MADRID: The Spanish competition is the league with the most representatives in the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, accounting for 24 of the 52 players named in the two squads. This figure places the Spanish competition well ahead of other leagues, with the English Premier League r»»»

LONDON: The first session of a Syrian-German Joint Committee to assist Syria’s recovery took place in Damascus on Thursday. It was co-chaired by Asaad Al-Shaibani, the foreign minister of the Syrian Arab Republic, and Geza Andreas von Geyr, German minister of state at the Federal Foreign Office. Th»»»

PARIS/BERLIN: France and Germany will discuss deepening cooperation on nuclear deterrence, missile defense, long-range strike capabilities and space at a joint ministerial retreat, the Elysee said, seeking to show that the EU’s two largest defense powers can still work together despite differences »»»

Damascus, July 16 (SANA) Head of the Syrian General Authority for Civil Aviation and Air Transport Omar Hosari said the newly signed air transport agreement with Germany establishes the legal framework for restoring direct air links between the two countries after years of suspension. In a post on »»»

A black-furred monkey with striking orange-pink lips that has remained hidden for years in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been confirmed as a new species, marking one of Africa’s most significant primate discoveries in decades. The monkey, officially named Colobus con»»»

Damascus, July 16 (SANA) Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani received a German delegation led by Géza Andreas von Geyr, Germany’s Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, on Thursday to discuss strengthening bilateral relations. The two ministers also launched the inaugural ses»»»

Dubai: India is set to join a select group of countries operating hydrogen-powered passenger trains when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off the country’s first such service on Friday, marking a major milestone in Indian Railways’ transition to cleaner and more sustainable transportation. The hy»»»

Frankfurt, Germany: US ride-hailing giant Uber has struck a 12.7-billion-euro deal to take over German food delivery behemoth Delivery Hero, the latest consolidation in the industry, the companies said Thursday. The German firm operates in over 60 markets worldwide and has expanded beyond its tradi»»»

WARSAW: Poland has ‌charged an 18-year-old Ukrainian man with inciting ethnic tensions by desecrating memorials to Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War Two, the Internal Security Agency (ABW) said on Thursday. The so-called Volhynia massacres have been a source of tension between»»»

President Zelenskiy was in Paris on July 13 for a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, joining some 25 heads of state and government at the Hôtel des Invalides to sign up to deals supplying desperately needed air defence systems, ammunition and fighter jets. Hosted by Emmanuel Macron, the gathe»»»

The Medical University of Plovdiv currently enrolls 2,530 international students from 63 countries, including 1,100 from EU member states, the university told BTA. The largest groups of foreign students come from the UK, followed by Greece, Germany, and Italy. The university offers English-taught p»»»

BULGARIA'S WITHDRAWAL FROM COALLITION OF WILLING FOR UKRAINE Despite the shift in position and Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s refusal to participate in the Coalition of the Willing meeting in support of Ukraine, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova signed a declaration in Kyiv on Wednesday t»»»

The Medical University of Plovdiv currently enrolls 2,530 international students from 63 countries, including 1,100 from EU member states, the university told BTA. The largest groups of foreign students come from the UK, followed by Greece, Germany, and Italy. The university offers English-taught p»»»

Russia’s crude output declined to the lowest in at least two and a half years in June as Ukraine attacked the nation’s oil infrastructure on an almost daily basis. But LNG production remains untouched and exports to Europe are at their highest level ever. There is a fundamental conflict of interest»»»

Russia’s crude output declined to the lowest in at least two and a half years in June as Ukraine attacked the nation’s oil infrastructure on an almost daily basis. But LNG production remains untouched and exports to Europe are at their highest level ever. There is a fundamental conflict of interest»»»

BusinessEuropeAI: Why Europe is falling behind, and how it can catch upAndreas BeckerEurope trails the US and China in artificial intelligence. Economist and Nobel laureate Philippe Aghion says better research funding, venture capital and AI innovation can help it catch up. https://p.dw.com/p/5GfMl»»»

The EU has agreed to stop granting temporary protection to newly arriving Ukrainians liable for military service while extending the scheme for others who fled the conflict with Russia, according to the Council of the European Union. The restriction will take effect in March 2027, while the broader»»»

Dubai: The hospitality industry has had little time to catch its breath over the past five years. A pandemic, supply chain disruptions, inflation, geopolitical tensions and shifting travel patterns have forced hotel operators to rethink how they build, staff and run their businesses. Sign up for ou»»»

WASHINGTON: The world has largely viewed the US more favourably than China for years. Those opinions have flipped in Beijing's favour this year, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center, a remarkable shift driven in part by tensions between the Trump administration and US allies. Get upda»»»

The United States has resumed enforcing a naval blockade on ships traveling to and from Iranian ports, marking one of the most aggressive maritime pressure campaigns against Tehran in decades. The latest escalation came after US forces disabled an unladen oil tanker that officials said attempted to»»»

NEW YORK CITY: For one afternoon, the corridors of the UN traded the vocabulary of resolutions and official statements for the international language of football. The World Cup semifinal between Argentina and England was showing on two large screens in the delegates lounge on Wednesday, distracting»»»

More people have favourable views of China than the United States in 25 out of 36 countries and territories surveyed, including Canada and Mexico, according to a new poll by the Pew Research Center released on Wednesday. Views were also more favourable of Chinese leader Xi Jinping than US Pres»»»

An illustration from the European Southern Observatory depicts the exoplanet Proxima Centauri b, the closest exoplanet to the sun. A new study by astronomers using the ESO identifies the faintest exoplanet ever imaged from Earth. File Photo by M. Kornmesser/European Southern Observatory July 15 (UP»»»

Polish companies are accelerating their international expansion, with new investments planned in Western Europe, the United States, Central Asia, Africa, and eventually Ukraine. PFR TFI’s Foreign Expansion Fund is seeing particularly strong demand for acquisitions and brownfield projects, while gre»»»

Whether we like it or not, the future of artists using artificial intelligence is now. An upcoming book, out this September by a pioneer in this field, named after the artist himself, “Refik Anadol,” dives deep into this digital murky water. Working at the intersection of art, science, and technolo»»»

FRANKFURT, Germany — German chemical giant BASF raised its earnings forecast for the year Wednesday after hiking prices for some products following the outbreak of the Iran war, but warned of heightened uncertainty.BASF now expects EBITDA before special items, a key measure of profitability, to com»»»

BEIRUT: Erling Braut Haaland, the 25-year-old Norwegian football star, returned home from the US with seven World Cup goals, a stuffed raccoon, two stuffed squirrels, a cowboy hat and even more global fame, earned through his phenomenal scoring ability, immense physical strength and exceptional spe»»»

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball has reached an agreement to sign American forward Jaron Blossomgame on a two-year deal. Blossomgame joins from AS Monaco, where he spent the last four seasons (2022–2026), adding further experience and versatility to Dubai Basketball’s roster ahead of the 2026-27 season. The»»»

JEßNITZ, Germany: Mobbed by fans for selfies and autographs, the man who hopes to become the far-right Alternative for Germany’s first state premier cuts more of a rock star figure on the campaign trail. Ulrich Siegmund, 35, regularly climbs onto a vintage East German motor scooter for rallies with»»»

The parliamentary group of “We Continue the Change” (PP) has launched a petition calling for the gradual replacement of dangerous metal road barriers with concrete safety barriers in order to improve traffic safety. The initiative was presented by MP Yordan Terziyski, who said urgent action was nee»»»

European NATO members are increasingly calling for a new nuclear strategy amid a military buildup frenzy under the pretext of the alleged ‘Russian threat’. The bloc’s members claim that spreading nuclear weapons across the continent will make them safer. Moscow has warned that this could lead to a »»»

DUBAI: Lionel Messi is one victory away from one of the most remarkable reunions in World Cup history. If Argentina defeat England in Wednesday’s semifinal, the 39-year-old captain will face Spain’s Lamine Yamal in Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final, 19 years after unknowingly bathing the 5-month-old du»»»

BRUSSELS: EU countries on Wednesday agreed to extend the right for Ukrainians fleeing the war to stay until 2028, but excluded military-age men arriving in the bloc. The European Union triggered emergency protections for Ukrainians in the wake of Russia’s 2022 invasion, giving them the right to liv»»»

London: Veteran Belgian defender Thomas Meunier said he was "hugely excited" to "begin a new chapter" after he signed for Premier League side Sunderland on a free transfer on Wednesday. The 34-year-old -- one of Belgium's 'golden generation' whose last hurrah was a World Cup quarter-final exit to S»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Marko Djuric received a farewell visit from German Ambassador to Belgrade Anke Konrad on Tuesday, discussing bilateral relations, Serbia's EU integration process, the unblocking of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, the Berlin Process, regional issues and other matters of mutual »»»

The European Union’s population is set to begin a long-term decline from 2029 as falling birth rates and an ageing society reshape labour markets, public finances and regional economies, according to a European Commission report published on July 14. The EU population is projected to peak at 453.3m»»»

The opposition coalition Democratic Bulgaria (DB) calls for urgent amendments to a Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works regulation governing road safety barriers, arguing that the current rules are restrictive, anti-competitive, and compromise road safety. Speaking to reporters in parl»»»

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - Eighty-five percent of Germans express disapproval of the performance of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his cabinet, a poll, conducted by the Forsa sociological institute for the RTL broadcaster, showed. In addition, 82% of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the wo»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani met on Wednesday at Lusail Palace with the President of the Federal Republic of Germany HE Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his accompanying delegation, who offered condolences on the passing of HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani»»»

A 33-year-old German man wanted in connection with a shooting that left a victim critically injured in Cologne has been arrested in Budapest, following close cooperation between Hungarian and German law enforcement authorities. The suspect, identified only by the initials K. M. A., had been the sub»»»

DOHA: President of the Federal Republic of Germany HE Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Doha on Wednesday to offer condolences on the passing of HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The president and the accompanying delegation were received upon arrival at Hamad International »»»

Doha, Qatar: The president of the Federal Republic of Germany HE Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Doha on Wednesday to offer condolences on the passing of HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. His Excellency and the accompanying delegation were received upon arrival at Hamad I»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s embassies and diplomatic missions around the world have become focal points for expressions of sympathy following the passing of the Father Amir, H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Foreign governments, diplomats, senior officials, members of royal families, business leaders»»»

BERLIN: Some German lawmakers and anti-Kremlin activists suspect Russia of inflaming sensitive regional divisions, smearing mainstream political parties and spreading disinformation to help the far right ahead of hotly contested regional elections in Germany. In the former communist eastern states »»»

Madrid: Thousands of people who travel every day between the southern tip of Spain and the British territory of Gibraltar will no longer have to cross a physical border, beginning on Wednesday. The official opening at midnight on Tuesday — after a border fence was fully removed — allows a new freed»»»

LONDON: Mohammad Mustafa, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, held talks with EU officials at the second ministerial meeting of the Palestine Donor Group in Brussels, Belgium. The 65 delegations launched the Team Gaza Initiative on Monday, with an initial package of €883.6 million (nea»»»

MADRID — Tourism revenue rose in Spain in the second quarter of 2026, with the country benefiting from its reputation as a safe destination as Middle East tensions persisted and an increase in spending per person, tourism industry group Exceltur said on Tuesday.Tourism-related gross domestic produc»»»

Jets from the French Air and Space Force's Patrouille de France trail blue, white and red smoke as they fly over the statues atop the entrance to the Tuileries Garden during the Bastille Day military parade in Paris Tuesday. Some areas had to cancel fireworks because of wildfires. Photo by Maya Vid»»»

LONDON: Amnesty International condemned the EU for failing to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement amid accusations of genocide in Gaza and ongoing violations by settlers against Palestinians. The Foreign Affairs Council did not adopt any options to restrict trade with illegal Israeli settle»»»

Ukraine is seeking around €7bn in investment to rebuild and expand its electricity generation capacity after Russia intensified attacks on the country's energy infrastructure this year, while Kyiv and its Western partners are simultaneously stepping up efforts to strengthen air-defence production a»»»