‘We won’t go back’: Young Moroccan migrants in Ceuta refuse to abandon their European dream
CEUTA, Spain – FRANCE 24 spent an evening with unaccompanied minors who are sleeping rough in Ceuta but refusing to return home. Amid the fear, the cold and the long wait for help, these young Moroccan migrants shared their stories. It’s 2am local time and a heavy s»»»
CBE to decide on EGP rates Thursday amid strong expectations of fourth consecutive hold
The Central Bank of Egypt’s (CBE) Monetary Policy Committee will hold its fifth meeting of the year on Thursday to decide on its key interest rates, a major indicator of the near-term direction of interest rates on the Egyptian pound, amid strong expectations that rates will remain unchanged for a »»»
US shifts strategy to ‘choke’ Iran as Trump halts talks and Gulf shipping reroutes
US President Donald Trump has instructed his top envoys to halt talks with Tehran in a strategic shift aimed at gradually “choking” Iran over time, a move that coincides with heightened risks to commercial shipping and a reported attack in the Strait of Hormuz. A US official told CNN that Trump is »»»
Korra Energi secures EGP 5bn in new contracts in H1 2026
Korra Energi secured new contracts worth EGP 5bn during the first half (H1) of 2026, up from EGP 1.1bn in the same period last year, as the company reported higher gross profit margins and an increase in adjusted net income. The company’s backlog reached approximately EGP 15.7bn by the end of H1 20»»»
The strongest El Niño on record will hit food prices from Brazil to Indonesia
The Pacific is warming faster than at any point in history, and central bankers have started writing it into their forecasts. A super El Niño now under way began in June and is expected to run into 2027. Carbon Brief analysis of forecasts from 14 modelling groups finds that 96% of runs predict the »»»
Israel army chief vows in Syria to deter threats to border
JJERUSALEM: Israel’s army chief said Wednesday during a visit to an Israeli-occupied security zone in southern Syria that the military would not allow threats to “establish themselves” on the border. “We are monitoring the changes on the Syrian front. We will not allow hostile forces to establish t»»»
Atef Abdel Latif: Cinema creates the dream, tourism brings it to life
For more than four decades, Dr. Atef Abdel Latif has built a distinctive career at the intersection of tourism, media, the arts, and film production. Throughout this remarkable journey, he has remained convinced that these fields should not be viewed as separate or competing spheres, but rather as »»»
CBE attributes July inflation rise to unfavourable base effect
The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) said the rise in annual urban headline inflation in July 2026 was mainly attributed to an unfavourable base effect, as monthly prices remained stable during the month. Annual urban headline inflation edged up to 14.9% in July from 14.3% in June, while monthly urban h»»»
Attempts to curb Ebola cases in DR Congo fail with more than 5,000 confirmed
The Democratic Republic of Congo is facing the biggest Ebola epidemic in its history. Government data showed on Tuesday that cases now exceed 5,000. Efforts to contain the deadly illness are being hampered by weak health infrastructure, community resistance and instability. The number of»»»
Moderna, Merck say cancer vaccine trial marks ‘landmark moment’ - UPI.com
A cancer vaccine developed by Merck and Moderna treating patients with melanoma showed positive and promising late-stage testing results, the drugmakers announced on Wednesday. File Photo by Javier Aparicio/EPA Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A cancer vaccine developed by Merck and Moderna treating patients with »»»
Nearly 60 New Trains to Modernize Bulgaria’s Railways by SeptemberOpinions
Around 60 new trains from Škoda and Alstom are expected to enter service on Bulgaria’s railway network by the beginning of September. The first 20 electric multiple units manufactured by Czech company Škoda are expected to be fully operational by August 20. They will mainly serve shorter routes acr»»»
Ukraine's Fedorov calls for wartime elections on eve of defence ministry vote
Ukraine's ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called for elections while the war is still being fought, arguing Russia should not decide when Ukrainians choose a government. The intervention came in a video address on August 18, hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy formally nominated »»»
Father who died off British coast with partner, daughter identified as Palestinian refugee
LONDON: A father who died along with his partner and teenage daughter in a coastal tragedy in the UK was a Palestinian refugee. The three family members died after encountering difficulties off the Sussex coast on Tuesday afternoon. Hossam Al-Khawas’ other daughter is fighting for her life in hospi»»»
Indonesia eyes Middle East partnership to boost global halal ecosystem
JAKARTA: Indonesia wants to join hands with countries in the Middle East to advance the global halal ecosystem, eyeing a partnership that combines its production capabilities with the region’s market and investment potential, the Ministry of Trade told Arab News recently. Southeast Asia’s biggest e»»»
Russia Ranks 4th Economy in World by Purchasing Power Parity – Deputy Prime Minister
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian economy ranks fourth in the world by purchasing power parity, with a shift toward the domestic market over the past five years, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Wednesday. "Today, Russia is the fourth largest economy in the world by purchasing pow»»»
Saudi Arabia marks World Photography Day with focus on landscapes, heritage, local talent
ALKHOBAR: From the iconic rock formations of AlUla to wildlife conservation efforts in the northwest, Saudi Arabia marked World Photography Day on Wednesday by highlighting how local lensmen are documenting the Kingdom’s natural and cultural landscape. The annual event, which is observed globally o»»»
$3.9b in aid, 60 tonnes of supplies and 25,000 school bags: UAE expands Gaza support
Abu Dhabi: The UAE has provided humanitarian assistance to Gaza worth about $3.9 billion, accounting for 46 per cent of total global aid, according to Hammoud Al Afari, Relief Operations Coordinator for Operation Gallant Knight 3. Al Afari said the scale of the assistance reflected the UAE’s approa»»»
Cabinet Approves Additional EUR 150 Mln Transfer to Regional Development Ministry Budget
The government approved an additional budget transfer to the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works for 2026 to the amount of EUR 150 million. The funds will be used to finance the implementation of projects under the Investment Programme for Municipal Projects, included in the 2025 Stat»»»
How one immigration case turned into a cost-of-living crisis
Janelle DumalaonWhen Deonna Nungaray's mother was detained after a traffic stop in Valley Brook, Oklahoma, it not only upended an immigration case years in the making but also her family's finances. https://p.dw.com/p/5J36dAdvertisementAn immigration detention case in Oklahoma has turned into a cos»»»
Israeli airstrike kills nine Palestinians at police post in Gaza, medics say
CAIRO: An Israeli airstrike killed nine Palestinians at a police station in Gaza on Wednesday, medics said, two days after US envoy Jared Kushner ended a trip to the region that failed to push forward Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in the enclave. Medics and police sources said several officers»»»
Saudi listed banks’ net loans rise 7% to $865.2bn in Q2
RIYADH: Net loans at Saudi Arabia’s 10 listed banks rose 7 percent year on year to SR3.25 trillion ($865.2 billion) by the end of the second quarter of 2026, while deposit growth outpaced lending for a second consecutive quarter, according to Al Rajhi Capital. Deposits increased 9 percent to SR3.15»»»
Terrorist Attacks on Russian Infrastructure Cause Damage But no Critical Consequences — Putin
Attacks on Russia’s infrastructure have not caused, do not cause and cannot cause critical consequences, but they do inflict damage, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. "It is clear that a number of factors affect economic growth, including external pressure and terrorist attacks on industrial a»»»
Zelenskyy’s office probed for corruption
Kyiv: Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies announced Wednesday that they are investigating senior officials in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, a day after the country’s recently fired defence minister called for national elections despite the ongoing fight against Russia’s attack. The revelat»»»
Israeli strikes hit air base hours after Turkish delegation visit, Syrian officials say
A Turkish delegation had visited an air base in northern Syria the day before it was hit by Israeli airstrikes, Syrian officials said. The Israeli strikes hit the Abu Duhur base early Tuesday, hours after the delegation had left, causing damage but no casualties. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Net»»»
Why Trump is mad at South Korea
Only hours before the annual US-South Korean military exercise Ulchi Freedom Shield was due to begin, Donald Trump issued a statement that went far beyond another dispute over how much America’s allies should pay for their own security. On August 16, 2026, the US president announced that he had ins»»»
Bulgaria’s Inflation Slows to 4.4% in July, Still Among EU’s HighestOpinions
Consumer prices rose by 0.6% in a single month Annual inflation in Bulgaria continued to slow in July but remained among the highest in the European Union, according to final data from Eurostat. The Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) increased by 4.4% year-on-year, above Eurostat’s earlier »»»
Mobile gold miners in eastern Congo complicate health workers’ efforts to contain Ebola
IGA-BARRIÈRE: Isaac Batisa is only a child but he spends his days digging for gold at a mining site in eastern Congo, hoping to earn enough money to support his family. The 11-year-old is among hundreds of people, many of them children, working at the artisanal gold mine in eastern Congo’s Ituri pr»»»
Australian tennis star Kyrgios admits ‘huge mistake’ after failing test for cocaine
LONDON: Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios said on Wednesday that he had made “a huge mistake” after testing positive for cocaine. The 31-year-old, who reached the final at Wimbledon in 2022, failed a doping test during an ATP event in Mallorca, Spain, on June 22. “On 17 July 2026, a World Anti-Do»»»
Belgian wildfire ‘encircled’ but situation still ‘complicated’
MALMEDY, Belgium: Firefighters managed overnight to fully surround Belgium’s largest wildfire in a century, but the situation on the ground “remains complicated” with crews battling several new flare-ups, authorities said Wednesday. Crisis cell spokesman Tony Hosmans said the fire raging in the Hig»»»
"Violence Is Powerlessness" Campaign Aims to Reach 100,000 Students
The "Violence Is Powerlessness" campaign, launched by Bulgaria’s Ministry of Education and Science (MES) and Ministry of Interior (MoI) to tackle aggression among young people, aims to reach 100,000 students in more than 1,000 schools, Education and Science Minister Georgi Valchev said on Wednesday»»»
Iraq approves 3-month mechanism to diversify crude export routes
RIYADH: Iraq’s cabinet has approved a three-month mechanism for exporting crude through specialized local and international companies and multiple export outlets, as Baghdad seeks to diversify its oil export routes amid disruptions. The decision was taken during the 15th regular session of the Coun»»»
Iran War Changed Regional Security Equations: Foreign Minister
Iran’s foreign minister said the Iran war had changed the region’s security thinking, convincing Arab states that security must be collective and regional, not dependent on foreign bases that had become sources of insecurity. In a wide-ranging interview with the president’s communications office, A»»»
‘AI slop’ is clogging US lawmaking – Politico
US congressional lawyers are struggling with a flood of error-ridden AI-generated legislation, forcing them to spend increasingly more time rewriting proposals produced by chatbots, Politico reported on Monday. Staffers and outside groups have more frequently turned to ChatGPT and Claude to produce»»»
Bulgaria Has Five Helicopters Ready to Fight Wildfires, PM Rumen Radev Says
Rumen Radev says the country is better prepared despite record temperatures and prolonged drought Bulgaria currently has five helicopters and their crews on standby for firefighting, as well as a Spartan aircraft that can be deployed if needed, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said at the start of Wednes»»»
‘Nothing Escapes Our Attention’: Iran’s Top General Warns Gulf States Against Aiding US Military
Iran’s highest-ranking military officer has issued a stark warning to Persian Gulf nations, cautioning that any facilitation of U.S. military operations against the Islamic Republic would be treated as direct participation in aggression against Iran. Major General Ali Abdollahi, Chief of Staff of I»»»
PM witnesses handover of SCZONE presidency
Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly received Tuesday, August 18, 2026, Moustafa Shekhon, following President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision to appoint him chairman of the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), and Walid Gamal al-Din, the authority’s outgoing chairman, as part of»»»
Saudi Arabia bets on exporting computing, AI to the world: DataVolt
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is expected to become one of the world’s largest exporters of computing power within eight to 10 years, similar to its current position as one of the world’s biggest oil exporters, according to Rajit Nanda, CEO of DataVolt. DataVolt’s bet on the Kingdom rests on three key facto»»»
Fired Ukrainian defense minister Fedorov calls for wartime elections - UPI.com
Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called Tuesday for elections in Ukraine, arguing that the suspension of democracy was incompatible with the country's war goals. File photo by Olivier Matthys/EPA Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for elections in Ukr»»»
Orbán concealed the reality of Hungary’s children’s homes
Around 7,000 children currently live in children’s homes in Hungary. A report produced in early 2024 exposed appalling conditions in these institutions, but the Orbán government chose instead to conceal the reality: abuse, a lack of psychological support, starvation, and outdated, unusable furnitur»»»
Ebola cases in Congo exceed 5,000, government data shows
NAIROBI: The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo now exceeds 5,000, government data showed late on Tuesday, as health officials warn that response efforts are failing to contain the deadly disease. Congo’s 17th Ebola epidemic turned into the biggest in the country’»»»
Media Review: August 19
FINANCIAL TIMES: IRAN EYES TARGETING US MILITARY ASSETS IN EUROPE IF TENSIONS ESCALATE Denevnik.bg and 24 Chasa reproduce a Financial Times report, citing people close to the Iranian regime, according to which Iranian officials and military planners have examined potential targets at American milit»»»
More Than 400 School Principals Across Bulgaria to Boost Their Skills Through Summer Online Academy
More than 400 school principals from across Bulgaria are enhancing their professional skills through a summer online academy, educational platform Prepodavame.bg said on Wednesday. The Summer Academy for School Principals is a free online program featuring 11 practical workshops for leaders of scho»»»
Trump threatened to bomb Oman because he's 'unhappy' with country's deal with Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman because he is unhappy the country is close to a deal with Iran to manage ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, two regional officials said on Tuesday, a day after Trump leveled the threat. The officials said the Trump administration has told »»»
Afghan farmers turn their grapes into raisins after border closures slash fruit exports to Pakistan
KABUL: It’s grape season in Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar, and the harvest this year is plentiful. But that’s small comfort for the region’s grape producers and workers, who say fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan has left them unable to access their primary market.For months, t»»»
Aoun to visit Rome for talks on UN force's future
President Joseph Aoun will head to Rome this week for talks focusing on future of the United Nations peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, whose mandate ends this year, a Lebanese official told AFP. The visit scheduled for Thursday comes after Italy and France said in June that they wanted to set up»»»
More work needed for US-Canada trade deal despite tariff pause: Carney
Montreal, Canada: Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday that Canada and the United States had made progress towards a trade deal but more work was needed, after President Donald Trump paused his latest punishing tariffs. "Substantial progress has been made, although there is important work still »»»
Hichilema wins second term as Zambia bets on copper-led growth
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has won a second five-year term with 61.4% of the vote, giving him a renewed mandate to pursue an investment-led economic programme centred on sharply expanding copper production after restructuring the country's debt. The Electoral Commission of Zambia declared»»»
CMA CGM plans to increase Suez Canal transits as tonnage rises Arab Finance For Information Technology
Arab Finance: French shipping and logistics group CMA CGM plans to increase the number of vessels and shipping services operating through the Suez Canal as more of its fleet returns to the waterway, the SCA stated. Christine Cabau Woehrel, Executive Vice President of Assets and Operations at CMA CG»»»
Unpacking America's progressive left wave
Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in the Democratic primary for Michigan’s US Senate nomination has put the rising American left firmly in the spotlight ahead of November’s midterm elections. Its significance lies partly in his position on the progressive left of the Democratic Party and his alignment with »»»
The Philippines taught Vietnam how to build economic zones. Now, Vietnam is building what the world buys
For nearly three decades, a homegrown veteran of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) has watched the country’s industrial ambitions evolve — and watched a former student in the region race ahead. The Philippines helped Vietnam learn from its experience in economic-zone development in the »»»