Dubai: Pakistan marked its 79th Independence Day on Friday with patriotic celebrations across the country. Festivities began at midnight, with cities decorated in green and white, while homes, markets and public buildings displayed national flags. In Islamabad, fireworks lit up the night sky as cro»»»

The Danube has dropped to a record low of 31 cm in Budapest, idling nuclear reactors in Romania and Hungary as a fierce drought parches central Europe. The river hit the mark on July 28, Xinhua reported, edging below the 33 cm low set in October 2018. Weeks of heat and thin rainfall have drained th»»»

Accommodation prices in Burgas have surged dramatically following the announcement that the Black Sea city will host the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2027, with some listings reaching more than €4,000 per night and three-night stays exceeding €12,000. The sharp increase appeared within hours of t»»»

Bulgaria's transition to the euro has proceeded without major disruption or sharp price shocks, according to the National Revenue Agency (NRA) and the Consumer Protection Commission (CPCoo), which presented the results of their joint work under the Euro Introduction Act and interim figures from the»»»

A gold ring set with 321 diamonds, handed to Donald Trump by Antwerp's diamond traders, has drawn accusations of a “cartoonish bribe” weeks after their gems slipped free of his tariffs. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal have written to the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), whose p»»»

Washington, United States: Engine fragments struck a window of a Ryanair plane last month resulting in a man nearly being sucked out of the aircraft mid-flight, according to a preliminary report published Thursday by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). A tourist on a flight from The»»»

Tunis, Aug. 14 (TAP)- The weather on Friday is slightly cloudy across the country, growing cloudy in the afternoon in northwestern and central western regions and in Gafsa with showers. Localised rain is also expcted in the east, the...»»»

The number of crimes committed by migrants in Russia in the first half of the year decreased by 40 percent, data from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs say. The number of crimes committed by stateless persons and foreign citizens in Russia decreased by almost 40 percent in the first six mont»»»

DUBAI: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with his Turkish and Egyptian counterparts in the Egyptian city of El Alamein on Thursday. Prince Faisal, Turkiye’s Hakan Fidan and Egypt’s Badr Abdelatty discussed the latest developments in the region, the Egyptian foreign ministry said i»»»

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and U.S. General Joseph Clearfield met Friday with Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. The discussions focused on the U.S. sponsored framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel. Following his meeting with Berri, Ambassador Issa stated that n»»»

Narita: At least four people died in eastern Japan after “unprecedented” heavy rain that left thousands stranded at Narita airport overnight and snarled up roads and rail services, authorities said Friday. The torrential downpours late Thursday triggered landslide warnings and power outages, with f»»»

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.»»»

Since the beginning of 2026, at least 24,300 meters of synthetic fishing nets and 650 kilograms of waste have been removed from the waters of Issyk-Kul Lake. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of Kyrgyzstan, in just the past three days, from August 11 »»»

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, UAE: The UAE Ministry of Defence has announced a recruitment drive for Emirati citizens to join the country’s Land Forces, setting out eligibility requirements and registration centres across the Emirates. Applicants must be UAE nationals aged between 18 and 35 and have completed at leas»»»

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 »»»

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»»»