PARIS: Saudi Arabia and France reaffirmed their commitment to deepening their partnership on the development of AlUla during a ministerial committee meeting in Paris on Monday. The Saudi-French Joint Ministerial Committee on AlUla was co-chaired by Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Saudi ministe»»»

PARIS: For French companies looking at Saudi Arabia, the investment proposition is increasingly extending beyond access to the Kingdom’s domestic market. Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a manufacturing, technology and logistics base from which international companies can serve markets across »»»

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, meets with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, in October 2025 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. Trump said Monday on social media that he will impose more 50% tariffs on Canada starting Jan. 1. File Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI | Licens»»»

PARIS: The economic relationship between Saudi Arabia and France is entering a new phase, with French investment expanding beyond its traditional strengths in energy and industry into artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, culture, creative industries and mining. The shift reflects the wi»»»

Aug. 24 (UPI) -- About 42,000 people in the Reno, Nev., area were ordered to evacuate from their homes on Monday as firefighters battled a wildfire on the Sierra Nevada foothills. The Hawk Fire burned more than 15,000 acres as it drew closer to the northern edge of Reno. Fire officials said Monday »»»

RIYADH: Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Jasem Al-Budaiwi received Maria Luisa Fantappie, head of the Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa program at the Institute of International Affairs, at the General Secretariat headquarters in Riyadh on Monday. During the meeting, the two si»»»

RIYADH: Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Jasem Al-Budaiwi received Maria Luisa Fantappie, head of the Mediterranean, Middle East and Africa program at the Institute of International Affairs, at the General Secretariat headquarters in Riyadh on Monday. During the meeting, the two si»»»

RAMALLAH: Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa briefed Cabinet members on political contacts and international efforts to halt the crimes of the occupation and terrorist settlers’ gangs and provide international protection for the Palestinian people. The Cabinet, during its weekly session on Monday, war»»»

PARIS: The economic relationship between Saudi Arabia and France is entering a new phase, with French investment expanding beyond its traditional strengths in energy and industry into artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, culture, creative industries and mining. The shift reflects the wi»»»

On the eve of the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, I find myself wondering whether my country will still exist in another 35 years. Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion, the rollback of democracy, a severely damaged market economy, and the degradation of every social system compel me, as»»»

Ukraine has opened a Pandora's box by attacking Russia's retail sector and should now expect the same treatment but worse, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview on August 22. “The Kyiv regime set out to damage our economy. What did it do? It opened this Pandora's box itself. Well then, expe»»»

RIYADH: King Salman received a written message from the UAE’s President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Monday concerning Saudi-Emirati ties. The UAE’s Ambassador to Riyadh Mater Salem Ali Marran Al-Dhaheri presented the document to Waleed Elkhereiji, the Kingdom’s vice minister of foreign af»»»

NEW YORK CITY: Saudi Arabia strongly condemned recent attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces against civilians in Sudan, including women and children, as he called on all parties involved in the civil war to honor their humanitarian obligations and work toward a permanent ceasefire agreem»»»

Polish banks and credit unions issued a record PLN 14.78 billion in mortgages in July, up more than 45% from a year earlier. They granted 30,300 housing loans, while the average mortgage reached a record PLN 487,530, up 9.1%. BIK attributes the boom to lower borrowing costs, rising wages and improv»»»

Wealthy Poles are increasingly buying property abroad as part of long-term wealth management rather than simply for vacations or short-term rental income. Spain remains the most popular destination, with Poles purchasing 2,269 properties there in the first half of 2026, up nearly 9% y/y. Interest i»»»

The fighter jet that crashed near Szolnok on Monday was a single-seat Gripen C, not the latest E/F model. Saab says it will assist the Hungarian investigation, while the crash has also briefly affected the Swedish defence company’s share price. Saab has confirmed that the Hungarian Gripen fighter j»»»

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday laid out plans for the "economic asphyxiation" of Iran, expanding Washington's secondary sanctions threats and warning of dire consequences for countries that do not join the campaign. The announcement comes almost six months into a war on Iran that has»»»

Saudi's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman is in Paris to meet France's President Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders are to hold talks on a variety of topics, but first and foremost about the situation in the Middle East. For France, this is a chance to benefit from Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 investmen»»»

LONDON: Hunger is worsening in the Syrian Arab Republic, where more than half the population cannot reliably obtain enough food, the World Food Programme warned on Sunday as funding shortages force the UN agency to reduce aid. Of Syria’s estimated 24.4 million people, 13.3 million are food insecure»»»

LAUSANNE: Several ex-footballers, including Premier League winners Emmanuel Petit and Mikael Silvestre, have called for “change” in FIFA’s leadership following the failed plan to open the World Cup to private investors. “Change is necessary. Power has blurred the current leadership’s ability to dis»»»

Iran has denied reports that it has been invited to join the Mecca defense pact comprising Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan, while confirming that proposals have been made for talks with the three countries on regional security. The clarification comes after Mehdi Rahimi, the head of the Iranian»»»

In Guinea, a landslide at a garbage dump outside the capital Conakry has claimed the lives of at least 30 people. The government of the West African country says it has mobilised significant resources to try and find survivors that may still be trapped under massive piles of waste. Less than a week»»»

French centre-left politician Raphael Glucksmann announced his candidacy for France's presidential election next year, joining a crowded field of far-right figures, centrists and fellow left-wingers. Hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon is planning to stand while Greens leader Marine Tondelier is ca»»»

Genie Godula is pleased to welcome Samantha de Bendern, Associate Fellow at Chatham House. Europe is taking increasingly consequential steps to support Ukraine, but de Bendern warns that they remain insufficient to address the country's fundamental vulnerability. Are Ukraine's allies prepared to ac»»»

France and Saudi Arabia on Monday signed an agreement for the oil-rich Gulf kingdom to invest €6 billion to create three amusement parks near Paris, including one likely to be a manga-themed park, the French presidential office said. The announcement came during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin»»»

As Ukraine and Russia hammer each other’s Black Sea ports, the amount of grain being shipped through the crucial waterway has slowed to a crawl. For Ukraine’s farmers, the Black Sea blockade could hardly have come at a worse time.   The fields are white for harvest, but the way through the Bla»»»

/General/Arab Affairs Gaza, August 24 (QNA) - Two Palestinians, including a four-year-old child, were martyred and others injured on Monday in Israeli airstrikes and shelling across the Gaza Strip. Medical sources reported that one person was killed and others injured in an Israeli drone strike wes»»»

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks July 28 in New York City. A group filed two lawsuits Monday in state court against Mamdani's plan for five city-run grocery stores. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Aug. 24 (UPI) -- A group of grocers filed two lawsuits Monday over New York City »»»

PARIS: Saudi Arabia and France signed a series of agreements on Monday covering investment, defense, artificial intelligence, tourism, infrastructure and cultural cooperation, during the first meeting of the Franco-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council. The agreements were signed during Saudi Crown P»»»

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks during a press conference at the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., on Monday. Bessent announced sanctions on countries that refuse to cut ties with Iran, including penalties on digital assets, technology and shipping. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | »»»

Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, is preparing to reduce output. The case of Escondida, situated in the Atacama Desert, is particularly significant because the projected decline in production comes despite operational improvements at the mine. File Photo by Pedro Tapia SANTIAGO, Chile, Au»»»

TUNIS, August 24, 2026 (TAP) – The Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas (STEG) announced that rolling power cuts may be implemented on Monday evening, August 24, between 10 p.m. and midnight, in intermittent periods, depending on grid...»»»

The United States on Monday delisted Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, rescinding a decades-old designation that had severely impeded investment. The US Department of State also revoked its designation of al-Nusrah Front -- also known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) -- as a global terrorist org»»»

Aug. 24 (UPI) -- A Wisconsin cat is stepping into the record books with an incredible feat of feet: he has 29 toes. Erebus Anomaly, a Maine coon cat belonging to Kendra Vandenbloomer and Hunter Nett, earned the Guinness World Record for the most toes on a cat after his digits were counted at 29, 11»»»

Concerns grow China could move against Second Thomas Shoal after turning nearby Mischief Reef into a military base An areal photo taken though a glass window inside a military plane of the alleged on-going reclamation by China into mischief reef in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Se»»»

Dubai: Residents of an Egyptian village have begun returning money mistakenly dispensed by a cash machine after a technical malfunction caused it to pay customers twice the amount they requested, according to local reports. The incident occurred in Qay village in Ihnasiya district of Beni Suef gove»»»

The Trump administration proposed a new rule on Monday to charge employers a $103,265 fee for hiring workers through the H-1B visa program to offset the costs of the U.S. immigration system. File Photo by Olga Fedorova/EPA Aug. 24 (UPI) -- The Trump administration proposed a new rule on Monday to c»»»

Tens of thousands of people remained evacuated from their homes around the western US city of Reno on Monday as a wind-driven fire raced through the parched landscape. Schools were shuttered as smoke swathed the city in western Nevada, near the California border, home to around 280,000 people. Get »»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar is expected to witness the first noticeable decline in temperatures from September 20, marking the beginning of a gradual seasonal transition, according to Dr. Faisal Al Ansari, Executive Director of the Qatar Calendar House. Speaking to Al Rayyan TV, Dr. Al Ansari said the year »»»

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama concluded a nine-hour meeting with government ministers in the city of Pogradec. The meeting, which followed a similar session on Sunday, is understood to have focused in part on the government’s plans for “Pasqyrë Albania,” a unified digital platform designed to br»»»

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, holds up a sign that says "Black People Aren't Apes" as President Donald Trump enters the House Chamber to deliver his State of the Union address in February. The sign was in response to a since-deleted Trump social media post showing former President Barack Obama and Michel»»»

DOHA: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education has announced the opening of electronic registration and transfer for students of all nationalities seeking to enroll in public schools. The registration and transfer process will run from August 25 to October 1, through the Maaref electronic por»»»

Péter Magyar’s government has launched Hungary’s most dramatic transformation since the fall of communism, according to a Guardian editorial – but concerns remain over constitutional moves targeting Fidesz politicians and the fate of more than EUR 10 billion in EU funds. Hungary is undergoing its m»»»

Parts of Bulgaria were hit by torrential rain and hailstorms on Monday, causing flooding, road closures and emergency response operations in Sofia and several areas of Pazardzhik Region. Heavy rain accompanied by hail in Sofia flooded central streets and boulevards. Sofia Municipality said eight te»»»

TUNIS, August 24, 2026 (TAP) – The activities and future expansion plans in Tunisia of German automotive wiring systems manufacturer Leoni were the focus of a meeting held Monday between Minister of Equipment and Housing and Acting Minister of...»»»

Authors: STEVE N. G. HOWELL AND DALE DYER Belize is one of the world’s premier birding destinations, home to a marvelous array of tropical birds and beautiful habitats ranging from verdant rain forests and extensive wetlands to rolling pine savannas and the country’s famed barrier reef. “Birds of B»»»

UNITED NATIONS: The United States urged the UN Security Council on Monday to expand an arms embargo on the Sudanese region of Darfur to cover all of Sudan, saying the nation’s brutal conflict risks regional expansion. The Darfur arms embargo, in place for over two decades, is set to expire on Septe»»»

Authors: Maddie and Alice Bailey A monstera’s holes, a calathea’s moving leaves and a fern’s preference for humidity may seem like ordinary botanical quirks, but “The Hidden Histories of Houseplants” makes a persuasive case that there is a much bigger story behind houseplants. Written by sisters Ma»»»

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday laid out plans for the "economic asphyxiation" of Iran, expanding Washington's secondary sanctions threats and warning of dire consequences for countries that decline to join the pressure campaign. Bessent's address comes almost six months into a war on»»»

Washington: The United States on Monday vastly expanded the sectors of the Iranian economy it is targeting with secondary sanctions, bringing five new areas under the threat of such actions. "Treasury has issued determinations against five critical sectors -- digital assets, technology, gold, aviat»»»