MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The militarization of Europe and bellicose rhetoric directed at CSTO member states are extremely dangerous given the countries' vast military arsenals, especially amid mutual mistrust, CSTO Secretary General Taalatbek Masadykov told Sputnik. "Against the backdrop of mutual mistru»»»

Japan's economy grew an annual rate of 1.1% in the April-June quarter even as private consumption stayed flat and the growth of exports declined, according to government data released Monday. Japan 's real GDP, or gross domestic product, the sum value of nation's goods and services, grew at a seaso»»»

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has launched a new Innovation Charter outlining nine commitments aimed at supporting environmental sustainability, digital transformation and the use of new technologies. Announcing the Charter through its social media platforms, EAD said the initiative aims»»»

An extremist Israeli lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition publicly advocated for killing "30 to 40" people in Gaza each night, comments that surfaced Sunday and were quickly shared by Palestinian media. Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir made the statement while spea»»»

The top U.S. military commander Adm. Brad Cooper visited the USS Lincoln as reports have emerged of mental health and supply issues. The Lincoln arrived in the Middle East in January and has been supporting the U.S. war against Iran, including the blockade on Iranian ports. It has spent a record-se»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian women's team topped the medal table at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Zagreb. The Russian women's team led the overall medal count (6) and gold medals (3). The Russian team won the team all-around, while Angelina Melnikova won gold in the individual»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump said he was pleased that Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan have signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement. "Very happy to see that Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan have recently, and finally, signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement," Trump said on T»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - After visiting the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, where sailors allegedly attempted to jump overboard, Pentagon Central Command Chief Brad Cooper said the ship's mental health situation was not the worst. "Of the US Navy's 11 active aircraft carriers, the Lincoln curre»»»

Future Banking Summit 2026 returns on October 7-9 at Qosmo Hotel ...»»»

Voluntary pension funds (Pillar III) had assets worth 8.8 billion lei at the end of June 2026, up 40% compared with the level recorded in the same period of the previous year, according to a report by the Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF).'Most investments were made locally (95%), with the majo»»»

Banca Transilvania (BT) has granted a EUR300 million financing facility to Transgaz to support the development and modernisation of Romania's national natural-gas transport infrastructure, the two companies said on Wednesday in a joint statement. The move comes as energy security, regional intercon»»»

Shares of companies listed on the Regulated Market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), together with BVB-listed ETFs, are available through Interactive Brokers, as of Thursday, expanding international access to Romanian listed companies for investors using the broker's global platform.This devel»»»

The number of phishing incidents rose by 70.6% in 2025 to 4,975, while account-compromise incidents increased by 353% to 1,125, according to the annual activity report of the Romanian National Cybersecurity Directorate (DNSC).According to the report, fraud and attempted fraud incidents increased by»»»

The Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) is recording a 47.1% nominal advance of the BET index since the start of 2026, while the real return, adjusted for accumulated inflation, stands at 41.8%, placing Romania seventh worldwide, according to an analysis by president of the Financial Supervisory Authori»»»

Developments in inflation and its determinants According to Central Bank (BNR) data, the annual CPI inflation rate reached 10.42 percent in June 2026, i.e. 0.55 percentage points above the March level. The pick-up reflected mainly the effects of the conflict in the Middle East, which passed through»»»

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food is launching nationwide inspections starting on Monday to check compliance with legal requirements for activities affecting agricultural land and forest areas, the Ministry said here on Monday. The inspections will cover legal compliance related to land cultivat»»»

U.S. negotiator and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with the Hamas chief on Sunday in a new diplomatic effort to make progress in the stalled Gaza ceasefire. Kushner will meet on Monday with Israel's prime minister, who is under pressure after rejecting the new»»»

Taiyuan: China successfully sent a new satellite into space on Monday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China's Shanxi Province. The SEO satellite was launched at 1102 a.m. (Beijing Time) aboard a Long March-2C carrier rocket. It entered its preset orbit successfully. This launch ma»»»

Taipei: Taiwan's government will propose record defence spending for 2027, President Lai Ching-te said Monday, as the island democracy faces growing military pressure from China. "Next year's total defence budget -- including both the annual budget and the special budget -- will exceed NT$1 trillio»»»

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is spreading faster than ever before. According to forecasts by the World Health Organization (WHO), it could become the deadliest outbreak in the history of the fight against the disease. According to the WHO, one person dies from th»»»

RIYADH: Project management directors, engineers and specialists will be among the professions subject to a 70 percent Saudization requirement in the Kingdom from Feb. 14, 2027. The move follows a decision by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, in partnership with the Ministry of»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian drones struck a berthing terminal in the Izmail port that was used to unload military cargo from ships, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday. The Russian armed forces continue to carry out strikes against the port infrastructure and Ukrainian naval vessels used in »»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States should resume alternate negotiations with Moscow and Kiev to bring the two sides closer together on resolving the conflict in Ukraine, Thomas Graham, former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush and Senior Director for Russia on the National Security»»»

SYDNEY: Australian toxic mushroom killer Erin Patterson launches an appeal Wednesday against her conviction in a triple-murder case that made headlines worldwide. The 51-year-old was found guilty last year of murdering her husband’s parents and an elderly aunt in 2023 by serving them a beef Welling»»»

Pension expenditure under the State Social Security budget amounted to nearly EUR 6.5 billion in the first half of 2026, up 10.2% from the same period of last year, the National Social Security Institute (NSSI) said in a press release on Monday. Pensions accounted for the largest share of total exp»»»

Dubai: Ferrari’s first all-electric car has sold for $40 million at a charity auction, making it the most expensive new car ever sold at auction. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.The 2026 Ferrari Luce Tailor Made, identified as “Chassis 0”, is the »»»

Kathmandu: Four people were killed and eight others injured after landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in the Jajarkot district of western Nepal. The Nepalese Army said the landslides swept away two houses and damaged three others yesterday, adding that around 300 residents were evacuated fr»»»

Kyrgyzstan and China have held negotiations on a draft agreement on cooperation in managing Kyrgyz-Chinese border crossing points between the State Customs Service of Kyrgyzstan and the General Administration of Customs of China. According to the State Customs Service of Kyrgyzstan, the draft docum»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Relations between Moscow and Jakarta are developing very successfully and the two countries continue to work together, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday. "Dear Mr. President, please accept my heartfelt congratulations on the occasion of the national holiday — the In»»»

On Aug. 17, 1999, an earthquake in a densely populated region of northwestern Turkey killed at least 17,000 people and injured about 40,000. 1 of 5 | On August 17, 1999, an earthquake in a densely populated region of northwestern Turkey killed at least 17,000 people and injured about 40,000. UPI Fi»»»

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Indonesia's Flores region early Monday, as the death toll from a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake that hit eastern Indonesia days earlier rose to 54, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Pakistani Prime Minister: We will continue to cooperate with Saudi Arabia and Turkey to play a constructive role in ensuring the defense of»»»

Q 2 2026 economic growth data showed a weak development, with a decrease from the same period in 2025 of 0.4% unadjusted and a stagnation compared with the previous quarter, according to Iulian Lolea, chief economist of the Concordia Employers' Confederation."Data on economic growth in Q2 2026 show»»»

Romania's economy is showing early signs of rebalancing in the first part of 2026, with the economic contraction easing, EU-funded investment accelerating, net exports making a stronger contribution, the external deficit narrowing and inflation resuming a downward trend, interim Finance Minister Al»»»

The stagnation of the economy in the second quarter could be followed by a slight economic contraction in the third and fourth quarters of this year, while the economy could enter 2027 on a healthier footing, economic consultant Adrian Negrescu believes.According to flash data released on Friday by»»»

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) remained unchanged in real terms in Q2 of 2026 compared with Q1 of 2026, while compared with Q2 of 2025 it fell by 0.4% on the unadjusted series and by 2% on the seasonally adjusted series, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS) estimated data released »»»

Alliance for Agriculture and Cooperation (AAC) requires, in an open letter addressed to the President, the premier and the chair persons of the two Chambers of the Parliament, rigorous monitoring and complete traceability of Ukrainian cereals in transit, as well as concrete measures for the protect»»»

The government established on Friday through decision, the list of the sectors comprising activities carried out in line with the changing seasons with a view to implementing the rules governing the employment of foreign nationals as seasonal workers. According to a press release from the Governmen»»»

The percentage of the PNRR implemented has risen by 31% over the past fourteen months and is set to reach 78% following the fifth payment request?compared to an annual average of approximately 10.4% during the first four and a half years?Dragos Pislaru, the interim Minister of Investments and Europ»»»

The government approved on Friday the signing of cooperation agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia aiming at the combating of crime and terrorism.Accordingly, according to a government press release, the Memorandum entitled ‘Conclusion of negotiations and signing of the Agreemen»»»

Romania could reach 97.22% of its National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) if it adopts the remaining reforms, interim Minister of Investments and European Projects Dragos Pislaru said on Friday at a press conference held after a Government meeting.According to Pislaru, Romania will submit its »»»

Romania has received 11.02 billion euros from the European Commission under cohesion policy, representing 35.6% of the total 30.986 billion euros in non-repayable funds, interim Minister of Investments and European Projects Dragos Pislaru said on Friday, presenting a report to the Government."Under»»»

Modernising the Naval Forces, whether through fleet renewal, mine-countermeasure capabilities or capabilities to monitor and protect maritime infrastructure, remains a priority for Romania, President Nicusor Dan said on Saturday.In his message on Romanian Navy Day, read at the events in Constanta b»»»

Romanian Navy Day was celebrated on Saturday in six cities, with the main events taking place in Constanta, where more than 3,500 Romanian and foreign military personnel took part in the military ceremony and the FNR 26.10 joint and interinstitutional naval exercise.Events was held in Constanta, Ma»»»

The intensity of the attacks on the Ukrainian front, close to Romania’s border was unprecedented in recent times and the MApN radars discovered, in the proximity of the Romanian air space over 100 drones over the last 96 hours, says the minister of National Defense, Radu Miruta.‘Yesterday and today»»»

Investigations in the area of Galati County where the drone that entered Romanian national territory overnight between Saturday and Sunday was shot down Sunday afternoon, the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) informed on Sunday.'The aerial and ground reconnaissance mission carried out by joint te»»»

Minister of Foreign Affairs Oana Toiu had a telephone conversation on Sunday with her Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares to thank Spain after a drone that entered Romanian territory in the early hours of Sunday was intercepted and shot down by a Spanish air patrol in Galati County."Earlier thi»»»

A 22-year-old man suspected of attempting to bribe a police officer has been detained in Kara-Suu district. The press service of the Internal Affairs Department of Osh region reported. According to police, on August 14, the man handed 40,000 soms to an investigator. The money was allegedly intended»»»

NEW DELHI/SINGAPORE: Oil prices rose on Monday as fading expectations of a US-Iran peace breakthrough and slower tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz reinforced geopolitical risk concerns in the market. Brent crude ​futures rose as much as 1 percent to $89.40 per barrel and were last trading»»»

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- At least seven Hindu devotees were killed Monday morning in a crowd crush at a Shiva temple in eastern India, where tens of thousands had gathered to take part in a religious observance, according to reports. The incident occurred near Ashok Dham, a famous temple dedicated to Lord »»»