Manila: For decades, the debate here has often treated corruption as the prime reason for the country's economic woes. The standard explanation goes something like this: weak institutions and a culture of patronage create fertile ground for "rent-seeking" — public money gets siphoned into unproduct»»»

Damascus, Aug. 27 (SANA) Syria and Türkiye discussed on Wednesday ways to enhance cooperation in trade, customs, border crossings, transport, transit and investment, with a focus on developing crossings and facilitating the movement of goods and trucks. The discussions took place during a meeting b»»»

Madrid: Kylian Mbappe scored a brilliant hat-trick to help Real Madrid thrash Real Sociedad 4-1 in La Liga in Jose Mourinho's first home match back at the Santiago Bernabeu as the club's coach. Mourinho's Madrid made it two wins from two with Vinicius Junior also on the scoresheet, while Jude Belli»»»

Tunis, 26 août 2026 (TAP) – A working session was held on Wednesday between the National Waste Management Agency (French: ANGED) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to boost partnership and develop waste-to-energy...»»»

Lawyers from the Department of Justice threatened to demolish the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts if the Trump administration isn't allowed to renovate it and put Trump's name on it. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 25 (UPI) -- The Trump administration threatened in a court»»»

Palestinians in the West Bank village of Madama say they fear further violence after Israeli MP Zvi Sukkot smashed a local memorial with a sledgehammer as IDF soldiers stood by. The military later insisted the incident was neither authorized nor anticipated. A far-right lawmaker known for confronta»»»

A catastrophic flash flood tore through the Nepal-China border region on Wednesday, sending a massive wall of water, mud, rock and debris down Himalayan valleys, destroying villages, roads and bridges and leaving at least 160 people dead and hundreds missing. Nepal Police said 157 bodies had been r»»»

Ankara, Aug. 27 (SANA) Türkiye said the dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) represents an important development in strengthening state authority across Syria and bringing together the country’s various communities on a shared political basis. Türkiye’s Presidential Communications Dire»»»

Tunis, August 26, 2026 (TAP) – The Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas (STEG) announced potential rolling power cuts in several areas across the country between 9 p.m. and midnight, depending on grid conditions and the need to maintain a balance...»»»

Visitors to Forest Park enjoy the mild temperatures as the trees begin to turn colors in St. Louis on November 6, 2015. Missouri should expect peak fall colors sometime in October. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo The fall foliage season could bring a striking contrast across the U»»»

TRIPOLI: Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity of the State of Libya HE Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibeh met on Wednesday in Tripoli with Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi. During the meeting, the two sides discussed rel»»»

We are deeply saddened by the loss of lives caused by the flash floods and landslide that occurred today (26 August) in the border region between Nepal and the People's Republic of China (PRC). We extend our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, and to the countries that lost t»»»

Brussels: European stocks closed mixed on Wednesday, affected by US inflation data that slightly increased expectations that the US Federal Reserve may raise interest rates next month. The STOXX Europe 600 fell 0.01 percent to 656.41 points. Germany's DAX rose 0.19 percent. The UK's FTSE 100 fell 0»»»

Geneva: The State of Qatar confirmed it is ready to host the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference, which will be held in Doha from Nov. 9 to Nov. 27, 2026. This came during the participation of HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations»»»

Markwayne Mullin, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security attends an event Thursday in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, which falls under the department, arrested nearly 50,000 people in July. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | Licen»»»

JERUSALEM: Iranian agents were allegedly monitoring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son Yair in Florida as part of a plot to assassinate him, a US media outlet reported. Israeli intelligence discovered the alleged plot in December 2025 and believed Iranian operatives were “on the ground»»»

The Department of Justice seized two platforms used by Chinese hackers to break into American infrastructure. File Photo by Sascha Steinbach/EPA Aug. 26 (UPI) -- The Justice Department and FBI announced Wednesday that they seized two platforms used to target U.S. critical infrastructure and other s»»»

Meta Platforms on Wednesday agreed to pay $17 billion to settle claims, filed by 47 US states, that the company designed Facebook and Instagram to deliberately make teens addicted to their products while deceiving the public, according to state attorneys general. The company agreed to add chil»»»

Panama and El Salvador have become the latest countries along with Honduras to declare an emergency over El Nino, which has already forced a reduction in shipping through the Panama Canal. All three countries broke their monthly temperature records in both June and July, exacerbating fami»»»

WASHINGTON, United States — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief recently compared the global economy to a "storm-tossed vessel," caught between high inflation, debt and trade wars while driven by tailwinds from the AI revolution.Kristalina Georgieva told journalists in Washington that the g»»»

By Maxence D'aversa PARIS, France — After six months of war in the Middle East, the Gulf's major aviation hubs are navigating turbulence as a hefty portion of their lucrative transit traffic opts for other airports such as Istanbul.Between April and June, business for Middle Eastern airlines — mea»»»

AMMAN — Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI) and Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC) met the Kenyan economic delegation on Wednesday to discuss ways to strengthen economic and trade ties, expand business-to-business contacts and explore new trade and investment partnerships.IndustryJordan Chamber of Indus»»»

— Re-exports surge 44.6%, pushing total exports up 14.5%— Trade deficit narrows as export-to-import coverage improvesAMMAN — Jordan’s national exports rose by 6.2 per cent in the first half of 2026 to JD4,667 million, compared with the same period of 2025, according to the Department of Statistics »»»

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he believes Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “very seriously wounded”, but not dead. Khamenei has not been seen in public since the US and Israel launched the Iran war in February, prompting months of speculation over the new Iranian leader’s h»»»

DOHA: His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent a cable of condolences to President of the Republic of Estonia HE Alar Karis, on the death of former Prime Minister Siim Kallas.»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent a cable of condolences to the President of the Republic of Estonia HE Alar Karis, on the passing of former Prime Minister Siim Kallas.»»»

PARIS: French ‌far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon is seen as the possible rival to far-right candidate Marine ​Le Pen in next year’s presidential run-off, a second poll showed this week, stressing the electorate’s growing polarization as Emmanuel Macron’s era ends. Melenchon, the leader of far-left»»»

CAIRO: The conviction of Syria’s former grand mufti Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun and Washington’s decision to remove a major obstacle to economic engagement came within hours of each other this week, highlighting two central elements of the country’s post-Bashar Assad transition. On Monday, a court in D»»»

LONDON: Palestinian painter and sculptor Sliman Mansour, whose vivid depictions of Palestinian life, land and national identity made him one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Palestinian art, was buried on Wednesday in his hometown of Birzeit in the occupied West Bank. A packed church n»»»

The Albanian government has reacted to the decision of the High Judicial Council (KLGJ) to increase the reference salary of judges, saying the matter requires further internal consideration. KLGJ intervened on Wednesday to address the long-running dispute over judges’ salaries, after Parliament fai»»»

Massive flash floods that swept through the Himalayan border regions of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday killed at least 98 people and destroyed villages and infrastructure, officials said. Hundreds are still missing, including foreign tourists and pilgrims from neighbouring India, as authorities race »»»

Tripoli: President of the State of Libya's High Council HE Dr. Mohammed Muftah Takala met in Tripoli today with Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi. The meeting dealt with discussing bilateral cooperation between the two countries»»»

CIA chief John Ratcliffe held ​talks with Russian intelligence officials during his visit to ​Moscow, ‌but did not ‌meet President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin ⁠said Wednesday. President Donald Trump described Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow as a "semi-routine" mission, while implying that the intellige»»»

A lawsuit was filed by 25 states to prevent the U.S. Postal Service from implementing new rules to prevent mail-in voting before November's elections. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo Aug. 26 (UPI) -- A group of attorneys general from 24 states and the governor of Pennsylvania have f»»»

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration headquarters is shown in Silver Spring, Md. The FDA announced Wednesday it has approved a new treatment for those with advanced pancreatic cancer. File photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE Aug. 26 (UPI) -- On Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced»»»

PARIS: French ‌far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon is seen as the possible rival to far-right candidate Marine ​Le Pen in next year’s presidential run-off, a second poll showed this week, stressing the electorate’s growing polarization as Emmanuel Macron’s era ends. Melenchon, the leader of far-left»»»

Tripoli: Chairman of the Presidential Council of the State of Libya HE Dr. Mohamed Al Menfi met in Tripoli on Wednesday with Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi. The meeting discussed cooperation relations between the two countrie»»»

NEW YORK: Gaza “does not have another catastrophe left in it,” Nickolay Mladenov, the US-appointed high representative for Gaza told the Security Council on Wednesday. Collapse of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas would leave “no road map to return to” and “nothing left of the ground»»»

Tripoli: Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity of the State of Libya HE Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibeh met on Wednesday in Tripoli with Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi. During the meeting, the two sides discussed co»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iran military asks Qatar for clear answer on fate of pilots: Mehr News Agency 26-08-2026 21:42 PM Latest News Urgent News Iran military ask»»»

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi submitted an official letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the UN Security Council, sharply condemning the latest US economic pressure campaign and secondary sanctions as acts of economic terrorism. The dispatch follows Washington’s launch of a»»»

At least 47 people, including five children, have been slain in the attack, the United Nations said. People lift the body of a victim in the Kenscoff area of Haiti on Monday. At least 47 people, including children, were killed in an overnight gang attack. Photo by Jonet St. Elois/EPA Aug. 26 (UPI) »»»

South Africa-based telecommunications and digital-services group MTN (JSE: MTN) is exploring banking licences in selected African markets that could allow it to take deposits and increasingly lend from its own balance sheet, CEO Ralph Mupita told Reuters. MTN is a pan-African telecoms group offerin»»»

Doha, Qatar: Advisor to the Prime Minister and official Spokesperson for Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed Al Ansari said that Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani will "arrive in Tehran tomorrow, where he will meet with a number »»»

DOHA: Qatari Prime ​Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani ‌will ‌visit ​Tehran ‌on ⁠Thursday ​where he will meet ⁠a number of ⁠Iranian ‌officials to ‌discuss ​ways ‌to de-escalate ‌tensions, foreign ministry spokesperson ‌Majed Al Ansari said ⁠on Wednesday ⁠on X.»»»

LONDON: A UN anti-racism committee on Wednesday expressed alarm over statements by Israeli officials threatening to inflict on Lebanon “the same level of destruction” as in Gaza, urging an end to rhetoric it said dehumanized the Lebanese population. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Dis»»»

Washington: The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved a groundbreaking new drug for advanced pancreatic cancer, offering U.S. patients a more effective treatment against one of the deadliest types of cancer. FDA officials gave expedited approval to the first-of-a-kind pill, called dara»»»

A Frenchman was arrested in Italy on arms trafficking charges after a police check found three anti-tank missiles and other military equipment in his van, authorities said Wednesday. The man, identified as Regis Normand, 46, was arrested in the southern port of Bari in June and remains in custody, »»»

In a post published on x.com early Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine deeply values Bulgaria's support and friendship. In response to a letter from Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova, Zelenskyy said that the two countries have much to gain from deepening their bilat»»»

A United Airlines jet taxis to take off in November at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. United announced an extensive international expansion Wednesday. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo Aug. 26 (UPI) -- United Airlines announced Wednesday that it is planning the largest intern»»»