Three new metro stations on Sofia’s Line 3 were officially opened on Friday at a ceremony attended by Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov, Sofia Deputy Mayor for Transport Viktor Chaushev, Metropolitan CEO Nikolay Naydenov, and Metropolitan Board member Stoyan Bratoev. »»»

Personnel from the Bulgarian Navy have recently responded to three reports of potentially hazardous objects found off the Bulgarian Black Sea coast or on the seashore, the Defence Ministry said on its website on Friday. A specialized team from the Varna Naval Base surveyed a drifting object spotted»»»

Iran’s central bank has put forward a potentially consequential proposal at the BRICS financial meetings in India: the creation of a dedicated financial corridor linking and integrating the payment networks of BRICS members, alongside an independent infrastructure for cross-border financial settlem»»»

The top U.S. priority now in the Iran war is no longer its nuclear program but to bring gasoline prices down for American consumers, the vice president said Thursday, with the treasury secretary adding that new economic punishment to wear down Tehran is imminent. The comments by Vice President JD V»»»

Dubai: Dubai has been ranked the most attractive tourist city in the Middle East and 10th worldwide in a 2026 global index that uses online conversations to measure how travellers perceive destinations. The Yanolja Attractiveness Index assessed 261 cities using online data and sentiment analysis, e»»»

Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has shared another of his reflections on life and leadership, saying those who think differently and pursue ideas ahead of their time should expect criticism and not allow it »»»

DUBAI: Dubai residents have just a few days left to sign up for ‘A Dubai Invite’, after exceptional demand led organisers to increase the programme’s capacity three times since its launch. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET»»»

Electoral College ballot boxes arrive to a joint session of Congress to count the Electoral College votes from the 2020 presidential election on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. Pool Photo by Erin Scott/UPI | License Photo Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A judge in Nevada has dismissed forgery charges against six Repu»»»

The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has ordered the temporary administrative closure of The Original Lessi Cafe – Sole Proprietorship L.L.C. – Branch in Abu Dhabi over repeated food safety violations. The café, which operates under Commercial Licence No. CN-2625289-2, was f»»»

Washington: President Donald Trump is ordering the US Navy to remove the advanced system used to launch fighter jets from its newest type of aircraft carrier and return to using older steam catapults that he has long said he prefers, according to a directive issued Thursday. The new mandate would l»»»

A British company said Thursday it has been hired to salvage a grounded Russian shadow fleet tanker off Oman's coast and stop an oil spill that is threatening wildlife as it reaches the country's shoreline following its dramatic spread in recent weeks. Satellite images have shown that oil from the »»»

The United Arab Emirates on Friday blamed Iran for attacks on two vessels linked to its state-owned oil company as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait, frequently attacking commercial ships, and wants to charge users for passage, which the »»»

Tokyo, Aug. 14 (SANA) Japan summoned Russia’s ambassador to protest President Vladimir Putin’s visit to a disputed island in the Kuril chain, Japanese authorities said Thursday. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tokyo strongly protested Putin’s visit to Etorofu, known as Iturup in Ru»»»

Luglon, France: A new wildfire in southwestern France has forced the evacuation of more than 500 people and burned 1,100 hectares (about 2,700 acres), officials said on Friday. This summer southwest France has been ravaged by forest fires which advanced quickly because of tinderbox conditions worse»»»

Sao Paulo: Police in Brazil recovered on Thursday eight Matisse engravings stolen from a Sao Paulo library last year, officials said. The works were found at a home in the town of Sao Bernardo do Campo, near Sao Paulo, and the man who had them was arrested, police said in a statement. The works, es»»»

Minister of Construction, Architecture, Housing and Communal Services of Kyrgyzstan Nurdan Oruntaev inspected the progress of reconstruction at Manas Ordo historical and cultural complex in Talas region. According to the Ministry of Construction, construction and installation work is currently 85 p»»»

LONDON: In a war that has seen tankers in the Gulf and the Red Sea repeatedly targeted, it was clear that a massive oil spill was an environmental disaster just waiting to happen — and that disaster is now unfolding. On June 30, the Caroline Bezengi, a tanker carrying more than 800,000 barrels of o»»»

DUBAI: Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz is set to hold a strong hand in the feature $40,000 JCSA Almaseef Cup at King Khalid Racecourse in Taif on Saturday with three runners, including last month’s trial winner Hafedhk Allah (KSA). The Fahad Saad-trained 8-year-old had performed with credit »»»

ALKHOBAR: For Rahaf Alshammari, taekwondo began long before she entered a club or competed for a medal. Growing up, the Saudi Arabia athlete and her sisters were introduced to the sport by their father, a black belt who turned taekwondo techniques into a childhood game they called wrestling. Years »»»

Cali, Colombia: Colombia's disaster relief chief vowed to find the hundreds of people still missing after a massive earthquake, as rescuers dug through rubble early Friday following the end of a critical lifesaving period. The strongest quake to hit Colombia this century devastated the western citi»»»

The water level of the Danube at the gauging station in Ruse fell by a further 3 cm over the past 24 hours, reaching 121 cm below the reference zero level, according to information from the Executive Agency for Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River (EAEMDR), published on Friday morning. H»»»

Crew members of a Yemeni commercial ship who survived a deadly attack by Houthi rebels earlier this week said a second missile struck the vessel just as rescue efforts from the initial strike were underway, causing even more chaos and casualties. In all, three ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-b»»»

SHARJAH: UAE budget carrier Air Arabia’s net profit fell 51 per cent to Dh374 million in the first half of 2026 as the regional conflict disrupted flights, reduced capacity and pushed fuel prices to record highs. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Sharjah-based low-co»»»

Singapore: Oil prices rose slightly in Asian trading on Friday, driven by renewed concerns over crude supplies amid ongoing Middle East tensions. Brent crude futures gained nine cents, or 0.1 percent, to reach $87.16 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose four cents to »»»

The average salary in Kyrgyzstan reached 53,759 soms in January—June 2026. The National Statistical Committee reported. The data is released with a one-month delay. In June 2026, the average monthly nominal accrued salary at enterprises and organizations across all economic sectors increased by 27.»»»

The heads of six Arab football federations expressed their "full support" and "confidence" in Gianni Infantino on Thursday as the embattled FIFA president fights to keep his job after his failed World Cup private investment plan. The backing came from 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco, Qatar, Egypt, M»»»

Arab Finance: Roche Diagnostics has appointed Carlos Justiniani Ugarte as General Manager of Roche Diagnostics Egypt and North Africa Network Lead, strengthening the company’s leadership in the region, according to an emailed press release. Ugarte joins Roche’s Egypt affiliate after four years as C»»»

Abu Dhabi: The International Astronomical Centre has shared images of the crescent moon marking the beginning of Rabi Al Awwal 1448 AH, the Islamic month in which Muslims commemorate the birth of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). The crescent was photographed from the centre’s Al Khatim Astronomical Obs»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Council for Fatwa has organised a national awareness campaign entitled Zakāt on Dates: Growth and Giving 2026, in coordination with national entities and strategic partners and in conjunction with the date harvest season. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the rulings govern»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has returned Dh1.19 billion to victims between 2021 and 2025 as part of its efforts to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing, according to the General Secretariat of the Higher Committee Overseeing the National Strategy on Anti-Money Laundering »»»

DOHA: His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar 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.»»»

Air India's Airbus A320neo operating a Phuket-New Delhi flight temporarily lost control of major flight surfaces for about four seconds after failures involving all three hydraulic systems, according to a report. According to analysis by Airbus of the aircraft's flight data recorder, accessed by ND»»»

In a remarkable series of admissions, Israeli media outlets have declared that the war with Iran will be remembered as a “resounding strategic defeat” for both the United States and Israel, with some commentators likening Washington’s humiliation to a blow worse than Vietnam. The stark assessments,»»»

In the first half of 2026, Gross Domestic Product fell by 0.8% compared with the first half of 2025, on a gross basis, and by 1.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis. ”Following the revision of the quarterly gross series for Gross Domestic Product due to the inclusion of the new figure for the second q»»»

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's population, are wor»»»

Dubai: Parkin has cut its 2026 public parking revenue forecast after revising its outlook for the rollout and utilisation of new parking spaces, with stronger demand for seasonal cards and developer parking expected to make up the shortfall. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Bala»»»

Based on preliminary estimates for January — July 2026, the gross domestic product reached 1,172,748 trillion soms. Compared to January — July 2025, it increased by 11.1 percent, the National Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan reported. GDP growth slowed slightly over the month, reaching 11.9 perc»»»

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO: The Professional Fighters League has announced the six semifinal matchups, and heavyweight main event for PFL Africa: Morocco on Oct. 10, as the league’s continental tournament reaches its penultimate round across the bantamweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Winner»»»

Lebanon has formally abolished the death penalty, going against the grain in a region where Iran and Saudi Arabia are reportedly the second- and third-biggest executors globally, after China. Here's a look at which countries in the Middle East and North Africa top the list of executioners, which ha»»»

Dubai: A 51-year-old man from Tamil Nadu has gone viral after clearing the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), 34 years after completing his Class 12, to finally pursue his long-held dream of becoming a doctor. A Suresh Kumar, a native of Velankanni in Nagapattinam district, has already »»»

Iran can stay in the fight in a prolonged armed conflict with the US, even if it lasts the rest of Donald Trump’s term in office, a senior Iranian general has said. Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Naqdi of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) voiced confidence in Tehran’s ability to sustain a long»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s point-of-sale transactions remained above $3.5 billion in the week ending Aug. 8, underscoring resilient consumer spending even as activity moderated from the previous week, official data showed. According to the latest data released by the Saudi Central Bank, also known as S»»»

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused the RSS of having little understanding of India’s history and philosophy, while also criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy. Addressing a plenary session of the Congress in New Delhi on Thursday, Gandhi said there was no reason for party w»»»

NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace over the northeastern Balvi region early Friday, prompting a temporary air alert across parts of eastern Latvia, the country’s armed forces said. An orange airspace alert was issued shortly before 4am local time in the municipalities»»»

Prime Minister Rumen Radev attended a ceremony in Pleven on Friday at which graduates of the Georgi Benkovski Higher Air Force School received their first officer ranks and diplomas. Radev reviewed the formation of cadets and sergeants from the military school. The Prime Minister himself graduated »»»

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»»»