RIYADH: Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” is proving to be more than a box-office hit, particularly in the Gulf, where it has drawn a sizable audience. The film’s global success has spotlighted Greece’s mythology-rich culture and breathtaking landscapes as never before. News outlets across the worl»»»

ALEPPO: The “Syria Summer for Families” festival opened at Aleppo’s Production Market, offering children and families a mix of cultural, educational and entertainment activities during the summer holiday. Held under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Aleppo governorate and supervised by t»»»

IDLIB: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih visited Maarat Al-Numan in southern Idlib, reviewing recovery programs and services to support thousands of families returning to the area. Salih met with UN agencies implementing support programs and discussed ways to improve basic services and»»»

American journalist Tucker Carlson has told RT that he is not afraid of being killed for using his platform to say what he believes is true. The former Fox News host has adopted a staunch non-interventionist stance toward US involvement in foreign conflicts in recent years, breaking sharply with Pr»»»

Homs, Aug. 13 (SANA) The first Homs Business Forum, organised by Homs Governorate, kicked off on Thursday with the participation of more than 700 businesspeople and investors from Syria and abroad. Homs Governor Murhaf al-Naasan presented the governorate’s investment map, comprising 135 projects an»»»

ALKHOBAR: Saudi Arabia’s next phase of digital transformation could see artificial intelligence move beyond supporting individual government services to reshaping how public services are designed around citizens’ lives. The Kingdom has already built strong digital foundations through years of inves»»»

Turkish investment funds are reportedly urging authorities to crack down on unusual trading activity that has put Turkey’s stock exchange at risk of exclusion from major equity benchmarks. The activity has sent some Borsa Istanbul stock prices soaring, with some traders alleging flagrant manipulati»»»

After almost three decades, the Nato-led KFOR presence at Kosovo’s most sensitive security flashpoints is beginning to change. KFOR has announced that it is gradually handing over security responsibilities at two locations that carry enormous political and symbolic weight: the Serbian Deçan Monaste»»»

The water level of the Caspian Sea has fallen to its lowest point in about 200 years and continues to decline, a local Iranian environmental official said following a meeting among the countries surrounding the body of water on August 12.  Mohammad Reza Kanani, head of the Department of Enviro»»»

Ukraine's power generation capacity has collapsed from just under 60GW before the war to just 12GW today. If Russia's missiles get through this winter the way they did last year, the shortfall could nearly double. Ukraine already has a 5-6GW deficit of power generation between what it can produce a»»»

Ukraine's foreign reserves jumped back above $51bn in June after more than $15bn in delayed Western financing finally landed, ending four months of steady decline. The rebound papers over a widening hole in the country's external accounts. The cumulative goods trade deficit reached $25.8bn in the f»»»

Ukraine and Russia exchanged their heaviest overnight strikes in weeks on August 11-12, with Ukrainian drones and missiles hitting Russia's Novorossiysk grain terminal, a Wildberries logistics hub and an Orenburg oil refinery, while a Russian missile barrage on Zaporizhzhia killed six people and wo»»»

JEDDAH: The Saudi-led multinational maritime defence coalition has finalized key arrangements to activate its command structure, and preparations began to integrate officers and personnel from member states into its command, maritime operations and intelligence structures, the Saudi Ministry of Def»»»

The San Francisco skyline on Feb. 18, 2019. The Bay Area was struck by a magnitude 3.8 earthquake Thursday morning. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo Aug. 13 (UPI) -- The San Francisco Bay area was rattled by a magnitude 3.8 earthquake Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Geologica»»»

BEIRUT: Human Rights Watch has called on the United Nations to keep an international force in Lebanon after its peacekeepers’ mandate ends this year. The peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, has roughly 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries, and has been in place since 1978. Its prese»»»

RIYADH: It was fitting that the 2026/27 Saudi Pro League season opened with a video showcasing Diriyah's storied history. The club, which has made it to the Kingdom's top tier for the first time since its founding in 1976, represents more than just a football team. It is directly tied to the First »»»

LONDON: US Central Command is establishing what it described as the first multinational task force in the Middle East region dedicated to the use of attack drones across the air, land and sea domains. The new unit, “Task Force Falcon Strike,” will use unmanned, one-way attack drones, which detonate»»»

WASHINGTON: The Utah ‌man on trial for the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk should not face the death penalty because he hit his “intended target” and did not endanger anyone else, defense lawyers said this week. Attorneys for Tyler Robinson, 23, laid out their argument against the deat»»»

LONDON: The UN human rights office on Thursday urged Israeli authorities to protect Palestinian families trapped in their homes for days by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, amid what it described as an intensifying campaign to seize Palestinian land. Three families, comprising about 15 p»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has announced a temporary traffic closure at Al Qalaa Intersection on Al Wakrah Main Road on Friday, August 14, 2026. According to the Ministry, the closure will be in effect from 2am to 10am. The accompanying map shows the affected section of the interse»»»

SANTO DOMINGO: The Dominican Republic has asked Cuba to withdraw nine embassy staff, giving them seven days to leave, the foreign ministry announced Thursday. The ministry did not explain this decision but insisted it complies with international law, namely an agreement on diplomatic relations call»»»

CAIRO: Egypt on Thursday called for Sudan’s political future to be determined by its own people, backing a Sudanese-led process, as Cairo reiterated its opposition to any attempt to partition its war-torn southern neighbor. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that any political process fo»»»

BAMAKO: Mali’s junta chief on Thursday pardoned a French intelligence agent serving a 20 year jail term, a rare conciliatory gesture following years of tension between the west African nation and its former colonial ruler. The decision came as Mali’s military authorities have been weakened by a mas»»»

CASABLANCA: Ghana came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 Thursday and earn one of Africa’s last two chances to qualify for the Women’s World Cup. Nigeria were to play South Africa for the other later as the four beaten quarterfinalists at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations were pitted against each»»»

BEIRUT: Syrian and Lebanese officials have agreed to strengthen coordination along their shared border, including measures to combat smuggling, while easing the movement of travelers and goods through official crossings, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported on Thursday. Delegations from the two »»»

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East on Jan. 26. Senate Democrats want details about the status of the ship's operations following reports of attempted suicides by sailors. File Photo by Will Tyndall/U.S. Navy/UPI | License Photo Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Senate Democrats are pressing»»»

A passenger train derailed in southern England Thursday, injuring nine people. File Image courtesy of UPI Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A passenger train derailed in southern England Thursday, seriously injuring two people. Police and emergency services are on the scene outside of Lewes, England, in East Sussex»»»

Doha, Qatar: Civil Defence teams have brought a minor fire at a hotel in the West Bay area under control, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said. In a post on social media, the Ministry said the premises were evacuated as a precautionary measure. No injuries were reported in the incident, the Ministry»»»

Hungary enjoyed a spectacular evening at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris on Thursday, with Kristóf Milák setting a European record in the men’s 100m butterfly before helping the Hungarian men’s 4x100m freestyle relay claim a historic gold medal with a national record. The two victories»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe US military lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones during the war with Iran, equivalent to approximately 25% of the fleet it had before the wa»»»

ROME: Italy’s Sara Curtis broke her own 50m women’s backstroke world record on Thursday when she won gold in 26.56 seconds at the European Championships in Paris, a day after she had set the previous record. Curtis, 19, had smashed five-time Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown’s ‌2023 record ‌on Wednes»»»

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice against Harvard University for allegedly allowing anti-Semitism. File Photo by CJ Gunther/EPA Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A federal judge dismissed the anti-Semitism lawsuit against Harvard University filed by the Department of Justice ear»»»

Dubai: Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Humanitarian (DXBH) has facilitated the dispatch of critical humanitarian relief supplies to Gaza. The shipments are part of a new air bridge launched this we»»»

Damascus, Aug.13 (SANA) Syria’s trajectory toward full economic openness is accelerating at an unprecedented pace. Backed by expanding Western, Arab, and international partnerships in energy, logistics, ports, and industrial technology, Syria is successfully overhauling its legislative framework, l»»»

London: Two people sustained "serious injuries" and nine more were hurt as a busy commuter train from London derailed on Thursday near the southeast English town of Lewes, emergency services said. "At this stage, we can confirm that two patients have sustained serious injuries and a further nine pa»»»

ROME: Italy’s Sara Curtis broke her own 50m women’s backstroke world record on Thursday when she won gold in 26.56 seconds at the European Championships in Paris, a day after she had set the previous record. Curtis, 19, had smashed five-time Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown’s ‌2023 record ‌on Wednes»»»

BEIRUT: A British company said Thursday it has been hired to salvage a grounded Russian shadow fleet tanker off Oman’s coast and stop an oil spill that is threatening wildlife as it reaches the country’s shoreline following its dramatic spread in recent weeks. Satellite images have shown that oil f»»»

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin visited Russia’s far-eastern Kuril islands for the first time on Thursday, prompting protests by Japan which also claims the territory. Russian-Japanese relations have long been dogged by the contested islands, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and seized b»»»

Doha, Qatar: Consumers in Qatar should verify that weight-loss medicines and other therapeutic products are registered in the country and obtain them only from licensed healthcare facilities and pharmacies, a Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) official has said, amid growing interest in slimming prod»»»

Dubai: Three people were killed and 11 injured after a gas cylinder exploded at a restaurant inside a shopping mall in New Cairo, triggering a fire and causing a lift to collapse, Egyptian media reported. Emergency services were called to the mall in the Tagamoa area following reports of a fire ins»»»

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia's defence minister called Iraq a "cherished neighbour" in talks with a senior Iraqi army official on Thursday, despite last month's deadly US-Saudi strikes on targets in the country. The Riyadh visit was the first announced by an Iraqi security official to Saudi A»»»

Dubai: XRG, ADNOC’s international energy investment company, is entering Venezuela through an interest in the offshore Loran gas licence, giving the Abu Dhabi-based company exposure to one of Latin America’s significant undeveloped gas resources and extending its rapidly growing international gas p»»»

WASHINGTON: An engine fan blade broke off on a Ryanair flight and sent parts flying that shattered a plane window shortly after takeoff in Greece last month, which caused a man’s head to be sucked into the hole in the fuselage before his fellow passengers pulled him to safety, US investigators said»»»

NEW YORK CITY: Yemen’s permanent representative to the UN, Abdullah Al-Saadi, told the Security Council on Thursday that Saudi Arabia’s sustained political, economic and humanitarian support has been essential in keeping state institutions functioning, even as he delivered a sweeping condemnation o»»»

Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, attends a pre-trial appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday. He is due in federal court Friday and may plead guilty to a stalking charge. Pool Photo by David Dee Delgado/UPI | License Photo Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Luigi Mangion»»»

Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A pair of loose goats wandered into a transit station in Portland, Ore., and even briefly boarded a bus before fleeing the area. The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon said on social media that a 911 call came in reporting two goats wandering loose at the FX2»»»

MADRID: Celta Vigo postponed their La Liga opener against Osasuna because of a fungus outbreak on the field of their stadium Thursday. La Liga said both clubs and the Spanish soccer federation agreed to the postponement of Sunday’s game because of an “illness that has affected the stadium’s pitch.”»»»

QUSRA: For five nights, Israeli settlers surrounded three Palestinian homes on the outskirts of a town in the occupied West Bank, preventing the families from leaving safely as their food and water supplies dwindled. Qusai Abu Rida was holed up inside with his teenage son when settlers cut the wate»»»

LONDON: The Syrian Arab Republic’s Interior Ministry said on Thursday that it released six people detained during an investigation into a Daesh cell in the southern province of Quneitra, saying it found no evidence that they were involved and apologizing to them and their families. The detentions f»»»

NEW YORK: A right-wing Israeli think tank hired a major Washington lobbying firm to promote a proposal calling for the US to withdraw from the UN, targeting senior officials in the Trump administration and members of Congress, Haaretz reported. The Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist»»»