The Irish EU presidency should recuse itself from any legislative files on tax because of its “questionable track record regarding the protection of EU digital rights and the EU’s fiscal base,” a group of 60 leading academics urged on Wednesday (8 July). In a letter seen by EUobserver, the group of»»»

Geekay Group, one of the Middle East's leading gaming and entertainment companies, today announced a major milestone in its esports journey as Geekay Esports secured qualification across ten titles for the Esports World Cup 2026. The achievement marks another significant step in Geekay Group's long»»»

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s plans to build a skyline-altering arch in the nation’s capital is getting another review from the federal commission whose approval he needs, but the agency’s staff says the project should be revised before it gets the go-ahead. The National Capital Planning Com»»»

This year's budget inventory has been completed; according to the schedule, the new deficit target will be set at the end of August and a comprehensive legislative amendment covering 2026 will be submitted, while the 2027 budget and a medium-term fiscal plan will be submitted by the end of October,»»»

The US military launched a new round of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, following President Donald Trump's assertion that the fragile ceasefire between the two countries was over. Trump warned that the attacks could get "much worse" if Iran perpetrated further attacks on ships in the Strait of H»»»

Dubai: Every grain of rice mattered in Bobby Sutanto's childhood home. Growing up in an underprivileged family in Indonesia, wasting food has never been an option. No one started eating until everyone has gathered around the table. Meals have been shared from dishes placed in the centre, leftovers »»»

The email arrived with the flat courtesy of all such messages. “Dear Customer,” it began, before announcing a change to the monthly Fall-Below Fee — the charge a bank applies when your balance slips beneath a required minimum — taking effect this September. Unremarkable, until it jogged loose somet»»»

DUBAI: Kuwait sounded its missile alert sirens early Thursday morning after Bahrain and Qatar, warning of an Iranian attack after the United States launched a new round of airstrikes targeting Iran. There was no immediate word of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries. Kuwait’s military said it wa»»»

SYDNEY: Indian ‌Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in Melbourne on Thursday, with the two leaders expected to discuss critical ​minerals, trade, defense and security cooperation. Modi, who previously visited Australia in 2023, touched down Wednesday n»»»

Manila: On Wednedsay (July 8, 2026), The third day of Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial shifted from dramatic witness testimony to increasingly contentious legal sparring. Senate presiding officer Francis "Chiz" Escudero admonished both prosecutors and defence lawyers to avoid turning»»»

PROVO, Utah: Prosecutors played a video clip in court Wednesday of suspect Tyler Robinson after he had turned himself in to Utah authorities a day after the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The video showed Robinson standing in a room at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office wearing»»»

As millions of Iranians lined the streets to mourn their slain Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's political leadership projected an image of solemn unity. The elaborate funeral procession, broadcast across state television, was meant to reassure both domestic and international au»»»

1 of 4 | President Donald Trump, center, is greeted Wednesday by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he arrives for the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. Trump held a press conference after the summit closed, saying it was a "great meeting" despite re»»»

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Wednesday ​that he will ask the US Supreme Court to rehear a case challenging his executive order curtailing birthright citizenship, a long-shot bid to reverse the court’s rejection of one of his signature policies. The court last month rejected Trump’s at»»»

President Donald Trump’s administration is threatening to withhold some federal funding from states that don’t make changes to voting practices and is warning state election officials that they face arrest if they don’t remove noncitizens from voter rolls. Letters to states and grant application de»»»

QNA Doha 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 legislation»»»

Tribune News Network Doha As the world celebrates World Volleyball Day, Qatar Foundation’s Creating Pathways programme is using volleyball to help empower the next generation of girls in Qatar, building confidence, leadership and lifelong skills both on and off the court. Volleyball is one of five »»»

The Cabinet also noted parliamentary approval of a new state property draft law prepared by the Ministry of Municipality, which replaces Law No. 10 of 1987. The legislation establishes a unified and updated legal framework governing public and private state property aimed at improving protection, m»»»

1 of 3 | Spectators watch as engineers, the New York Police Department and Fire Department of New York work to secure the building at 235 E. 42nd Street as a partial collapse was feared Tuesday. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- New York City officials believe they have st»»»

DOHA: When FIFA awarded the 2026 World Cup to Canada, Mexico and the United States, many expected the topic of discussion to center around logistics, sold-out stadiums, and successful engagement. Few expected all three hosts to build their own story and legacy into the tournament. From Mexico's dis»»»

Argentina players celebrate after defeating Egypt 3-2 in a Round of 16 FIFA World Cup match at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia on Tuesday. Photo by Christian Brunskill/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- As Argentina advances in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, prosecutors with the U.S. Departme»»»

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»»»