Dr Vladimir Vasev Daskalov and Stanimir Mihaylov have been nominated for the post of Governor of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) by the Progressive Bulgaria and the Continue the Change parliamentary groups, respectively. Zdravko Shushkov has been nominated for the post of Deputy Governor »»»

DUBAI: Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source, who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a time frame to implement it.The comments wer»»»

JAKARTA/TAIPEI: Indonesia’s navy said on Wednesday that joint exercises which China said took place east of Taiwan were routine and not related to “war fighting,” after Taipei expressed alarm and called them dangerous. China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, and in June beg»»»

President Vladimir Putin held a meeting in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on ensuring the security of Russia’s eastern borders after observing the final stage of Pacific Fleet drills aboard the missile cruiser Varyag. Here are the key points:Putin said the main task remains ensuring the security of the Russian »»»

Manila: For motorists heading from Metro Manila to Quezon and Bicol, the journey south has long been defined by one frustrating bottleneck: the stretch of the Maharlika Highway between Sto. Tomas, Batangas and Tiaong, Quezon. That may finally begin to change this year. The Philippine Department of »»»

Rescuers in Colombia faced a race against time Wednesday as they searched collapsed buildings for survivors after the country's strongest earthquake this century. The magnitude 7.4 quake has killed 265 people and injured more than 3,500, with nearly 500 still missing. Colombia's earthquake rescue e»»»

PANAMA CITY: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth floated on Wednesday the possibility of joint strikes on Colombian armed groups, as he welcomed the nation into a military-led counter-narcotics coalition after its conservative president took over last week. Colombia had authorized “joint military ope»»»

NEW YORK: Donald Trump was sued on Wednesday by two media entities seeking to shut down a new service that sells paid access to the US president’s posts, including some that can move markets, on his Truth Social platform. The complaint filed in Manhattan federal court by the Intercept and the Freed»»»

Further water level decline is expected on the Danube, and as a result, Fővárosi Vízművek called on consumers on Wednesday to reduce their use of mains drinking water. “The current forecast for the Danube’s water level demands serious attention and responsible water use from all of us. The temporar»»»

The Pentagon was accused of whitewashing US Army crimes after publishing its annual estimate of civilian casualties in 2025.The report, submitted to Congress late Monday and obtained by US news outlets, contains numbers that are far lower than estimates by independent outlets.The Pentagon concluded»»»

The DIB, the world’s leading Islamic financial group and the largest Islamic bank in the UAE, has announced the launch of its first Youth Council, creating a structured platform for young employees to bring forward fresh perspectives and ideas, contribute to relevant initiatives and take an active »»»

The government has ordered the immediate construction of a riverbed weir on the Danube between the Paks nuclear power plant and the settlement of Dunaszentbenedek. In parallel, as a temporary measure, two barges, each eighty metres long, are being placed on standby at Paks so that, if necessary, th»»»

The government is preparing a three-day series of events for the national holiday on 20 August, during which the fireworks display will be shorter than usual, government spokesperson Éva Magyar said at a Wednesday event in Budapest where the programme was presented. The series of events will cost 4»»»

The Fidesz and KDNP parliamentary group leader called András Baka, elected head of state on Tuesday, unworthy of the office of President of the Republic, in a post on Facebook. Fidesz and KDNP members of parliament did not attend the election and inauguration of the new head of state in the Nationa»»»

An intergovernmental agreement has been signed between the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Swiss Federal Council on international road transport of passengers and goods. According to the Ministry of Transport and Communications, on August 12, Minister Talantbek Soltobaev met wit»»»

Dubai-Sharjah traffic is building across several key commuter routes this morning, with the latest Google Maps view showing a mix of heavy congestion and slower-moving traffic at major interchanges. On the Sharjah side, E88 Al Dhaid Road is mostly moving, but the map shows pockets of orange and red»»»

Chinese Cinema Days kicked off in Bishkek on August 12. The first audience was shown Shenzhou 13, a film largely shot in orbit by members of the Chinese space mission. Cosmonauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu spent six months on the Chinese space station and filmed the action themselves»»»

New York: A Chicago jury awarded $29 million in damages to the family of an Irish-born United Nations employee who died in a 2019 Boeing 737 MAX crash, a US court spokesman said Wednesday. The civil suit was brought against Boeing by Naoise Connolly Ryan, widow of Michael "Mick" Ryan, an engineer w»»»

Dubai: As Pakistan marks its 79th Independence Day anniversary, Pakistanis living and working in the UAE have renewed their call for greater unity, stronger institutions, quality education and wider opportunities for the country’s young population, while expressing pride in their homeland and confi»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia is moving to prohibit the use of children in fundraising advertisements under new draft rules aimed at tightening oversight of donation campaigns and protecting donors and beneficiaries. The National Center for the Non-Profit Sector has published its draft Fundraising Governance»»»

Dubai is set to launch a “Rent Now, Pay Later” service in September that will allow tenants to spread annual rent payments over up to 12 months without interest, according to a report by Emarat Al Youm. The initiative, being developed by the Dubai Land Department (DLD) in partnership with a local b»»»

BEIRUT: Oil leaking from a tanker grounded off the coast of Oman is not only endangering a nearby island but has now also reached beaches on the Gulf Arab country’s mainland, to the north of the island, Oman’s environment authority said Wednesday. Crude oil has been leaking from the tanker Caroline»»»

Washington: Keeping a low profile doesn't come naturally to Donald Trump. Yet that is the strategy the American president says he now favors in the war against Iran, and he is betting on economic pressure over diplomacy or new strikes. "We are low-keying it," Trump told news site Axios by phone Sun»»»

OneClickDrive, the UAE-based car marketplace, keeps seeing steady demand for extended rental periods in Abu Dhabi, as residents in the capital think twice before buying a car outright, especially in that first year or two of settling in. Monthly rental has been part of the platform's offering for y»»»

CALI/PEREIRA, Colombia: Colombian rescue teams raced on Thursday to find survivors still trapped beneath collapsed buildings two days after a powerful earthquake killed close to 250 people across ​the nation’s western valleys and coffee-growing region. “We are in a race against time to save lives,”»»»

WASHINGTON: US ‌President Donald Trump signed a memo on Wednesday that the White House said was aimed at empowering federal law enforcement to use ​cyber tools against transnational criminal organizations that operate in foreign jurisdictions to attack Americans. Trump signed the national security »»»

NEW YORK: A Chicago jury awarded $29 million in damages to the family of an Irish-born United Nations employee who died in a 2019 Boeing 737 MAX crash, a US court spokesman said Wednesday. The civil suit was brought against Boeing by Naoise Connolly Ryan, widow of Michael “Mick” Ryan, an engineer w»»»

WASHINGTON: Keeping a low profile doesn’t come naturally to Donald Trump. Yet that is the strategy the American president says he now favors in the war against Iran, and he is betting on economic pressure over diplomacy or new strikes. “We are low-keying it,” Trump told news site Axios by phone Sun»»»

BEIJING: China’s homegrown C919 jet completed its first international commercial flight on Wednesday, a symbolic step toward Beijing’s goal of challenging the decades-long aerospace dominance of Boeing and Airbus. The narrow-body jet has been billed as a potential competitor to Boeing’s 737 or Airb»»»

A man pays his respects during the 76th anniversary of the Jeju 4.3 memorial ceremony at the Jeju 4.3 Peace Park in Jeju City, South Korea, on April 3, 2024. File Photo by Darryl Coote/UPI JEJU ISLAND, South Korea, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- The Korea Heritage Service announced Wednesday that Jeju Island's D»»»

RAFHA: Three new Arabian gazelle births recorded in the Al-Taysiyah area during the second quarter of 2026 are providing another indication of progress in wildlife conservation and reintroduction efforts at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Nature Reserve, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Wedn»»»

Most Poles would back the deportation of unemployed military-age Ukrainian men, a recent survey by the Warsaw-based IBRiS Institute for Market and Social Research has indicated. Public perception of Ukrainians in Poland has deteriorated in recent months amid a diplomatic spat between the two countr»»»

Dubai: Temperatures could reach 49°C in parts of the UAE on Thursday as the country faces a mix of intense heat, possible afternoon rain and overnight humidity, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). The NCM said conditions would be fair to partly cloudy at times, with convective cl»»»

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will leave her role at the end of the month, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, ending the tenure of one of his most prominent and trusted advisers as the administration heads towards November's midterm elections. White House press secretary Ka»»»

Every year, International Youth Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the vital role young people play in shaping a more sustainable and resilient future. Their contribution is particularly important in scientific fields that advance the knowledge, technologies, and innovations needed to addres»»»

Four more Iran-linked ships were blocked or redirected by the US Central Command on Wednesday, as American forces continue to enforce the “steel wall” naval blockade against Iran. This brings the total of ship redirections to 59 commercial vessels, 3 “disabled”, and 2 boarded as of August 12, 2026.»»»

Dubai: It is a significant weekend for two of the largest communities in this country. Pakistan marks Independence Day on Friday 14 August, India on Saturday 15 August, and the calendar has arranged itself accordingly. Here is everything worth knowing, in the order it happens. 1. Book Week at The H»»»

Actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, are shown at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2023 in Washington, D.C. Their son Nick Reiner pleaded not guilty Wednesday to updated charges in the deaths of his parents, who were killed in December. File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | Li»»»

Every year, thousands of families relocate to the UAE, home to more than 200 nationalities. They arrive with hopes of new opportunities, career growth and a better future for their children. For many families, Dubai represents possibilities, a diverse, international environment where their children»»»

Ukraine launched a barrage of more than 450 drones against Russia overnight on August 10, targeting 16 regions and occupied Crimea in one of its deepest and broadest strikes of the war, as Moscow's own military signalled it plans to sharply scale up the missile salvos it fires at Ukraine in return.»»»

Sharjah: When Grade 12 C at GEMS Our Own English High School, Sharjah, returns from the summer break, one seat will stay empty. It belonged to Glowin Chell, and her seatmate Reema is already heartbroken. Glowin, an 18-year-old Indian expat who grew up in Sharjah, died on Tuesday during treatment ba»»»

Jury selection kicked off on Wednesday in a California courtroom where Instagram and Facebook owner Meta will defend itself against allegations of harming children in a new trial which experts describe as social media's big tobacco moment. Federal Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers and lawyers for both s»»»

A streak across the sky, then a muffled blast. Near Izyum in eastern Ukraine, another petrol station has just been blown to pieces. The scene has become commonplace as Russia multiplies its strikes against the country's logistics infrastructure. Since July, Moscow has hit more than 200 petrol stati»»»

A U.S. AH-64 Apache helicopter is shown in 2025 during a training exercise. An Apache helicopter crashed Wednesday in central Texas, killing the two soldiers on board. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo Aug. 12 (UPI) -- An Apache attack helicopter based at Fort Hood crashed into a fie»»»

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for immigrants to be housed more widely across the UK, as the country continues to grapple with large numbers of people crossing the English Channel. More than 3,000 illegal immigrants have reportedly reached the country by boat in the three weeks sinc»»»

1 of 4 | Attorney General Todd Blanche and others are shown during a press conference Wednesday at the Department of Justice Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Justice Department announced criminal charges against 11 people they allege participated in a fraud scheme that involved more than 1,000 »»»

Tehran: Iran has rejected President Donald Trump's claim that the United States has "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz, saying the strategic waterway remains blocked and will not be reopened until Tehran's conditions are accepted. The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, in a post on X, said Trump»»»

Washington: US natural gas production is on track to hit a new annual record in 2026, with output forecast to average 122.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), according to the latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). That would eclipse the prev»»»

Share: The photo illustration shows a family preparing together rather than fearing the future. The future will reward neither fear nor complacency. Survival will belong to those who prepare, adapt and invest in what tomorrow cannot do without. AI, robotics and autonomous transportation may make li»»»

Tehran: Iran has rejected President Donald Trump's claim that the United States has "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz, saying the strategic waterway remains blocked and will not be reopened until Tehran's conditions are accepted. The Persian Gulf Strait Authority, in a post on X, said Trump»»»