A sweeping round of senior security appointments announced Sunday by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa amounts to a fundamental restructuring of the country’s security apparatus, driven by both domestic security concerns and mounting political and economic pressure from abroad, according to Syrian s»»»

DUBAI: A vessel is on fire in the Strait of Hormuz, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Monday as the United States and Iran vied for control over the vital waterway.“UKMTO has received a report of an incident 8NM northwest of Kumzar, Oman. UKMTO have received information from military »»»

"On June 17, we received a diplomatic note from the US Embassy requesting the deployment of up to eight aerial refuelling aircraft at Bezmer Air Base to support US operations in the Middle East, pursuant to the 2006 Defence Cooperation Agreement between Bulgaria and the United States. Today, the Co»»»

"It is only natural that one of the most frequently asked questions is whether we have the means to pursue our own autonomous, sovereign and independent policy under international law. The answer is, of course, that we do," President Iliana Iotova said at the Annual Conference of Bulgarian ambassad»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar participated in the 96th Executive Council meeting of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS), held virtually with the participation of undersecretaries of education ministries from GCC member states, reaffirming its commitment to advancing regional educational c»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Monday that it struck a radar system, equipment base and a US UAV hangar in Kuwait during overnight attacks. "As part of the 22nd wave of Operation Nasr-2, our fighters, during a drone strike, destroyed a radar early warning sy»»»

Tax Star, a UAE-based tax and compliance software company, has been named a pre-approved e-invoicing service provider by the UAE Ministry of Finance. The approval places Tax Star, among 42 companies nationwide cleared to help businesses meet the UAE's new e-invoicing rules. This pre-approved status»»»

In Hungary, criminal liability is determined not by a ministerial Facebook post, but by an independent court acting on the basis of the law. The presumption of innocence is a fundamental right that belongs to everyone, not a political favour — wrote the outgoing president of the Constitutional Cour»»»

The TISZA government committed to putting an end to the system in which state regulations served the interests of companies favoured by the government rather than Hungary and the Hungarian people; to that end, it has submitted a comprehensive tax amendment package to parliament, Finance Minister An»»»

Madrid: A teenager died and several people were injured during celebrations of Spain's victory in the World Cup after a fountain onto collapsed in the west of the country, local authorities and media said on Monday. "The city hall of Ciudad Rodrigo expresses its sadness and presents its condolences»»»

Manila: Two Filipino seafarers have been killed in recent drone attacks on commercial ships operating in the northern Black Sea, while 12 others were injured and one remains missing, the Philippine government said Monday. This underscores the growing dangers facing merchant mariners in one of the w»»»

SINGAPORE: Oil prices jumped ​about 3 percent on Monday, with Brent oil prices surpassing $90 per barrel, as escalating US-Iran hostilities in ‌the Middle East restricted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures climbed $2.77, or 3.14 percent, to $90.87 by 09:12 a.m. Saudi ti»»»

On July 20, 1976, the Viking 1 lander, an unmanned U.S. planetary probe, became the first spacecraft to successfully land on the surface of Mars. 1 of 6 | After an interplanetary cruise of more than 300 days, Viking 1 reaches Mars orbit on June 19, 1976. The orbiter began photographing potential si»»»

In the current complex geopolitical and regional environment, Bulgarian diplomacy is called upon to find solutions and formulate positions that it can uphold in various international formats and within the alliances of which it is a member, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said here on Monday at the open»»»

A 12th-grade student of AIM school, Ermek Samatov, won a bronze medal at the 58th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO). According to the Ministry of Education of Kyrgyzstan, the competition was held from July 10 to 19, 2026, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, bringing together some of the world’s stronges»»»

Washington, DC: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has indicated that Washington is receiving feelers through diverse channels regarding Tehran's willingness to hold talks, against the backdrop of widening fissures within the Iranian leadership. Speaking to CNN, Rubio remarked: "We are receiving sig»»»

Andy Burnham will on Monday become Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade, with an in-tray overflowing with challenges that have trounced his predecessors and little time to make his mark. The new leader takes over from the unpopular Keir Starmer just two years after the outgoing prime minist»»»

JEDDAH: In “Cleopatra,” British author Saara El-Arifi — who has Sudanese and Ghanaian heritage and spent her early years in Abu Dhabi before moving to the UK — sets out to reclaim the Egyptian monarch’s voice through a first-person narrative styled as a memoir. “This is not the story of how I died.»»»

MADRID: Firefighters were battling a wildfire north of Madrid on Sunday that has burned around 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres) of land and forced some 700 residents to evacuate, authorities said. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a post on X that his government was closely monitoring the wildfire»»»

Kyrgyzstan significantly increased exports of washing machines to Russia in January—May 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. Data from the National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic say. According to the document, during the first five months of 2026, Kyrgyzstan exported 2,961 was»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar is making significant strides in advancing its circular economy by expanding the recycling and reuse of construction materials across major infrastructure projects. The country’s latest sustainability achievements, announced by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), highlight reco»»»

UK opposition parties have called for aid and visas for Pakistan to be suspended after Islamabad refused to accept the deportation of a grooming gang ringleader convicted of multiple child sex offenses. Pakistani-born Shabir Ahmed was a leading figure in the Rochdale gang, which sexually exploited »»»

Tradewill Financial Services L.L.C SOC ("Tradewill UAE"), the UAE entity supporting the Trade W brand, is pleased to announce that it has been granted a Category 5 Licence by the UAE Capital Market Authority (CMA). The approval marks an important milestone in the Tradewill Group's international gro»»»

The Government will work with the clear understanding that the European Union (EU) and NATO provide the most favourable environment for safeguarding Bulgaria's national interests, and with the firm conviction that a country such as Bulgaria cannot accept a world of spheres of influence and the redr»»»

The 20th anniversary edition of the George Enescu International Competition sets two historic records: the highest number of entries (819) and the widest international participation in the event's history (58 countries), ARTEXIM announced on Friday, noting that this confirms the growing interest of»»»

The eighth edition of the SoNoRo Musikland Festival takes place from Friday to July 27, in the counties of Sibiu, Mures and Brasov, with the event being financed by the Ministry of Culture."The SoNoRo Musikland Festival honours through music the architectural heritage and traditions of the three co»»»

Industrial production fell by 3.3% as gross series, in the first five months of this year compared with the same period in 2025, while as series adjusted according to the number of working days and seasonality, declined by 3.1%, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS) data published»»»

The number of foreign nationals holding a valid right of residence in Romania exceeded 242,000 at the beginning of July, according to data from the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI)."At the same time, labour market mobility remains strong. Thousands of workers have chosen to change jobs, w»»»

The Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF) and the National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA) of the People's Republic of China discussed avenues for cooperation regarding the regulation and supervision of the non-banking financial sector, as well as key developments and challenges in finan»»»

The draft of the new wage law could reach a maximum value of 7.3% of GDP and a total wage bill of 12.1 billion lei, interim Labor Minister Dragos Pislaru stated on Friday, following the debate on the legislation held at Cotroceni Palace."The Ministry of Labor, together with the World Bank team, con»»»

The European Union annual inflation was 2.9% in June 2026, down from 3.3% in May, while Romania is again the country with the highest indicator, with 9.2 annual increase in prices recorded, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.The lowest annual rates were registered i»»»

Nearly one in three Romanians believe snap elections are the best way to resolve the country’s ongoing political crisis, according to a new survey conducted by the Political Rating Agency (ARP). The poll, carried out between June 30 and July 3 through telephone and online interviews with 1,774 resp»»»

In 2024, the EU had 15.7 professional judges per 100 000 people, down from 17.7 in 2014, according to data published on Friday by Eurostat on International Criminal Justice Day.According to European statistics, among the EU member states, Croatia and Slovenia registered the highest ratios, with 43.»»»

The Prosecutor General's Office had a first reaction on Saturday to the European Commission's Report on the rule of law, in which it says that reporting dysfunctions should be based on verified facts and objective assessments, avoiding generalizations that may affect citizens' trust in the judicial»»»

The application of Romania's Justice Laws has continued and has contributed to improving the legislative framework regarding the independence and functioning of the judiciary, but the European Commission finds that a series of issues remain unresolved in justice, as well as in areas such as combati»»»

Numerous convicted criminals, corrupt officials, and tax evaders who were in prison were released after the courts applied the extended statute of limitations—contrary to European law—as ruled by the High Court of Cassation and Justice (ICCJ), led by Judge Lia Savonea, according to G4Media.ro. From»»»

The Ministry of National Defense, through the General Directorate for Armaments, signed on Friday two purchase orders under the SAFE Program, worth over one billion euros, for the purchase of 12 Airbus H225 M multi-mission helicopters and 12 air surveillance radars from the French company Thales.Ac»»»

Amid the extreme heat that has affected Kyrgyzstan since July 17, municipal services in several cities across the country have organized water-cooling activities for children. In Osh, employees of the municipal enterprise Osh-Tazalyk are using water tankers to spray water on children in the streets»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar and Türkiye have built a model of bilateral cooperation that has earned international recognition and should serve as an example for the region, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye H E Hakan Fidan said in an interview with Qatar TV yesterday. Fidan praised the strength of Qata»»»

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi condemned the US strike on the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant as "a dangerous assault on Iran's peaceful infrastructure" and warned the country will act in response. "Iran will take appropriate measures to defend its national intere»»»

Abu Dhabi: Etihad Airways has launched a limited-time fare sale, offering travellers up to 20 per cent off Economy and Business Class tickets to more than 45 destinations across its global network. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The promotion is available for bookings»»»

LIMA: A 5.1 magnitude earthquake in the Andes region of Peru killed six people and destroyed dozens of home, officials said Sunday. The Saturday night tremor injured another 32 people as it shook the town of Chongos Bajo about 300 kilometers (180 miles) east of Lima, Prime Minister Luis Enrique Aro»»»

Accounts allegedly linked to former State Committee for National Security (SCNS) chief Kamchybek Tashiev have appeared on social media and are spreading false information, the head of the Presidential Administration’s Information Policy Service, Daiyrbek Orunbekov, said in a social media post. Acco»»»

Kyrgyz athletes successfully competed at an international aerial acrobatics competition, winning medals and securing places at the World Championship to be held in the Czech Republic. According to the Kyrgyz Federation of Aerial and Sports Acrobatics, the country was represented at the tournament b»»»

Bulgaria recorded the third-highest annual inflation rate in the European Union in June, according to Eurostat's final figures. Consumer prices rose by 5.2% compared with the same month a year earlier, placing the country behind only Romania, where inflation reached 9.2%, and Lithuania at 5.4%. At »»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Museums has opened condolence books at four of the country’s leading cultural institutions, inviting citizens, residents and visitors to pay tribute to the late Father Amir, H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, by sharing messages of remembrance, gratitude and respect. Accordin»»»

Precision air-launched weapons and loitering munitions hit fuel depots in Odessa port, destroying fuel and lubricant reserves destined for the Ukrainian military, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Overnight, Russian strikes also targeted Ukrainian ports used for the Ukrainian army’s logistics.In O»»»

Dubai: Flight operations across the UAE remain largely normal, although several services to Kuwait continue to face disruptions. Services from UAE have been cancelled due to operational reasons as the escalation in the US-Iran war continue to affect travel across the Gulf. UAE carriers Emirates, Et»»»

July 20 (UPI) -- A third person has died in the Upper East Side's ongoing Legionnaires' disease outbreak, New York City health officials said, even as the rate of new cases has significantly slowed and the source of the cluster is believed to have been eliminated. The identity of the patient will n»»»

A ceremonial water blessing will be held in the courtyard of the General Directorate of Fire Safety and Civil Protection on Monday to mark the patron saint's day of Bulgarian firefighters, the Interior Ministry's press office said. On the Day of the Prophet Elijah, who is regarded as the protector »»»