Saudi Arabia said Friday that the joint defence pact signed with Turkey and Pakistan was not linked to "any nuclear ambitions" and was not a threat to any country in the region. The pact comes as regional powers seek to strengthen security ties amid the US-Iran war. Follow our liveblog for the late»»»

Progressive Democrats are hoping to build momentum after left-wing candidate Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated an establishment-backed rival in Michigan’s US Senate primary. The race was seen as a test of the party’s future direction, with El-Sayed campaigning on universal healthcare, campaign finan»»»

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey signed a mutual defence pact on Friday that would treat any act of aggression on one of the three nations as an attack on all of them, the allies said in a joint statement. However, it did not specify if the agreement would bind them to any particular military acti»»»

The US-Iran conflict continues to drive regional uncertainty on Friday, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining at the centre of security, shipping and diplomatic developments. UAE residents and businesses are closely monitoring updates that could affect air travel, fuel markets, trade routes and regio»»»

BELGRADE - Serbia's January-June 2026 external goods trade totalled 39.65 bln euros, which is a 5.8 pct increase y-o-y, according to figures released by the national statistical office. Goods exports were worth 17,971.4 mln euros, rising by 8.3 pct y-o-y, while imports totalled 21,679.1 mln euros, »»»

BAGHDAD — Iraq exported over 30 million barrels of crude oil in one month through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, data from the maritime tracking firm Kpler showed on Tuesday.Before the Middle East war, which choked shipments through the vital waterway, Iraq produced around four million barrels per»»»

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project could potentially become part of a larger transport route across the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, and Turkey to Europe. This opinion was expressed by Toğrul İsmayıl, a professor at Kahramanmaras Sütçü Imam University, in a commentary to the Azerbaijani ne»»»

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Mohammad Shehbaz Sharif signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on Friday, pledging to strengthen collective security and deepen defence cooperation a»»»

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Saudi Arabia's city of Jeddah on Friday, Saudi media reported, where he is expected to sign a defense agreement with the kingdom and Pakistan, sources have told AFP. Saudi Arabia's Alekhbariya television reported that the Turkish president had arriv»»»

Romania will introduce a new framework for recruiting workers from outside the European Union from August 8, as authorities move to tighten oversight of a labour market increasingly reliant on foreign workers. Through Emergency Ordinance 32/2026, the government aims to improve traceability in the r»»»

Romanian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tanczos Barna discussed with Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumakli the importance of facilitating, in the short term, the transit through Turkey of sheep carcasses and, in the medium and long term, the transit of live ani»»»

Serbia is facing growing pressure on its energy and agricultural sectors as record-low water levels on the Danube disrupt fuel imports and deepen concerns over the impact of a prolonged drought. Mining and Energy Minister Dubravka Đedović Handanović said on August 5 that Serbia expects fuel supplie»»»

Security expert Tihomir Bezlov from the Center for the Study of Democracy described the discovery of a fentanyl laboratory in Sofia as a major development in the investigation of one of the world’s most dangerous synthetic drugs. According to him, the most important aspect of the case is not only t»»»

Istanbul-listed refiner Tupras (IST: TUPRS) has commissioned the building in South Korea of four Suezmax-class crude oil tankers for more than $370mn, the company said on July 31. The four vessels, each featuring a deadweight tonnage (DWT) of approximately 157,000 tonnes, are scheduled for delivery»»»

Dubai: The Philippines and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are strengthening cooperation on the medical screening of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), with plans to expand the number of accredited health facilities conducting mandatory pre-departure medical examinations for workers bound for Gul»»»

Dubai: The Foreign ministers of the UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have strongly condemned the ongoing Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip, including attacks on healthcare facilities, civilian infrastructure and civilians, saying the actions breach internat»»»

Dubai: At a time when airfares remain elevated because of higher operating costs, airspace restrictions, longer flight times and volatile fuel prices, there is still some hope for UAE travellers with wanderlust. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.While many popular routes»»»

Marine One carrying President Donald Trump lands on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on Friday, May 15, 2026. Photo by Eric Lee/UPI | License Photo Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Federal aviation officials said Wednesday that they are reviewing a "loss of separation incident" between the presid»»»

A rare video filmed on July 21 in Sabha, Libya shows a woman accused of adultery being sentenced to 100 lashes. Shared on social media, it has sparked outrage for various reasons: Some are appalled by the fact that the punishment was carried out in a public space, whilst others are shocke»»»

WASHINGTON: The US is pressing ahead with talks on allowing Ukraine to make Patriot interceptor missiles, which Kyiv urgently wants to defend against Russian attacks, even after President Donald Trump cast doubt on such a deal, four sources familiar with the discussions said. The discussions includ»»»

State measures against illegal imports of fruits and vegetables should have been introduced much earlier and should become a permanent practice, according to Tsvetan Tsekov, chairman of the Branch Chamber "Fruit and Vegetables." Speaking on NOVA NEWS, Tsekov said Bulgaria, as an external border of »»»

Laura Loomer’s recent condemnation of multipolarity marks one of the clearest attempts within the American Right to define the emerging new international order as an existential threat rather than an inevitable transformation. Her arguments deserve careful examination, not because they are unique, »»»

"The Russian Export Center (REC, VEB.RF Group) has expanded its overseas network by opening an official representative office in Brazil. The office is located in Rio de Janeiro and is headed by Anton Kaunov," the REC press release stated. The new division is designed to accelerate the entry of Russ»»»

Dubai: Tourists visiting the UAE can now access VAT refunds through more than 19,300 retail outlets, 100 self-service kiosks and eligible purchases made on the Noon e-commerce platform. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The number of stores connected to the Federal Tax A»»»

X said Tuesday that it was ordered to restrict access to the presidential account of Ekrem Imamoglu, seen here running for mayor of Istanbul in 2019. The social media platform said it would challenge the order in court. File photo by Sedat Suna/EPA-EFE Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Social media platform X said i»»»

A 22-year-old citizen of Kyrgyzstan sustained severe knife wounds in an attack in Northern Cyprus. The incident occurred on August 3 at a Metropol supermarket in Lefkoşa. According to local police, a 31-year-old man stabbed the woman several times before inflicting a knife wound to his own throat. »»»

Mere hours before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant delivered a sharp and startling interpretation of the direct reason behind the failure of the war on Iran to achieve its objectives. He st»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is starting to sound desperate. A terrifying winter bombardment by Russian missiles is clearly on the way as soon as the mercury begins to fall, but the Uralian president said at the weekend, Kyiv is down to its last PAC-3 Patriot interceptor missile left. He»»»

Dubai: Walk into House of Wisdom in Sharjah on any weekday this summer and you won't find the hushed, half-empty reading room you might expect. Instead, there are final-year high-school students hunched over coursework, remote workers tapping away on laptops, packs of twenty-something Gen Zers scan»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace on Monday assured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel's withdrawal in Gaza would only begin after Hamas' complete disarmament, following his objections. Two members of Netanyahu's security cabinet had urged a vote to tear up the deal championed»»»

Doha, Qatar: Strong brands are never built by individuals alone. They are shaped over time through a shared vision, consistent execution, and the collective efforts of people working towards a common purpose, argues Heba Al-Tamimi, Senior Executive Vice President, Group Communications at QNB Group.»»»

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has retained almost all members of his cabinet after beginning a new term in office following his ruling Civil Contract party's victory in parliamentary elections, signalling policy continuity as the country faces a challenging regional environment. President»»»

Share: Palestinians inspect destroyed buildings after they were targeted by Israeli strikes the previous night in Deir al Balah, central Gaza Strip on July 29, 2026. © Eyad Baba, AFP Palestinian militant group Hamas confirmed Friday that it had agreed to a deal with Israel that would lead to the gr»»»

Bulgaria’s parliament has approved final amendments to the Electoral Code, restoring mandatory machine voting in larger polling stations, removing restrictions on voting sections abroad and abolishing the planned “Abroad” electoral district ahead of the upcoming presidential elections. The changes,»»»

Emerging-market sovereign ratings have proved largely resilient to the US-Iran war in the first half of 2026, Fitch Ratings finds in its Global Emerging Markets Credit Brief for 3Q26, even as the conflict pushed roughly a third of EM sector outlooks to "deteriorating" following the agency's mid-yea»»»

Israel has shared "serious security concerns" with the White House regarding the proposed disarmament deal with Hamas, an Israeli official said as Israeli strikes overnight and into Sunday evening killed at least 17 people, including children, in Gaza. The remarks by Doron Spielman, spokesperson fo»»»

Armenia and Russia have signalled a potential dispute over the management of Armenia’s railway network, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan saying Yerevan could seek international arbitration if talks fail, while Russian Railways warned it would seek compensation for its investments if the concessi»»»

Armenia and Russia have signalled a potential dispute over the management of Armenia’s railway network, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan saying Yerevan could seek international arbitration if talks fail, while Russian Railways warned it would seek compensation for its investments if the concessi»»»

Palestinian Civil Defense teams continued search and rescue operations on Saturday. File Photo by Palestinian Civil Defense/UPI | License Photo Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The top envoy for President Donald Trump's Board of Peace lamented Sunday that Israeli forces continued attacking Gaza despite Iran-backed »»»

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck northeast of the Egyptian city of Suez on Monday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported. The shallow quake, which occurred at 0000 GMT, was centred about 41 kilometres (25 miles) north-northeast of Suez. An AFP journalist in the capital Cairo felt the tremors. T»»»

Russia has sent two Be-200 amphibious firefighting aircraft to Turkey following a request from Turkish authorities, as wildfires burn across the country, the Daily Turkic reported on July 30. The gesture is only possible because Turkey, a Nato member, has consistently declined to join Western sanct»»»

Russia has sent two Be-200 amphibious firefighting aircraft to Turkey following a request from Turkish authorities, as wildfires burn across the country, the Daily Turkic reported on July 30. The gesture is only possible because Turkey, a Nato member, has consistently declined to join Western sanct»»»

Russia has sent two Be-200 amphibious firefighting aircraft to Turkey following a request from Turkish authorities, as wildfires burn across the country, the Daily Turkic reported on July 30. The gesture is only possible because Turkey, a Nato member, has consistently declined to join Western sanct»»»

President Donald Trump said late Saturday that he would halt new planned attacks on Iran pending renewed talks to wind down the war and revive stalled cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. It was the latest in a pattern of announcements the US president has made to first threaten massive stri»»»

US President Donald Trump’s announcement that the US and Israel would pause planned strikes on Iran has eased fears of an immediate escalation, but uncertainty remains after Tehran rejected key claims about a proposed deal. Meanwhile, OPEC+ has agreed to increase oil production by 188,000 barrels a»»»

Dubai: Iraq and Türkiye signed a one-year agreement today to transport and load Iraqi crude oil via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline to the port of Ceyhan, at a minimum rate of 750,000 barrels per day. Ministry of Oil spokesman Salim Al Rikabi told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that: "the agreement represent»»»

A mystery drone hit a US-owned liquefied natural gas carrier at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta on July 29, set it alight, and spread the fire to a second ship. Cairo took until the following morning to report the incident, likely from being in a flap about being sucked into the wider war wi»»»

Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to hand over its weapons to a Palestinian governing committee as part of a US-backed roadmap that would see a gradual Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, though Israel said it would not pull back until the militant group is fully disarmed. Hamas said Friday it »»»

Deputy Minister of Economy of Kyrgyzstan Benazir Nurlanova met with a delegation of Turkish entrepreneurs. According to the Ministry of Economy, the parties discussed prospects for expanding Kyrgyzstan — Turkey trade, economic, and investment cooperation, increasing the export of domestic berries t»»»

The military and political confrontation between the United States and Iran is becoming less a crisis than a permanent feature of the international landscape. A new center of chronic instability is emerging in south-western Eurasia, and it will shape political and economic developments across the w»»»