Argentina and South Korea are set to deepen their cooperation in the critical minerals industry, the Argentine foreign ministry announced Friday. The deal comes one day after Seoul entered a similar partnership with Chile, during a visit to South America by President Lee Jae Myung. The agreement wi»»»

The US and Israel are preparing a major bombing campaign against Iran’s energy infrastructure that could begin as early as this weekend, according to multiple media reports. The proposed operation would target power plants, oil refineries and other energy-related facilities in what CBS News describ»»»

Elon Musk's xAI sued Minnesota seeking to block the state's law banning nudification technology. File photo by Francis Chung/UPI | License Photo July 31 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Friday turned down a request by Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, to block a Minnesota law banning nud»»»

Manufaktura in Łódź, managed by Apsys, ended 2025 with 100% retail occupancy and a 2.3% y/y increase in sales. The mixed-use shopping and cultural complex attracts up to 21 mln visitors annually, demonstrating how long-term management can strengthen a property’s value. Since opening in 2006, it has»»»

Poland’s annual inflation rate reached 3.0% in July, in line with market expectations, according to preliminary data from Statistics Poland. Consumer prices rose 0.8% m/m, mainly due to the end of the government’s fuel price support program. Fuel prices increased 15.8% y/y and 13.9% m/m after the s»»»

As nearly 50,000 North African migrants surged into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta overnight, one group responded with mockery and glee: Israeli politicians and their Zionist supporters, who celebrated the slap in Spanish President Pedro Sanchez’ face. An estimated 49,000 migrants, predominantly youn»»»

The disastrous heatwave and drought across Europe have pushed the Rhine and Danube rivers to historic water lows, forcing two EU countries into atomic energy power-downs while disrupting industrial output and major trade routes. The Rhine and Danube serve as vital commercial corridors, historic bor»»»

WASHINGTON: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pitched President Donald Trump and other American officials on helping Ukraine win permission from tech titan Elon Musk to use his Starlink satellite communications system to guide strikes inside Russia. The push for expanded use of Starlink co»»»

Up to 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta in roughly 24 hours, overwhelming border forces and increasing the territory’s population by as much as 70%. The unprecedented influx has triggered a political crisis, raised questions over the true nature of the»»»

US President Donald Trump and other far-right leaders on Friday seized on Spain's migration crisis to bolster their political messaging on immigration, while over half of the migrants who had crossed the border made their way back to Morocco voluntarily the same day.  US President Donald Trump»»»

HARLINGEN, Texas: Advocates warn that tens of thousands of migrant children who came to the United States alone could lose legal representation in immigration court and increase their risk of deportation as the Trump administration allows a contract with legal services providers to expire. Friday m»»»

Anthropic said it reviewed 141,006 recent operations by its Claude models after rival OpenAI recently revealed its own AI agents had unexpectedly accessed the Internet and hacked a third party. File Photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA July 31 (UPI) -- Anthropic said some of its artificial intelligence models»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has renewed his criticism of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has said the Israeli leader could be arrested on war-crimes charges if he visits the city. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 over Israel’s mi»»»

Canadian convenience-store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard plans to acquire 100% of Żabka Group for PLN 32 per share, valuing the Polish retailer at PLN 32.62 bln. The offer represents a 9% premium to Żabka’s July 30 closing price, although some analysts believe investors could reasonably expect »»»

Poland ranks among the European Union countries with the relatively highest minimum wages after differences in living costs are taken into account, according to Eurostat data. In nominal terms, Luxembourg recorded the highest minimum wage, at EUR 2,771 per month, while Bulgaria had the lowest, at E»»»

WASHINGTON: Google rolled back Friday a new feature allowing Google Earth users to generate AI visualizations on top of the service’s satellite imagery, following a furious backlash from researchers and open-source intelligence experts about the potential for disinformation. “We’ve seen geospatial »»»

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh: At least nine Rohingya were missing after a boat carrying them capsized in the Naf, a shared waterway between Bangladesh and Myanmar, police said Friday. The Rohingya were believed to be fleeing ongoing fighting in Myanmar's Rakhine state between the military and the Arakan»»»

Budapest: Hungary is preparing to shut down its only nuclear power plant for the first time in its 44-year history as record-low water levels in the Danube River disrupt cooling operations, authorities said today. The country's Prime Minister Peter Magyar told a press conference that the Paks Nucle»»»

Organisations across the UAE now have until August 14 to apply for the fourth cycle of the Parent-friendly Label, the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) has announced. The deadline was extended following strong interest from semi-government, private and third-sector organisations since appli»»»

GENEVA: The Sudanese flashpoint of El-Obeid and surrounding areas are experiencing a spike in malnutrition, gender-based violence and other issues, the United Nations’ children’s agency said on Friday. It said the conflict was “a massive disaster that keeps getting worse.” Now in Khartoum after vis»»»

GAZA/CAIRO: Standing on the roof of ​a war-damaged building overlooking the ruins of Gaza City, beekeeper Ibrahim Al-Dabba gently lifts a honeycomb frame as bees buzz around him. “Bees require trees, we are raising bees among rubble,” he said. For Gaza’s beekeepers, the struggle to rebuild their li»»»

Several of Budapest’s best-known landmarks will temporarily go dark as Hungary introduces further energy-saving measures in response to the country’s critical electricity situation. Officials announced on Friday that the decorative lighting of the Hungarian Parliament will be switched off, while th»»»

The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a procedural resolution allowing the chamber to consider and vote on a package of 74 nominations, including Eric Wendt's nomination to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Albania. The measure passed by a vote of 50-47, with three senators abstaining. While Wend»»»

TUNIS, July 31, 2026 (TAP) – President Kais Saied held a phone call on Friday afternoon with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to extend his heartfelt condolences following the tragic incident that occurred earlier on Friday in the Algerian...»»»

People watch through special solar glasses as the moon moves across the sun during the 2024 solar eclipse in Milwaukee, Wis., on April 8, 2024. The first total solar eclipse since the 2024 event will take place in August. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo August will feature three majo»»»

LONDON: Eddie Howe confirmed on Friday he had stepped down as Newcastle manager to “recharge and take a break” following a turbulent end to his five-year spell at St. James’ Park. Howe revitalized a club that had struggled for decades, securing a first major trophy in 56 years by winning the League»»»

Hezbollah said Lebanese authorities have taken no action in line with their national and sovereign responsibilities as the Israeli occupation entity continues to destroy villages in southern Lebanon. In a statement, Hezbollah affirmed that the Israeli enemy was continuing, in full view of the Leban»»»

The F-35B is a fifth-generation stealth fighter het that costs more than $100 million. The aircraft is one of the most advanced pieces of equipment in the U.S. military’s arsenal. File Photo by Staff Sgt. Corey Hook/U.S. Air Force July 31 (UPI) -- A military fighter jet crashed near Miramar Marine »»»

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Housing Authority (ADHA), in collaboration with the Urban Planning and Permits Centre at the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), introduced the Housing Construction Loan on Subdivided Agricultural Land service, aligning with the goals of the Year of Family. Th»»»

Algiers, Algeria: An Algerian bus crashed into a ravine on Friday, killing at least 27 people and wounding dozens more, the country's health minister said. The bus left the road near the coastal town of Boumerdes, east of the capital Algiers, for unknown reasons, according to the civil defence. At »»»

LONDON: Chelsea were fined £10 million ($13.4 million) and given a suspended two-window transfer ban on Friday after an appeal hearing into sanctions imposed for multiple breaches of Football Association rules. The Premier League club were initially given a suspended six-point deduction along with »»»

Statehood Day in Kiev. Very important. Very historical. “So how can I make it all about me?” the EU said. Here comes Brussels to put the “hood” in “statehood” day, and bring some muscle to Kiev’s mobilization hustle. What a great opportunity for the EU to come back into town for another photo op, a»»»

The military and political confrontation between the United States and Iran is becoming less a crisis than a permanent feature of the international landscape. A new center of chronic instability is emerging in south-western Eurasia, and it will shape political and economic developments across the w»»»

Bodies of the victims are transported to a hospital after a methane gas explosion in the Sorange coalfield on the outskirts of Quetta, Pakistan, on Friday. Photo by Fayyaz Ahmad/EPA July 31 (UPI) -- A coal mine explosion in Pakistan's Balochistan province left at least 34 people dead and rescue wor»»»

Budapest has set a new daily heat record after temperatures climbed to 39.4°C in the capital’s Újpest district on Friday afternoon, according to preliminary data from Hungary’s national meteorological service, HungaroMet. The new record is 2°C higher than the previous Budapest record for 31 July, w»»»

USS George Washington begins five-day Da Nang visit one day after Russian naval vessels leave Cam Ranh The USS George Washington (CVN-73) nuclear-powered aircraft carrier docks at a naval base in Busan, South Korea. File. Photo by YONHAP / EPA July 30 (Asia Today) -- The nuclear-powered aircraft ca»»»

Macro-Advisory Limited has issued its annual mid-year compilation of the best business, political and general interest books published in 1H26, covering the twelve states in the Eurasia region plus Iran and Afghanistan. The document also includes the updated Recommended Reading list for the region »»»

Smoke rises after an Israeli strike next to the Crusader-period Beaufort Castle, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, in June. File Photo by Atef Safadi/EPA BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 31 (UPI) -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned Israel on Friday for »»»

NEW YORK CITY: The only good news to emerge from the Middle East in recent days was US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an agreement under which Hamas would relinquish its weapons and Israel withdraw its forces from Gaza, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said on Friday as he warned th»»»

“Black Torch” delivers a supernatural action story that combines dark fantasy with emotional storytelling, creating an anime that is as much about its characters as it is about its battles. At the center of the story is Jiro Azuma, a young man with an unusual ability to communicate with animals. Hi»»»

ROME: Italy said on Friday it was suspending the EU's border-free Schengen ​arrangements with Spain for one month in response to a mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco. Italy does not share a land border with Spain but the measure - which looks certain»»»

CAMP ​DAVID, Maryland: US President Donald Trump said on Friday that a US campaign to dismantle the International Criminal Court was intended to defend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others from prosecution, not himself. Trump made the comment after Secretary of State Marco Rubio tol»»»

A handout photo made available by Gironde Departmental Fire and Rescue Service shows flames engulfing a road as a wildfire spreads in Lege-Cap-Ferret, south-western France, on July 23. The French wine industry may face a tough year. Photo by Damien Renbert/EPA July 31 (UPI) -- Wildfires in France h»»»

The North Korean economy grew more than 3 percent in 2025, South Korea's central bank said Friday. In this June 2025 photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends an opening ceremony for a tourist zone in Wonsan. File Photo by KCNA/EPA The North Korean economy grew more than 3 percent for the thir»»»

ROME: Italy said on Friday it was suspending the EU's border-free Schengen ​arrangements with Spain for one month in response to a mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco. Italy does not share a land border with Spain but the measure - which looks certain»»»

Abu Dhabi: Under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Year Of Award has been launched as a national recognition platform establishing the enduring legacy of the annual themes of the UAE Year Of initiative. The Award celebrates individuals and organisa»»»

Following reports of a drone attack on a US-owned gas storage vessel at Egypt’s Damietta port, a video purporting to show the incident began circulating online. The footage, however, is unrelated to the conflict in the Middle East. FRANCE 24 found that the footage instead shows a Ukrainian drone st»»»

Israel will not withdraw from the Gaza Strip until Hamas's "genuine disarmament", a political source told AFP on July 31, after the group said it had agreed to a deal involving its disarmament and Israel's exit. But officially, the country has stayed silent regarding the agreement. It was announced»»»

Saudi Arabia joined the United States for the first time in launching air strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq on Wednesday, marking a significant shift in the kingdom's regional posture after months of restraint. While Riyadh insists it was acting in self-defence, »»»

The Hungarian government has announced one of the country’s largest renewable energy investment programmes in decades, unveiling plans to dramatically expand wind power, electricity storage and grid infrastructure as it responds to the ongoing energy crisis triggered by the Danube’s record-low wate»»»