More than 31% of public procurement contracts awarded over the past five years, with a total value exceeding EUR 17 billion, were awarded following procedures with only one bidder, Innovation and Digital Transformation Minister Ivan Vasilev said in an interview with the Bulgarian National Televisio»»»

PARIS: World football’s governing body FIFA vowed on Friday to press ahead with an “open and democratic” consultation on a proposed private investment plan despite widespread opposition to the proposal. That opposition included a pledge by Europe’s governing body UEFA to boycott the World Cup if FI»»»

RIYADH: The Esports Foundation and adidas have announced a landmark partnership that will outfit every national team at the inaugural Esports Nations Cup, the sport’s first country-based event, taking place from Nov. 2 in Riyadh. As Official Kit Partner and a Global Partner of the ENC, adidas will »»»

ATHR Gallery at Art Basel Muhannad Shono, Art Basel. (Supplied) Saudi art gallery ATHR presented two new projects by Saudi artists at Art Basel Unlimited this year. Zahrah Alghamdi’s “Streams Move Oceans” (pictured TKTK) is a 15-meter suspended knotted-textile installation. “Alghamdi anchors her sp»»»

DUBAI: Most Valuable Promotions and the Professional Fighters League have announced a landmark merger, creating a new home of combat sports under the MVP banner. The transaction accelerates MVP’s expansion into mixed martial arts following the success of MVP MMA 1. The merger creates a global sport»»»

A specialised national forest firefighting module will be deployed to Greece from 1 August to 15 September under the pre-positioning programme organised by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), with the aim of supporting the Greek authoriti»»»

Romania is going through one of the most difficult hydrological periods in recent decades, especially since no precipitation is forecast in the immediate future, even in the upper Danube basin, according to the National Administration Romanian Waters.The flow of the Danube at the entrance to the co»»»

Romania's national specialised forest fire extinguishing module continues its protection missions in the Var department, France, to identify and extinguish active outbreaks, with the Romanian firefighters preventing the spread of a fire near Brignoles."The extinguishing trucks were arranged on the »»»

The number of jobless people recorded in Bucharest, in June, was 5,512 persons and the unemployment rate reached 0.42%, according to the Municipal Agency for Job Occupation (AMOFM) Bucharest, in a press release. According to the mentioned source, compared to the month of May, when the jobless rate »»»

Romania's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.3 percent in June 2026, down 0.1 percentage points from May 2026, but youth unemployment remains at a high level of 28.8 percent, according to data published on Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).The number of unemployed aged»»»

According to Salario, the eJobs salary comparison, the net wage average recorded in the first 6 months of the year, was 8,00 lei for the IT field, on the rise by 5% against the same period of 2025. The second best paid sector was oil/gas, with a net average of 7,000 lei, followed by research/develo»»»

The Government approved the payment of Romania's voluntary financial contribution to the budget of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, in order to participate as a member of the Informal Advisory Group corresponding to the OECD Global Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum (GAC»»»

The Georgia-Romania Black Sea Submarine Cable (BSSC) project, one of the European Union's strategic energy infrastructure projects in the Black Sea region, is in the preparation stage of a marine survey, which will confirm the optimal route of the cable and provide the technical data necessary for »»»

Bulgarian Ambassador to Romania Radko Vlaykov and Craiova Mayor Lia Olguta Vasilescu discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation during a meeting in the Romanian city, the Bulgarian Embassy in Bucharest said on Facebook quoted by https://www.bta.bg/. The two focused on the appointment of a B»»»

The National Defence Ministry announced on Thursday that it has taken over the first COBRA II armoured vehicles produced in Romania, at Medias.The RON 4.263 billion (or approximately EUR852 million VAT excluded) multi-year contract with Otokar for the delivery of 1,059 COBRA II light tactical armou»»»

The head of NATO's Allied Joint Support and Enabling Command, Lieutenant General Kai Rohrschneider, paid a working visit to Romania between July 29 and 30, according to a press release sent on Thursday by the Ministry of National Defense (MApN).According to MApN officials, the visit aimed to streng»»»

The largest annual meeting of the military reserves of NATO and partner states - a joint congress of the Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR), the Interallied Confederation of Medical Reserve Officers (CIOMR) and the Interallied Confederation of Reserve Non-Commissioned Officers (CI»»»

Romania will remain Moldova's strongest supporter within the European Union, offering its experience as an EU member state alongside political and diplomatic backing, acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said on Thursday after talks with Moldova's new Prime Minister, Vasile Tofan, who is making his f»»»

Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan welcomed Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan at the Victoria Palace on Thursday, in the context of his official visit to Bucharest.The official welcoming ceremony with military honours at the Government headquarters was followed by a one-to-one meeting between t»»»

President Nicusor Dan Thursday welcomed, at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, visiting Moldova's Prime Minister Vasile Tofan, to whom he reconfirmed Romania's firm and consistent support for Moldova's European journey."I was glad to welcome today at the Cotroceni Palace the new Prime Minister of t»»»

EU summoned Moscow's charge d'affaires in Brussels about the penetration of Russiandrones in Romania's air space last week, dpa informs. “We firmly condemned the intentional penetration of Romania's air space by Russian drones,” said a spokesperson for the head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, on ...»»»

The radar surveillance system of the Ministry of National Defense detected a group of air targets in the vicinity of the river border with Ukraine on Thursday evening, two F-16 aircraft from the 86th Borcea Air Base being scrambled at 9:12 p.m. to monitor the situation.The National Military Command»»»

The Kyrgyz Taekwondo WT team won five medals and took second place overall in the junior team competition at the Gangwon Chuncheon 2026 World Taekwondo Cultural Festival Open Championship in South Korea. The competition took place in mid-July in Chuncheon. Athletes from around the world participate»»»

The mayor of the affected district of Košice has insisted that the Slovak Roma families who speak only Slovak are not coming to Hungary because of any centrally organised resettlement scheme, let alone one financed by the local authority. But his explanation has done little to allay suspicion. ‘Not»»»

At a time when human trafficking networks have evolved into sophisticated transnational criminal enterprises generating billions of dollars each year while exploiting vulnerable people amid humanitarian and economic crises worldwide, the United Arab Emirates has adopted a different approach. Rather»»»

Doha, Qatar: The General Authority of Customs and the General Tax Authority announced the launch of new electronic integration services between the Al Nadeeb electronic customs clearance system and the Dhareeba tax transaction management platform. A statement from the authority said there will be 1»»»

Dubai: Gold prices in Dubai fell on Friday, bringing a volatile month to a close after rates moved through a range of more than Dh21 for 24-karat gold. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.The 24K variety dropped to Dh491.75 per gram from Dh495.50 on T»»»

Three thousand athletes from 113 countries will participate in the 6th World Nomad Games. They will compete in 42 sports and also take part in cultural and scientific events. According to Belek Usenbekov, Deputy Head of the International Secretariat of the World Nomad Games, this year’s Games will »»»

Doha, Qatar: Students who completed the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs’ 2026 summer training programme have praised the initiative for providing a supportive learning environment and valuable practical experience that enhanced their professional skills and prepared them for the job market. T»»»

Kingston: participated in the 31st session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Assembly, held in Kingston, Jamaica, from July 27-31. Representing Qatar at the session was Secretary of the Standing Committee of the Convention on the Law of the Sea Omar Ali Al Ali. During Qatar’s statement un»»»

Doha, Qatar: The National Planning Council (NPC) is set to host Managing Director of Hamad Medical Corporation H E Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Suwaidi, in the fourth episode of Podcast AlTanmiya, to discuss the readiness of Hamad Medical Corporation and its role in Qatar’s comprehensive development jou»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Social Development and Family (MSDF) organised an introductory meeting with representatives of associations and private institutions to familiarise them with the National Platform for Voluntary Work and outline its services and mechanisms for utilisation. According to a»»»

Dubai: Gold jewellery demand fell 17% year on year during the second quarter of 2026 as high prices prompted consumers to buy less and move towards lighter products, according to the World Gold Council. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.The decline »»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov awarded Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev the Order of Manas, 1st Class. In return, the Azerbaijani President presented Sadyr Japarov with his country’s highest state award, the Order of Heydar Aliyev. The ceremony took place as part of Ilham Aliyev’s state visit»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed the Law «On Geological Parks of the Kyrgyz Republic,» which defines the legal basis for their creation and operation. According to the document, geoparks are created to: The law stipulates that a geopark is established by a decision of the presidential p»»»

Paris, France: World football's governing body FIFA vowed on Friday to press ahead with an "open and democratic" consultation on a proposed private investment plan despite widespread opposition to the proposal. That opposition included a pledge by Europe's governing body UEFA to boycott the World C»»»

Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have agreed to exempt citizens of the two countries from mandatory registration for 15 days after crossing the border. The protocol was included in a package of agreements signed on July 30 in Issyk-Kul region by Presidents Sadyr Japarov and Shavkat Mirziyoyev. According t»»»

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced that Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan have decided to elevate their bilateral relations to an alliance level. He made the announcement following talks with President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov in Cholpon-Ata. Today, July 31, an official welcoming ceremony for »»»

President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov arrived in Kyrgyzstan to participate in an informal consultative meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and the President of Azerbaijan, which will be held in Cholpon-Ata, Issyk-Kul region. Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymalie»»»

Washington, July 31 (SANA) Syria’s chargé d’affaires in Washington, Mohammad Kanatri, took part on Thursday in a roundtable discussion on strengthening Syria’s diplomatic engagement during its political transition. The event, titled “Government Transition and Building Diplomatic Engagement in Syria»»»

RIYADH: Abha-based Syrian artist Hatem Al-Ahmad left his lush green backyard to venture to the Kingdom’s bustling capital for his most recent milestone. “Would I ever willingly live in Riyadh? No, never. It is not me, no,” Al-Ahmad tells Arab News. He prefers opening his front door onto picturesque»»»

TORONTO: Egyptian filmmaker Abu Bakr Shawky’s “The Stories,” which opened this year’s Toronto Arab Film Festival last week, is a love letter of sorts to his homeland, set across three decades from the 1960s to the 1980s. The film follows Ahmad (Amir El-Masry), an aspiring concert pianist from a mid»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Public Works Authority (Ashghal), in cooperation with Al Khor and Al Dhakira Municipality, has successfully implemented a smart irrigation project at Al Tawasul Park and Al Khor Municipality Park, achieving a 25 percent reduction in irrigation water consumption while enhancing the »»»

July 31 (UPI) -- Fourteen nations have backed the formation of a Saudi-led coalition to protect shipping routes from Houthi attacks in and around the Red Sea, drawing more countries into the Iran-U.S. war. The kingdom's defense ministry announced their support for the multinational defensive mariti»»»

Dubai: The UAE Fuel Price Committee has announced the retail prices for petrol and diesel for August 2026. Under the new rates, Super 98 petrol will be priced at Dh3.60 per litre, compared to Dh3.40 in July, while Special 95 petrol will be set at Dh3.49 per litre, against Dh3.29 last month. E-Plus »»»

QUETTA, Pakistan: A blast at a coal mine killed at least 34 workers in southern Pakistan, the provincial disaster agency said on Friday, as rescuers searched for more missing miners. The explosion, suspected to be caused by methane gas, tore through the mine near the capital of the resource-rich pr»»»

TEHRAN: Iran’s military said on Friday it launched drone strikes targeting US military facilities in Kuwait, as fighting resumed between Washington and Tehran in the Middle East war after a nearly week-long lull. The army said in a statement it targeted “fighter aircraft shelters, satellite communi»»»

Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan signed an agreement on the joint use of Chechme spring, located on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border. The document was included in a package of agreements signed on July 30 in Issyk-Kul region by Presidents Sadyr Japarov and Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The details of the agreement have not »»»

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed gratitude to Kyrgyzstan for its assistance in the restoration of Karabakh. He made this statement at the third meeting of the Interstate Council of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan, which is taking place in Cholpon-Ata city. «I would also like to express my gra»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov amended his 2024 decree approving «My Home» state housing program. Military personnel and law enforcement officers are now eligible to participate in the program during their term of service, regardless of their place of service. However, they have to meet all »»»