Business and philanthropy leaders discuss water financing ahead of December UN conference New York: Global business, investment and philanthropy leaders have called for stronger private-sector involvement in water infrastructure as the world faces an annual investment gap of up to $141 billion to a»»»

Parliament on Wednesday backed first-reading amendments to the Insurance Code allowing the Financial Supervision Commission (FSC) to act on its own initiative when funds managed by the Guarantee Fund face a shortfall. The bill was tabled by Daniel Parushev of Progressive Bulgaria and a group of MPs»»»

The fight against the oligarchy waged at the expense of the poorest Bulgarians continues, MP Tsoncho Ganev of the Vazrazhdane party told journalists in Parliament on Wednesday. "Having 'frozen' the pensions and maternity benefits of 'oligarch-pensioners' and 'oligarch-mothers,' the government and t»»»

More than 550,000 low-income people will receive a one-off payment of EUR 50 to help offset higher consumption costs resulting from increased fuel prices, under a new government measure adopted by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday. Eligible recipients include people and families with incomes be»»»

The installation of the antennas for the LOFAR-BG radio telescope at Bulgaria’s Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory has been completed, said Kamen Kozarev, Director of the Institute of Astronomy at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, on Wednesday. Kozarev emphasized that LOFAR-BG is Bulgaria’s »»»

Additional budget allocations for the Ministry of the Interior for 2026 were approved by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday. The funding, totalling EUR 63,486,235, is designated to support the implementation of a centralized personalization system for Bulgarian identity documents. An additional »»»

A total of 18,430 Bulgarian citizens from 66 countries had registered by 11 a.m. on Wednesday to vote abroad in Bulgaria's October 25 presidential election, Boriana Stoynova, head of the Information and Communication Systems Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a briefing on the pre»»»

Yemeni factions fighting the Iran-backed Houthis are united mainly in one thing — their opposition to the rebels who control the country's north and have recently advanced along its Red Sea coastline. But beyond that, the groups fighting under the banner of Yemen's internationally recognized govern»»»

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa insisted at the U.N. Wednesday that the Golan Heights region will remain Syrian after Colombia last month recognized Israeli sovereignty over the strategically important territory. "Any attempts that violate our sovereignty, violate international law, will be stoppe»»»

“With solid sales growth in the first half of the year, we see ourselves on the home stretch for 2026, but we still need a strong finish,” said Markus Forschner , the chief financial officer and deputy chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, while presenting half-year figures for »»»

The meeting comes as part of Russia's participation in the 81st session of the organization. Sputnik is live from New York where Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is holding talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.The two top diplomats are expec»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's adversary attempted to interfere with and disrupt the elections, but the lines at polling stations indicate that Russia cannot be intimidated, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. "It is well known that they tried to interfere with and disrupt these electi»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A US-registered NATO Saab 340B ISR reconnaissance aircraft has been flying near the borders of Russia's Kaliningrad region for a third consecutive day, according to flight data reviewed by Sputnik on Wednesday. The aircraft took off at approximately 07:56 GMT from an airbase east»»»

Lithuania’s parliament has backed a constitutional amendment that would lift a ban on nuclear weapons, thus bringing the NATO member a step closer to hosting them on its territory. Russia has warned the Baltic country, which borders its Kaliningrad Region, that such a move would have significant se»»»

A Budapest court has ordered the detention of two men suspected of involvement in a fatal stabbing in the city’s popular nightlife district. Both men have previous criminal convictions and allegedly attempted to hide the weapon and their clothing after the attack. The Buda Central District Court ha»»»

The newly opened Burgas branch of the University of Forestry has begun its first academic year with around 20 students enrolled in Landscape Architecture and Forestry, University Rector Dr. Hristo Mihaylov said here on Wednesday. Students have enrolled from Sofia, Blagoevgrad, Sliven, Haskovo, Yamb»»»

The armed forces budget will increase in 2027 despite the difficult budgetary situation and the need to reduce the deficit, Prime Minister Rumen Radev told journalists on Wednesday at the Slivnitsa Training Centre. He was attending a demonstration of capabilities and combat skills following the con»»»

Doha, Qatar: Doha Film Institute (DFI) today announced that Doha Film Festival (DFF) 2026 will open with the MENA premiere of The Station (Al Mahattah), the acclaimed debut feature from Yemeni-Scottish filmmaker Sara Ishaq, taking place from Nov. 19-27, 2026, in Doha. A bold and deeply human story »»»

DOHA: Qatar University (QU) received the Academic AI and Research Excellence Award at the Google Cloud Summit 2026, recognizing the university's work in advancing the adoption of artificial intelligence across research, education and institutional operations. "This recognition reflects Qatar Univer»»»

US settlement sets film and worker commitments in deal backed by Gulf investors Dubai: Paramount Skydance has moved closer to buying Warner Bros. Discovery after settling lawsuits brought by 12 US states and the Writers Guild of America. The deal also has approval from the US Federal Communications»»»

At its regular meeting on Wednesday, the government adopted a decision approving a draft Memorandum of Understanding between the Republic of Bulgaria and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on the preparation and implementation of public-private partnerships and concessions.»»»

Prague: Albrecht Duerer's "Feast of the Rosary", a Renaissance gem of Prague's National Gallery, is facing a painstaking five-year reconstruction designed to set right five centuries of mistreatment and damage. Experts have pointed out the poor condition of the colourful painting that the German ma»»»

OpenAI’s Sam Altman will pitch the idea of creating global AI standards when he speaks at the United Nations on Wednesday, positioning himself as a centrist on the question of whether to slow down the technology’s progress. Altman, the company’s co-founder and chief executive officer, is set to app»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe An infant was wounded by occupation forces’ fire south of Khan Younis, and an elderly woman was wounded west of the city in Souther Gaza: m»»»

Report says Gyanesh Kumar overruled objections from two members 14 times over 10 months New Delhi: India’s political opposition demanded the removal of the top election official on Wednesday after a newspaper investigation alleged that decisions behind a contentious voter-roll revision may have bee»»»

Located near Cernica, approximately 20 minutes from the Pallady commercial area, Liziera de Lac was created to offer a new quality of residential living close to Bucharest, built around a strong connection with nature, excellent city connectivity and a high quality of life. The project brings toget»»»

Washington: Apple announced that it has postponed the launch of advanced OLED screen technology in iPhones for several years, previously expected to be used on the company's 20th anniversary phone. The new technology is called Color Filter on Encapsulation (CoE) OLED; a key feature of it is elimina»»»

New York: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs HE Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi met separately with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia HE Tone Kajzer; Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of the Solomon Islands HE Rick Houenipwela; Undersecretary of State at the Minist»»»

Colombo: Sri Lanka's recovery from the worst economic crisis in its history could be upended by the El Nino climate phenomenon and fallout from the Middle East crisis, the IMF warned Wednesday. The South Asian nation's economic collapse of 2022 was triggered by a severe foreign exchange shortage th»»»

Will own a mall, says storekeeper, while businessman shares property and charity plans Dubai: Two Indian expatriates in the UAE have become the latest US$1 million winners in the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire and Finest Surprise draws, held at Concourse C of Dubai International Airport. Th»»»

Police say 41-year-old ignored cabin crew as aircraft prepared to land in Perth A passenger on a Qantas flight in Australia allegedly tried to open an aircraft door while the plane was still in the air, after abusing another traveller and cabin crew, police said. The 41-year-old Western Australian »»»

Adani tops Hurun India Rich List 2026, with Ambani in second place at Rs863 billion Dubai: Gautam Adani and his family have reclaimed the top spot on the Hurun India Rich List, with a combined wealth of more than Rs922 billion (Rs9.22 lakh crore), according to the 2026 ranking released on Wednesday»»»

Alfred Holding launches Creditmarket.ae and Holidaymarket.ae, for finance and travel Alfred Holding, the parent company behind Insurancemarket.ae, has launched two new consumer platforms, Creditmarket.ae and Holidaymarket.ae. This marks the group's first major expansion beyond insurance in its 16-y»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran held indirect talks with the United States through Qatar on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi outlin»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine has turned into a major center of the international black arms market, threatening the security of OSCE states and countries on other continents, head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna talks on military security and arms control Iulia Zhdanova said on Wednesday. "Uk»»»

NEW YORK - Serbian FM Marko Djuric met on Tuesday in New York with Ghanaian FM Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly session to discuss cooperation between the two countries. Djuric once again thanked Ghana for its "support for the preservation of the sovereignty »»»

Vessel adrift after mystery strike in Strait of Hormuz, says UK agency A cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an "unknown projectile" on Wednesday, causing a fire and two casualties, a British maritime agency said. "The Company Security Officer of a cargo vessel reports being struck b»»»

Postgraduate and specialised programmes target skills in AI, business and leadership For professionals looking to add new qualifications, strengthen specialist skills or prepare for their next career move, postgraduate education is increasingly becoming part of the career plan. Gulf News LevelUP, t»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Calendar is set to bring Bubble Planet: An Immersive Experience to Doha, opening at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) on December 6 with tickets sale to go live in October. The interactive experience invites visitors of all ages to step into a vibrant world of light, co»»»

Netanyahu’s office called Macron’s remarks at the United Nations a "grotesque absurdity," objecting to his claim about the Palestinian militant group Hamas' activity in the West Bank. Macron decried the situation in Gaza. He also criticized the escalating Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, »»»

China commands a staggering 85% of the globe's refined rare earth production, having mined more than five times as much as the US in 2025. The figures provide a snapshot of the global rare earth market ahead of Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to the US.Given that all the other countries on Earth combin»»»

Decision to hand back archipelago has been a bone of contention with Trump administration London: Britain will rework its deal to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a minister confirmed Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump branded the agreement “terrible” during his first meeting with UK»»»

Cash, weapons and luxury watches uncovered in Naples Camorra stronghold Italian police found over three million euros in cash stashed inside the walls of an alleged drug lord's house following a tip-off, a top anti-mafia prosecutor told AFP Wednesday. The raid also uncovered Kalashnikovs, along wit»»»

DOHA: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani, chaired the weekly Cabinet meeting held at the Amiri Diwan. Following the meeting, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs HE Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohannadi»»»

New SIFC system gives applicants a way to submit queries and follow their progress Dubai: UAE-based Pakistanis exploring a business investment back home have a new channel for contacting Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). The council has launched a digital Ticketing Hub wher»»»

Amman, Sept. 23 (SANA) Syria is moving to restore correspondent banking relationships and expand access to regional financial networks, while seven delegations have expressed interest in establishing banks in the country, Central Bank officials said. The developments emerged during the Arab Regiona»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) has cancelled the license of a travel agency due to violations. In a social media announcement, QCAA announced the closure of Mohammed Noor Tours and Travel due to violations on the provisions of Law No. (3) of 2025 regulating travel and air ca»»»

Nagoya (Japan): Qatar's shooting team secured another Asian achievement, winning two gold medals in the men's skeet competition, both in the individual and team events, at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games currently being held in Japan until Oct. 4. The first gold medal was won by the Qatari skeet »»»

A spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday Iran had maintained its negotiating stance in talks with U.S. officials, demanding the United States end its blockade on Iranian ports and release Iran's frozen assets. Esmail Baghaei said the indirect talks took place via Qatari mediator»»»

An Israeli strike on a vehicle in Khan Younis killed two people Wednesday morning, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said one of those killed was Mohammad Abu Alwan, whom he identified as the head of Hamas’ finance department. He also said Israel would keep going aft»»»