New York, Aug. 17 (SANA) US stocks traded close to record levels Monday as investors awaited earnings from major retailers for further evidence of how high inflation and a slowing labour market are affecting consumer spending. The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% but remained near Thursday’s record high. The D»»»

This year’s graduating class achieved an impressive 37% of A* and A grades, well above the UK average of 28.5%, demonstrating the high academic standards and dedication that represent the Britannica community. Equally impressive is 62% of grades were B or higher, a remarkable accomplishment compare»»»

A prominent Malian broadcaster and an influencer were on Monday jailed for seven years after criticising the ruling junta. Mohamed Youssouf Bathily was convicted by the Bamaka court of criminal conspiracy and discrediting the state alongside Rokia Doumbia, a noted campaigner. A Malian court sentenc»»»

Russia's meat and feed exporters face a choice between two very different markets: Iran, slow and bureaucratic but predictable, and the Philippines, fast-growing but brutal on price. This is what Russia's pivot to Asia looks like at the level of an actual container. Shut out of European agricultura»»»

Russia's meat and feed exporters face a choice between two very different markets: Iran, slow and bureaucratic but predictable, and the Philippines, fast-growing but brutal on price. This is what Russia's pivot to Asia looks like at the level of an actual container. Shut out of European agricultura»»»

Russia's banks are earning more than ever, yet beneath the record profits lie mounting bad debts, a flight to cash and a corporate-loan pile that few in Moscow can measure. The country's largest lender, state-controlled Sberbank, posted a record IFRS net profit of RUB1.01tn ($12.6bn) in 1H26, up 19»»»

Russia's meat and feed exporters face a choice between two very different markets: Iran, slow and bureaucratic but predictable, and the Philippines, fast-growing but brutal on price. This is what Russia's pivot to Asia looks like at the level of an actual container. Shut out of European agricultura»»»

Russia's main state development bank has sacked its chief economist over a speech he gave three months ago, in which he said the Russian economy would survive. Andrei Klepach, chief economist at VEB.RF for 12 years, was dismissed on August 16. VEB.RF chairman Igor Shuvalov let him go on an instruct»»»

Anxiety in Russia has climbed back to the level it reached when Vladimir Putin ordered mobilisation four years ago. Some 57% of Russians describe the situation in their country as tense and a further 13% call it critical or explosive - 70% between them, the highest since September 2022. Only 19% sa»»»

Armenian banks must now identify and freeze payments designed to slip past Western sanctions on Russia, under central bank rules that took effect on August 12. The requirements sit inside a new regulation on banks' minimum internal control standards approved by the Central Bank of Armenia. Lenders »»»

Cameroon defeated tournament newcomers Malawi 3-0 in the final to win its first Women's Africa Cup of Nations title. Marie Ngah Manga scored twice and Naomi Eto added another goal. Both finalists, along with Morocco and Algeria, qualified for next year's Women's World Cup in Brazil.»»»

A ⁠Ukrainian ​missile ​strike killed six people ​and ‌wounded ⁠another ‌four, including a ⁠child, in ​Russia's border ‌Belgorod region, the ‌acting ​governor said on Monday. The assault came as Russia targeted port infrastructure in Ukraine's Izmail district in the southern region of ​Odesa ‌overni»»»

Massive wildfires are burning across Europe, from Belgium and Greece to Spain, Italy and France. Alexander Held, Senior Expert at the European Forest Institute, explains why fires are spreading into unexpected areas and whether Europe is facing a new normal. He also looks at how citizens can help p»»»

Prosecutor Vladimir Nikolov from the District Prosecution Office - Pleven (Northern Bulgaria) has been nominated for election as a member of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) from the prosecutors' quota, the SJC said on its website. Nikolov was nominated by magistrates from the Supreme Cassation P»»»

Two anti-drone systems have been delivered and will now be prepared for service, the Defence Ministry said Monday, responding to a BTA inquiry. The ministry added that personnel must familiarize themselves with the equipment before it is commissioned. The systems were purchased from the US company »»»

RIYADH: Diriyah Co. signed an SR2 billion ($533 million) financing agreement with Arab National Bank to develop hotel-branded residences in Diriyah and Wadi Safar, marking the first partnership between the two companies. The deal was signed by Diriyah Co. Group CEO Jerry Inzerillo and Louai Al-Zahe»»»

Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Monday they had targeted a Saudi military vessel and four accompanying boats in the Red Sea, as part of their maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia. Yahya Saree, military spokesperson for the Iran-backed Houthis, said they had "succeeded in targeting a military landing shi»»»

Reform U.K.'s Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Robert Jenrick, unveils his party's plans for drastic cuts to welfare at a news conference in London on Monday. Photo by Andy Rain/EPA Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Britain's Reform U.K. party said Monday that it would slash almost $68B from welfare, were it to »»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund reported a 9 percent rise in 2025 revenue to $120 billion, while net profit more than doubled to $17 billion, helped by contributions from maturing portfolio companies. In its annual report, the sovereign wealth fund said assets under management exceede»»»

The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo is now the deadliest in the country's history, according to the latest government data, with 2,235 reported killed from the virus. Confirmed cases have risen to 4,945, including 101 new cases detected in the last 24 hours, Congo's public health ins»»»

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was on Monday booed by dozens of residents of the town of Le Porge in southwestern France, a region ravaged by wildfires, in a show of anger at the government's handling of the worst such crisis to hit the country in decades.  Dozens of residents on Mond»»»

US President Donald Trump called for US-South Korean military drills to be scaled back just hours before they were due to begin, describing North Korea as 'unthreatening and respectful'. South Korea said it hoped Trump’s personal relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could help bring Py»»»

President Joseph Aoun on Monday welcomed a parliamentary initiative and petition calling for the extension of the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). "The presence of UNIFIL in the south is important in many respects. It helps to keep residents in their villages and tow»»»

At least 19 people were killed Sunday in drone and missile strikes in Russia and Ukraine which destroyed a book market in Kyiv while Moscow faced one of the most massive attacks since the start of the war. Ukraine and Russia have been escalating their long-range strikes for months, resulting in a g»»»

Shares were mixed in Europe and Asia on Monday after U.S. stocks edged back from their all-time high following a weaker than expected report on the U.S. economy. Oil prices also were mixed. In early European trading, Germany's DAX was nearly unchanged at 26,438.04, while the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.»»»

US envoy Jared Kushner is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday after holding talks with Hamas leaders in Egypt aimed at reviving a US-backed Gaza peace plan that Israel has so far rejected. Noga Tarnopolsky, FRANCE 24's correspondent in Israel, has more on the stakes rela»»»

Two drones launched from inside Iran targeted the Iraqi Kurdistan prime minister's office and the home of the autonomous region's intelligence chief overnight, authorities said Monday. "Two Hadid-110 type explosive-laden drones were launched from across the Iranian border toward the private office »»»

US President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered the Pentagon to scale back "inappropriate and hostile" military drills with South Korea, claiming that the ally had failed to help with the war against Iran and citing his "good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.   US »»»

Bulgaria spent nearly €6.5 billion on pensions during the first half of 2026, with pension expenditure increasing by 10.2% year-on-year, according to data released by the National Social Security Institute (NSSI). Pension payments accounted for the largest share of expenditure from the state social»»»

Russia has begun its winter campaign to freeze Ukraine into submission early and since the end of July has been tearing into what is left of Ukraine’s power sector. Last year’s campaign only scaled up in September, hitting Ukraine's power grid in the hope of making its major cities unliveable. Temp»»»

Russia's foreign trade surplus grew 14% to $73.4bn in the first half of 2026, with Asia now taking three quarters of everything the country buys and sells abroad. Exports rose almost 12% to $219.5bn and imports 10.8% to $146.1bn, lifting total turnover 11.4% to $365.6bn, the Federal Customs Service»»»

Japan's economy grew an annual rate of 1.1% in the April-June quarter even as private consumption stayed flat and the growth of exports declined, according to government data released Monday. Japan 's real GDP, or gross domestic product, the sum value of nation's goods and services, grew at a seaso»»»

An extremist Israeli lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition publicly advocated for killing "30 to 40" people in Gaza each night, comments that surfaced Sunday and were quickly shared by Palestinian media. Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir made the statement while spea»»»

Moody’s Ratings has reaffirmed Banca Transilvania’s deposit and issuer ratings, maintaining the bank’s ratings at Baa1/P-2 and Baa2/P-2, respectively. The agency also maintained the bank’s baseline credit assessment at ba1, as well as its counterparty ratings and ratings associated with bonds issue»»»

Romania's economy is showing early signs of rebalancing in the first part of 2026, with the economic contraction easing, EU-funded investment accelerating, net exports making a stronger contribution, the external deficit narrowing and inflation resuming a downward trend, interim Finance Minister Al»»»

The Iranian military announced on Sunday it would be offering a $30,000 reward for killing or capturing US soldiers, with the bounty doubled if conducted by a woman. There have been no known deployments of US ground troops in Iran during the war except for a rescue mission carried out in April. Ira»»»

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi put young people at the heart of his development agenda in a speech marking India’s Independence Day on Saturday. He announced free online coaching for competitive exams and plans to train 10 million young people in artificial intelligence over the next year. The»»»

Brazil's October presidential election is shaping up as another battle between the Lula and Bolsonaro camps, with incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva seeking a fourth term and Flávio Bolsonaro stepping in for his imprisoned father. The two frontrunners are running close in the polls, as Lula focuse»»»

The PR surge which heralded that the “tide is turning” in the Ukrainian conflict is ending up in a debacle. Ukraine, it turns out, can inflict tangible damage on the Russian economy thanks to its deep drone and missile strikes, with crucial help of US intelligence and two American tech giants, Pala»»»

LONDON: The BBC asked a US court for help in getting documents and testimony from members of US President Donald Trump ‘s family in connection with his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster, a court document showed. Lawyers for the BBC argued that Ivanka Trump, her husband »»»

WASHINGTON: It is among the most famous phrases in presidential history: ” The buck stops here.” Except with President Donald Trump, it almost never does. Concerns about a weak economy and still-high inflation? His predecessor, Joe Biden, saddled him with that, he says, even though the Democrat has»»»

Four artworks by Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina have been stolen from the Museo Regionale in Messina, Sicily, overnight on August 15. The thieves took three panels from his Polittico di San Gregorio, depriving the city of part of the only surviving works by the painter still held in his h»»»

Petrol rationing is back across Russia after the peak of the Ukraine-caused fuel crisis seemed to have passed, and this time a governor has admitted his region's refinery will be out of action for six months. Ukrainian drones struck the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat refining complex in Bashkortostan on»»»

Petrol rationing is back across Russia after the peak of the Ukraine-caused fuel crisis seemed to have passed, and this time a governor has admitted his region's refinery will be out of action for six months. Ukrainian drones struck the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat refining complex in Bashkortostan on»»»

A crash involving a bus registered in Poland killed 12 people and severely injured at least 10 early Sunday on a Hungary highway, marking the worst accident of its kind in the country in more than 20 years. Poland will send an emergency aircraft to Budapest, Polish Prime Minister Donald T»»»

PARIS: FaZe Clan have lifted the trophy in Rainbow 6 Siege at Esports World Cup 2026 for the first time, following a 3-1 victory over fellow Brazilian team Furia in the grand finals. With the win, three members of FaZe Clan have become Triple Crown winners: Jaime “Cyber” Ramos, Eduardo “KDS” Chiste»»»

Dubai: Donald Trump gave the United States and Iran 60 days to turn their June 17 ceasefire framework into a broader settlement that could end the war, address Tehran’s nuclear programme and help fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz. That clock runs out on Monday (August 17). The war does not. Instead»»»

Rescue workers recovered eight more bodies on Sunday following a ferry capsizing accident that occured earlier this week on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, bringing the death toll to at least 80. The search continues, as authorities fear the number of casualties could rise even further. Another eight»»»

August 16 marks 100 days since the government led by Prime Minister Rumen Radev took office. Parliament elected the new Council of Ministers on May 8. Opposition political forces criticized the first 100 days of the Radev Cabinet. GERB said the Cabinet must now deliver results and accept full respo»»»

Ukraine has begun combat-testing jet-powered interceptor drones fast enough to run down Russia's new deadly class of Geran-4 drones that can evade even the best of Ukraine’s new class of interceptor drone, as the drones arms race between the two adversaries continues to unfold. Ukraine’s new drones»»»