Iran said Wednesday it is in the "final stage" of drafting an agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. President Donald Trump has said a deal could be announced this week. That could potentially reopen the critical waterway, ease pressure on the world economy and help bring an end to»»»

BusinessRussian FederationWhy is Russia selling its gold?Arthur SullivanRussia has become one of the world's biggest sellers of gold over the past 12 months. It's an attempt to raise cash in the face of budget issues, but not necessarily a sign of a looming financial crisis. https://p.dw.com/p/5Ht6»»»

There is a peculiar contradiction in the Philippine debate over Pax Silica. A country that has spent decades complaining about poverty, underemployment, brain drain, weak industrialisation, unreliable infrastructure and the export of raw resources suddenly finds itself being offered a place in one »»»

The National Bank of Kyrgyzstan commented to 24.kg news agency on the situation with the acceptance and exchange of cash Russian rubles at the country’s commercial banks. The regulator noted that the change in transaction conditions are linked to stricter controls imposed by Russian commercial bank»»»

Andrei Gemeneanu, ROPEA president, talked to BR about Romania’s private equity market, which saw investment values quadruple to EUR 433.6 million in 2025. Gemeneanu discusses the drivers behind this surge, the record-breaking exit activity, and the need to unlock domestic pension funds to reduce re»»»

A brutal fatal assault in Plovdiv has prompted a major police investigation, with authorities examining whether the attack was motivated by hatred based on sexual orientation or involved a victim being lured through a dating app. Several teenagers, including minors, have been detained as investigat»»»

Dubai: Space42 reported record first-half revenue after growth across its satellite services and geospatial intelligence businesses, while preparations continued for the commercial rollout of direct-to-device services on standard mobile phones. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & B»»»

RIYADH: S&P Global Ratings has cut its 2026 forecast for Middle East sustainable bond issuance to $15 billion-$20 billion, citing geopolitical volatility and weaker market conditions. The ratings agency had previously projected issuance of $20 billion-$25 billion for the year. First-half 2026 issua»»»

AFP journalist Christina Assi, who lost a leg in an Israeli strike while reporting from the Lebanese border, will be honored at the International Press Freedom Awards, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. In October 2023, Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed and six others w»»»

The former military airport at Dobroslavtsi, where flight operations ended 25 years ago, is set to become what the Bulgarian government describes as Europe's largest advanced space and defense center. The project, based on a public-private partnership, was officially launched with the signing of a »»»

Dubai: What a week it has been. A SpaceX rocket hit the Moon on Wednesday at 10.34am our time, throwing up an estimated 1,100 tonnes of lunar dust. An Abu Dhabi observatory pointed a telescope at exactly the right spot and saw nothing at all. And then it rained. In August. In a country running near»»»

Business activity in Kazakhstan's services sector accelerated for a fourth straight month in July, according to the latest Freedom Holding Corp Kazakhstan Services PMI survey published by S&P Global. July recorded the strongest pace of expansion in more than 12 months, the survey noted. The hea»»»

The Israeli army launched strikes overnight into Thursday on Burj al-Shemali, Mansouri and Majdalzoun, wounding four people. Artillery shelling also targeted the areas of Mansouri, Majdalzoun and Haddatha, the National News Agency said, while troops detonated houses and buildings in Zawtar al-Sharq»»»

A national centre using space data to monitor key processes will be built at Dobroslavtsi Airport, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said on Thursday. “We will finally begin building what I have been talking about since 2020, a national centre for observation, coordination and management using data from s»»»

The atmosphere on the second day of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations in Rome was more positive than on the first, Baabda Palace sources told Al-Jadeed TV. "The second day of negotiations saw three parallel and separate meetings at the political, military, and border levels. The Lebanese delegation pre»»»

The UAE on Thursday marked the 60th anniversary of the accession of its Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as Ruler of Abu Dhabi, a milestone President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said heralded the country's journey of progress and laid the foundations »»»

US President Donald Trump demanded answers from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at Camp David after learning that severe munitions shortages could limit US military options against Iran, American media reported, citing people familiar with the exchange. The shortages reportedly involve long-range gui»»»

Political pressure is mounting on Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as an end-of-September deadline for US forces to leave Iraq approaches, while disputes over weapons, corruption, and a deepening financial crisis pile fresh strain on his government. Informed sources said al-Zaidi’s recent meetings»»»

Manila: Landslides in the Philippines killed four people, authorities said Thursday, as heavy rains driven by a tropical depression raked the country's north and forced school closures. The archipelago nation's main island Luzon has been battered by heavy rains over the past four days. Government o»»»

TOKYO/SINGAPORE: Oil prices trended lower on Thursday on the progress in Iran-Oman talks, with investors cautiously waiting for signs of a US-Iran peace deal and progress on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures fell 33 cents, or 0.42 percent, to $79.12 a barrel by 07:18 a.m. Saudi ti»»»

MANILA: Landslides in the Philippines killed four people, authorities said Thursday, as heavy rains driven by a tropical depression raked the country’s north and forced school closures. The archipelago nation’s main island Luzon has been battered by heavy rains over the past four days. Government o»»»

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir will visit Saudi Arabia on August 6-8, the South Asian nation’s foreign office said on Thursday. “Although taking place against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Gulf, the visit will carry significance beyond the»»»

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (C) signs the Protect Act into law on Wednesday at La Colaborativa, a Latina-led nonprofit economic development agency in Chelsea, Mass. Photo courtesy Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey/X Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has signed landmark legislation t»»»

Participation may vary from one day to another. Electrica Furnizare states that no penalties apply when a company is unable to shift consumption on a particular day. In that case, the commercial benefit is not granted for the volume that does not meet the programme conditions. The mechanism therefo»»»

Electricity imports made in the evening hours, at higher prices, will indirectly influence prices in the autumn, but not to an extent that will determine significant increases, interim Prime Minister and interim Minister of Energy Ilie Bolojan said on Monday at a news conference at the Government H»»»

Crude oil supplies will return to normal, and in this regard, the volume processed for the Romanian market at refineries supplying Romania will be satisfactory, Ilie Bolojan, the interim Prime Minister and interim Minister of Energy, stated on Monday during a press conference at Victoria Palace."Re»»»

Breast pain, nursing strikes and weaning are among mothers’ most common breastfeeding concerns, La Leche League counsellor Elena Gvozdeykova told BTA on Thursday. Gvozdeykova is taking part in events organized by the Sliven Regional Health Inspectorate for World Breastfeeding Week, observed from Au»»»

Kyrgyzstan views Russia as a strategic partner, President Sadyr Japarov said in his address to participants of the Kyrgyz-Russian Economic Forum. The president emphasized that the country is following the right course. «During the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin held last year, long-ter»»»

DUBAI: Fourteen runners will compete for the $40,000 (SR150,000) Alhada Cup at King Khalid Racecourse in Taif on Saturday, with Aez Alkhatir (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) seeking to improve on his runner-up performance in the Sarawat Cup on Saudi Cup weekend. Not seen since that run on Feb. 13, the Hom»»»

‘Brothers’ Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Holland Taylor Where: Apple TV+ from Sept. 23 Comedy series in which two of Hollywood’s best-loved bros — Harrelson and McConaughey — play fictionalized versions of themselves. When Harrelson’s daughter is jilted at the altar, he takes her »»»

DUBAI: Nearly two decades after bonding over hip-hop in a Jeddah neighborhood where almost no one else listened to it, Saudi rappers Alyoung and Randar have released “R2,” a four-track EP — pairing it with three music videos. The duo — Ahmed, who performs as Alyoung, and Bandar, who performs as Ran»»»

NEW YORK: Lebanese journalist Christina Assi, who lost a leg in an Israeli strike while reporting from the Lebanese border, will be honored at the International Press Freedom Awards, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday. In October 2023, Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was kille»»»

Commenting on an incident involving verbal aggression between Bulgarian and Italian youths outside a hotel in the mountain resort of Bansko, Prime Minister Rumen Radev told reporters, "It is a longstanding tradition of our institutions and our society not to tolerate any manifestations of xenophobi»»»

Doha, Qatar: American sprint legend Allyson Felix has chosen Aspire Academy in Doha as a key training base as she prepares for a return to competition with the goal of racing at the 2028 Olympic Games in her hometown of Los Angeles. Felix, 42, announced her return to competitive athletics in April »»»

Romania’s long-term sovereign bond yields have fallen slightly after the publication of the report through which the international financial evaluation agency Fitch Ratings confirmed, with some reserve, the sovereign rating for Romania at BBB-, the last investment-grade. At the same time, the short»»»

The Chamber of Deputies passed on Wednesday the decarbonization bill for the energy sector, including an amendment by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) that conditions the phase-out of lignite and hard-coal power units on the prior construction and commissioning of equivalent replacement capacity. »»»

The Government had no plans to shut down additional coal-based energy production capacities, and the amendments adopted by the Senate on decarbonisation do not address a real need, interim Minister of Investments and European Projects Dragos Pislaru said."We are reading the text of the amendments: »»»

The coordinated efforts of the governments and businesses of Russia and Kyrgyzstan have made it possible to build a strong economic foundation for cooperation between the two countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated, RIA Novosti reports. The head of state sent greetings to the participant»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Pakistan, Russia, and Belarus are planning to launch a test freight rail route, but the main obstacle remains the unfinished transit section in Iran, Pakistani Ambassador to Russia Faisal Niaz Tirmizi said. "We are actively working on a test freight rail route connecting Minsk, M»»»

Doha, Qatar: United Development Company (UDC), the master developer of The Pearl and Gewan Islands, is participating in Visit Qatar’s Hala Summer campaign through Astroverse, a dedicated family entertainment activation taking place at Crystal Walk, Gewan Island. Astroverse offers an immersive famil»»»

Kyrgyzstan has introduced a permit system for climbers attempting to summit Pobeda Peak, the highest point of the Tien Shan mountain range at an altitude of more than 7,400 meters. The State Agency for Tourism Development of Kyrgyzstan reported. «We are introducing a permit system for ascents of Po»»»

Doha: The Social and Sport Contribution Fund (DAAM) and the Qatar Foundation for Social Work have signed a funding agreement to support the Vocational Rehabilitation Programme at Al Shafallah Centre. Through this partnership, DAAM will provide financial support to help deliver a structured programm»»»

Dubai: Eleven hundred tonnes of moon went up on Wednesday morning, and nobody on Earth watched it happen. The upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9, designated 2025-010D, struck the Moon at 06.34 GMT on Wednesday 5 August, which was 10.34am UAE time. It was travelling at around seven times the speed of »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Academic Bridge Programme (ABP), part of Qatar Foundation’s Pre-University Education, will host Harvard Model Congress Middle East 2027 from January 14 to 16, 2027 at Education City, following the success of the inaugural Qatar edition held in 2026. Early registration is open until»»»

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Paul Kapur will visit Kyrgyzstan as part of a regional tour of South and Central Asia. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs posted on the social media platform X. Photo U.S. Department of State»»»

On 29 July, a drone struck a floating American storage and regasification unit at Damietta Port on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, setting it ablaze. The fire spread to a Greek-owned LNG tanker anchored nearby. The port is central to Cairo’s plan to turn Egypt into an energy hub for the Eastern Medite»»»

China is tightening border crossing rules to prevent the outflow of specialists and technology, Taipei Times reports. The new rules contain 19 points and are scheduled to take effect on September 15. The purpose of the changes is to «regulate exit and entry control, protect legitimate rights and in»»»

Uzbekistan has launched its first space satellite, Samarkand-2028, the Ministry of Digital Technologies reported. Chinese company Star Vision successfully launched the hyperspectral satellites Samarkand-2028 and Lampung-1 from a sea-based launch platform off the coast of China’s Shandong province, »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Medical Affairs Division of Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has received Accreditation Canada Diamond Level, following a successful final audit of the four Workers’ Health Centers operated by QRCS in strategic partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). QRCS receiv»»»

KINSHASA: The world’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak is spreading faster than efforts to fight it, the head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday during a visit to Congo where some health workers are striking over a lack of pay. Nearly three months into the outbreak, new cases are doub»»»