Dhaka: The Bangladeshi government has launched a dedicated bus service for women, also operated and managed by female drivers, to ensure safe and comfortable journeys for female commuters. Bangladeshi Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam inaugurated the service at a ceremony here »»»

New York, Aug. 18 (SANA) Rising yields at US Treasury auctions are increasing Washington’s borrowing costs as investors demand greater compensation to finance mounting debt and persistent budget deficits. Reuters reported analysts as saying that US national debt is approaching a record $40 trillion»»»

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- A Kentucky woman awoke to discover a bear had wandered into her house through an open door and feasted on her leftover fried chicken. Kendra North said she and her partner had the front door of their Harlan County home open Wednesday night for air circulation and forgot to close it»»»

As Hawaii residents and first responders reach some of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Lala, new images are revealing the extent of the destruction left by catastrophic flooding and debris flows over the weekend. AccuWeather storm chaser Aaron Rigsby reported from Naalehu in the Kau district on »»»

Aug. 18 (UPI) -- A 6-year-old pug was honored with the title of the World's Ugliest Dog at an annual contest in California. Jinny Lu, who came in second last year, was dubbed the winner of the 2026 World's Ugliest Dog Contest at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. The annual event, which a»»»

Hezbollah’s military media released on Tuesday a video accompanying a song that features footage of first-person-view (FPV) drones striking positions and gatherings of Israeli occupation army soldiers. The release combines the song’s lyrics—titled “Go forth with God’s blessing against the enemy; st»»»

The UAE Ministry of Defence has shared a video highlighting the operational readiness and capabilities of the air force and air defence systems to safeguard national sovereignty amid regional tensions. In a social media post, the ministry said the UAE’s air force and defence systems continue to dem»»»

Ramallah, Palestinian Territories: Israel’s military said Tuesday that “lessons were learned” after soldiers were criticized for writing identification numbers on Palestinians detained during a raid in the occupied West Bank. “Yesterday, during a brigade-level operation in the village of Qabatiya..»»»

Share: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi at a press conference in Damascus, Syria on Tuesday. (Photo by Izz Aldien Alqasem/Anadolu via Getty Images) UN inspectors this week visited several undeclared Assad-era Syrian nuclear sites for the first time — includin»»»

Fidesz’s leadership has tasked János Lázár with assessing the party’s internal condition, visiting its key organisations, holding consultations, providing direction and producing an internal assessment by September. Party members are also being asked for their views: not only are they being questio»»»

WASHINGTON: ‌The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Tomoko Akane, a Japanese judge who is president of the International Criminal Court, according to the ​US Treasury Department website. The move is the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign against The Hague-based cour»»»

DAMASCUS: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani will head to Islamabad on Wednesday for a two-day visit, a diplomatic source in Damascus told AFP on Tuesday. The source, who requested anonymity, said that Shaibani would be in Pakistan on August 19 and 20 at the invitation of his counterpart Ish»»»

Tunis, August 18 (TAP) – Tunisair's revenues remained stable at TND 393 million during the second quarter of 2026, compared with TND 394 million in the same period of 2025, according to the airline’s activity indicators recently published on the...»»»

Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Police said a helicopter crash that killed a recently married couple from Britain and a pilot on the Greek island of Sifnos may have been caused by a mechanical fault. Marie Ebert, 30, and Alexander Cromie, 31, of London died Monday when the private Bell 206 helicopter spiraled out»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Al-Manar correspondent: 6 martyrs, including a child, and 10 wounded by the Israeli occupation’s bombing of a cafe in the port of Gaza City»»»

Hong Kong: Ninety-one percent of Chinese mainland companies surveyed by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) said they intend to establish their footprints in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, the HKTDC said on Tuesday. The result came as Belt and Road partner cou»»»

French judges have struck down president Emmanuel Macron’s pioneering social-media ban for minors, posing hard questions for a planned EU roll-out of similar measures. The Constitutional Council in Paris failed to pass his age-restriction bill on social media for under-15s in a ruling last Friday (»»»

The MIC intends to “milk” “older and sometimes antiquated systems for as much profit as possible before a real paradigm shift towards actual 21st century defense strategy evolves – and will fight this evolution as long as they can,” former DoD analyst and Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski told S»»»

The Department of Justice said it will send 1,000 poll monitors to elections this fall. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Justice plans to send about 1,000 poll monitors to elections this fall, including some Tuesday in Florida and Wyoming primary»»»

Doha, Qatar: Chief Executive Officer of the Qatar Media Corporation HE Sheikh Khalid bin Abdulaziz bin Jassim Al Thani, met with Undersecretary of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information HE Dr. Nasser Ahmed Al-Muhaisen, Ways to enhance joint cooperation and exchange expertise in various media fields be»»»

Kenyan cryptocurrency startups are considering shifting operations to Mauritius or South Africa after new regulations imposed minimum capital requirements that founders say could price smaller companies out of the country's rapidly growing virtual-asset market. At least five startup founders are co»»»

Zambians voted in presidential, parliamentary and local elections on August 13, with President Hakainde Hichilema favoured to win a second term as voters weighed an improving economy against persistent cost-of-living pressures, Reuters reported. Polls opened at 6 a.m. and were due to close&nbs»»»

The African Energy Chamber (AEC) and South African wine estate Lothian Vineyards have created “Drill Baby Drill”, an exclusive wine brand celebrating Africa’s energy industry ambitions. The brand will be formally launched during African Energy Week (AEW) 2026, which is scheduled to take place in Ca»»»

The Danube has dropped to a record low of 31 cm in Budapest, idling nuclear reactors in Romania and Hungary as a fierce drought parches central Europe. The river hit the mark on July 28, Xinhua reported, edging below the 33 cm low set in October 2018. Weeks of heat and thin rainfall have drained th»»»

European gas storage has fallen further behind its usual pre-winter pace, with Germany just 47.6% full against a normal 75% for early August and the Netherlands at 38.5% against a typical 77%, fuelling fears that Europe will face yet another energy crisis of fuel shortages and high prices. The Krem»»»

Just over half of the Ukrainians living abroad still intend to come home, down from more than two-thirds a year ago, as new lives in the EU take root. The share planning to return fell to 53% from 68%, while the share who say they do not intend to return at all doubled to 34% from 17%, according to»»»

The EU bought €809mn of Russian liquefied natural gas in June, 57% more than a year earlier, with Belgium the single biggest buyer. That gave Russia 24.1% of the EU's LNG market by value, second only to the US on 54.3% and €1.83bn. Belgium took €268mn worth, its highest since July 2025, ahead of Fr»»»

Even in the country most alarmed by it, defence is a top national concern for fewer than one person in three, reports Statista, which asked people in 32 countries whether defence and foreign affairs ranked among the most important issues facing their country. Nowhere did more than about one in thre»»»

The European Union has always lagged behind American efforts to innovate, but while it has long-term, structural problems to deal with in this area, it is also true that the Commission has been handed a more immediate chance to boost the bloc's prospects. The US has cut back on federal research gra»»»

Poland says it stopped a Russian-directed plot to murder a US citizen in Warsaw - the first time, its prime minister says, that Moscow has tried to kill an American inside another Nato country. Polish security services detained a Russian citizen on August 7 who had been recruited by Russian intelli»»»

Poland showcased its rapidly expanding armed forces on August 15, the Polish Army Day, parading tanks, artillery, missile launchers and combat aircraft through Warsaw in a display intended to deter Russia and demonstrate the scale of the country’s rearmament. Some 1,800 soldiers and about 270 vehic»»»

Latvia's airBaltic faces a critical week as the loss-making national airline seeks creditor concessions, €225mn in bridge financing and fresh equity to avoid what Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs calls the worst-case scenario – insolvency, Latvia’s national broadcaster LSM.lv reported on August 17. T»»»

Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing is due to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin later on August 18, on his first visit to Moscow since taking office in April following a widely criticised election. According to The Business Times, the Kremlin said the two leaders will discuss closer co-operation and»»»

Ukraine has begun putting parts of its electricity grid underground, betting that concrete and depth will do what air defence has not. Zaporizhzhia is building underground structures at two transformer substations, the regional authorities said, and more than half of the region's key transformers a»»»

Dubai: Moderate to heavy summer rain swept parts of the UAE, including Dubai, on Tuesday, bringing gusty winds and cooler conditions amid intense August heat, just days before the Suhail star rises on August 24, traditionally marking the start of a gradual decline in temperatures Scattered showers »»»

Al-Manar’s correspondent reported that the enemy carried out artillery shelling this afternoon on the town of Mansouri. Bulldozing operations were also conducted today in the Al-Mashaa area of ​​Mansouri. Earlier this morning, enemy aircraft carried out two airstrikes on Mansouri and on Deir Siryan»»»

Colombian singer Shakira (L) speaks alongside American philanthropist Howard Graham Buffett (R) during a press conference after visiting one of the areas devastated by the 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Quibdo, Colombia, on Monday. Shakira announced that she will rebuild the Technological University o»»»

The UAE has accused Iran of firing two ballistic missiles at the Gulf nation on Tuesday, as a two-month window for US-Iran peace talks expired without a breakthrough. DETAILS TO FOLLOW»»»

Egypt launched a mobile application for real estate transactions on Tuesday to provide faster and easier services to citizens, a move unveiled by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during the inauguration of a new Premium Tax Services Center in New Alamein City. Developed to support the state’s effort»»»

Egypt has launched its first offering of industrial land under a new lease-to-own system, comprising 540 plots with a combined area exceeding 5.7 million sqm across 20 industrial zones in 15 governorates nationwide. The offering, introduced by the Industrial Development Authority (IDA), aims to eas»»»

Egypt is accelerating the construction of fourth-generation cities and the modernisation of vital infrastructure along its North Coast to drive sustainable economic development and attract local and foreign investments, government officials announced on Tuesday. The updates were presented during a »»»

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly witnessed the handover of the leadership of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) between newly appointed chairperson Mostafa Sheikhoun and outgoing chairperson Waleid Gamal El-Din. Madbouly received Sheikhoun following a presidential decree by President Abdel Fattah»»»

The Cabinet Media Centre has highlighted key industrial investment opportunities and advantages across Upper Egypt, including infrastructure and logistics, investment incentives and efforts to develop skilled workers, which it said are strengthening the region’s ability to attract investment, expan»»»

SYDNEY: A Palestinian advocacy group has criticized a Sydney library’s decision to remove a book about Israel’s war in Gaza from its shelves, warning that libraries have a responsibility to provide access to works that may “challenge or discomfort” their communities. Waverley Library in Bondi Junct»»»

Doha, Qatar: As the world marks World Photography Day, Qatar-based Her PhotoClub is highlighting the power of photography to connect women from diverse backgrounds, develop creative skills and transform everyday moments into compelling visual stories. Launched in November 2025, Her PhotoClub has gr»»»

Russia has the right to view the UK's declared direct participation of its missile forces in strikes against Russia as direct participation in a war, with all the ensuing consequences, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated. "The President warned of our right to act in any part of the world'»»»

Agostino Abbatiello is accused of being a ringleader in a cocaine-trafficking operation allegedly involving two fraternities at Penn State University. Photo by Pennsylvania attorney general's office Aug. 18 (UPI) -- The alleged ringleader of a drug-trafficking ring operating via two Penn State Univ»»»

Bad Bunny performs during the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on Sunday, February 8, 2026. Photo by David Tulis/UPI | License Photo Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny and his 4-year-old beagle, Sansa Martínez Berlingeri, are featured »»»

A fresh emergency alert was issued across the UAE on Tuesday after the Ministry of Defence said air defence systems detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran towards the country. One missile fell outside UAE territorial waters, while the second fell within them. Authorities later confirmed»»»

MAKKAH: As the heat of the day recedes, the mountain city of Taif unveils a different side to its tourism scene. The evening hours create a vibrant environment where cool alpine weather, local hospitality and outdoor cafes come together to welcome travelers seeking an escape from the bustle. Visiti»»»