Vienna: Statistics Austria has revealed that migration is the sole driver of population growth in the country, with more than a quarter of Austria’s residents-27.8 percent-being of migrant origin. The announcement came during the presentation of Austria’s Statistical Yearbook Migration and Integration 2025, which showed that the number of people with migrant backgrounds reached 2.51 million in 2024, marking a 38.4 percent increase compared to 2015, when the figure stood at 1.81 million, or 21.4 percent of the population. According to Emirates News Agency, Stephan Marik-Lebeck, an official at Statistics Austria, emphasized that migration is a key factor in Austria’s

Brussels: More adults than ever in low- and middle-income countries now have bank or other financial accounts, leading to a rise in formal saving, according to the World Bank Group’s Global Findex 2025 report. This momentum in financial inclusion is creating new economic opportunities. Mobile-phone technology played a key role in the surge, with 10 percent of adults in developing economies using a mobile-money account to save-a 5-percentage point increase from 2021. According to Emirates News Agency, in 2024, 40 percent of adults in developing economies saved in a financial account, marking a 16-percentage-point increase since 2021 and the fastest

Brussels: United Nations Secretary-General Ant³nio Guterres has expressed deep concern over the ongoing escalation of violence in Suwayda Governorate in southern Syria, which has claimed the lives of hundreds, including civilians, and resulted in numerous injuries and displacements. According to Emirates News Agency, in a statement issued today, Guterres also condemned the Israeli airstrikes on Suwayda, Daraa, and Damascus, calling for an immediate end to all violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Guterres welcomed the statement by the Syrian Presidency, which pledged to investigate the violations and hold those responsible to account. He reiterated the need for this process

Brussels: The Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States have entered into an agreement focused on cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear energy. This development comes as part of Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain’s, official visit to Washington. According to Emirates News Agency, the agreement was formalized by Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The primary goals of the agreement include supporting Bahrain’s energy security efforts and its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, while also contributing to global

Brussels: Recent data from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, has revealed that EU member states lost approximately 171,110 hospital beds between 2012 and 2022, reflecting a decline of around seven percent over the decade. According to Emirates News Agency, the decrease is partly attributed to a shift in healthcare strategies, including shorter hospital stays and a growing reliance on outpatient services. This strategic shift aims to optimize healthcare efficiency and resource allocation across the European Union. The data highlights disparities among countries. Bulgaria and Germany recorded the highest ratios, with 823 and 766 hospital beds per 100,000

Tirana: UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Tirana on a working visit to the Republic of Albania, where he engaged in talks with Prime Minister His Excellency Edi Rama to explore avenues for enhancing bilateral ties. According to Emirates News Agency, Prime Minister Rama welcomed Sheikh Mohamed and his delegation at the Prime Minister’s Office, expressing confidence that the visit would foster new cooperation opportunities and advance the development goals of both nations. The discussions focused on strengthening the partnership between the UAE and Albania, with a particular emphasis on economic, trade, renewable energy,

Seoul: One person has died and more than 100 people have been evacuated in the Republic of Korea after the country was lashed by torrential rain on Thursday, the safety ministry said. According to Emirates News Agency, as of Thursday morning, some parts of the South Chungcheong region to the south of the capital Seoul had received more than 400 millimetres (15.7 inches) of rain since Wednesday, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said. Landslide alerts were raised to the highest level for several regions including Chungcheong as the heavy rains continued, according to the Korea Forest Service. Two

Alaska: A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Alaska Peninsula, as reported by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). The earthquake occurred on Wednesday and was recorded at a depth of 10 kilometers. According to Emirates News Agency, following the earthquake, the US Tsunami Warning System issued a tsunami warning for portions of Alaska. The warning was prompted by the potential for hazardous waves in the region as a result of the seismic activity.