Brian Curtis, deputy managing director for investigations, speaks at a hearing at the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating a helicopter that crashed while responding to a wildfire in Utah. File Photo by Alex Wong/UPI | License Photo Aug. 7 (UPI) -- A firefighting helicopter »»»

NEW YORK: The UN Security Council on Friday condemned Houthi missile attacks against Saudi Arabia and commercial vessels, along with unauthorized aircraft landings at Sana’a International Airport and Hodeidah Airport, warning that such actions threaten regional security and risk undermining peace e»»»

DAMASCUS: Syria’s Internal Security Forces have arrested eight members of an organized kidnapping gang operating in the Damascus countryside, accused of abducting businesspeople, traders, and owners of commercial and industrial enterprises before extorting their families for ransom. The arrests fol»»»

Washington, Aug. 7 (SANA) The U.S. Senate on Friday passed a bill imposing new sanctions on Russia, primarily targeting its energy revenues, with broad bipartisan support, according to the Associated Press. The bill, approved by a vote of 86 to 11, aims to penalize countries that continue to purcha»»»

House and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner has criticized programs for prioritizing permanent housing solutions that apply the Housing First model, in which individuals are housed without preconditions. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 7 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Friday »»»

BOGOTA, Colombia: Conservative Abelardo de la Espriella was sworn in as Colombia’s president Friday, not in the capital as is the tradition, but in the volatile southwestern city of Cali in a move meant to signal his hard-line approach to illegal armed groups operating in the region. De la Espriell»»»

BRUSSELS: The EU’s tech chief called on Meta and TikTok to “act decisively” to stem disinformation at times of crisis, saying the European Commission held talks with both platforms Friday following last week’s Ceuta migrant surge. A wave of social media disinformation is believed to have played a l»»»

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Senate easily passed sweeping Russia sanctions legislation on Friday, advancing a long-delayed measure backed by late ​Senator Lindsey Graham and setting the stage for consideration by the House of Representatives within weeks. Graham, a South Carolina Republican who died last »»»

CALI, Colombia: FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Friday received support from several leading South American football figures as he visited Colombia amidst the crisis engulfing world football’s governing body. Infantino arrived early on Friday in the Colombian city of Cali to attend hard-right pr»»»

DAMASCUS: Syrian Internal Security Forces killed two Daesh (ISIS) militants who were planting an improvised explosive device near the Sayyidah Zaynab area of Damascus countryside, state media SANA reported Friday, citing the Interior Ministry. The ministry said the militants were discovered during »»»

Dubai, Aug. 8 (SANA) Syrian Minister of Economy and Industry Nidal al-Shaar and UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri discussed ways to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation and expand investment partnerships during a meeting in Dubai on Friday. The two ministers reviewe»»»

Dubai: The warmth of your mother's hands as she kneads the dough. The aroma of bread baking before sunrise. The crackle of spices blooming in hot Emirati ghee. Long before recipes are written down or traditions are spoken about, this is where a cuisine truly begins. For Chef Nabhan Al Ali, Executiv»»»

Economic activity data for June confirmed what we saw in the second quarter GDP data: as summer arrived, the Hungarian economy went on holiday. Both industry and retail sector growth rates came in lower than expected, but we are still optimistic about the future.  The Hungarian »»»

European buyers are demanding that Turkey provide documentation proving natural gas transported through Turkish territory is not of Russian origin, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in an interview with A Haber TV on August 6. Bayraktar said Turkey is legally obliged to process »»»

The Hague: The International Criminal Court (ICC) expressed its concern today over the withdrawal of Chad and Venezuela from its membership, stating that the two countries "risk undermining the collective pursuit of justice." In a statement, the Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties to the R»»»

The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday ordered inspections of hundreds of Boeing 737 Max jets due to reports of cracks near doorways. File Photo by Cityswift/Flickr Aug. 7 (UPI) -- The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday ordered inspections of hundreds of Boeing 737 Max jets. The F»»»

The debt of the Sofia heating utility, Toplofikatsiya, to public gas supplier Bulgargaz and the Bulgarian Energy Holding, which exceeds EUR 1.2 billion, is pushing the state-owned gas supplier toward insolvency, Energy Minister Iva Petrova said in an interview with Nova TV on Friday. She called on »»»

By the end of this year, the Bulgarian Naval Forces will have another minehunter, said Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov, Commander of the Bulgarian Naval Forces, in his address to the people attending the official awards ceremony for military personnel and civilians here on Friday. He specified that, un»»»

Poland has restored the Maritime Office in Słupsk six years after it was abolished, giving it responsibility for about 170 km of Baltic coastline from Dźwirzyno to Łeba, including the Port of Kołobrzeg. The Ministry of Infrastructure says the move is intended to strengthen Central Pomerania and sup»»»

1 of 2 | Declining water levels due to climate change and more than 20 years of ongoing drought have reshaped Lake Mead's shorelines as seen in this file photo on Nov. 16, 2022. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo Aug. 7 (UPI) -- The water level in the United States' largest reservoir, Lak»»»

KOCHI, India: As the sun set over Kochi’s historic Jew Town neighborhood, Keith Hallegua donned a gray kippah and began a solitary walk to the synagogue at the end of his cobbled street. It was Shavuot, the Jewish holiday commemorating God giving the Torah to Moses. Hallegua reached the 458-year-ol»»»

Proposals for structural reforms will be presented for broad public discussion, Health Minister Katya Ivkova said, as quoted by the Ministry's press centre on Friday. These are not final decisions, but proposals for structural reforms aimed at creating an administration that is more accountable to »»»

Tunis, August 7 (TAP) - A partnership agreement to implement a project aimed at restoring degraded Aleppo pine ecosystems in Kasserine governorate, with funding worth S$2.48 million provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), was signed by...»»»

Ljubljana: Qatar's under-20 national football team defeated Austria's Kapfenberger 7-0 in a friendly match on Friday as part of their ongoing training camp in Slovenia. The camp forms part of Qatar's preparations for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup Qualifiers, scheduled to be held from Aug. 25 to Sept. 6, w»»»

BEIT EL, West Bank: Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich faces a fight for political survival in elections in October after angering his fellow West Bank settlers by voting not to ​punish ultra-Orthodox Jews who refuse to serve in the military. The political travails of Smotrich are»»»

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and her attorney, Abbe Lowell, leave the U.S. Supreme Court, which blocked President Donald Trump's attempt to remove her from the independent central bank. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 7 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump is once again trying t»»»

LONDON: The United States announced sanctions on Friday targeting crypto exchanges and shadow banking networks used by Iran to launder billions of dollars. The announcements were the latest effort by Washington to squeeze Iran’s finances with its “Economic Fury” campaign, which was launched alongsi»»»

New York: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Friday confirmed a limited improvement in the flow of essential supplies into the Gaza Strip recently, despite acknowledging that humanitarian needs remain immense as the population continues to rely heavily »»»

LONDON: The World Bank on Friday approved a $100 million grant to help the Syrian Arab Republic build a modern, secure and digitally enabled financial sector. The grant from the International Development Association will finance the Syria Financial Sector Modernization Project, which aims to make t»»»

LONDON: Sujood Faroun, 29, a mother of two young children, suffered cardiac arrest in late July as an ambulance rushed her toward a hospital in Ramallah. But at the edge of her hometown of Sinjil, the ambulance encountered a closed Israeli army gate guarded by soldiers. Her husband pleaded for help»»»

The UN's World Food Programme is finalizing a five-year renewal of its contract with US data software firm Palantir despite “key privacy concerns” raised in a leaked 2025 internal audit. The audit, seen by PassBlue and FRANCE 24, reveals UN misgivings about allowing Palantir to process data for the»»»

A federal appeals court on Friday ordered US President Donald Trump’s administration to stop construction of its $400 million ballroom on the site of the White House's demolished East Wing. The court added that a president cannot fundamentally reshape the White House without congressional»»»

MALANG: Indonesian authorities battled Friday to contain a wildfire that has swept through Mount Bromo National Park on Java island, destroying more than 120 hectares as the country braces itself for an extreme El Nino-fueled dry season. The fire started Monday near Mount Bromo in East Java, one of»»»

Sharon Gaffney is pleased to welcome Heather Kerr, Country Director for Congo at the International Rescue Committee. The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is unprecedented, not simply because of its scale, but because it spread undetected for months before it was correc»»»

Poland’s Ministry of Sports and Tourism is considering giving municipalities greater powers to regulate short-term rentals, including Airbnb-style properties. Options include creating restricted zones, introducing licensing systems and setting occupancy limits based on apartment size to prevent ove»»»

Poland’s office development pipeline has fallen to historic lows, with less than 200,000 sq. m of new space expected annually in 2026-2027, compared with 700,000 sq. m completed in 2020. Despite the slowdown, the commercial real estate market remains active. Office investment reached EUR 549 mln in»»»

Przemysław Wieczorek has been appointed president of PURO Hotels and CEO of Puro Hotell Holding, effective from the beginning of August. The management change comes as the Polish hotel chain prepares for its first international openings. Wieczorek, who has been involved with PURO since its launch, »»»

Poland’s rental housing market is becoming more balanced as a steady supply of listings and weaker demand improve tenants’ negotiating position. According to a Morizon-Gratka survey, 56.4% of respondents consider the number of available rentals balanced or high, suggesting there is no major shortag»»»

Friday’s session on the Warsaw Stock Exchange was marked by clear weakness among most companies in the WIG20 index. Modivo recorded the steepest decline, with its shares falling 7.78% to PLN 91.50. Other major losers included Orlen (-2.38%), Grupa Kęty (-1.62%), Pekao (-1.56%), Tauron (-1.56%) and »»»

Labor costs, economic uncertainty and rising energy prices remain the biggest obstacles facing Polish businesses, according to the Polish Economic Institute’s Monthly Business Climate Index. Labor costs have ranked as the leading barrier since late 2023, cited by about two-thirds of companies, whil»»»

Poland’s registered unemployment rate rose slightly to 5.9% in July from 5.8% in June, according to estimates from the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy. At the end of the month, 907,300 unemployed people were registered with labor offices, up 5,800, or 0.6%, from June and 76,500, or 9.2%»»»

BARCELONA: The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Caribbean Association of National Olympic Committees (CANOC) have signed an agreement to foster closer sporting ties between the two regions. OCA President, HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani signed on behalf of the Asian governing body while CAN»»»

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran uses a sprawling network of corporate entities to obscure the origin of the funds and launder money to benefit the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, leading to sanctions. File Photo by Graeme Sloan/UPI | License Photo Aug. 7 (UPI) -- The Trump administrat»»»

WASHINGTON: The US is ‌temporarily restricting travel for certain passengers who recently visited Uganda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in an effort to reduce the risk of Ebola transmission. The measures are a part of US public health protocols for travelers arriving from a»»»

LONDON: The morning after Israeli settlers descended on Khirbet Al-Tuba, a small shepherding community in the Masafer Yatta area of the occupied West Bank, the silence was broken only by the crunch of ash underfoot. Three homes had been reduced to blackened shells and several defaced with Hebrew gr»»»

Damascus, Aug. 7 (SANA) The Syrian Arab Republic on Friday strongly condemned attacks carried out by the Houthi militia against civilian infrastructure in the Najran region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, saying the assault, which injured several civilians, constituted a flagrant violation of the K»»»

The Plovdiv District Court has left in custody five teenagers arrested in connection with the killing of a 37-year-old man in the city on August 4. The judges explained their decision by the particularly cruel nature of the crime. The hearing was held behind closed doors. A total of 10 teenagers ag»»»

The material completion of the Turkish government’s 503-kilometre (313-mile)  Ankara to Izmir high-speed rail project stands at just 24%, daily Birgun has reported. Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) broke ground on the ambitious project in 2013. Back then, the transport minis»»»

DOHA: The State of Qatar has welcomed the release of 15 detainees by the Congolese authorities and the facilitation by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) of their transfer and handover to the Congo River Alliance/March 23 Movement (AFC/M23) on August 6 and 7, under the mechanism fo»»»

NEW YORK CITY: Repeated rejections by Israeli authorities of requests to bring engine oil into Gaza threaten to shut down critical operations at hospitals, water-pumping stations and bakeries, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned. Even though overall aid deliveries in»»»