Calls escalated Tuesday for Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner to drop out of the race after a woman came forward Monday with sexual assault allegations against him. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 7 (UPI) -- Graham Platner's Senate campaign is canceling upcoming fundraisers a»»»

The United States has paired new military strikes against Iran with the reimposition of strict oil sanctions, signaling that Washington is escalating pressure on Tehran on both the military and economic fronts as a fragile ceasefire comes under its most serious test yet. The move marks a sharp shif»»»

Oil prices climbed sharply in early Asian trading on Wednesday after renewed military strikes involving Iran reignited concerns over the security of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy chokepoints. As of 8:15 am on Wednesday (July 8, 2026 Tokyo time), market data showed: »»»

Dubai: Every comedian has a heckler story. Dana Alexander has enough to fill a survival guide. At her recent sold-out Dubai show with The Laughter Factory, one audience member decided the evening was apparently a two-way conversation. She chatted through punchlines and almost interrupted the set. D»»»

Dubai: Etihad Rail could make lower-rent communities outside Dubai more attractive to commuters, but property experts say affordability will remain the main reason residents choose neighbouring emirates. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The national rail network is expe»»»

People enjoy the beach in May as a vessel is seen waiting to cross the Strait of Hormuz in the Arabian Sea off Muscat, Oman. The United States launched new strikes against Iran on Tuesday after alleged Iranian strikes against vessels in the strait. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo July 7»»»

A series of explosions rocked Kyiv early Wednesday, AFP journalists heard, as Russia keeps up its barrage of attacks on the Ukrainian capital while NATO leaders meet for a summit in Turkey. A first large blast was heard even before the city's air alert sirens sounded, followed by four more, AFP jou»»»

WASHINGTON, United States — The US trade deficit widened sharply in May to its largest in over a year as imports rose, government data showed Tuesday, with analysts noting that businesses could be gearing up for further tariffs.The shift came as the world's biggest economy grappled with fallout fro»»»

Vancouver: Switzerland beat Colombia 4-3 on penalties after a goalless draw on Tuesday to set up a quarter-final with defending champions Argentina. The two teams cancelled each other out in the final game of the last 16 -- the last match to be played at the 2026 tournament outside the United State»»»

Pakistan was searching Wednesday for a Boeing cargo plane missing off the coast of Karachi after radar showed it "rapidly descending," the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) said in a post on X. The plane, operated by the private K2 Airways, had five crew members on board and was en route from Sharja»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron is the first Western European leader to have met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, in a landmark visit for the country's post-Assad era. A question is at the centre of the visit: How can Syria build itself back after years of wars? Marc Pierini, Vis»»»

NEW YORK: France’s World Cup campaign has already tested their firepower, patience and nerves, but Thursday’s quarter-final against Morocco will offer Didier Deschamps’ side something different: their first full football examination of the tournament. The meeting is a rematch of the 2022 World Cup »»»

Iranian state media on Tuesday reported a series of explosions heard in the Strait of Hormuz region, moments after US officials announced "powerful" strikes on Iran. IRIB news reported six explosions were heard on the Iranian island of Qeshm, seven explosions were heard in the city of Sirik and mor»»»

Tribune News Network Doha As the 2026 FIFA World Cup unfolds across North America, the global spotlight once again falls on football’s greatest stage. Yet for many fans, commentators and media, the conversation continues to return to Qatar 2022. Four years later, the tournament is remembered for fa»»»

DPA Atlanta Enzo Fernandez headed a stoppage time winner as defending champions Argentina overcame a missed Lionel Messi penalty and a 2-0 deficit until the 79th minute with a historic 3-2 comeback triumph over Egypt in the World Cup last 16 match on Tuesday. Yasser Ibrahim in the 15th and Mostafa »»»

Agencies Worldwide foreign direct investment rose in 2025 after two years of decline, the United Nations said Tuesday, warning though that the recovery was “narrow, fragile and uneven”. Foreign direct investment (FDI) swelled by 6.0 percent last year to $1.6 trillion, according to the UN Trade and »»»

BOGOTA, Colombia: Colombia’s President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella on Tuesday suspended the transition process with President Gustavo Petro and accused him of planning a coup to stay in power, after the incumbent leader refused to recognize results of the country’s election. Petro said Monday th»»»

LONDON: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage announced Tuesday that he will quit his seat in Parliament and seek reelection in an effort to clear his name over financial allegations linked to millions of dollars’ worth of donations. The unexpected resignation is an effort by the anti-immigration politicia»»»

ISLAMABAD: A cargo plane with five crew members aboard went missing off the Pakistani port of Karachi late Tuesday after rapidly descending and losing contact with air traffic controllers while on a flight from United Arab Emirates, officials said. Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority said in a post»»»

WASHINGTON, United States: US forces launched strikes on Iran on Tuesday after three commercial vessels were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said, sharply escalating a confrontation that has already shaken efforts to end the Middle East war. US Central Command said the “powerful” »»»

ANKARA: President Volodymyr Zelensky ‌said on Tuesday that Ukraine had signed three more “drone deals” with Denmark, Estonia and the Netherlands, making ​available its expertise gained from more than four years of war with Russia. Zelensky announced the deals in posts on social media on the sidelin»»»

Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan searched Wednesday for a Boeing cargo plane missing off the coast of Karachi after radar showed it "rapidly descending," the Pakistan Airport Authority said in a post on X. The plane, operated by the private K2 Airways, had five crew members on board and was en route f»»»

Singapore: Gold prices edged lower on Tuesday, with spot gold falling 0.6 percent to $4,138.39 per ounce, while US gold futures for August delivery slipped 0.5 percent to $4,148.50. The precious metal reached a two-week high on Monday after weaker-than-expected US employment data released last week»»»

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., waves as he goes to a Senate procedural vote March 4 in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. McConnell has been hospitalized since June 14 with little news about his condition or status, but two other Republican senators say they talked to him this week. File Photo by A»»»

NEW YORK: US artificial intelligence lab Anthropic scored the highest in a semiannual safety ranking, but globally the industry fails to combat “existential” threats, according to a report released on Tuesday. Meta moved up two spots to fourth place, while xAI dropped three spots to seventh place, »»»

LOS ANGELES: The United States ‌has charged Lawrence Bishnoi, the imprisoned head of an Indian criminal gang, and his North American deputy with directing the 2023 murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh ​Nijjar in Canada, which plunged relations between Ottawa and New Delhi into crisis. A f»»»

France has pulled all its diplomats from Burkina Faso, the foreign ministry has said, after the military-led African nation broke off diplomatic ties with its former colonial power. French authorities also demanded Burkinabese di»»»

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said Tuesday that she will run for president in 2027 despite being sentenced to wear a court-ordered electronic monitor for embezzlement. An appeals court earlier Tuesday upheld her conviction in March last year over a fake jobs scam at the European Parliament »»»

Did a court decision just alter the outcome a French presidential election that’s less than 300 days in the future? Marine Le Pen’s conviction for funnelling EU parliamentary staff funds to her far-right National Rally party. Watered down by half, her 30-months of ineligibility to run for public of»»»

CAIRO: As Egypt bowed out of the World Cup with a dramatic 3-2 defeat to a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina in the last 16 on Tuesday, supporters in Cairo rose to applaud a team that had taken the country further than ever before. “We’re heartbroken because we believed we could go even further,” sai»»»

NAJAF: The coffin of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei arrived in Iraq’s ​holy city of Najaf on Tuesday after funeral ceremonies in Iran, bringing a multi-day procession to one of Shiite Islam’s most sacred sites following the leader’s death in a February 28 US-Israeli strike. Iraq»»»

RABAT: A Catholic cardinal touted as one of the favorites to replace Pope Francis said he was “stepping back” from office Tuesday after an AFP investigation revealed at least five women had accused him of sexual assault. Spanish-born Cristobal Lopez Romero, 74, the Archbishop of Rabat in Morocco, d»»»

The NATO summit has opened on July 7, with many topics to be discussed. Trump has opened the possibility of the US selling F35 fighter jets after Turkey was booted out of the programme in 2019 over Ankara's purchase of a Russian system. Trump has also expressed annoyance at European Nato allies for»»»

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Hamas made a political move by dissolving its governing body in Gaza this week, but experts say the decision does not resolve the main issue of the stalled ceasefire process: the Islamist movement’s weapons. WHAT IS HAMAS DISSOLVING? Hamas announced on Monday tha»»»

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced Tuesday that he will not charge police officers who fatally shot an autistic man after he called them for help in March. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI. | License Photo July 7 (UPI) -- Maryland officials said Tuesday that they have declined to charge»»»

NEW YORK: After decades of reliable bipartisan backing for Israel, a new AP-NORC poll reveals a dramatic erosion of support for the longtime US ally, with rising opposition from Democrats and signs of division among Republicans. The survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Rese»»»

LONDON: Jannik Sinner is on course for a blockbuster Wimbledon showdown with Novak Djokovic after the defending champion ended German veteran Jan-Lennard Struff’s fairytale run in the quarter-finals. Sinner won 7-5, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 on Court One and will face Djokovic in the last four if the seven-ti»»»

WASHINGTON: The US Treasury Department on Tuesday revoked a license that temporarily lifted oil sanctions on Iran, calling Tehran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz “wholly unacceptable.” “Iran’s actions in the Strait were wholly unacceptable to the United States and will be met with consequences,” »»»

FLORIDA, USA: FIFA has defended the reputation of World Cup referee Raphael Claus in rare pushback on comments by US President Donald Trump, who questioned his integrity for sending off Folarin Balogun. Trump suggested on Monday at the White House, without elaborating, that the 46-year-old Brazilia»»»

JOHANNESBURG: As Morocco prepare to tackle France in a World Cup quarter-final blockbuster on Thursday, pre-season outsiders Maghreb Fes have won a thrilling league title race in the African kingdom. Coached by Spaniard Pablo Martin, the Yellow Tigers from the central city beat lowly Olympique Dche»»»

Atlanta: Argentina staged a stunning comeback from 2-0 down to avoid a stunning exit at the hands of Egypt and prolong Lionel Messi's World Cup career with a 3-2 win to reach the quarter-finals. The holders looked down and out when goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko, either side of Messi ha»»»

RIYADH: The Kingdom strongly condemned Iran on Tuesday for targeting the Saudi tanker Wedyan as it transited the Strait of Hormuz. It also condemned Iran for targeting Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker Al-Rekayyat and said these “unacceptable attacks” constitute an assault on the security and saf»»»

This video screenshot released by the FBI alleged shows the person who shot Charlie Kirk in September at Utah Valley University. On Tuesday, video was featured as a multiday hearing on evidence in the case against suspect Tyler Robinson continued. File Photo courtesy FBI | License Photo July 7 (UPI»»»

JUBA: A government-appointed county commissioner in an opposition stronghold in South Sudan’s oil-rich Jonglei State was “assassinated” by opposition forces in renewed violence, the government confirmed late Monday. Fighting in Jonglei has intensified in recent days, with an unknown number of casua»»»

LONDON: Israeli forces raided several Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday, according to media reports. The Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing local sources, reported that Israeli troops raided homes belonging to the Al-Ziraa and Al-Shakhshir families in an area b»»»

Bulgaria’s 2026 State Budget Bill passed at first reading in Parliament's Budget and Finance Committee on Tuesday. The committee approved it by 14 votes in favour, nine against and no abstentions. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev presented the bill, which sets a consolidated f»»»

TEXAS, USA: Spain midfielder Rodri expressed regret at celebrating in the face of Bernardo Silva after his former Manchester City teammate missed a late chance to equalize for Portugal in their heavyweight World Cup match. Silva had a chance to take the round-of-16 game — won 1-0 by Spain on Monday»»»

DUBAI: Argentina pulled off one of their greatest ever comebacks to beat Egypt 3-2 in Atlanta and reach the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup in the most dramatic of circumstances. A match that was going to be the last World Cup appearance of either Lionel Messi or Mohamed Salah would end with th»»»

The Hungarian public broadcaster M1 resumed broadcasting on Tuesday evening after an unprecedented hours-long suspension. But instead of news, viewers were greeted by one of the country’s most iconic political satires, The Witness (A tanú). M1 returns after historic interruption M1’s regular progra»»»

AMMAN — The Jordan Standards and Metrology Organisation (JSMO) processed around 62 tonnes of locally produced and imported gold and silver jewellery and bullion during the first half of 2026 as part of its inspection, hallmarking and legal purity verification services.Acting Director General of JSM»»»