BEIRUT: More than a dozen Lebanese lawyers filed a complaint at the prosecutor’s office in Beirut on Wednesday against a prominent local banker, saying he violated the country’s laws by meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington this week. Lebanon and Israel have been hold»»»

Khalida Boufedeche, a trained allergist who represents the Algerian capital Algiers, was elected as the country's first-ever woman parliament speaker Wednesday. Boufedeche is a member of the ruling National Liberation Front's central committee – and now the fourth highest-ranking official in t»»»

In the southwest of France, temperatures are expected to go over 40 degree celsius just as firefighters have managed to stabilise the mass blazes in the forests of the Gironde region. They are expecting the heatwave to set fires going again but 'morale remains high', says FRANCE 24's Carys Garland,»»»

The number of tigers in Nepal has risen by roughly a fifth over the past four years, wildlife officials say, strengthening the Himalayan nation's reputation for conservation. But as the number of tigers in the wild has risen, the number of tiger attacks on humans has increased with it.  Nepal'»»»

Telegram fouinder and CEO Pavel Durov was the target of a international warrant issued by Moscow which wants him on charges the app was used to organize terror attacks in Russia. File Photo by Nick Lubushko/Wikipedia Commons July 29 (UPI) -- Russia issued an international arrest warrant Wednesday f»»»

Amid the climate crisis and glacier melt, mountainous Kyrgyzstan recorded 348 mudflows in the first half of 2026, the highest total in 30-40 years. Eight people lost their lives in the local disasters. The number of mudslides is also nearly five times the roughly 70 recorded in the same period of 2»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is expected to account for the largest share of fixed-income maturities in the Gulf Cooperation Council over the next five years, with $167.4 billion of bonds and sukuk due between 2026 and 2030, a new analysis showed. In its latest report, Kamco Invest said the Kingdom will le»»»

LONDON: Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian-owned artesian water well on Wednesday in the Tubas Governorate in the northeastern area of the West Bank, according to local officials. The well, in the Ras Al-Ahmar and Atouf area, belonged to Saleh Naji Bani Odeh, said Mutaz Bisharat, a Tubas offic»»»

RIYADH: Al-Lith’s waterfront overlooking the Red Sea has become one of the Makkah Region’s leading tourism and leisure destinations, serving as a year-round attraction for residents and visitors. The waterfront features seating areas, walking paths and open recreational spaces, while hosting nation»»»

Travelling by taxi in Budapest will become more expensive from Saturday, when the latest amendment to the city’s taxi fare regulation takes effect. Higher base fare, distance and time charges approved by the city Under the new pricing, the base fare will increase from HUF 1,100 to HUF 1,300, while »»»

Dubai: Travellers flying between the UAE and Egypt could see more flight options in the coming years after the two countries agreed to gradually expand bilateral air traffic rights over the next five years. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The understanding was signed o»»»

President Joseph Aoun on Wednesday stressed that wars lead to no positive outcome and only bring “destruction to countries and poverty to their people.” "Hence our emphasis on the necessity of adopting diplomacy. Wars end in only two ways: either both sides realize their inability to end the confli»»»

Washington: Qatar's Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) participated as an observer in the 20th edition of the Raven's Challenge explosives disposal drill in the United States. Lekhwiya's Explosives Group joined the exercise at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, to gain international expertise, exchange be»»»

Peru's newly inaugurated President Keiko Fujimori – the ninth in just a decade – pledged to deploy the armed forces to crime-ridden areas and adopt a hardline security strategy as Peru grapples with its worst wave of gang violence, extortion and illegal mining in decades.  Peru's conservative »»»

Dubai: It's raining in parts of the UAE this evening with the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) tracking continued convective cloud activity across the country. The rain follows a similar spell yesterday, when parts of the UAE also saw rainfall along with dust and low visibility. The latest advi»»»

Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepal's tiger population has risen by roughly 20 percent in the past four years to an estimated 429, officials said on Wednesday, a conservation milestone despite challenges from human-wildlife conflict. The latest nationwide survey found tiger numbers had increased from 355 in 20»»»

Dubai: In one year, Dubai alone added more than 330,000 residents, taking its population to 4.58 million. This growth is driving the development of new residential communities, commercial districts and leisure destinations, changing how people move between their homes, workplaces and daily activiti»»»

JAKARTA: The Saudi aid agency KSrelief has launched a pediatric cardiac surgery project in Indonesia, with volunteer doctors from the Kingdom set to perform dozens of procedures this week and share their know-how with Indonesian colleagues. A 16-member team of Saudi medics arrived at M. Djamil Cent»»»

A NordWind Airlines flight from Bishkek to Kazan departed from Manas International Airport at 2:48 p.m. local time, Airports of Kyrgyzstan OJSC reported. The flight was indefinitely delayed due to the introduction of «Kovyor» regime at Kazan Airport, which imposes temporary restrictions on the arri»»»

Dubai: Dubai is getting a new shopping destination next month, with The Grand set to open its doors at Nad Al Sheba Gardens from August 19. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The developer Shamal said the new retail and lifestyle destination has been fully leased ahead of»»»

RIYADH: A Saudi-US alliance has entered the final stage of selecting a host country for a $5 billion integrated refinery and energy export corridor project. This project aims to create a strategic energy export platform that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, Asharq Bloomberg has reported. The alliance»»»

Dubai: Travellers flying between Dubai and Italy will have more options this winter after flydubai increased flights to Naples and announced additional services to Milan-Bergamo in response to growing demand. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Dubai-based airline has »»»

St. Anastasia Children's Hospital in Burgas has received its licence to provide medical services, marking the final stage of preparations before opening, Burgas Mayor Dimitar Nikolov said on Wednesday. Nikolov noted that recruitment of medical staff is now under way, with Burgas Municipality also s»»»

DOHA: President of the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), EngMohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Meer, conducted an inspection visit to the project for the construction of 14 new schools under the second package of the Qatar Schools Development Program through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, which»»»

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION The presidential election will be held on October 25, with a possible second round of voting on November 1, Bulgarian media report. This emerged after the floor leaders of the parliamentary groups met on Wednesday morning. The date is expected to be put to the vote in the Nati»»»

Dubai: The Economic Integration Committeen - a high-level UAE national platform that unites federal and local government authorities - on Wednesday reviewed national efforts to strengthen the country's legislative framework for combating money laundering and terrorist financing. This comes as part »»»

Dubai: A stray dog injured 12 people, including young children and elderly residents, after attacking pedestrians in a town in northern Jordan before authorities tracked down and killed the animal, officials said. The attacks unfolded on Monday in Kafr Al Maa, a rural town located in the Al Kourah »»»

In the category of companies with fixed assets exceeding €4 million, the number of insolvencies in the agricultural sector has skyrocketed, from a single company in H1 2025 to 19 companies in H1 2026. These 19 companies account for over €235 million in fixed assets, equivalent to over 57 per cent o»»»

French DJ Kavinsky, who produced the pounding track "Nightcall" that featured in the hit 2011 film Drive and performed alongside Belgian singer Angèle at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympics, has been found dead in his Paris home, local media reported Wednesday. He was 50 years old.  Fren»»»

After weeks of student protests, the resignation of India’s education minister on July 25 was hailed as a victory for the so-called cockroaches, a youth movement that has made this originally derogatory term their own. But some are concerned about facing repression down the line, aided by facial re»»»

Bulgaria's next presidential election will be held on October 25, according to a decision reached during the regular meeting of parliamentary group leaders in the National Assembly. If no candidate secures the required majority in the first round, a runoff vote will take place on November 1. The da»»»

Sharjah: The region's biggest restaurant operator, Americana Restaurants, expects to add 120 to 130 new restaurants by the end of 2026 after reporting stronger earnings in the first half of the year, driven by higher sales, menu innovation and continued expansion. Sign up for our daily business new»»»

RIYADH: Iraq and Turkiye are targetting $30 billion in bilateral trade, according to officials from both countries. The comments were made after Iraqi Trade Minister Mustafa Nizar Al-Ani met his Turkish counterpart, Omer Bolat, in Ankara on the sidelines of Prime Minister Ali Falih Al-Zaidi’s offic»»»

The Greenpeace icebreaker Arctic Sunrise will dock in Varna and be open to visitors on August 7 and 8, Greenpeace Bulgaria said on Wednesday. The ship will visit Bulgaria as part of the organisation's campaign to protect oceans, the climate and vulnerable marine ecosystems. Held under the slogan "A»»»

Onna, Japan: From "heatwave simulators" to ecological bootcamps, scientists and conservationists are trying ways to revive and reinforce the famous coral reefs off Japan's Okinawa, decimated by climate-driven bleaching two summers ago. The subtropical southern Japanese region boasts some of the wor»»»

TAIF: Aqabat Al-Muhammadiyah in Al-Shafa, Taif, will host the third and final round of the 2026 Saudi Toyota Championship Hill Climb from July 31 to Aug. 1, under the supervision of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, the owner of the contest. The event is being managed by Bakhashab Mot»»»

As Lebanon's army deploys in the southern village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, Hassan Sbeih is among those reassured by the troops and hoping the move will soon extend to areas still occupied by Israel. Last week, the Lebanese military began deploying to the devastated village, one of the first "pilot z»»»

LONDON: British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will on Wednesday pledge to overhaul the adult social care system, offering to work with other parties to better fund a service that can cost families hundreds of thousands of pounds. Burnham became prime minister last week, and has enjoyed a bounce in th»»»

Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov has sought disciplinary proceedings against a second notary over the Baba Alino case, proposing that the Chair of the Council of Notaries at the Notary Chamber initiate proceedings against Zhelyo Kostov, the Justice Ministry said on Wednesday. Kostov is the second »»»

Glovo has launched the second edition of Tech Catalyst in Romania, a competition for local startups in the scaling stage that are developing solutions with an impact on cities and urban life. The initiative is part of Glovo’s global Power Up strategic programme and aims to identify and support high»»»

Dubai: Indian travellers planning a trip to Dubai can now use the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to book tickets for At the Top, Burj Khalifa online, making it easier to plan their visit before arriving in the UAE. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The new payment opti»»»

RIYADH: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi on Wednesday declared the Gulf states full support for all measures the Kingdom takes to protect its security and sovereignty. The secretary-general affirmed the Gulf states support for the Saudi measures and stres»»»

PARIS: The Esports World Cup 2026 will conclude with the Counter-Strike 2 Championship final at Paris’ historic Accor Arena, where one of esports’ most iconic titles returns to one of its most celebrated venues, crowning the Club Champion and bringing the world’s largest esports and gaming event to»»»

Sydney: The highly contagious H5 bird flu virus has started spreading locally among wild birds in Australia, the nation's chief veterinary officer said Wednesday. Australia was for years the only continental landmass free of the H5 strain, which has caused severe disease and death in poultry and wi»»»

Food SecurityGlobal issuesHow two wars and El Nino could fuel world hungerNik MartinThe wars in Ukraine and the Middle East haven't yet crippled global food supplies. Add a powerful weather pattern like El Nino, however, and the risks multiply. https://p.dw.com/p/5HoFlSupplies of rice — consumed by»»»

Athens: Firefighters were battling a wildfire on the Greek tourist island of Paros in the Aegean Sea on Wednesday after strong winds helped spread flames, prompting precautionary evacuations in several areas, authorities said. The blaze broke out overnight at a landfill site in the western part of »»»

Alisher Kozuev, a deputy of the 7th and 8th convocations of the Zhogorku Kenesh, has been elected President of the Kara-Suu Football Club. Nursultan Kadyrbekov has been appointed as the club’s director. The new management team was introduced on July 28 during a working meeting attended by represent»»»

DUBAI: Moroccan-Belgian artist Dystinct is the face of Puma Middle East’s latest “Never Not Suede” campaign, a regional initiative celebrating the enduring cultural legacy of the sportswear brand’s iconic Suede sneaker. Marking Puma Middle East’s first regional collaboration of its kind, the campai»»»

AU Small Finance Bank (AU SFB), India's largest Small Finance Bank and the first institution in over a decade to receive in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to transition into a Universal Bank, has enhanced its Non-Resident Indian (NRI) deposit offerings by revising interest »»»

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has added Egypt to the agenda of its Executive Board meeting scheduled for Thursday to consider approving the seventh review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program. The meeting is expected to include discussions on requests for exemptions from and adjus»»»