“I sincerely hope that the procedure will be completed, including the election of members from the parliamentary quota, and that this will be the last General Assembly chaired by an acting Prosecutor General,” acting Prosecutor General Vanya Stefanova said at the opening of the General Assembly of »»»

Colombo: Sri Lanka suffered a nationwide electricity blackout on Saturday after the national grid tripped, possibly because solar power generation exceeded consumption, officials said. The country was without grid power for more than two hours, with no clear timeline for when electricity would be r»»»

Pilots declared a Mayday after a jet door fell off, forcing a rapid return to the airport Abuja: A private jet carrying nine people was forced to make an emergency landing in Nigeria after one of its doors detached thousands of feet above the ground, prompting a Mayday distress call and an emergenc»»»

Mecca and six other areas face heavy storms; residents are urged to avoid flooded valleys Mecca: Saudi Arabia has warned of heavy thunderstorms, flash floods and strong winds across seven regions, with severe weather expected to persist in parts of the kingdom until Wednesday, October 21. The Natio»»»

Beijing, Oct. 17 (SANA) The ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE) will open in Shanghai on November 5, bringing together companies from 162 countries, regions and international organizations, including Syria and several Arab countries, as part of efforts to boost trade and expand access to t»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US budget deficit reached $1.992 trillion in the 2025–2026 fiscal year, the Department of the Treasury said in its report released on Friday. A year earlier, the figure stood at $1.775 trillion. In September, the US budget deficit fell to $26.9 billion from $166.779 billi»»»

DONETSK (Sputnik) - The Ukrainian military command assigns unfit-for-combat servicepeople to protect drone control points, a law enforcement source told Sputnik. "Lightly wounded servicepeople of the Ukrainian armed forces, who are not fit to perform combat tasks, are assigned to carry out these ta»»»

CJP’s Ratna Singh calls Dipke’s arrest a violation of fundamental rights New Delhi: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) activist Abhijeet Dipke, who was detained by Delhi Police ahead of the planned ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ rally in the national capital, is scheduled to be produced before the Special Executive M»»»

Flight suspension to Saudi Arabia extended; passengers offered refunds and rebooking Air India and Air India Express have temporarily suspended flights to and from Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam until October 24, 2026, citing the prevailing situation. The airlines have announced flexible rebooking optio»»»

The General Assembly of Prosecutors has begun its proceedings to elect members of the new Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) from the prosecutors’ professional quota. The assembly started an hour later than scheduled because there was no quorum at the initial count. During Saturday’s General Assembly o»»»

Mindanao facility offers dental, maternal, emergency and diagnostic services Mindanao: Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council, inaugurated the Dinas Health Clinic in the Dinas area on the Philippine island of Mindanao. The »»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Restrictions on the use of Starlink could significantly reduce the combat effectiveness of the Ukrainian armed forces, disrupting the use of drones and hampering the defense of forward positions, the director of military analysis at the Defense Priorities research center, Jen»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Five injuries reported, including four women, as Israeli settlers attack Palestinians in Masafer Yatta, south of West Bank’s Al-Khalil 17-1»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli Enemy Continues Attacks on Southern Lebanon 17-10-2026 12:00 PM Smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Nabatieh Al-Fawqa in souther»»»

By Staff, Agencies The family of an “Israeli” soldier killed in a Hezbollah ambush in southern Lebanon in November 2024 has decided to leave “Israel” over the military’s handling of his death, citing serious operational failures, negligence and a lack of accountability, Haaretz reported. The family»»»

By Staff, Agencies At least 124 people have been martyred and another 327 wounded in the escalating Saudi-led aggression against Yemen since fighting intensified on September 3, according to Yemen's Ministry of Health. The mounting casualties come as Saudi warplanes launched 101 airstrikes and miss»»»

Bangkok, Oct. 17 (SANA) Minister of Finance Mohammad Yisr Bernieh and Governor of the Central Bank of Syria Mohammed Safwat Raslan discussed with Hamam bin Nasser bin Jreid, Chief Executive Officer of the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND), ways to enhance cooperation in financing small a»»»

There have been no violations at Bulgarian border crossings in connection with the case involving Iva Mihaylova, Anton Zlatanov, Director of the General Directorate of Border Police, said on Nova TV. “We have already sent a response to the North Macedonian authorities, there is no record in the bor»»»

Tesla Inc.’s new "flying” car drew awed reactions from Wall Street and EV fans alike. It even won over one of Elon Musk’s notable adversaries. "Wow the new Roadster looks quite amazing,” Sam Altman posted Friday on X. "Good job @elonmusk.” The OpenAI chief executive officer was among a number of bi»»»

Families explore study abroad and career options at Edufair Abu Dhabi 2026 Abu Dhabi: Following a successful Dubai edition that attracted more than 7,000 visitors, Edufair returns to Abu Dhabi as families weigh an expanding range of degree programmes, overseas study destinations and career options.»»»

Tunis, Oct. 17 (TAP)- The weather on Saturday is partly cloudy across the country, growing densely cloudy in the later afternoon in central western and southwestern areas with scattered showers. The wind is blowing east, light to moderate. The sea...»»»

Dubai: A tanker was struck by an "unknown projectile" off Saudi Arabia's Gulf coast, forcing the evacuation of its crew, a maritime monitoring agency said on Saturday. The vessel was hit on Friday, 68 nautical miles of Jubail, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said, adding that "all crew»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Calendar, Visit Qatar's hub for events across the country, has warned its social media followers about a rise in ticketing scams. It urged the public to purchase tickets for events announced on its pages only through official websites. "Notice: We’ve seen a rise in ticket scams. »»»

NCM records a 5.1-magnitude quake in Iran hours after a minor 1.6 tremor in Fujairah Dubai: A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck southern Iran early on Saturday, October 17, hours after a smaller tremor was recorded off the coast of Dibba Al Fujairah in the UAE, according to the National Centre of Met»»»

Orange County's Norte Fire has burnt 570 acres; crews are battling another fire in Malibu Los Angeles: The UAE Consulate General in Los Angeles has urged Emirati citizens in the United States to exercise caution after two wildfires broke out in Southern California, one in Orange County and another »»»

Northern Oman may see above-average rain in October and November as temperatures stay hot Muscat: Oman is facing the prospect of wetter-than-usual conditions in its northern regions and higher temperatures across the country in the coming months, with a strengthening El Niño weather pattern potenti»»»

Six injured people were taken to medical facilities after a deadly house fire in Al Awabi Muscat: Two people have died and six others have been injured after a fire broke out at a house in Oman's Al Awabi district, the Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority said on Saturday. Emergency crews in South»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s cybersecurity market expanded 10.7 percent annually to SR16.3 billion ($4.35 billion) in 2025, as businesses and government entities increased spending on digital protection amid the Kingdom’s broader technology transformation. Private sector spending accounted for 69 percent»»»

US Vice President JD Vance suggested in an interview aired Friday that he may have disagreed with President Donald Trump over the Iran war. “Even if you disagree with him on that one issue, you can have that disagreement. And I think I have had that disagreement,” Vance said on a political talk sho»»»

By Staff, Agencies Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh reaffirmed on Friday that Tehran remains committed to securing an end to the “Israeli” war on Lebanon as part of any broader regional agreement, stressing that the conflicts across the region are interconnected and cannot be resol»»»

An unknown projectile struck a tanker 68 nautical miles northeast of Saudi Arabia’s Jubail on Friday, the United Kingdom Maritime ‌Trade Operations (UKMTO) ‌said in ‌a report on Saturday. All crew members were safe and had been evacuated, it said, adding that no environmental impact had been report»»»

Mindanao projects include homes for 60 families and accommodation for 50 orphans Mindanao: Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council, said that humanitarian and charitable work is deeply rooted in the UAE's values, reflecting »»»

Tokyo: Japan has registered a record number of foreigners living in the country this year despite growing anti-immigration sentiment, as the country grapples with problems caused by an ageing and shrinking population. Data showed 4.28 million foreigners staying in Japan as of the end of June, exclu»»»

Balochistan hit by 5.6 magnitude earthquake at 10 km depth A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck near ​Khuzdar in Pakistan's Balochistan ‌province ⁠on ‌Saturday, ⁠the German ​Research ⁠Centre ⁠for Geosciences (GFZ) ⁠said. The quake was ⁠at ​a ⁠depth of 10 km (6 ​miles), GFZ ‌said. Also In This Package »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli settlers open fire at Palestinian farmers while harvesting olives south of West Bank’s Nablus: Palestinian sources 17-10-2026 10:57»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Trump signs executive order waiving new Russia sanctions, tariffs 17-10-2026 10:29 AM Latest News Urgent News Israeli settlers open fire at»»»

By Staff, Agencies US President Donald Trump signed an executive order late Friday implementing a new Russia sanctions law while waiving the tariffs and many of the sanctions measures outlined in the legislation. The order implements the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, wh»»»

Heavy missile strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of northwestern Yemen have drastically intensified this week. Saudi-led coalition jets carried out successive waves of airstrikes after first warning residents of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, to keep away from two key oil facilities. Meanwhile, governm»»»

The UAE has given him the opportunity to grow and the responsibility to help others Dubai: Collecting cans for recycling, supporting food waste reduction, and helping young hospitality professionals advance their careers are among the ways one Indian expatriate is giving back to the UAE. For Rajat »»»

By Staff, Agencies Russia announced on Friday that the US Treasury Department had asked the Russian Direct Investment Fund [RDIF] to help implement a recently announced diesel supply agreement between Moscow and Washington. Speaking at the Russian Energy Week conference in Moscow, Russian president»»»

RIYADH: A joint European-Gulf statement emphasized the importance of energy security and diversifying energy sources in consolidating economic stability and supporting sustainable development paths, calling for strengthening Gulf-European cooperation to ensure the reliability and sustainability of »»»

Naidiri, Fiji: It had been decades since sharks last patrolled the reef off the coast of Fiji's Naidiri Village, but they returned this year following a community-led effort to protect the fishery and plant thousands of corals. Manoa Duwai convinced his village in 2009 to create a protected area wi»»»

The UAE has given him the opportunity to grow and the responsibility to help others Dubai: Collecting cans for recycling, supporting food waste reduction, and helping young hospitality professionals advance their careers are among the ways one Indian expatriate is giving back to the UAE. For Rajat »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iran Says Ready to Help End Saudi-Yemen Conflict 17-10-2026 10:31 AM Esmaeil Baqaeil, Spokesman of Iranian Foreign Ministry in an image fro»»»

Baghdad, Oct.17 (SANA) Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani arrived Saturday in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, to take part in the 52nd session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The 52nd session of the OIC Council of Forei»»»

The issue of reconstructing affected areas in Lebanon has ignited a political debate over who should bear the costs, with Hezbollah placing the primary responsibility for housing, reconstruction, and supporting displaced persons on the government. While Hezbollah stated that it is "working on a pro»»»

CAIRO: On Friday evening, Palestinian factions concluded a new round of talks hosted by Cairo, agreeing to hold a comprehensive Palestinian national conference under Egyptian auspices in the coming period, with the participation of various Palestinian factions and forces, to discuss the issues of p»»»

By Staff, Agencies A super tanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil burst into flames after striking a sea mine in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz while attempting to navigate an unauthorized route, according to the Islamic Revolution Guards [IRG] Navy. In a statement, »»»

Washington, United States: White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia was pushed out Friday after less than a week in the high-profile job following a series of blunders that added to distractions for her embattled boss, President Donald Trump. "Can confirm," a White House official told AFP, after »»»

New rules permit second family villas, larger upper floors and lower setbacks across Dubai Dubai: Dubai Municipality has introduced new regulations allowing Emirati homeowners greater flexibility to expand their villas, build second homes for family members and add residential annexes, under an ini»»»