RIYADH: Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth discussed the two countries’ strategic defence partnership and efforts to strengthen regional security during a phone call on Thursday. “In a call with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, we reviewed the Saudi-U»»»

Tunis, Oct. 1 (TAP) - The publication of Decree-Law No. 3 of 2026, amending certain provisions of Organic Law No. 2012-23 establishing the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE), has brought the legislative framework governing the electoral...»»»

Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has said Moscow hopes Hungary will continue its economic cooperation with Russia, while warning that Budapest’s recent actions could affect bilateral ties. Kremlin hopes Hungary will continue economic cooperation The Kremlin hopes “reason will prevail” in Hungary and that»»»

Tokyo: President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani crowned the medalists in the Equestrian Jumping team event at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games during a ceremony held in Tokyo. His Excellency presented the medals to the winning teams: Saudi Arabia claimed go»»»

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration on Thursday imposed fresh sanctions on Iran, targeting its rail and automotive conglomerates and international suppliers to the sectors, the Treasury Department said, in the latest US push to isolate Tehran economically. The sanctions are part of the department’»»»

Three teams track complaints from the 04 platform to final resolution Dubai: Dubai Police has launched a dedicated “Pulse” Room to accelerate the handling of customer complaints, strengthen follow-up and ensure cases are resolved and closed in line with strict quality standards. The facility, which»»»

Fines of up to SR10,000 apply for breaches of new architectural guidelines Dubai: Jeddah has made Hejazi coastal architectural design guidelines mandatory for all new residential building permits and applications to renovate residential facades, with fines of up to SR10,000 for violations, the Jedd»»»

Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign finally got the dramatic election-season image it had been waiting for when the Israeli occupation prime minister appeared at Ben Gurion Airport to greet Zionist passengers who had just survived a “potentially catastrophic Flydubai flight,” according to the Zionist pol»»»

ADDIS ABABA: Eritrea said it was breaking diplomatic ties with its neighbor Ethiopia on Thursday, in response to the earlier expulsion of its diplomats from Addis Ababa. “Eritrea has no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia with all the negative corollaries t»»»

BEIRUT: The deputy director-general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization told AFP on Thursday that she was “deeply concerned” about the impact of the latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict on agriculture in south Lebanon. The latest war “puts additional pressure on farmers and rural communities »»»

The presidency must act as an independent counterbalance and ensure public money is put to the best possible use, presidential candidate Andrey Gurov said in Kyustendil on Thursday. He was addressing a meeting at the Regional Cultural Institute. The president should support the government when it p»»»

Some stories do not end when they are published; they remain open, and years later they return to you, or you return to them. You discover that what you thought you knew then was only part of a much bigger story. The story of Israeli spy Eli Cohen in Syria is one such example. In March 2004, I inte»»»

The last US troops belonging to the global coalition to fight the Islamic State (IS) have left Iraq, where they were stationed at Victoria Base at the Baghdad International Airport. But in reality, many had already left well before the 30 September 2026 deadline, starting when Israel attacked Iran »»»

Hungary has voted in favour of new EU rules designed to make the return of people without a legal right to stay more effective, including stricter measures and the possibility of return hubs outside the bloc. EU approves new return framework The Council of the European Union has given its final app»»»

LONDON: Police on Thursday arrested a dual UK-Iranian national on suspicion of plotting a terror attack following a security incident at a US-run military air base in England that British authorities have linked to Tehran. The 27-year-old man was arrested in London on Thursday, and police have sear»»»

The European Commission closed an infringement procedure against Bulgaria, which was launched over delays in notifying the Commission of measures fully transposing Directive (EU) 2022/2555, known as NIS2. The Innovation and Digital Transformation Ministry was notified on Thursday, the Ministry’s pr»»»

Poland’s housing market has stabilized, with developer contract signings up 15% to 19% y/y, but growth is increasingly concentrated among large companies. Their stronger brands and lower financing costs help them gain share as the fragmented sector consolidates. The market has about 800 developers,»»»

Buildings affect health, comfort and energy use because people spend about 90% of their lives indoors, said VELUX Polska’s Aleksandra Stępniak at Business PRECOP 2026. She argued that building modernization should be seen as an opportunity for lower costs, better well-being and greater energy secur»»»

Capital Park plans to begin construction of Nowy Wełnowiec, a mixed-use district in Katowice, in spring 2027, starting with three residential buildings. The project will cover more than 30 hectares and is expected to take about 10 years to complete. Later phases will add recreation areas and retail»»»

Polish stocks fell broadly on Oct. 1, giving the WIG20 and WIG indexes their steepest losses since Aug. 27. The WIG20 dropped 1.9% to 4,102 points, while the WIG lost 1.6%. Seventeen of the 20 blue chips declined, and nearly 60% of listed stocks finished lower. Banks and Allegro were among the weak»»»

Tauron plans to repurpose sites at four coal power plants, in Jaworzno, Siersza, Łaziska and Łagisza, for new energy and industrial projects, reusing existing land and grid connections. In Jaworzno, it signed a letter of intent with the city to study a waste-to-energy plant that could produce elect»»»

Northland Power secured about PLN 500 million in financing from Canadian and Polish institutions for two battery storage projects under construction in Poland. Mieczysławów will provide 200 MW and 800 MWh, while Kamionka will provide 100 MW and 400 MWh, for combined capacity of 300 MW and 1.2 GWh. »»»

RIYADH: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Deemah Al-Yahya as a member of the UN High-Level Panel on Freedom of Transit for Landlocked Developing Countries. Al-Yahya represents the Arab region on the panel, a role that reflects her expertise and contributions in the fields of the d»»»

Since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, which led to the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Iraq has undergone a qualitative shift in regional and international balances of power. The two main players in the Iraqi arena are the US and Iran, and both compete for influence. Iran has invested patiently a»»»

TUNIS, Oct 1, 2026 (TAP) - President of the Tunisian Water Observatory Houcine Rhili called for the adoption of modern solutions and technologies to limit the evaporation of dam water.Speaking at a press conference organised on Thursday by the...»»»

Attack knocked out transformer but did not disrupt electricity network Dubai: A Houthi drone struck a civilian electricity distribution station in Medina that supplies power to the Prophet’s Mosque, knocking one transformer out of service but leaving the wider electricity network unaffected, the Co»»»

Cairo: The State of Qatar participated in the 37th Ministerial Meeting of the Council of Arab Ministers Responsible for the Environment, held Thursday at the Arab League's General Secretariat in Cairo, under the chairmanship of the Republic of Yemen. Minister of Environment and Climate Change HE Dr»»»

WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday announced fresh sanctions targeting Iran’s largest automakers, as well as major rail, manufacturing and metals companies, as Washington seeks to exert maximum pressure in its war against the country. “Because the rail and automotive sectors represent some o»»»

LONDON: Smit Machchhar, the FlyDubai captain who was attacked mid-air by his co-pilot, has been moved from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi for continued medical treatment.The Indian pilot was initially taken to hospital in Tabuk, where the flight made an emergency landing on Wednesday morning after he wa»»»

Manama: Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said that the GCC states' economies have demonstrated strong fiscal and macroeconomic resilience. In this regard, he underlined that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) commended the resilience of GCC economie»»»

PARIS: A high school entrance hall caught fire in one French city and teenage protesters blocked trams in another on Thursday, as secondary pupils upped their strike over what they denounce as poor learning conditions. The movement in the lycees, which students aged 15 to 18 attend for their final »»»

RIYADH: Houthis in Yemen carried out a drone attack on the Taiba power distribution station in Madinah on Tuesday morning, the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said. An investigation found that the Houthi militia planned and executed the “cowardly terrorist act,” coalition spokesman Turki A»»»

RIYADH: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Deemah Al-Yahya as a member of the UN High-Level Panel on Freedom of Transit for Landlocked Developing Countries. Al-Yahya represents the Arab region on the panel, a role that reflects her expertise and contributions in the fields of the d»»»

NEW YORK - Serbia's caretaker FM Marko Djuric signed during the recent 81st UN General Assembly session in New York a joint statement on the AI Opportunity Partnership, whereby Serbia has joined a partnership between the US and its strategic partners in the field of development and application of a»»»

TUNIS, Oct 1, 2026 (TAP) - Secretary of State for Energy Transition Wael Chouchane on Thursday pointed out the importance of the energy transition, affirming that the main challenge currently lies in accelerating the implementation of programmes and...»»»

Moscow: Russia would consider using "all types of weapons" if its exclave of Kaliningrad was attacked, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, while insisting that Moscow had "no intention of attacking anyone". "If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation ... then, of course, t»»»

TUNIS, Oct 1, 2026 (TAP) - Thunderstorm cells and sometimes heavy rain are expected early Thursday night in the West-Central regions and locally in the South, according to the National Institute of Meteorology (INM).The winds will blow south in the...»»»

AMMAN — Minister of Investment Tareq Abu Ghazaleh on Thursday met with Italian Ambassador to Jordan Pier Luigi Zamporlini to discuss ways to strengthen investment cooperation between the two countries.Abu Ghazaleh highlighted the importance of building on the longstanding relations between Jordan a»»»

AMMAN — Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh, said on Thursday that local industries are an “integral part of the Kingdom’s progress”, stressing the need to continue supporting Jordanian products to advance development goals, meet national needs and create more employment oppor»»»

AMMAN — The industrial sector grew 4.6 per cent in the second quarter and contributed about 40 per cent of the Kingdom’s economic growth, the Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI) said in a statement on Thursday.The chamber said manufacturing grew 6.2 per cent year-on-year, its highest quarterly growth »»»

AL-MUKALLA: At least 30 Houthis were reportedly killed over the past 24 hours in Yemen’s Taiz province after government forces repelled what officials described as the largest and most coordinated offensive by the Iran-backed group against government-held areas of the province in years. Heavy morta»»»

After football and fishing, France's third-favourite pastime is hunting. The ancestral activity is popular but also divisive, with passions running high between those who defend hunting traditions and a growing number of animal rights activists. Though it's become statistically safer, a majority of»»»

MOSCOW: Russia would consider using “all types of weapons”, if its exclave of Kaliningrad was attacked, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, while insisting that Moscow had “no intention of attacking anyone”. “If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation ... then, of course, »»»

RIYADH: The official spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said the Houthis targeted the Taiba power distribution station in Madinah on Tuesday morning. Major General Turki Al-Maliki said an investigation into the incident and findings by authorities have proven the involvem»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian caretaker Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic told Tanjug on Thursday talks between Hungary's MOL and the Russian energy company Gazprom about an acquisition of a Russian majority stake in the Serbian oil company NIS by MOL had not collapsed, as also confir»»»

Russia launched its heaviest combined assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in months on Wednesday, killing seven people and triggering emergency power cuts in Kyiv and nearby regions. The strikes came as officials warned of a difficult winter amid Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power and heatin»»»

The motive behind the killing of a prominent Plovdiv businessman was personal and stemmed from financial dealings, supervising prosecutor Dimitar Molev told reporters, referring to the murder of businessman I.F. A 51-year-old man has been charged in connection with the killing, Molev added. The two»»»

HELSINKI: Finnish police said on Thursday they have launched a preliminary investigation into a series of suspected intrusions at the homes of members of parliament. Helsinki police said in a statement they were working closely with the National Bureau of Investigation and that the inquiry was at a»»»

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has welcomed the US withdrawal from Iraq, adding that the Americans should also leave all other countries in the region. On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced that the last American troops had departed from Iraq after being there for 23 years. In its s»»»

RIYADH: The official spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said the Houthis targeted the Taiba power distribution station in Madinah on Tuesday morning. Major General Turki Al-Malki said an investigation into the incident and findings by competent authorities have proven the»»»