DUBAI: Surath Perera discovered his talent for cooking while working in restaurants during his time studying for a business degree in Singapore. He eventually left the corporate path behind to pursue a career in food. “My earliest memory of food is cooking with my family. I remember being around th»»»

DAMMAM: The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) is currently exhibiting the works of the five artists shortlisted for the seventh edition of the Ithra Art Prize — Aseel Al-Yaqoub (Kuwait); Bady Dalloul (Syria/France); Heba Y. Amin El-Mahamly (Egypt); Ala Younis (Kuwait); and Jawad Al-Ma»»»

Abu Dhabi: President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to President Asif Ali Zardari of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on the occasion of his country's Independence Day. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime M»»»

Former caretaker agriculture and food minister Ivan Hristanov said Friday on Nova TV that he will run for president in the October 25 elections. He said the vice-presidential candidate has already been chosen but will be announced when the candidacy documents are submitted. Hristanov said his candi»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE’s commercial gaming regulator has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi’s financial services regulator to strengthen regulatory cooperation and information sharing. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGR»»»

Human Rights Watch has called on the United Nations to keep an international force in Lebanon after its peacekeepers' mandate ends this year. The peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, has roughly 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries, and has been in place since 1978. Its presence has »»»

North Korea on Friday condemned the upcoming U.S.-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise. In this photo, taken Thursday, U.S. military vehicles are parked at a base in Dongducheon. Photo by Yonhap SEOUL, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- North Korea on Friday condemned an upcoming major U.S.-South»»»

The anniversary edition of the "George Enescu" International Competition opens on 23 August at the Romanian Athenaeum with a concert bringing together Enescu's heritage, contemporary works and a new generation of performers.According to an Union of Composers and Musicologists from Romania (UCMR) re»»»

Romania's Industrial production decreased in the first six months of 2026, year-over-year, by 3.3% unadjusted and by 3.5% seasonally adjusted , according to data published on Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).Between January 1 and June 30, 2026, industrial production unadjusted»»»

The Greek Konstantinos Passaris, sentenced to life in Romania, remains in prison after Dolj court finally rejected his demand for parole. The court decision came when Passaris received an unfavorable solution from Craiova Court in June 2026. Passaris has been in prison for over 24 years for serious»»»

More than 8,200 jobs have been put on the market this year by employers in the private healthcare sector, for doctors and nurses as well as support staff in the administrative departments of private clinics, while the public system is facing another staffing crisis.According to data published by a »»»

Romania's national power system is stable following the shutdown of Unit 2 at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, operations are proceeding normally, and all available estimates indicate that there are no risks to the continuous supply of electricity nationwide, the Energy Ministry said in a stateme»»»

The National Bank of Romania is ready to resume preparations for adopting the euro; however, Romania currently meets none of the necessary criteria, and the switch to the euro is a complex political and social process, BNR Governor Mugur Isarescu stated on Thursday."It is a very good discussion (re»»»

The National Bank of Romania (BNR) has revised upwards, to 6.1%, from 5.5% previously, its inflation forecast for the end of 2026 and anticipates that it will reach 3.4% at the end of 2027, as against 2.9% previously, according to data presented on Thursday by the governor of the National Bank of R»»»

The National Bank of Romania projects that the annual inflation rate will stand at 6.1% at the end of the current year, 3.4% at the end of 2027, and 2.8% at the end of the second quarter of 2028, according to the Quarterly Inflation Report (August 2026 edition).The annual CPI inflation rate is proj»»»

The parties making up the ruling coalition must sit down at the negotiating table and make the necessary concessions to move Romania forward, and the dissentions and brawls among the parties should be settled inside the coalition, the governor of the National Bank of Romania (BNR), Mugur Isarescu, »»»

In the political analysts' opinion, the only strong negotiation lever at Nicusor Dan's disposal to lay pressure on political parties is that of starting the process of organizing early elections. If 100 days ago, when Bolojan's government was released by motion of censure, voted in Parliament by PS»»»

PSD chairman Sorin Grindeanu, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, stated at Parliament on Thursday that the party he leads does not currently have the votes needed to pass a minority government led by him. However, he noted that the Social Democrats are closest to securing a parliamentary major»»»

Chief of Defence General Gheorghita Vlad met on Thursday with his Hungarian counterpart, General Zsolt Sandor, to discuss regional security and bilateral defence cooperation.According to a Ministry of national Defence (MApN) press release, the agenda covered the regional security situation, bilater»»»

The National Defence Ministry said its radar surveillance system detected an aerial target on Thursday at 15:17 near the Danube border with Ukraine, prompting the scramble at 15:20 of two Spanish Air and Space Force F-18s from Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, to monitor the situation.According to the »»»

Reports of declining mental health and supply issues have been flagged by US sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln deployed to the Middle East, with some attempting to throw themselves into the sea. The ship has so far spent a record 260 uninterrupted days at sea as it supports the war in»»»

On Aug. 14, 2015, after 54 years, the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, was re-opened amid a thawing in relations. 1 of 7 | On August 14, 2015, after 54 years, the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, was re-opened amid a thawing in relations. File Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of State | License Phot»»»

Doha: The Qatar Stars League (QSL) has announced the schedule for the Qatar Cup 2026, the rescheduled edition of the tournament that was originally planned for the 2025-26 season. The tournament will feature the top four teams from the final standings of the 2025-26 Doha Bank Stars League. They are»»»

Doha: Qatar’s U-18 national basketball team will begin their campaign at the FIBA Asia Championship when they face Iran at 11:00 am Doha time today, at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Hall in Ahmedabad, India. The match marks the opening fixture of Group C in the continental tournament, which runs from Au»»»

Doha, Qatar: A service update has been announced for the Metrolink bus route M304. According to a social media post by Doha Metro and Lusail Tram, the M304 route will operate from Sport City Station, Exit 5, serving the areas of Ain Khaled and Umm Al Seneem. The updated service will take effect fro»»»

Doha: Dr. Jessica Miranda, Head of Psychology at FIFA, addressed Qatar’s elite referees on managing stress and maintaining focus during matches at the Qatar Football Association’s (QFA) pre-season training camp at the InterContinental Hotel Doha on Wednesday. Dr. Miranda explained how the body and »»»

MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed on Friday that he would endorse a candidate for the 2028 presidential election, but said he had yet to decide who he would back. With Philippine presidents limited by the constitution to a single, six-year term in office, Marcos had been e»»»

MOUNT TABOR, Israel: Sister Mayela wears her black veil and habit as she walks to work near where another Catholic nun was violently attacked in Jerusalem’s Old City — but she’s now accompanied by a Jewish volunteer for protection. Many Christians in Israel, who make up less than two percent of the»»»

The Türkiye-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan defense pact signed in Mecca could reshape security cooperation in the Middle East, bringing together a NATO member, a nuclear-armed state and one of the Gulf’s most influential powers. Hungary is not a party to the agreement and faces no direct obligations under i»»»

MOUNT TABOR, Israel: Sister Mayela wears her black veil and habit as she walks to work near where another Catholic nun was violently attacked in Jerusalem’s Old City — but she’s now accompanied by a Jewish volunteer for protection. Many Christians in Israel, who make up less than 2% of the country’»»»

DOHA: Qatar’s real estate sector demonstrated notable momentum during the first week of August, registering total real estate trading volumes exceeding QR353m between August 2 and August 6. According to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), the property sector maintained strong performance across both lan»»»

Doha: The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) Index ended this week’s trading down 0.9 percent, losing 91.41 points to reach 10,020.84 points compared with last week, under pressure from four sectors. Commenting on the performance, financial analyst Yousef Buhlaiqa told the Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani sent a cable of congratulations to President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan HE Asif Ali Zardari on the anniversary of his country's Independence Day.»»»

A bilateral meeting between Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic Erlist Akunbekov and Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aidarbek Saparov took place in Almaty on August 13. The meet»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin sent congratulations to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Mohammad Shahbaz Sharif on the country's Independence Day on Friday. "Dear President, Dear Prime Minister, please accept my sincere congratulations on the occasion of »»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - European countries have assumed a leading role in arms supplies to Ukraine, while the United States is no longer Ukraine's main military supporter, Thomas Graham, an ex-diplomat who served as a Russia aide to former US President George W. Bush, told RIA Novosti. "First, the U»»»

Senate Democrats are calling for an audit of President Donald Trump's White House ballroom project, construction of which an appeals court ordered to be stopped last week. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Senate Democrats are calling for an audit of President Donald Trump's»»»

Doha: Rawabi Group of Companies inaugurated ‘The Flavours of India’ at Rawabi Hypermarket Izghawa yesterday, in celebration of the 80th Independence Day of India. The Flavors of lndia aims to celebrate and showcase the rich cultural heritage of India. Rawabi Hypermarket has been transformed into an»»»

Doha: The Hala Summer Shopping Festival is bringing together leading malls and restaurants from the Taste of Qatar network for a month of shopping, dining, entertainment and exclusive promotions. The festival is being held from August 1 to 31 as part of Visit Qatar’s Hala Summer campaign. The festi»»»

Officials in Kyrgyzstan are now required to report attempts to involve them in corruption. Cabinet Chairman Adylbek Kasymaliev approved a procedure for reporting attempts to induce individuals to commit corruption-related offenses. The document requires civil servants, heads of state institutions a»»»

Russia values the established constructive parliamentary ties, which are developing in a positive manner and contributing to the strengthening of interstate cooperation in various spheres, Russia's Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko stated. "Pakistan is an important partner of Russia in»»»

Due to an acute shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles, Ukraine is forced to prioritize and "forgo intercepting targets deemed not critically important," Chinese military expert Qiu Shiqing tells Sputnik. He points to damning numbers, such as when Ukraine's US-supplied Patriot air defenses failed»»»

Dubai: A Colombian woman was overcome with emotion after rescuers pulled her cat alive from the rubble of her earthquake-damaged home in Cali. Vickye Giraldo, 56, hugged and kissed her cat Polux after the animal was rescued from the wreckage of her apartment following Monday’s 7.4-magnitude earthqu»»»

Doha: Qatar Duty Free (QDF) has marked the conclusion of the Doha edition of Toblerone’s The Ultimate Gift campaign by presenting a donation to Education Above All (EAA) Foundation. The winning bid was the highest recorded across the nine participating airport auctions, with the campaign contributi»»»

Doha: Al Sadd Station on the Doha Metro has become a vibrant showcase of public art, featuring striking murals created in collaboration with Qatar Museums that blend culture, creativity and everyday travel. Qatar Rail highlighted the artworks in a recent post, noting that the murals add distinctive»»»

Doha: The Ministry of Sports and Youth, in cooperation with the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), organised a youth session on the impact of sports on youth mental health, as part of the International Youth Day celebrations, observed annually on August 12 under this year’s theme, “Different Contexts, »»»

Doha: The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), represented by Studio 5 and in collaboration with Qatar Youth Hostels, concluded the ‘Enhanced Tourism in Artificial Intelligence Camps’ camp, held under the theme ‘Enhanced Tourism’ and targeting young participants aged 15 to »»»

Trade in agricultural products between Russia and Kyrgyzstan increased by a quarter in 2025. It was announced at a meeting between the heads of the two countries’ agricultural ministries, Oksana Lut and Erlist Akunbekov. According to the Russian Ministry of Agriculture’s press service, the sides di»»»

Dubai: For centuries, Arab navigators, fishermen and farmers have watched the summer sky for Suhail, or Canopus, a key seasonal marker whose appearance signals the gradual retreat of the Arabian Peninsula’s intense summer heat and the arrival of cooler nights. Ibrahim Al Jarwan, chairman of the Emi»»»

The Perseids may have delivered their headline-making display, but the UAE's night sky has plenty more to offer. The next major meteor shower is the Orionids in October, followed by the Leonids in November and the Geminids in December — with the latter among the strongest and most reliable meteor s»»»