Daraa, Oct. 8 (SANA) Olive production in Syria’s southern Daraa province is expected to reach about 35,000 tons this season, more than triple last year’s output, as farmers and olive presses prepare for a larger harvest and increased activity across the sector. The estimated harvest compares with a»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman officially invited the president of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, to attend the second EU-Gulf Cooperation Council summit, which the Kingdom will host this month. The invitation was conveyed in a written message delivered by Sultan Al-Anqari, the S»»»

RIYADH: A kindergarten and a medical clinic complex in Riyadh were damaged on Thursday by falling debris from a Houthi ballistic missile intercepted and destroyed over the Saudi capital, Saudi Civil Defense said. The agency said emergency teams responded to the incident after fragments from the int»»»

12 universities will work with foundation on scholarship and leadership programmes The Zayed Education Foundation has signed 14 agreements with universities and other organisations as part of its plans to create opportunities for 100,000 young leaders by 2035. The agreements, announced during the f»»»

JERUSALEM: Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar announced on Thursday that Colombia would join a small but growing list of countries to open an embassy in Jerusalem next week, while most other embassies in Israel remain in Tel Aviv. “Next Wednesday, we are going to inaugurate... the Colombian emba»»»

Quneitra, Oct. 8 (SANA) Quneitra expects to harvest more than 12,900 tons of olives this season from about 6,815 hectares (68.15 million square meters) of rain-fed and irrigated farmland, despite drought, limited rainfall, rising production costs and difficulties accessing some areas. Khitam al-Sam»»»

LIBERVILLE: The US policy of deporting migrants to third-party African countries is against international law and exploits suffering to deter immigration, Human Rights Watch said in a report Thursday. After Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025, his administration signed accords »»»

A Polish-Hungarian friendship dating back centuries may seem far removed from today’s electricity bills, but a recent energy forum in Budapest offered an unexpected connection between the two. At the Polish-Hungarian Energy Forum, American creator Ray Brown of Magyar Minute found himself among Poli»»»

Bulgaria has no expectations of the Republic of North Macedonia other than those set out in 2022, and we expect them to be fulfilled, Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova said after her meeting with her counterpart from North Macedonia, Timcho Mucunski. The two held talks on the sidelines of the Inte»»»

Ukrainian drones have targeted a major industrial hub in the Siberian city of Omsk, as Kiev carried out another UAV raid inside Russia. Omsk Region Governor Vitaly Khotsenko confirmed the attack on Thursday, saying Russian air defenses had intercepted most of the incoming UAVs. “One drone reached t»»»

Singapore: Lewis Hamilton said Thursday he would love a wet race at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend after rain in Malaysia a week ago saw him drive masterfully to finish third despite starting on unsuitable dry tyres. There was frustration at the Sepang circuit when the cars could not get goi»»»

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia's civil defence agency on Thursday said a kindergarten and medical complex in Riyadh were damaged by shrapnel from an intercepted missile, hours after explosions rattled the Saudi capital. "Missile fragments fell in Riyadh after a ballistic missile was intercepted»»»

Filip & Company law firm has provided legal assistance to BRD – Groupe Société Générale S.A. and Raiffeisen Bank S.A. Romania, acting as intermediaries, in the public offering of municipal bonds worth 30 million euros carried out by the Municipality of Alba Iulia. The offering, conducted between 21»»»

Following their experience with Christian Tour this year, almost half of the participants in the survey conducted by the company in September, which attracted nearly one thousand respondents, say they will definitely book another holiday package, while more than a third say they may do so. Together»»»

ADPIC and The Boring Company will assess underground transport and utility solutions Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre (ADPIC) has partnered with The Boring Company (TBC), the tunnelling and infrastructure technology company founded by Elon Musk, to explore underground transpo»»»

Beyond response times to long-term fallout of fires: pollution, loss of millions, image Dubai: The UAE has unveiled a global framework that measures the true cost of fires, looking well beyond how fast firefighters arrive and how quickly a blaze is brought under control. The Global Fire Incident Fo»»»

There will be no Israeli escalation in south Lebanon in the coming period, a media report said. "Lebanese lobbying groups have managed to reach an assessment that the South will not come under escalatory attacks in the coming period," al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Thursday, citing “reports that ha»»»

Passengers urged to check flights amid regional tensions and airspace restrictions Dubai: Saudi Arabia's King Khalid International Airport has warned passengers of possible flight delays, rescheduling and cancellations amid regional tensions and airspace restrictions following deadly Houthi attacks»»»

As of 1 April 2027, Alain van Groenendael will become Chairman of Arval’s Board of Directors. Annie Pin, who will join Arval on 26 October 2026 as Senior Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, will be appointed Chief Executive Officer of Arval on 1 April 2027. Over the coming months, Alain van Gro»»»

Dubai plans to expand its role in gold trading, financing, storage and price discovery Dubai: Dubai is moving to strengthen its position as a global gold hub after foreign gold trade in the emirate reached about Dh1 trillion in 2025, as the government also reported gains across financial markets an»»»

Traffic builds on E11 and E311 as the evening commute gets busier Dubai: Motorists travelling from Dubai towards Sharjah should expect slower journeys, particularly on the main commuter routes connecting the two emirates. Live traffic information from Google Maps indicates that E11, or Sheikh Zayed»»»

During a hearing before the parliamentary Committee on Internal Security and Public Order on Thursday, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said that reports of explosive devices allegedly planted in institutions and educational establishments were communicated from abroad. The reports were translate»»»

Bilateral non-oil trade reached $10.2 billion in the first half of 2026 Bangkok: The United Arab Emirates and Thailand have concluded negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), as bilateral non-oil trade between the two countries continues to grow rapidly. Sign up for ou»»»

Russia’s strikes on Ukraine's power grid serve a dual purpose, military expert Alexander Mikhailov, head of the Bureau of Political Analysis, told Sputnik. Russia's massive strikes represent asymmetric retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure, while also advancing specif»»»

DOHA: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has set new rules for driving schools' contracts with consumers, aimed at protecting consumer rights and regulating training services. The measures were issued in coordination with the relevant authorities and under Consumer Protection Law No. (8) of 2008»»»

PoliticsSouth KoreaSouth Korea warns of AI hacking after bank data breachesJulian RyallSeoul is alarmed after a recent breach of South Korean banks' cyber defenses that reportedly involved AI-assisted hacking. Officials warn such methods could be used to also target other sectors and government age»»»

RIYADH: A specialized medical team from Saudi Arabia’s conjoined twins separation program began on Thursday, at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh, a complex surgery to separate 13-month-old Moroccan conjoined twins Saja and Doha. The Saudi aid agency KSrelief said: “Upon the di»»»

Saudia accounts for most disruption as 169 Riyadh departures are cancelled: Cirium Riyadh: Airlines are canceling flights to Riyadh after the Houthis struck two airports in Saudi Arabia in recent days, killing three people and injuring dozens. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Ba»»»

Three-year programme to build a home-grown pool of reproductive medicine specialists Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi has launched a three-year fellowship to train Emirati doctors as fertility specialists, in a move aimed at building the emirate's long-term medical workforce and strengthening its standing in a»»»

LONDON: The European Union supports extending the mandate of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon to avoid a security vacuum in the country’s south, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, told AFP on Thursday. The mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, is due to expire on Dec. 31»»»

DAMASCUS: Syria called on the International Maritime Organization and Bulgarian authorities on Thursday to conduct an independent investigation into the sinking of a cargo ship in the Black Sea, whose 10 crew ⁠members including nine Syrians were ⁠missing. The investigation should look into why sear»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) leader Milos Vucevic said on Thursday EXPO 2027 Belgrade represented a historic opportunity for economic momentum, infrastructure modernisation and global affirmation of Serbia, and noted that the opposition's announcements that the event would be cancelle»»»

US-educated senator takes key public works post, named member of influential commision MANILA, Philippines: Sen. Mark Villar has left the Senate minority bloc and joined the majority, bolstering the administration-aligned camp as the chamber prepares for critical legislative and oversight work. Mor»»»

BusinessArgentinaHow an oil project reignited UK-Argentina Falklands disputeArthur SullivanArgentina and the UK once fought a war over the Falkland Islands. Now, the multibillion-dollar Sea Lion oil project has reignited old tensions, with Buenos Aires seeking to put a stop to the plans. https://p.»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has invited UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan to attend the second EU-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, which the Kingdom will host later this month, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The invitation was conveyed in a written message delivered by»»»

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former military secretary has accused the Israeli leader of altering official transcripts of phone calls from the morning of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks.The accusations by Maj. Gen. Avi Gil came in a wide-ranging interview with the right-wing Israel Hayom»»»

Pike remains shackled to her hospital bed, awake and able to speak a little Washington: A convicted US killer who survived a botched execution was almost taken off life support before she regained consciousness, her lawyer said Wednesday, as a court ordered prison authorities to preserve evidence i»»»

Corridor VIII is an economic, security and European necessity, Albanian Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Ferit Hoxha said Thursday at the International Ministerial Conference on Corridor VIII in Sofia. He said geography becomes a strategic asset only when countries succeed in building connec»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), in coordination with the relevant authorities, has introduced a set of requirements governing the contractual relationship between driving schools and customers to protect consumer rights and regulate the provision of driving training servi»»»

Jubbata al Khashab, Syria: From his field in southern Syria, Hassan Ahmad pointed at new Israeli fortification works as its military edged ever closer to his village, adjacent to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. “Look at this berm around 300 meters (around 980 feet) away, just after the trees,” »»»

These are the conclusions of the first national study evaluating the impact of a financial education program by comparing the general population with program participants before the program began and 12 months after its completion. The study was launched by Banometru to mark its 10th anniversary. T»»»

North Macedonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Timco Mucunski said the executive should not interfere in judicial decisions in the case of Iva Mihaylova. He was speaking at a news conference in Sofia on the sidelines of the International Ministerial Conference on Corridor VIII. He »»»

Doha, Qatar: Lusail International Circuit (LIC) has officially opened volunteer registration for two of Qatar's biggest motorsport weekends of the year: the MotoGP Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar 2026, taking place from November 6 to 8, and the FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS QATAR GRAND PRIX 2026, takin»»»

Tracing Abu Dhabi's evolution through its iconic bridges Abu Dhabi- One bridge was designed to echo the dunes. Another guarded the only road into the city for decades. A third opened an island for leisure, while the fourth was built for people on foot. Together, Abu Dhabi's bridges trace the story »»»

Federal Decree Law introduces tougher penalties for inciting suicide Dubai: Attempted suicide will no longer be treated as a criminal offence in the UAE under some new amendments to the country’s Crimes and Penalties Law, marking a shift towards a more humanitarian approach focused on mental health»»»

BEIRUT: Palestinian factions are discussing postponing legislative elections that had been planned for November, officials said Thursday. A top official with the Hamas-allied Islamic Jihad group said the factions had reached an agreement to delay the vote, which is facing huge logistical issues in »»»

Motorists travelling along the route have been urged to exercise extra caution An accident has been reported on Sheikh Zayed Road (SZR) heading towards Sharjah, near Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Police said in a post on X. Motorists travelling along the route have been urged to exercise extra cautio»»»

Istanbul, Oct. 8 (SANA) Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani met with US Presidential Special Envoy to Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack in Istanbul to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments.The meeting also addressed prospects for cooperation and coor»»»

A majority of residents who took part in a local vote in Budapest’s District 1 support completely banning short-term rentals such as Airbnb, although the result does not automatically introduce a ban. Majority back a complete ban A total of 4,503 residents took part in an online consultation on the»»»

Yemen's Houthis on Thursday called on staff at oil facilities in Saudi Arabia to leave to avoid being targeted as hostilities escalate with Riyadh, which backs Yemen's internationally recognized government fighting the Iran-backed group. "Employees at all oil facilities must leave areas that are ta»»»