and civilian vessels in the Black Sea, while confirming that the ship Chelsea 3 was expected to be towed to Burgas for inspection and repairs. Speaking ahead of the European Cou»»»

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev called for lower fuel prices, a moratorium on attacks against civilian vessels in the Black Sea and continued dialogue with Russia as he arrived in Brussels for a two-day European Council summit, while defending the importance of the Lukoil refinery for Bulgaria»»»

Bulgaria’s National Assembly has approved the purchase of five additional IRIS-T SLM air defense systems from Germany, in a deal worth more than 900 million euros that will be financed through the European Union’s SAFE instrument. The proposal submitted by the Council of Ministers received overwhel»»»

Magdalena Lazarova-Prodanova was elected acting Prosecutor General of Bulgaria by a 17-2 vote of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) Plenum on Thursday, with the decision subject to appeal within 14 days. Under the Judiciary System Act, the same person may hold the acting positions of President of t»»»

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance would adjust its deterrence and defense posture if necessary after discussing Black Sea security and recent attacks on commercial shipping with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Romanian President Nicușor Dan. Rutte described the meeting as»»»

American diplomat Joshua Huck, who has served in Bulgaria and Greece, is taking interim charge of the U.S. Embassy in Athens following the departure of Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle. Huck previously served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Greece and has more than 25 years of diplom»»»

Bozhidar Bozhanov, co-chair of the "Yes, Bulgaria" party, has called for a NATO-backed “Black Sea Shield” to protect commercial shipping, saying Russia wants to block the Black Sea as attacks on vessels in the region intensify. Speaking to Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), Bozhanov said Russia was st»»»

TEHRAN: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that the country was facing its most intense blockade since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, accusing the United States of seeking to provoke public protests.Iran and the United States have been at war since Feb. 28, when US and Israeli strikes »»»

Bulgaria sees Cyprus as a close partner and ally both within the European Union (EU) and at regional level, National Assembly Chair Mihaela Dotsova said, as quoted by the Bulgarian Parliament on Thursday. She made the remarks during a meeting with Cyprus House of Representatives President Annita De»»»

RIYADH: The Houthis have carried out 20 attacks on King Khalid International Airport since Oct. 1, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy said on Thursday. During a press conference, the Spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said 17 people have died and more th»»»

JEDDAH: The last thing Lamis Asiri’s father sent her before the Oct. 10 attack on King Khalid International Airport was a simple wish for a safe journey home. Hours later, the WhatsApp conversation that had connected them fell silent. Lamis, a final-year student at Prince Musaid bin Abdulrahman Uni»»»

Cologne: German customs officials found 90 lizards and venomous snakes hidden in containers and socks in a Mexican traveller's luggage as he arrived at an airport, authorities said Thursday. The 45-year-old was stopped at Cologne airport last month and given a drug test after behaving in a "nervous»»»

Far-right leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said on Wednesday that France could no longer afford to fund Ukraine, citing the country's high deficit and weak economic growth. France cannot keep financing Ukraine due to the "perilous" state of the euro zone's second-biggest economy»»»

EU leaders head to a summit on Thursday seeking a deal on the bloc’s nearly €2 trillion budget for 2028-2034 by Christmas amid deep divisions over spending and fears that upcoming elections, particularly in France, could strengthen eurosceptic forces.»»»

Kyiv's mayor, Vitaly Klitschko, has advised those residents who can "temporarily relocate" for the winter to do so. That advice has been met with derision at best from many residents, who say his administration is responsible for failing to better prepare the Ukrainian capital for Russian attacks. »»»

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, October 15: First, reported Starlink disruptions in Ukraine make the European front pages. Next, US papers go into more detail about the situation. Also, an unusual alliance forms in Germany between far-right and far-left parties. Meanwhile, the winners of the Wildlife»»»

KYIV: Ukraine will no longer abide by US President Donald Trump’s demands not to strike Russian oil refineries, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in remarks published Thursday, amid deepening tensions between the two leaders over a US-Russia diesel agreement. Relations between Kyiv and Washington h»»»

RIYADH: Houthi attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques in Saudi Arabia are heinous and brutal, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy said on Thursday. Developing»»»

President Joseph Aoun on Thursday threw his support behind Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad following the complaint that was filed against her by a pro-Hezbollah lawyer. “On what basis did the press start highlighting the reports against the Lebanese Ambassador in Washington and »»»

Berlin: The State of Qatar, reprsented by the Ministry of Culture is participating in the fourth edition of Al Diwan Arabic Book Fair, set to be held in Berlin on Oct. 16-18 with the participation of over 110 publishers form the Arab World and Germany. The fair presents a diverse range of Arabic pu»»»

Damascus, Oct. 15 (SANA) Syria’s People’s Assembly reviewed issues related to the 2025 and 2026 state budgets and began preparations for discussions on the 2027 budget, the assembly said on Thursday. The review took place at a meeting of the Budget and Accounts Committee chaired by committee head A»»»

A look at Uganda, where Chinese tech is transforming transport with electric buses, motorbikes and three-wheelers. Plus: An autonomous tractor aids farmers in India, and Austria bests the rest of Europe at night trains. https://p.dw.com/p/5NYzuAdvertisementMobility on the African continent has alwa»»»

Schools to be shut until Monday, people urged to stay at home Istanbul: Istanbul was on Thursday battling to recover from flooding caused by what officials said was the heaviest rainfall in the city since records began more than 80 years ago, as the downpour continued. The rain began lashing Turkey»»»

Stockholm: The fifth round of political consultations between the foreign ministries in the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Sweden was held in Stockholm on Thursday. Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi headed the Qatari side, while Director-Gene»»»

RIYADH: Students in Riyadh returned to online classrooms this week, swapping desks and school corridors for laptops and tablets at home following the recent attacks on the capital. While some students welcome the change, citing improved concentration, longer sleeping hours and less time spent commu»»»

PARIS: France is starting to put into action operational elements of an agreement to help protect Saudi ‌Arabian oil ‌facilities, Foreign ‌Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said on Thursday. He declined to elaborate on what were the means sent ‌to Saudi ‌Arabia. French President ‌Emmanuel Mac»»»

RIYADH: Saudi telecom operator STC Group is offering free, unlimited calls to and from the Kingdom for roaming customers abroad amid ongoing flight disruptions, helping travelers stay connected with their families. The initiative, announced on X, runs from Oct. 12 to Oct. 19. “We understand how dif»»»

GPSSA processes 44,760 registration transactions in 2026 The number of Emiratis registered under the UAE’s General Pension and Social Security Authority (GPSSA) has reached 190,063, marking a 13.6% increase compared to the previous year. According to figures released on Thursday, the authority proc»»»

IFM and Inception42 evaluated the models on an audited suite of 24 Arabic benchmarks Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence’s (MBZUAI) Institute of Foundation Models (IFM), and Inception42 have introduced Jais 3, a fleet of models built for Arabic, and part of the Jais family first»»»

BAKU:His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met with President of the Republic of Azerbaijan HE Ilham Aliyev, on the sidelines of the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) held in Baku, Azerbaijan. During the»»»

Prime Minister Edi Rama has ruled out the possibility of resigning as escalating protests entered their third day, with violent clashes reported in the capital, Tirana. In a written response to international news agency Reuters, Rama said he would not allow violence to jeopardize Albania’s ambition»»»

Riyadh: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), announced that the GCC-EU Summit, originally scheduled to be held in Riyadh on October 24, 2026, has been rescheduled to a later date to be mutually agreed upon between the GCC and European sides. GCC Secretary General, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, said in a »»»

Doha: Minister of State for International Cooperation HE Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met separately today with Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Qatar HE Antonino Maggiore and Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Qatar HE Cao Xiaolin. Discussions during the meetings cover»»»

MoHRE urges employers to report absences within five days through approved channels Dubai: Employers in the UAE must report a domestic worker's absence within five days if the worker stops reporting for duty without a valid reason and their whereabouts are unknown, the Ministry of Human Resources a»»»

Iran’s deputy army coordinator said the Strait of Hormuz is closed and that any transit through the vital waterway requires coordination, citing rising U.S. gasoline prices as proof. Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, Chief of Staff and Deputy Coordinator of Iran’s Army, said the Strait of Hormuz is »»»

BEIRUT: A Hezbollah MP acknowledged Thursday that a 500-kilogram shipment of explosives seized last week by Lebanese authorities belonged to the group, a rare admission by the Iran-backed militants. “The vehicle and its cargo belong to the resistance” against Israel, lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said.»»»

Police have conducted 140 operations targeting vote buying and opened two pre-trial proceedings, acting Interior Ministry Secretary General Lyubomir Nikolov told reporters here on Thursday. The Interior Ministry has taken all necessary measures to safeguard citizens’ right to vote freely and ensure»»»

TIRANA: Protesters and police clashed in Albania’s capital on Thursday, the third straight day of violence, with prime minister Edi Rama condemning “chaos” that has left government buildings badly damaged. Thousands of demonstrators are demanding Rama’s resignation and more support for students, ci»»»

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold a phone call with President Joseph Aoun at 7:00 PM Thursday, media reports said. The discussions will tackle the issues of the seized Hezbollah explosives and the judicial complaint that was filed against Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moa»»»

Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and energy installations, together with the threats they pose to shipping in the Red Sea, show the Yemeni rebel group’s intentions to expand their control in Yemen and beyond. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah have been involved in developing th»»»

Showers lash Al Dhaid, Mleiha, rainy cloud warnings remain in place until 10pm Dubai: Heavy rain and hail fell over parts of Sharjah on Thursday afternoon, as unsettled weather continued to sweep across the UAE and the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) issued alerts for convective clouds and fla»»»

Damascus, Oct. 15 (SANA) Syria’s central bank will begin taking legal action against unlicensed currency exchange and money transfer operators on Sunday, Oct. 18, without prior notice, ending the period in which violators were warned to regularize their status. The Central Bank of Syria said on Thu»»»

ISTANBUL: A heavy downpour has shut down Istanbul, flooded homes and roads and killed at least three people, officials said Thursday, as rescuers worked overnight to save hundreds of people stranded at their workplaces. The downpour Wednesday night flooded homes and businesses and inundated roads a»»»

A blaze has occurred at a Starlink satellite internet service facility near Bulgaria’s capital Sofia, Bulgarian Prime Minister Roumen Radev has said. The incident follows a fire at a SpaceX station in Poland, which serviced the Ukrainian military, in late September. Ukraine has relied heavily on St»»»

PESHAWAR: The roof of a school collapsed in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, killing a teacher and 32 students, mostly aged under 14, health officials said on Thursday, as residents and rescuers scrambled to pull children from the rubble. Twenty more students were taken to hospital after t»»»