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 »»»

Parliament's Committee on Economic Policy, Investment and Industry approved at first reading the 2026 State Budget Bill, submitted by the Council of Ministers on July 1. The bill was backed by 13 committee members, while eight voted against. There were no abstentions. The committee rejected the ver»»»

The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday sent a letter to all 50 stateds and the District of Columbia threatening criminal prosecution if they allow noncitizens to vote. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter warning states that i»»»

BEIRUT: The Lebanese judiciary on Wednesday approved the released of crooner-turned-fugitive militant Fadl Shaker months after he surrendered himself to authorities, a judicial official told AFP. The entertainer, born to a Lebanese father and a Palestinian mother, turned himself over to authorities»»»

Share: Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei. His appointment as Judiciary Chief paves the way for more political executions, analysts say The judiciary chief has emphasised the need to avenge the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and prosecute foreign ‘aggressors’. Iran has reappointed Gholam-Hossein Moh»»»

French far-right chief Marine Le Pen Tuesday said she was still standing for president next year, after an appeals court confirmed her embezzlement conviction but paved the way for her to run with a shorter ban from office. FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks with Dr Katy Brown, Fellow in Language and Soc»»»

A court in Varna has decided to keep the 53-year-old driver accused of killing two women after crashing onto a sidewalk under a signed undertaking, rejecting requests to place him back in custody. The decision came after lawyers representing the victims' families argued that the defendant poses an »»»

GENEVA: United Nations rights experts on Wednesday condemned the life sentence a Pakistani court handed a prominent rights activist, calling it a “travesty of justice.” Mahrang Baloch, a 33-year-old from the southern Balochistan province, was arrested in 2025 on charges stemming from a protest in t»»»

The Lebanese judiciary on Wednesday approved the release of crooner-turned-fugitive militant Fadl Shaker months after he surrendered himself to authorities, a judicial official told AFP. The entertainer, born to a Lebanese father and a Palestinian mother, turned himself over to authorities in Octob»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar's Cabinet has strongly condemned Iranian attacks on Qatari, Saudi, Bahraini and Kuwaiti interests, while approving a series of legislative, judicial, educational and diplomatic measures during its regular weekly meeting chaired by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE»»»

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»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said on Wednesday a Belgrade Declaration adopted at a conference of parliament speakers of EU candidate countries established a new permanent format of cooperation confirming the commitment of all participant countries to the EU path. In a statement»»»

New York: An under-construction Manhattan high-rise at risk of collapse was stabilised late Tuesday and some evacuations of nearby buildings were lifted. “We’ve been monitoring the building for many hours and have not seen any movement,” Ahmed Tigani, commissioner of the New York City Department of»»»

Dubai: Days after the death of Prof KK Abdul Gaffar, the techno-educationist, who helped shape engineering and medical education across India and the UAE, tributes have poured in from former students, colleagues and community leaders across the UAE. As reported by Gulf News, Prof KK Abdul Gaffar, w»»»

LONDON: Two in five British people believe that Muslims cannot integrate into society, a new report has found. The study by Sara Khan, a former government adviser on extremism, also found more than half of Britons believe their country’s national identity is disappearing due to “diversity,” The Gua»»»

A total of 7,057 people employed within Bulgaria’s Ministry of Interior are simultaneously receiving pensions and salaries, according to data from the National Social Security Institute cited by newspaper Sega. The figure, based on information from June this year, is significantly higher than previ»»»

DOHA: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani chaired the regular Cabinet meeting held at its headquarters in the Amiri Diwan. Following the meeting, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs HEIbrahim bin Ali Al Moha»»»

London, United Kingdom: Oil prices soared and stock markets slid Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was over, following renewed strikes in the Middle East. The latest bout of fighting was sparked by Iranian attacks on ships in the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping »»»

DEIR AL-BALAH: An Israeli strike on Gaza just before the kickoff of the Egypt-Argentina World Cup match killed a top Palestinian aid official who helped organize public screenings of the game across the enclave, according to local health officials. The blast turned what was supposed to be a moment »»»

CAIRO — Egypt has taken another step in its long-term programme to deepen capital markets and diversify sources of financing beyond the traditional banking sector after the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) approved ten new licences spanning securities rating, derivatives brokerage, insurance, r»»»

Ras Al Khaimah : The Air Wing Department of Ras Al Khaimah Police carried out 51 aerial missions during the first half of 2026, underscoring its role in strengthening emergency response capabilities, supporting security operations and enhancing public safety across the emirate. The missions include»»»

Dubai: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on a petition filed by Class 12 students from Gulf and West Asian countries seeking relief over disruptions to the 2026 board examinations caused by the regional conflict. A Be»»»

Dubai: The UAE attracted a record Dh177.3 billion in foreign direct investment inflows in 2025, lifting the country to ninth place globally among destinations for inbound FDI, according to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2026. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The figur»»»

Democratic Bulgaria (DB) Floor Leader Nadejda Iordanova said here Wednesday that the ruling majority supports two proposals long advocated by DB: restoring machine voting as the main voting method in Bulgaria and removing the limit on the number of voting sections in countries outside the European »»»

The Administrative Court in Plovdiv has declared void the Karlovo Municipal Council's decision to hold a local referendum on a planned gunpowder factory, the municipal administration said on Wednesday. The court ruled that the proposed referendum questions concern national defense and security rath»»»

The UAE topped the list of Arab destinations for foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2025, attracting US$48.2 billion, representing 40.4 percent of the total. It also ranked first in the Arab world and 17th globally in Dhaman's 2025 Composite Investment Climate Index, improving by two places compare»»»

Dubai: The UAE attracted a record Dh177.3 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in 2025, a 6 per cent increase from the previous year, while the country's total FDI stock climbed to Dh1.17 trillion, according to the latest World Investment Report. Announcing the results in a post on X,»»»

An Israeli strike on Gaza just before the kickoff of the Egypt-Argentina World Cup match killed a top Palestinian aid official who was instrumental in efforts to organize public screenings of the game across the enclave, according to local health officials. The blast turned what was supposed to be »»»