Doha, Qatar: In light of the deep-rooted historical relations and ever-evolving cooperation between the State of Qatar and the French Republic, His Excellency President Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, paid a state visit to Doha from 20 to 21 October 2026. The in-depth discussions»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday paid an unannounced visit to Riyadh in a bid to underscore French support for the kingdom amid intensified attacks by Houthi rebels and an attempt to ease tensions at home by securing oil and diesel imports. French President Emmanuel Macron visited Riya»»»

By Staff, Agencies Disruptions to Saudi Arabia’s aviation network following Yemeni strikes have driven private jet charter prices up by more than 50%, with some flights to Europe costing as much as $150,000, the Financial Times reported. The disruption follows the closure of Riyadh’s main airport, »»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Council of Senior Scholars condemned attacks by the Houthis in Yemen against civilian locations, as it accused the Iran-backed militia of terrorism and attempting to target the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. In a statement issued by its General Secretariat on Wednesday, t»»»

Damascus, Oct. 21 (SANA) Arab investments are emerging as a key driver of Syria’s economic recovery following liberation, through strategic projects in energy, transport, real estate and telecommunications. These investments are expected to create jobs, support reconstruction and stimulate producti»»»

Volodymyr Zelensky and his European backers may seek to freeze the conflict in Ukraine without a comprehensive settlement, but they have very few tools in their toolkit, retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and former Pentagon analyst Karen Kwiatkowski tells Sputnik. "Zelensky’s sponsors refuse »»»

By Staff, Agencies China has opposed a US judge’s order to arrest former Cuban President Raul Castro, criticizing Washington for using the judicial system to exert pressure on Havana. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning described Castro as a highly respected figure of the Cuban Revolutio»»»

By Staff, Agencies Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said negotiations with the US cannot proceed meaningfully while Washington continues to threaten Iran and maintain sanctions and economic pressure against the Islamic Republic. “Threats and sanctions must be removed in practice to create th»»»

Mateusz Chmura fell unconscious during a bodybuilding championship in Telford, England Dubai: A 33-year-old bodybuilder has died after collapsing on stage during a national bodybuilding championship in Telford, England, the British Physical Culture Association (PCA) has confirmed. Mateusz Chmura wa»»»

CAIRO: Any military support Egypt provides to Saudi Arabia would be limited to defending the Kingdom and not involve attacks on Yemen, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Wednesday. Cairo would be prepared to help defend the territory of other Arab countries if asked to do so, he added, but reit»»»

Volodymyr Zelensky has realized how dependent Ukraine is on US intelligence and Starlink and is now taking a more reasonable stance, Mikael Valtersson, a Swedish Armed Forces and air defense veteran and former chief of staff for the Sweden Democrats, tells Sputnik. "[Zelensky] has said that he coul»»»

JEDDAH: The perceived risk to shipping through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait exceeds the actual threat, while container volumes entering the port have returned to levels close to those recorded late last year, a senior Red Sea Gateway Terminal executive said on Wednesday. Karim Omran, vice president, gr»»»

Houthi attacks, Macron’s visit, Turkish troop plans and growing Western military support Dubai: Saudi Arabia's confrontation with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis saw major developments on Wednesday, with Riyadh's international airport partially reopening, fresh drones intercepted over the Kingdom and F»»»

LONDON: Religious leaders and heads of Jerusalem churches condemned the recent attack by Israeli settlers on Palestinian olive harvesters and a visiting European diplomatic delegation in Taybeh village, located northeast of Ramallah. They said Saturday’s “wild and heinous” attack was not “an isolat»»»

Poland does not have enough Patriot air defense missiles to hand over to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has said, urging other NATO members to supply Kiev with the scarce interceptors. In an interview with the Polish Press Agency published on Monday, Sikorski warned of growing pressure»»»

RIYADH: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh performed a whole-lung lavage on a 10-year-old girl in a single session lasting about nine hours. The procedure was performed to treat a rare lung disease that had caused the patient’s blood oxygen saturation to drop to 79 percen»»»

LONDON: Five foreign firms have abandoned plans to build a cable car from West Jerusalem to East Jerusalem that could see dozens of Palestinian families lose their land and property rights, The Guardian has reported. Despite the withdrawal of a fifth company, local authorities have said the project»»»

Kyoto: A 40 cm snake was discovered in Japan inside an airplane, leading to the flight’s cancellation. According to The Independent, quoting local Japanese paper Kyodo News, the snake was identified as “non-venomous”. A mechanic for Japan Air Commuter, part of Japan Airlines, discovered the snake u»»»

PARIS: A fighter jet crashed in eastern France, leaving at least one person dead, the French armed forces said on Wednesday. The Mirage 2000D combat aircraft was returning from a mission when it crashed late Tuesday evening, according to the armed forces ministry. The plane’s crew consisted of a fi»»»

Bulgarian Air Force crews flying F-16, MiG-29, Su-25 and L-39 aircraft are conducting patrol, surveillance and reconnaissance missions over Bulgaria’s territorial waters in the Black Sea, the Defence Ministry press service said Wednesday. The missions aim to improve situational awareness and securi»»»

Capital imposes first anti-smog curbs of season after air quality deteriorates sharply Dubai: Delhi has imposed its first anti-pollution restrictions of the season after air quality deteriorated sharply on Wednesday, triggering emergency measures across the National Capital Region (NCR) as the city»»»

Airlines to face review of civil aviation sector public sector undertakings Dubai: Representatives of Air India and IndiGo will appear before India's Parliamentary committee on November 2. The meeting is as part of a review of the performance of central public sector undertakings (CPSUs) in India’s»»»

RIYADH: The Coalition confirmed on Wednesday that it had intercepted and destroyed several drones launched towards the Kingdom. Brig. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, the coalition spokesman, stated that five drones launched toward the Madinah and Eastern Region were intercepted and destroyed. Meanwhile, the »»»

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s devastating wildfires are fueling anger across the country, with protesters demanding action against the toxic haze that has for weeks engulfed Southeast Asia, leaving hundreds of thousands of people ill. Indonesia is struggling to contain fires that have been ravaging vast swa»»»

JEDDAH: As panic swept through King Khalid International Airport after the Houthi attack on Oct. 10, Ebtehal Abdullah Alardh was not thinking about her own safety, but of the many passengers calling out for help. The Saudi Ground Services representative, who works in the Riyadh Air system and is al»»»

Motorists cautioned as rain and dust reduce visibility in eastern UAE Dubai: Parts of the UAE received rainfall on Wednesday afternoon, as the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) issued an alert for convective cloud formation over eastern and southern areas of the country. In its alert, the NCM sa»»»

Western Ukraine remains the country’s only part where military supplies can still be delivered and new facilities for assembling cruise missiles and long-range drones can be installed, Russian military expert Alexey Leonkov told Sputnik, commenting on the shift in Russian ballistic missile and dron»»»

Pontianak, Indonesia: Residents of Indonesian Borneo urged the government on Wednesday to do more to combat the wildfires consuming vast tracts of land and emitting a foul haze that has sickened thousands and curtailed daily life for months. They spoke out as a court in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, »»»

Tehran refuses uranium concessions as US military buildup raises fears of renewed conflict Dubai: The United States is deploying additional naval forces and thousands of military personnel to the Middle East as fresh diplomatic efforts to avert another confrontation with Iran run into a deadlock ov»»»

Boeing's largest 737 Max jet has cleared a major regulatory hurdle, with US aviation authorities approving the Max 10 for passenger service on Tuesday after nearly a decade of delays. The certification marks a boost for the planemaker's recovery, with deliveries expected to begin in 2027. Nearly a »»»

Doha, Qatar: Yet another weekend is almost upon us and there is lots happening in and around Doha. For those of you who would like to witness the latest innovations in field of security, head to DECC where Milipol is ongoing. Meanwhile for others there is musical concert, a pink walk and a junior b»»»

“The line between an UAV and a cruise missile is becoming blurred as technology advances. The Dan-T drone is a full -fledged cruise missile in terms of its capabilities,” a spokesperson for the Russian state corporation Rostec stressed. The company is pressing ahead with new developments in this fi»»»

Russian forces have liberated the village of Yulievka and Chervony Yar in the Zaporozhye region, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statment. The liberation of Chervony Yar and Yulievka in the Zaporozhye region allows Russian forces to improve their tactical position in this sector of the front»»»

Doha, Qatar: A drone light show and fireworks display will begin at 9:15pm today, October 21, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Milipol Qatar. In a social media post, Milipol Qatar announced this adding that the ongoing Global Exhibition for Homeland Security and Safety, alongside the Doha Inter»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has emerged as one of the main drivers of Italian luxury sports carmaker Ferrari's growth in the Middle East, fueled by an expanding population of high-net-worth individuals, a new generation of customers and growing interest in luxury sports cars. Despite accelerating demand a»»»

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo returned to St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, waving to pilgrims and blessing babies from his open-air popemobile as he held his first general audience at the Vatican since undergoing lung cancer surgery eight days ago. The 71-year-old pontiff, who pledged on Sunday he would s»»»

EXCLUSIVEDCAA’s award-winning system flags real-time violations threatening civil aviation Dubai: Long before a drone strays into the path of a passenger jet, a round-the-clock, AI-powered digital system in Dubai is already monitoring the skies and ready to raise the alarm. Real-time monitoring and»»»

HSBC CEO says alternative oil pipelines reduces Gulf reliance on key waterway Dubai: Gulf countries could reduce their dependence on the Strait of Hormuz within five years by investing in pipelines and logistics networks that carry exports around the strategic waterway, according to HSBC Group Chie»»»

By Staff, Agencies Authorities ordered residents within a 1.6-kilometer [1-mile] radius of an industrial area in Toledo, Ohio, to evacuate late Tuesday following an active hazardous materials leak. The Toledo Fire and Rescue Department instructed people near Enterprise Boulevard and Progress Avenue»»»

By Staff, Agencies US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday denied any changes to Washington’s policy toward Ukraine, saying the Pentagon had issued no directives to restrict satellite communications services and was working to ensure that American forces maintained sufficient supplies of Patrio»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Chamber is participating in the 16th edition of Milipol Qatar 2026, held under the gracious patronage of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and organised by the Ministry of Interior at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center from October 20 to 22. Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassi»»»

The night market offers residents a place to reconnect with family, friends, community Dubai: The music catches your attention first. Then come the lights, the chatter of families, and the smell of food drifting from one stall to the next. A traditional Filipino jeepney adds another reminder of hom»»»

Travel advisories issued for Saudi routes; cancellations and delays persist. Flights from the UAE continue to face disruption on Wednesday, October 21, as airlines adjust services amid escalating regional security tensions. Several flights to Saudi Arabia have been cancelled, while delays have been»»»

Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Saint Petersburg for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Key statements by Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov:* The Putin–Witkoff meeting was agreed several days ago* Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev will take part in the meeting* The Ukraine »»»

ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) - The US Air Force plane that took off from Oslo, presumably carrying US special envoy Steve Witkoff, has landed in St. Petersburg, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Wednesday. The aircraft took off from Oslo at about 04:10 GMT and landed at Pulkovo Airport at about 08:50»»»

Diplomatic standoff intensifies as Iran sets conditions for peace Daily life in the UAE continues, though the Iran war’s ripple effects continue to be felt across the region, in certain sectors. Etihad has extended cancellations to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam through Oct. 24, while Riyadh’s main airp»»»

WASHINGTON: Losing more ground in the fight against climate change, humanity is heading for a hotter world than experts projected last year — and the United States is a big reason for that, a new United Nations report says. If all the countries do what they promise to reduce heat-trapping emissions»»»

A haven for peace, family memories, and rare wildlife. Abu Dhabi: The temperature drops first. Somewhere along the climb, the air through the window turns cooler, the city thins out behind you, and the noise goes with it. By the time the curves tighten, you’ve stopped thinking about the drive and s»»»

TAIZ, Yemen: Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck a residential area in Yemen’s third-largest city on Tuesday, killing two teenage girls and renewing attention on the dangers faced by civilians in Taiz, which has been under attack and siege during the country's escalating conflict. The Houthis have lar»»»

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that special envoy Steve Witkoff is traveling to St. Petersburg, Reuters reported. The announcement follows a US Air Force aircraft's departure from Oslo, where Witkoff and Volodymyr Zelensky held high-level negotiations the day before, according to fligh»»»