Scaffolding and tarp cover much of the name of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that President Donald Trump's name must remain off the building. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- A federal appeals co»»»

Dubai: Dubai maintained its strong economic performance in the first quarter of 2026, with the emirate's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reaching Dh232 billion, representing a 2.4 per cent increase from the same period last year. The performance reflects the strength, resilience, and adaptability of D»»»

WASHINGTON, United States — The IMF cut its 2026 global growth projection again Wednesday, flagging "uncertainty and risks" to the economic outlook as fighting reignited in the Middle East.Global economic growth is estimated at 3.0 per cent this year, said the International Monetary Fund, down from»»»

Dubai: The General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai has been recognised with the “Best Digital City Experience” award under the Hamdan bin Mohammed Programme for Government Services for its Domestic Worker Management initiative, marking a major milestone in the emirate’s effor»»»

France's far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen launched her fourth presidential campaign in the small town of La Flèche in the country's Loire Valley Wednesday after an appeals court cleared her to run for office – despite upholding her conviction for misusing millions of euros in public funds. French»»»

LONDON: Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk made quick work of Italy’s 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini on a sweltering Center Court to speed into her first Wimbledon semifinal 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday. The 12th seed was a woman in a hurry from the start as she took the opening set in 36 minutes, breaking Paolini t»»»

NEW YORK CITY: Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces committed mass killings, systematic abductions of women and girls and mass gang rape in El-Fasher, the UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan said in a new report on Wednesday. The findings add further weight to evidence that atrocities committed by the warrin»»»

LONDON: At least four Palestinian children in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have been killed by Israeli attacks in the past six days, according to news reports. Palestinian medics said on Wednesday that an Israeli strike hit a tent in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza St»»»

The timing of the Ukrainian drone attack on the Krasnodarskaya compressor station of the Turkiye-bound Blue Stream gas pipeline on July 7, the same day Zelensky arrived in Ankara for the NATO summit, is “very intriguing,” prolific global energy expert Dr. Mamdouh Salameh told Sputnik. Salameh could»»»

Constitutional Court Judge Desislava Atanasova did not leave Turkiye while she was in the country between April 5 and 8, 2024, and was not on a business trip, a press release sent to the media by the Constitutional Court’s press office said. On July 2, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said in Par»»»

At Wednesday's plenary sitting of Bulgaria's National Assembly, Continue the Change moved draft amendments to the Election Code, triggering a broad political debate over the future of machine voting, voting abroad, and election integrity safeguards. Parliamentary parties are divided over whether to»»»

VANCOUVER: Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel praised his side’s “incredible, incredible achievement” after their 4-3 penalty shoot-out win over Colombia in Vancouver on Tuesday took them into the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years. The Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper, playing at»»»

Apple CEO Tim Cook gifts President Donald Trump a plaque to commemorate the announcement an additional $100 billion Apple investment in the United States during an event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on August 6. On Wednesday, Apple announced plans to increase its commi»»»

The New Horizons probe has awakened after hibernating for nearly a year, billions of miles into deep space, from where it sent this image of Pluto on July 14, 2015. File Photo courtesy of NASA | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- NASA's New Horizons probe has awakened after hibernating for nearly a year»»»

President Donald Trump filed a court petition to prevent payout to E. Jean Carroll for lawsuits that she won against him. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump and his attorneys filed a motion to pause the payout of nearly $5.8 million to writer E. »»»

LONDON: An Israeli rights group said on Tuesday that a state court filing on 14 detained Gaza doctors failed to answer “serious concerns” about the condition of Palestinian physician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who has been held by Israel since late 2024 reportedly without charge. Physicians for Human R»»»

Doha, Qatar: The United Arab Emirates and Qatar ranked as the two most expensive Arab countries in terms of the Cost of Living Plus Rent Index, according to data published by Numbeo. The UAE ranked first among Arab countries and 28th globally with an index score of 48.2, followed by Qatar in second»»»

Expanding cooperation between Bulgaria and Poland in defence and the defence industry was the focus of talks between Bulgaria's Deputy Defence Minister Katerina Gramatikova-Ivanova and Poland's Deputy Minister of National Defence Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, who is visiting Bulgaria with a govern»»»

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has signed into law constitutional amendments extending presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years, a move that will allow him to remain in office until 2030 and delay the country’s next election by two years. The Constitution of Zimbabwe A»»»

1 of 3 | Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks at the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on August 19, 2024. On Wednesday, he called for Sen. Mitch McConnell to provide the public with an update regarding his health. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI»»»

Two men detained over the killing of Anastasiia Berezovska — among them a serving military intelligence officer — Ukrainian media report, deepening the mystery around the attack on Vadym Iermolaiev. The woman sought by Interpol over the attempted assassination of the sanctioned Ukrainian businessma»»»

The US decision to brand Brazil’s two biggest criminal groups as terrorist organizations could serve as a pretext for military intervention, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry has warned. Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira issued the warning in a letter sent to Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies last week, respon»»»

A Polish member of the European Parliament has publicly torn up a flag of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) – whose fighters massacred up to 100,000 ethnic Poles in one of World War II’s worst atrocities – during a debate on Kiev’s bid to join the EU. On Tuesday, Ewa Zajaczkowska-Hernik, a member »»»

Katmandu: A Nepali court has convicted two former government ministers for taking money from citizens with the false promise of international resettlement as refugees, officials said Wednesday. Former deputy prime minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi was convicted of offenses against the state, fraud and»»»

Argentine President Javier Milei said his proposed shutdown mechanism would prevent the government from spending after money in the approved budget has been used up. File Photo by Chema Moya/EPA BUENOS AIRES, July 8 (UPI) -- Argentine President Javier Milei said his administration will introduce le»»»

WASHINGTON: Eight teams are left in the World Cup, and the quarterfinals feature the top four countries in FIFA’s pretournament men’s world rankings plus two others in the top 10. France look like a juggernaut and are the betting favorite at just under 2-1, followed by Spain and defending champion »»»

BELGRADE - Former Yugoslav Army Chief of General Staff Gen Momcilo Perisic has been released from prison after serving more than two thirds of a four-year prison sentence he had received for espionage. On June 25, the Higher Court in Belgrade approved a request for Perisic's conditional release, fi»»»

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen poses before an interview on the evening news broadcast of French TV channel TF1, following the verdict in her appeal trial over misuse of EU funds, in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris Tuesday. Photo by Christian Hartmann/EPA July 8 (UPI) -- Marine Le Pen said »»»

Hungary’s road transport sector is facing a growing shortage of qualified drivers, with industry representatives warning that the gap is costing the state up to HUF 200 billion (EUR 555 million) annually. The country’s largest road transport association is now calling on the government to restore s»»»

ISTANBUL: Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and a leading opposition figure, is due to present his defense in court on Wednesday, at the latest hearing in his trial for corruption. Imamoglu, considered to be the main opposition challenger to Turkiye’s veteran President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that a lot of progress has been over the past week in solving the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "I think we've made a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks, and we'll see how it all goes." Trump said ahead of his meeting with Vl»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - European Parliament lawmakers on Wednesday condemned Ukraine for naming a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA, banned in Russia as an extremist organization), arguing that this move disregarded Poland's "sensitivities" as the UPA had committed multiple crimes ag»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of European Integration Nemanja Starovic received Irish Ambassador to Belgrade Kevin Colgan on Wednesday to discuss the priorities of Ireland's Council of the EU presidency, the continuation of Serbia’s European integration process and opportunities for improving bilater»»»

London, United Kingdom: Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk cruised past Jasmine Paolini on Wednesday to book a Wimbledon semi-final clash with Linda Noskova, before Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli attempt to set up a rematch of their French Open final. Kostyuk raced to a 6-3, 6-2 victory after just 69 min»»»

BERLIN: A Berlin court on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a German doctor to life in prison on charges of murdering 15 of his patients who were under palliative care, in a case involving allegations he torched the homes of victims to try to cover up the crimes. The 41-year-old doctor, who has onl»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet has approved the establishment of a unified national visa platform at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, making it the Kingdom’s official platform for visa services. The decision was taken during a Cabinet session chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prime Minist»»»

SAO PAULO: Brazil’s federal police searched the home of former President Jair Bolsonaro for weapons and ammunition on Wednesday, but did not find anything, one of Bolsonaro’s lawyers said in a post on X. “The defense had already previously informed the whereabouts of all the ‌weapons. Result: ‌Noth»»»

The funeral procession of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei continued to draw massive crowds as it made its way through the holy cities of Iraq, home to some of the Shia faith's most sacred shrines. The six-day funeral ceremony will conclude on Thursday when Khamenei's body is retur»»»

London, United Kingdom: Czech ninth seed Linda Noskova reached her first Wimbledon semi-final with a 6-3, 7-5 win against Belgium's Elise Mertens on Wednesday. Noskova dominated from start to finish in a last-eight clash lasting one hour and 50 minutes in searing temperatures on Court One. The 21-y»»»

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Interior has contacted the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury, saying it is prepared to provide information and evidence related to the implementation of sanctions imposed under the Global Magnitsky Act. According to the ministry, Bul»»»

ZAGREB: Croatia’s most successful football coach, Zlatko Dalic, resigned on Wednesday, ending a tenure that included taking the team to the 2018 World Cup final. “As much as I still feel the ambition and desire to achieve new successes with Croatia, I feel that this is the right moment to bring thi»»»

LA FLECHE, France: France’s far-right supremo Marine Le Pen hit the campaign trail on Wednesday fresh off her announcement she would run for president despite an embezzlement conviction. Surrounded by crowds and journalists in the western town of La Fleche, that was won by her National Rally (RN) p»»»

Lebanon's judiciary postponed a hearing scheduled Wednesday for former central bank governor Riad Salameh, accused of embezzling more than $300 million, a judicial official told AFP. Salameh, who headed the central bank for three decades and was arrested in 2024, has faced numerous accusations incl»»»

Former Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan is set to be sentenced Wednesday for trying to hide an undocumented immigrant from ICE agents. File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- Former Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday for obstruction for trying to »»»

LONDON: Saudi fintech and private credit firm Seha Invest has signed a $500 million partnership with Boston-based Y-Innovations to support biotechnology and healthcare development in the Kingdom. The agreement was announced on the sidelines of the BMG Forum at the London Stock Exchange. Seha Invest»»»

Doha, Qatar: Amendments to Qatar's State Audit Bureau Law will enter into force on July 25 2026, introducing new enforcement powers, criminal penalties and financial disclosure requirements aimed at strengthening public-sector oversight after nearly a decade of experience under the existing legisla»»»

1 of 3 | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump at the Beştepe Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on Tuesday. Photo by Turkish Presidency Office/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said Wednesday at the NATO summit that he wants to cut»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index rose on Wednesday, gaining 1.32 points, or 0.01 percent, to close at 10,853.73. The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR4.36 billion ($1.15 billion), as 60 listed stocks advanced while 200 declined. The MSCI Tadawul Index also rose, gai»»»

Bulgaria recorded the fastest annual growth in services production among European Union member states in April 2026, according to the latest preliminary figures released by Eurostat. Output in the country's services sector climbed 9.3% compared with April 2025, placing Bulgaria at the top of the EU»»»

The National Bank of Uzbekistan, the country’s largest commercial bank, is betting that the next phase of the country's economic transformation will be driven not by state-backed megaprojects but by households and small businesses. After a decade of reforms since Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev »»»