TEL AVIV, September 2 (Sputnik) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Gaza Strip with military commanders on Wednesday and said the military would continue to control the enclave and work to disarm Hamas. "We are not withdrawing. We remain on this line. We control 60% of the Strip»»»

Move comes after he claimed US sovereignty over the strait US President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz as "Trump Strait," asserting US control of the vital waterway even as fighting raged there with Iran. It is the latest in a series of geographical name changes f»»»

Sofia Moreira de Sousa, a Portuguese diplomat and former head of the European Commission Representation in Portugal, has formally taken up her post as the European Union's new ambassador to Albania. Moreira de Sousa presented her credentials to Albanian President Bajram Begaj on Wednesday, succeedi»»»

Environmentalists protested in front of the Palace of Justice in Sofia on Wednesday. They called for more effective enforcement of wildlife protection laws, stricter penalties for the killing of protected species, and the criminalization of the use of poisoned bait in the wild. The demonstration he»»»

Plans to build a manga-themed park outside Paris have sparked excitement in France, one of the first Western countries to fall in love with Akira Toriyama’s iconic “Dragon Ball” franchise. Saudi bankrolling of the project, however, and the lack of response from Japanese licence holders, have raised»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron will be the first EU leader to meet new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham during a two-day visit to the UK that began Wednesday. Macron will first inaugurate a historic exhibition of the 950-year-old Bayeux Tapestry, on loan to the British Museum in London. French»»»

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz as "Trump Strait," despite the fact that the crucial waterway remains contested amid the war with Iran. "Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT?," Tr»»»

“There are currently preliminary calculations for the level of the minimum wage next year, but these may change. We do not have a final decision because we need the relevant legislation in place before we can adopt the government decree containing the official proposal. Until that happens, there is»»»

New system uses 32 AI assistants to analyse policies, legislation and strategies Abu Dhabi: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Wednesday chaired the first Cabinet meeting of the new government season, unveiling an »»»

“There are currently preliminary calculations for the level of the minimum wage next year, but these may change. We do not have a final decision because we need the relevant legislation in place before we can adopt the government decree containing the official proposal. Until that happens, there is»»»

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a well-timed ploy to ramp up defense spending? Germany's evidence-free claim that a drone found lying between Ukrainian cargo planes on the canopy of Leipzig/Halle airport is part of a pattern. Last year's late-autumn drone sighting hysteria that swept across Norw»»»

Divisions within the United Nations Security Council over who should be the organisation’s new secretary-general risk prolonged deadlock and a void after current post-holder António Guterres’s term expires on 31 December. According to confidential documents seen by Al Majalla, the United States doe»»»

Hungary has blocked Ukraine’s EU accession process for a third time, with the government saying it will only lift its objection if Kyiv makes progress on the rights of the country’s Hungarian minority. The latest dispute emerged at the European Council’s Working Party on Enlargement and Countries N»»»

Italian fishermen for two years incinerated most of the invasive Atlantic blue crabs caught in the Po River Delta south of Venice. Few Italians had an appetite for the alien predator blamed for decimating their prized Manila clams. While experiments in containment continue, including the release of»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday visited troops in the Gaza Strip, where he vowed not to withdraw forces from their positions despite a U.S.-declared ceasefire. "We control the area. We are not retreating. We are staying on this line," Netanyahu said near the so-called Yellow »»»

CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow last week. What we know: Ratcliffe met with Sergey Naryshkin, the director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service. This has been confirmed by Naryshkin himself, who described the meeting as “routine.” We also know that the US spy chief did not meet w»»»

Rescue teams in Nepal were still searching Wednesday for hundreds of workers believed to have been trapped inside sprawling hydropower tunnels since the catastrophic flash flood that swept through the Himalayan region last week. Officials said that many of the tunnels remain totally blocked by mud »»»

For Ramabai, the race meant more than a prize — it was for her daughters’ future A 47-year-old widow from Maharashtra has won widespread admiration after running a 3-kilometre race barefoot, dressed in a sari, driven by a simple goal — to help her daughter pursue her dream of becoming a government »»»

The landing of two American military transport aircraft at Sofia Airport poses no danger to Bulgaria, Defense Committee Chairman Ivan Lalov said, describing the attention surrounding the incident as excessive. Speaking on national television, Lalov said the arrival of the aircraft had been overinte»»»

Former caretaker Prime Minister and presidential candidate Andrey Gyurov said he expects to attract voters from both Rumen Radev's and Boyko Borissov's political camps, arguing that Bulgaria's presidential election will be decided by citizens rather than party leaderships. “The presidential race wi»»»

Real estate broker shares prize with friends after randomly selected second-ever entry Dubai: A Pakistani expatriate living in Dubai has won a share of a Dh25,000 Big Ticket prize after buying his second-ever entry. Ghufran Javed, 33, has lived in Dubai with his family for the past 10 years and wor»»»

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkiye considers it possible to bring relations with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to a higher level, but this does not mean a separation from the West, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. "From our point of view, it is quite possible to bring»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlined Russia’s accelerating battlefield gains in Ukraine, denounced Kiev’s increasingly desperate threats to civilian airlines as “state terrorism,” and warned that UK military facilities on Ukrainian soil would be legitimate targets. Speaking to reporters in»»»

The company projects up to 10,000 humanoid robots annually No Competition Infinity Gaming Development Services has signed a strategic five-year agreement with China's Jiangsu Yunmu Intelligent Manufacturing Technology Co., focused on developing and deploying solutions that integrate artificial inte»»»

A Chinese flag flies in front of the Great Wall of China, located north of Beijing August 18, 2007. REUTERS/David Gray The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) revealed a significant surge in Egyptian exports to China, reaching 199.8 percent during the first half of 2026. »»»

A US Postal Service whistleblower has warned that a new ballot-processing system ordered by President Donald Trump and due to launch Tuesday could prevent millions of Americans from receiving mail ballots ahead of November's midterm elections. A US Postal Service whistleblower has warned that milli»»»

Interest in the project exceeded the organisers’ expectations. The initial enrolment target was reached within the first 24 hours, and the number of places was increased to 200. Of those who registered, around 70 met the criteria for participation in the study and have started, or are about to star»»»

Funding for healthcare activities that are strategic for the country has been increased despite the limited resources available, said the acting Governor of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), Asen Medjidiev, speaking on Wednesday at a press conference where he presented the results of his w»»»

POLITICS - PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Andrey Gurov and Georgi Kandev’s entry into the presidential race has reshaped the field, with their campaign seeking to unite pro-European and democratic voters while reaching beyond the traditional right-wing electorate. Coverage focuses heavily on the role of GER»»»

Canada has very few similarities with Iran – to Canada’s own shame. Let’s leave aside the basic differences, such as location, demographics, weather, and cuisine, and focus on the essentials: Historically, Iran is old and firmly based on an ancient civilization; Canada, like the US, is young and a »»»

From August 16 to 19, an expedition to the Adygene Research Station in Ala-Archa Gorge took place. Together with a glaciologist, the expedition studied the glaciers, took measurements, and collected data for the documentary Mongilordun Unu (The Voice of Glaciers). The expedition was organized by th»»»

Funding for healthcare activities that are strategic for the country has been increased despite the limited resources available, said the acting Governor of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), Asen Medjidiev, speaking on Wednesday at a press conference where he presented the results of his w»»»

A CATL subsidiary is seeking approval for a new battery repackaging and reassembly facility in Debrecen, months after Szijjártó Péter insisted that no new battery industry investment was planned for the city. CATL subsidiary behind planned Debrecen facility According to local news portal Debreciner»»»

Burgas and Varna airports have handled more than 3 million passengers combined since the beginning of 2026, marking a positive development for air travel along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. The milestone is particularly notable for Burgas Airport, which resumed operations only on May 1 after a major »»»

Father seeks answers over why surgery recommended years earlier was never performed Dubai: A 15-year-old girl who had been visiting India’s premier AIIMS hospital since she was two for a complex congenital heart defect has died — leaving her father demanding answers over why corrective surgery reco»»»

93% of frontline staff use AI weekly, while 58% save at least eight hours Dubai: Six in 10 frontline employees across the GCC believe AI agents could perform at least half of their current job responsibilities within the next three years. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app »»»

Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepali rescuers searched Wednesday for survivors feared trapped inside hydropower tunnels a week after devastating floods, but hopes were fading as teams hit dead ends and no one was confirmed alive. The government had said intially it believed that more than 100 workers could be »»»

Bulgaria’s budget deficit reached €2.2 billion in the first seven months of 2026, as government spending continued to rise faster than revenue, according to data from the Ministry of Finance on the implementation of the consolidated fiscal program. By the end of July, the budget balance was negativ»»»

The volume of Hungary’s gross domestic product was 1.7% higher according to both raw data and seasonally and calendar adjusted and reconciled data in the 2nd quarter of 2026 than in the corresponding period of the previous year. Compared to the previous quarter, the economic performance rose by 0.5»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Rayyan defeated Al Shamal 5-4 on penalties after a gripping 3-3 draw at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium to set up a mouth-watering Qatar Cup final against defending champions Al Sadd on December 11. Al Sadd defeated Al Gharafa 2-1 in the first semi-final. The final will also be played at J»»»

Hungary has one of the highest employment rates in Europe, matching Germany at 81.1%, but its relatively weak performance in innovation and digitalisation has dragged it down to 22nd place overall in a new business environment ranking. The 2026 Doing Business in Europe study by Leadfeeder ranks 29 »»»

Doha, Qatar: Shops and malls across Qatar continue to experience strong footfall as parents and students complete last-minute purchases of school essentials, even after classes resumed for the 2026-2027 academic year. Students returned to classrooms on Sunday, August 30, marking the official start »»»

Despite Norway not being an EU member, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has now been invited to join EU leaders at the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi, northern Finland, on 13–14 September. Will be updated Sign up for the newsletter»»»

Curtailment of solar power exposes hurdles in India’s rapid energy transition BENGALURU, India: When India’s power demand surged at the height of summer, the country struggled to meet evening needs as air conditioners ran longer amid hotter nights. Despite this demand, some renewable energy provide»»»

G20 finance leaders wrapped up two days of talks in Ashville, North Carolina, on Tuesday with broad backing for a final statement, despite tensions over Russia’s participation and divisions with China. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Moscow’s presence had not disrupted discussions, as mini»»»

Aira and Maria Sanchez would drive back and forth from Abu Dhabi for the cats treatment If the cats of UAE could speak, they could tell stories that would outlive any Netflix show at this point. Their tales would mostly trace the trajectory of abandonment, days of cursing humans, trying to avoid ca»»»

Residents share tips on savings and making the most of the city without overspending Dubai: For families living in Abu Dhabi, having a good quality of life does not necessarily mean spending more. Long-term residents have noted that the key to enjoying the capital while staying financially secure i»»»

Tunis: Tunisia has seen an unprecedented surge in wildfires this summer, with more than 14,000 hectares of forest destroyed between June 1 and Aug. 30, private radio station Mosaique FM reported Tuesday. Emergency services responded to and extinguished 13,463 fires during this period, including 239»»»

A failed mutiny in Niger over the weekend shows how important Russia's Africa Corps mercenaries are in the country, according to analysts. They argue that the failed mutiny on Saturday shows how the country's security landscape has worsened and contradicts claims from Niger's junta about »»»

Premier League clubs smashed the £3.1 billion transfer-spending record on a dramatic deadline day, with Manchester City leading the frenzy by signing Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea for a British-record £125 million and adding Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye for £65 million. The spending spree capped a r»»»