PARIS: During his first participation in Vision Golfe, Sultan Al-Musallam, secretary-general of the Federation of Saudi Chambers, reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to strengthening its economic partnership with France in an interview with Arab News en Francais. According to him, France’s strengt»»»

DUBAI: Iran’s joint military command warned Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a “forceful response,” again ratcheting up tensions over a waterway crucial for international energy supplies. The strait, the narrow mouth of the Arabi»»»

As it repels Russian aggression, Ukraine suddenly found itself at loggerheads with its western neighbour and strategic ally Poland. A quarrel morphing into systemic confrontation was caused by a significant shift in Ukraine’s memory policy, underway since former military intelligence (HUR) chief Ky»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s largest listed banks posted 3.9 percent deposit growth in the first quarter of 2026, boosting liquidity and reinforcing the sector’s resilience, a new analysis showed. Customer deposits outpaced loan growth during the three months ended March, with aggregate net loans and adv»»»

Doha, Qatar: Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2026 during a graduation ceremony on 30 June 2026 to mark its fourth Medical Education Day. The event highlights Sidra Medicine’s continued investment in developing highly skilled healthcare profe»»»

BEIRUT: Syria’s foreign minister traveled to Beirut ‌on Thursday to meet Lebanese government leaders, in his first visit there since US President Donald Trump raised the possibility of Syrian forces combating Iran-backed Hezbollah ​in Lebanon. Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, however, has previous»»»

Doha, Qatar: As part of its commitment to supporting national talent and contributing to a sustainable future, Commercial Bank organised a Career Day in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, yesterday. The event aimed to showcase career opportunities and strengthen engagement with Qatari talen»»»

DUBAI: “Dark comedy is my favorite genre,” says Saudi actress and writer Sarah Taibah. “So many comedy films are just silly jokes and nothing is serious, and so many Arabic dramas we watch are so much cheating, and weeping on the floor, and so much sadness. But what I like about dark comedy is that»»»

DHAHRAN: Acclaimed Saudi cinema pioneer Haifaa Al-Mansour took to the stage at the Saudi Film Festival on Wednesday night to accept a special award, praising the “Herculean efforts” of the Kingdom’s Cinema Association. “This honor means a lot to me — not only because it is a Saudi festival that cel»»»

Arab Finance: Pioneers Properties for Urban Development (PRE Group) reported a 337.73% year-on-year (YoY) increase in consolidated net profit after tax and attributable to the parent company during the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, according to its financial statements submitted to the Egyptian Excha»»»

It's the 1,000th day of war since a Hamas-led attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. Other conflicts have emerged in the region, and fragile ceasefires show scars of persistent attacks. Both Israelis and Palestinians are weary of the strain. The fate of over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, »»»

U.S. and Iranian negotiators met separately on Wednesday with Qatari and Pakistani mediators, with "positive progress made," and they agreed to continue discussions, host Qatar said. The next meeting will be scheduled "at the earliest possible time" after the funeral of Iran's previous supreme lead»»»

The real estate mogul has become the billion-dollar crypto man. President Donald Trump's latest financial disclosure report showed he took in about $1.2 billion last year from various crypto holdings, overshadowing a real estate business that brought him fame and helped propel him to the nation's t»»»

A ceasefire sounds straightforward: Fighting stops. Negotiations ensue. Ordinary citizens get a break from fighting — and some time to rebuild. That's not what's happening in the volatile Mideast, where ongoing fighting still resembles a war long after ceasefire agreements were announced and Presid»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia's Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) have arrested 130 Saudi citizens and expatriate residents on suspicion of corruption-related offences following a series of inspections and investigations carried out during June. Nazaha said it conducted 1,585 oversight inspect»»»

Doha, Qatar: Visit Qatar and Qatar Airways announced yesterday a partnership with Fanatics to present Qatar’s hospitality at Fanatics Fest NYC through an exclusive invitation-only lounge experience. Taking place July 16-19 at the Javits Center in New York City, Fanatics Fest NYC will feature an inv»»»

Dubai: The UAE has unveiled a national vision to increase community contributions to more than Dh20 billion by 2031, building on partnerships with the private sector to strengthen sustainable development and maximise social impact. The initiative follows the generation of Dh3.23 billion in communit»»»

ALGIERS: Voters in Alergia are casting ballots Thursday in parliamentary elections overshadowed by cost-of-living concerns and bans on candidates challenging the government. Nearly 25 million voters across Africa’s largest country by territory are choosing among 1,235 candidates for 407 seats with »»»

Libya’s central bank has announced a 13.3% devaluation of the dinar, setting the new exchange rate at 5.5677 to the U.S. dollar. This decision marks the first official devaluation since 2020 when the bank adjusted the rate to 4.48 dinars per dollar. As the nation grapples with a complex web of econ»»»

From June 21 to 30, 2026, a Physics Olympiad (ISPhO 2026) was held at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Russian Federation). According to the Ministry of Education of Kyrgyzstan, ISPhO is one of the most prestigious international competitions in research physics among high school stud»»»

PARIS: French far-right leader Marine Le Pen faces a make-or-break court ruling on July 7 on her bid ​to overturn an election ban, a verdict that could knock her out of the 2027 presidential race or clear the way for her to seek the top job for a fourth time. France’s political class is anxiously a»»»

It’s the 1000th day of war since a Hamas-led attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. Other conflicts have emerged in the region, and fragile ceasefires show scars of persistent attacks. Both Israelis and Palestinians are weary of the strain. The fate of over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, l»»»

Seven countries within the OPEC+ group are planning to increase oil production in August, Reuters reports. They are expected to once again agree on raising oil output quotas by 188,000 barrels per day. The same decision has been taken over the past two months by members of the group — Russia, Saudi»»»

HILL CITY, Kansas/CHICAGO/NEW YORK: Record-breaking temperatures spread to the eastern US from the Midwest on Wednesday, putting tens of millions of people under heat warnings expected to last into the July 4 holiday weekend, when Americans will celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary. The extreme»»»

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday indirect talks with Iran in Qatar were making progress, signalling diplomacy remained on track despite recent hostilities. Iran later said the talks had ended with agreement to establish a communication channel by Thursday to report and document violation»»»

Dubai: Temperatures are forecast to climb to 47 degrees Celsius inland across the UAE over the coming days, while fresh winds are expected to raise blowing dust from the weekend, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said. The NCM said today's weather would be fair in general, with low clouds de»»»

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s sweeping water-sector reforms have transformed the Kingdom’s water scarcity challenges into development opportunities, with experts and officials at Saudi Water Week highlighting advances in sustainability, digital transformation and international cooperation to strengthen gl»»»

France’s lower chamber of parliament has approved a controversial assisted dying bill that would allow some seriously ill adults to request a lethal injection. The legislation has been backed by French President Emmanuel Macron but has met strong opposition from conservative parties and the Catholi»»»

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that indirect talks with Iran in Qatar were making progress, offering a tentative sign that diplomacy was holding after recent exchanges of fire threatened efforts to end the Middle East war. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who led Tehran's»»»

NEW YORK CITY: A UN scientific panel warned on Wednesday that safeguards on artificial intelligence were failing to keep pace with the rapidly growing capabilities of the technology. It came as the panel released the first independent global assessment of the risks and benefits of AI, which found t»»»

Damascus, July 2 (SANA) President Ahmad al-Sharaa held a phone call on Wednesday with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during which the two leaders discussed the fraternal ties between their countries and ways to strengthen cooperation across various fields. The two sides reviewed »»»

QNA Doha With its final meeting next week, the Shura Council will be concluding the first ordinary session of its second legislative term, corresponding to its 54th annual session, marking numerous significant achievements in both its legislative and oversight capacities. These milestones align clo»»»

QNA Cairo The Shura Council participated in the plenary session of the Arab Parliamentheld at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in Cairo. The Shura Council was represented by HE Amina bint Youssef Al Jaidah, HE Nasser bin Mohammed Al Nuaimi, HE Mubarak bin Moh»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2026 during a graduation ceremony on June 30 to mark its fourth Medical Education Day. The Class of 2026 comprises 75 graduates who completed residency, fellowship, undergraduate and »»»

Ramallah: Chairman of the Palestinian National Council (PNC) Rawhi Fattouh, warned on Wednesday that the Israeli Knesset’s approval in its first reading of a bill aimed at banning the call to prayer within the 1948 territories constitutes a legislative and racist crime. In a statement, he stressed »»»

Doha: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received a phone call on Wednesday from HE President of the Syrian Arab Republic Ahmed Al Sharaa. During the call, they discussed the fraternal relations between the two countries and prospects for strengthening joint cooperation as well as ways to »»»

LONDON: Kuwait Airways will resume direct flights between Damascus, capital of the Syrian Arab Republic, and Kuwait City on July 15, the first time in 14 years it has offered the route. The Syrian Civil Aviation Authority said on Wednesday the move was part of efforts to enhance air connectivity be»»»

Damascus, July 1, (SANA) The Syrian Arab Republic on Wednesday congratulated the Federal Republic of Somalia, its leadership and people, on the occasion of Independence Day. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates extended best wishes for continued security and stability in »»»

LONDON: Syrian authorities said on Wednesday that they thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large shipment of the illicit amphetamine captagon from Lebanon into the Al-Nabek district. The Drug Enforcement Administration, working with the Internal Security Command in Rif Dimashq governorate, seized 832,»»»

Ankara, July 1, (SANA) Türkiye’s Ambassador to Syria, Nuh Yilmaz, affirmed that relations between Damascus and Ankara are strategic, noting that the two countries are currently cooperating across multiple fields under a clear vision for future development. Yilmaz expressed Türkiye’s readiness to ac»»»

LONDON: Military leaders from Syria and Lebanon joined for the first time commanders from across the Middle East at a United States defense conference on Wednesday. The regional security dialogue was held in the Bahraini capital, Manama, and led by US Central Command, which coordinates military ope»»»

ATLANTA: People living in Bahrain and Kuwait awoke to the sound of sirens on June 28, despite there being a ceasefire between the US and Iran. Two Iranian ballistic missiles were intercepted over Kuwait, and an Iranian drone struck a residential building in Bahrain. Although no casualties were repo»»»

Pope Leo XIV (C) greets the people after presiding over a meeting June 7 in Madrid, Spain, 07 June 2026. An arch-conservative Catholic group on Wednesday consecrated four bishops without the pope's permission and despite his appeal to them. Photo by Fernando Villar/EPA July 1 (UPI) -- The Society o»»»

DAMASCUS: Business leaders and officials from Syria, the UK and other nations gathered in Damascus on Wednesday for an economic conference to discuss investment opportunities and development in Syria, as postwar recovery efforts in the country continue. The one-day event, organized by the Syrian-Br»»»

CHICAGO: Arab American leaders are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence with pride despite concerns over continued discrimination and misunderstanding. Leaders of several Arab and Muslim organizations told Arab News that they have more freedoms in the US than anyw»»»

After months of crisis in the Middle East, France is looking to build its influence in the region by strengthening relations with Oman – a small country long seen as a quiet, neutral regional player. On his first state visit to France, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq and French President Emmanuel Mac»»»

Despite a US-sponsored agreement paving the way for peace between Lebanon and Israel, the actual situation on the ground is unchanged. Israel continues to occupy southern Lebanon, and launched targeted strikes there over the weekend. Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the occupied area and v»»»

A viral video showing handcuffed men walking in single file is being shared by Islamophobic accounts claiming it depicts Muslims enslaving Christian Africans. However, the video has been taken out of context. A video showing a long line of shirtless men, their hands tied behind their backs, walking»»»

Cairo: President of the Arab Republic of Egypt HE Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received the credentials of HE Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al-Thani as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Qatar to Egypt. HE the Ambassador conveyed greetings of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim »»»

Damascus, July 1 (SANA) Participants in the Syrian-British Business Council (SBBC) conference held Wednesday in Damascus affirmed the importance of boosting economic cooperation between Syria and the United Kingdom. The event served as a platform to explore investment opportunities and discuss pros»»»