Iran said Wednesday it is in the "final stage" of drafting an agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. President Donald Trump has said a deal could be announced this week. That could potentially reopen the critical waterway, ease pressure on the world economy and help bring an end to»»»

BusinessRussian FederationWhy is Russia selling its gold?Arthur SullivanRussia has become one of the world's biggest sellers of gold over the past 12 months. It's an attempt to raise cash in the face of budget issues, but not necessarily a sign of a looming financial crisis. https://p.dw.com/p/5Ht6»»»

There is a peculiar contradiction in the Philippine debate over Pax Silica. A country that has spent decades complaining about poverty, underemployment, brain drain, weak industrialisation, unreliable infrastructure and the export of raw resources suddenly finds itself being offered a place in one »»»

The National Bank of Kyrgyzstan commented to 24.kg news agency on the situation with the acceptance and exchange of cash Russian rubles at the country’s commercial banks. The regulator noted that the change in transaction conditions are linked to stricter controls imposed by Russian commercial bank»»»

Andrei Gemeneanu, ROPEA president, talked to BR about Romania’s private equity market, which saw investment values quadruple to EUR 433.6 million in 2025. Gemeneanu discusses the drivers behind this surge, the record-breaking exit activity, and the need to unlock domestic pension funds to reduce re»»»

Dubai: Space42 reported record first-half revenue after growth across its satellite services and geospatial intelligence businesses, while preparations continued for the commercial rollout of direct-to-device services on standard mobile phones. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & B»»»

RIYADH: S&P Global Ratings has cut its 2026 forecast for Middle East sustainable bond issuance to $15 billion-$20 billion, citing geopolitical volatility and weaker market conditions. The ratings agency had previously projected issuance of $20 billion-$25 billion for the year. First-half 2026 issua»»»

Business activity in Kazakhstan's services sector accelerated for a fourth straight month in July, according to the latest Freedom Holding Corp Kazakhstan Services PMI survey published by S&P Global. July recorded the strongest pace of expansion in more than 12 months, the survey noted. The hea»»»

The UAE on Thursday marked the 60th anniversary of the accession of its Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as Ruler of Abu Dhabi, a milestone President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said heralded the country's journey of progress and laid the foundations »»»

US President Donald Trump demanded answers from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at Camp David after learning that severe munitions shortages could limit US military options against Iran, American media reported, citing people familiar with the exchange. The shortages reportedly involve long-range gui»»»

Political pressure is mounting on Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as an end-of-September deadline for US forces to leave Iraq approaches, while disputes over weapons, corruption, and a deepening financial crisis pile fresh strain on his government. Informed sources said al-Zaidi’s recent meetings»»»

Manila: Landslides in the Philippines killed four people, authorities said Thursday, as heavy rains driven by a tropical depression raked the country's north and forced school closures. The archipelago nation's main island Luzon has been battered by heavy rains over the past four days. Government o»»»

Gold prices demonstrated the fastest single-day growth in the past six months, driven by easing tensions in the Middle East, a weakening US dollar, and a number of other factors, former Central Bank of Turkiye analyst Onur Dashdemir told Sputnik. "The combination of positive signals from the Middle»»»

TOKYO/SINGAPORE: Oil prices trended lower on Thursday on the progress in Iran-Oman talks, with investors cautiously waiting for signs of a US-Iran peace deal and progress on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures fell 33 cents, or 0.42 percent, to $79.12 a barrel by 07:18 a.m. Saudi ti»»»

MANILA: Landslides in the Philippines killed four people, authorities said Thursday, as heavy rains driven by a tropical depression raked the country’s north and forced school closures. The archipelago nation’s main island Luzon has been battered by heavy rains over the past four days. Government o»»»

E.ON Energie Romania installed over 1,200 photovoltaic systems for residential customers in the first six months of 2026, through the E.ON Solar Home program, up 30% compared to the same period in 2025. Thus, the threshold of 10,500 photovoltaic systems installed for residential customers was excee»»»

The share of households owning photovoltaic systems in Romania increased from 8% to 11% in a single year, and 17% of Romanians intend to install such a system in the next 12 months, according to the findings of a study published on Monday.According to the research conducted by E.ON Energie Romania,»»»

SEOUL: South Korean police raided the headquarters of Starbucks’ local operation as part of an investigation into a controversial marketing campaign that was perceived as defaming 1980s’ pro-democracy movements. Investigators searched the Starbucks headquarters in southern Seoul on Tuesday, police »»»

DUBAI: Fourteen runners will compete for the $40,000 (SR150,000) Alhada Cup at King Khalid Racecourse in Taif on Saturday, with Aez Alkhatir (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) seeking to improve on his runner-up performance in the Sarawat Cup on Saudi Cup weekend. Not seen since that run on Feb. 13, the Hom»»»

Hungary was named the 5th best country for expat career opportunities in 2026, based on a new survey by insurance specialists William Russell. The research comes from the international health insurance specialists William Russell, who analysed factors such as foreign-born employment rates, to revea»»»

MOSCOW: Russia shot down 605 Ukrainian drones during the night over its territory and the annexed Crimean Peninsula, the defense ministry said Thursday. “During the night … air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 605 Ukrainian aerial drones,” the ministry said in a statement. The ministry fla»»»

DUBAI: Nearly two decades after bonding over hip-hop in a Jeddah neighborhood where almost no one else listened to it, Saudi rappers Alyoung and Randar have released “R2,” a four-track EP — pairing it with three music videos. The duo — Ahmed, who performs as Alyoung, and Bandar, who performs as Ran»»»

Fitch's decision to maintain Romania's sovereign rating in the investment-grade category is important news for the country, but concerns remain over political instability, policy uncertainty and the risk of slowing reforms, the American Chamber of Commerce in Romania (AmCham Romania) warned."Mainta»»»

Romania risks losing billions of euros in NRRP funds due to the decarbonization law, claims PNL MP Ionel Bogdan, the party's spokesperson."Today, we witnessed another contest of populism in the Chamber of Deputies?a battle between the PSD and AUR over amendments to laws that could either benefit Ro»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Pakistan, Russia, and Belarus are planning to launch a test freight rail route, but the main obstacle remains the unfinished transit section in Iran, Pakistani Ambassador to Russia Faisal Niaz Tirmizi said. "We are actively working on a test freight rail route connecting Minsk, M»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s banking sector remained resilient in June 2026, with total assets holding steady at QR2.197 trillion, according to QNB’s latest monthly banking sector report. Total assets were unchanged from May but 2.1 percent higher than year-end 2025. The report showed that the sector’s tot»»»

Kyrgyzstan has introduced a permit system for climbers attempting to summit Pobeda Peak, the highest point of the Tien Shan mountain range at an altitude of more than 7,400 meters. The State Agency for Tourism Development of Kyrgyzstan reported. «We are introducing a permit system for ascents of Po»»»

Dubai: Eleven hundred tonnes of moon went up on Wednesday morning, and nobody on Earth watched it happen. The upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9, designated 2025-010D, struck the Moon at 06.34 GMT on Wednesday 5 August, which was 10.34am UAE time. It was travelling at around seven times the speed of »»»

On 29 July, a drone struck a floating American storage and regasification unit at Damietta Port on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, setting it ablaze. The fire spread to a Greek-owned LNG tanker anchored nearby. The port is central to Cairo’s plan to turn Egypt into an energy hub for the Eastern Medite»»»

China is tightening border crossing rules to prevent the outflow of specialists and technology, Taipei Times reports. The new rules contain 19 points and are scheduled to take effect on September 15. The purpose of the changes is to «regulate exit and entry control, protect legitimate rights and in»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Embassy of the Republic of Sudan in Doha held a press briefing yesterday regarding the current developments in Sudan, delivered by the Ambassador of the Republic of Sudan to the State of Qatar H E Badreddine Abdullah Mohammed Ahmed. At the beginning of the press conference, His Exc»»»

A criminal case has been opened in Tokmok over domestic violence. The suspect has been detained and placed in a temporary detention facility, the Main Internal Affairs Department of Chui region reported. On August 3, a 33-year-old resident of the city contacted the police. She said that her partner»»»

KINSHASA: The world’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak is spreading faster than efforts to fight it, the head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday during a visit to Congo where some health workers are striking over a lack of pay. Nearly three months into the outbreak, new cases are doub»»»

BERLIN: A verdict is due Thursday for an Afghan man accused of a car-ramming attack in Munich last year which killed a two-year-old girl and her mother and left dozens injured. The man, named only as Farhad N., has been on trial since January, accused of deliberately steering a car into a 1,400-str»»»

Arab Finance: Modon Misr and Mwasalat Misr signed an investment and shareholders’ agreement to establish Mwasalat Modon Misr, a company to operate smart and sustainable transportation systems across Egypt’s new urban cities, as per a statement. Modon Misr is affiliated with the New Urban Communitie»»»

Abu Dhabi: International Holding Company reported a 195.6% increase in profit after tax to Dh26.2 billion during the first half of 2026, supported by growth across several operating sectors, investment income and active portfolio management. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Bala»»»

Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Federal health officials are investigating a salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeños that has sickened 345 people in 27 states. No deaths have been reported in the outbreak that began June 19 based on the earliest reported illness onset. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said We»»»

The Strait of Hormuz remains at the heart of the current Middle East crisis, with diplomatic efforts to reopen the vital waterway unfolding alongside continued military and maritime tensions. The UAE is situated near the Hormuz Strait, a narrow waterway that sits at the gateway to the Gulf, and any»»»

Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank of America all helped Jeffrey Epstein make more than $1 billion in suspicious transfers, including payments to trafficked eastern European women, according to a report by Democrats on the US Senate Finance Committee. According to the report, more than a dozen»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Labour warned that recruitment offices that fail to comply with employment contract obligations or commit licensing violations could face severe penalties, including the suspension or revocation of their licences, as part of intensified efforts to regulate the sector an»»»

Police have detained a suspect in the assault of the editor of Telekuzot, a program of the Kyrgyz National Television and Radio Broadcasting Corporation (UTRK). The Main Department of Internal Affairs of Bishkek reported. Law enforcement authorities opened a criminal case under Article 280 (Hooliga»»»

The Schengen Agreement has made travel within the European Union a lot easier since it came into force. It allows its 29 member states to relax their border controls. Or at least it does, so long as those states are feeling relaxed. Oddly enough, the arrangement is now in trouble because of an even»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a landmark law legalizing cryptocurrency trading, which will be regulated as part of the country’s financial system. The Law on Digital Currencies and Digital Rights, signed and published on Tuesday, formalizes an already booming market. According to bloc»»»

Several heat records were broken on Wednesday, the weather service HugaroMet said on its website. The record for the highest minimum temperature ever recorded was broken on Janos Hill in Budapest, where the air cooled to just 28 degrees Celsius by morning. This figure also marks a new record for th»»»

Dubai: Few Indian bureaucrats have seen as many transfers as IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe. Yet, despite being moved around repeatedly, the Maharashtra-cadre officer has built a reputation as one of the country's most uncompromising administrators. The 2005-batch IAS officer has reportedly been transf»»»

Iran said an agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz is in its final stages, while President Donald Trump suggested a deal could be announced within days, raising hopes of easing a blockade that has disrupted global shipping and fueled months of conflict. Iran said Wednesday it is in the “fin»»»

Amid an outpouring of concern from fans and colleagues, Perez Hilton's family says there is now a reason for cautious optimism: he is able to communicate. The 48-year-old celebrity blogger, whose real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr, was hospitalised on Tuesday (4 August) after an unsettling Ti»»»

Every September, parents make one of the biggest decisions of the year. They compare school rankings, visit campuses, speak to other parents and weigh up academic results, facilities and extracurricular activities. These factors remain important. But increasingly, they are no longer the deciding fa»»»

BANGKOK: Myanmar’s ex-junta chief Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Bangkok Thursday for his first visit to Thailand as civilian leader, as he seeks a return to the diplomatic fold for his pariah state. As a general, he led a 2021 military coup that ousted democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering a »»»

The Justice Department announced Wednesday that Connecticut Children's has agreed to stop offering gender-affirming care to minors. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The Justice Department announced Wednesday that Connecticut Children's Medical Center has agreed to stop »»»