Taipei: Police in Taiwan have seized more than $300 million in World Cup bets after busting an illegal online betting ring, authorities said on Thursday. Taiwan did not qualify for the World Cup, but many people on the sporting-mad island are football fans. Police raided a house in the southern cit»»»

The night fare on buses in Bishkek will be 70 soms for cashless payment and 90 soms for cash payment. Bekzhan Akmatbekov, deputy director of Tulpar project, told 24.kg news agency. He said that night buses are expected to be launched in test mode within the next day or two on six routes. The route »»»

A U.S. Navy MH-60 helicopter, like the one seen here, made a water landing in the Arabian Sea on Wednesday. A search has been launched for one aircrewman aboard the helicopter was has since reported missing. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo July 2 (UPI) -- A search is ongoing for an air»»»

Dubai: After dominating the global box office with over Rs13 billion in collections, Ranveer Singh is taking Dhurandhar to a new audience. The blockbuster espionage thriller is set to release in Japanese theatres on July 10, with the actor personally inviting fans in the country to experience what »»»

Bangkok: An 11-year-old drove his parents' truck into a Buddhist procession in Thailand on Thursday, killing eight monks and injuring 10 others, police said. The group of 35 monks and five lay followers were walking along a roadside in the northeastern Mukdahan province during a pilgrimage when the»»»

Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) MP Kalin Stoyanov said on Thursday that Democratic Bulgaria lawmaker and Co-Chair of Yes, Bulgaria! Ivaylo Mirchev had publicly disclosed classified information during the parliamentary debate on the election of a deputy governor of the National Health Insuran»»»

Arkutino Beach near Sozopol has once again been awarded the international Blue Flag certification, maintaining one of the South Black Sea coast's most recognized environmental distinctions for nearly a decade, Beach Manager Ivan Munin told BTA on Thursday. He emphasized that the award reflects a co»»»

Robinson Beach has received the international Blue Flag award for the second consecutive year, recognizing its high standards of cleanliness, safety, environmental management, and visitor services, Simeon Tsvetkov, Chair of the Association for the Development of Sea Beach Management Activities, sai»»»

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»»»

Doha, Qatar: As Qatar continues building a knowledge-based economy, investment in digital infrastructure, advanced connectivity and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G and smart infrastructure is creating new opportunities for innovation, growth and digital transformation»»»

Doha: The Social and Sport Contribution Fund (DAAM) has signed a funding agreement with QatarDebate Center, founded by Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, to support local debating leagues and championships and expand the Center’s educational publications. Under the a»»»

The State of Qatar participated in the 133rd session of the Permanent Council of La Francophonie, held yesterday in Paris, chaired by HE Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), Louise Mushikiwabo. The State of Qatar was represented by Ambassador of the State of»»»

The medical and social expert examination process has been completely digitalized nationwide. The Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Migration of Kyrgyzstan reported. Medical institutions now submit documents to the Medical and Social Expert Commission exclusively in electronic form, while inf»»»

SEOUL: When he wanted to give a gift to his father who sacrificed much to raise him as a single parent, Lee Geon Hui settled on an unusual idea: an AI-animated video message from his late grandfather, whom his father misses dearly. Lee wrote a message and hired the Seoul-based tech company Vaice in»»»

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»»»

MPs on Thursday voted to terminate the mandate of Dr Petko Stefanovski, Governor of the National Health Insurance Fund, following his resignation. The decision was approved with 193 votes in favor, 3 against, and 2 abstentions. Parliament also voted unanimously to terminate the mandate of NHIF Depu»»»

Acting prime minister Ilie Bolojan said on Tuesday evening that the risk of Romania being downgraded to "junk" status by credit rating agencies depends on whether the country remains on the agreed fiscal path, which is clearly aimed at reducing the budget deficit."Given the current situation, there»»»

Doha, Qatar: Rawabi Hypermarket has announced the launch of its Ahlan Rewards Club – Shop, Earn & Win Campaign, starting on July 1. The campaign has been designed to reward loyal customers with exclusive shopping privileges, exciting rewards, and an enhanced shopping experience through Rawabi’s fla»»»

Riyadh: The State of Qatar has participated in the fourth Meeting of the Committee of Directors of International Cooperation at the GCC Ministries of Interior, held at the GCC General Secretariat headquarters in Riyadh. The Qatari delegation was led by Lieutenant Colonel Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Th»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Social Protection and Rehabilitation Center (Aman), one of the centers operating under the Qatar Foundation for Social Work, has launched the “Learn with Aman” initiative to provide educational support for children benefiting from its services, as part of its summer awareness progr»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Oral Health Promotion and Prevention Department, in collaboration with the Health Education Department at the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), organised an oral health awareness event and dental screening initiative for Qatar Rail employees. The event was held as part of the»»»

Director-General of Qatar News Agency (QNA) Ahmed bin Saeed Al Rumaihi met yesterday with Ambassador of the Republic of Turkiye to the State of Qatar H E Dr. Mustafa Goksu. The meeting discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in the media sector.»»»

The International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) intends to submit two initiatives to the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan for 2028. TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev announced. The first initiative calls for declaring 2028 the Year of Chingiz Aitmatov in the Turkic World in honor o»»»

In this edition of Middle East Matters, Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome our Jerusalem correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky as well as Amberin Zaman, chief correspondent for Al Monitor, a Washington-based independent news organisation that covers the Middle East and North Africa. Zaman argues that»»»

Doha: Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZ), Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Faisal Al-Thani, met with Executive Vice President & CEO of BYD, Stella Li, to explore opportunities for future cooperation in advanced manufacturing and innovation within Qatar’s free zones. The meetin»»»

Doha, Qatar: Dukhan Bank has been named winner of the “Best Business Card Offering in MENA 2026” award by MEED as part of the MENA Banking Excellence Awards 2026 for Retail, Digital & SME. The recognition highlights Dukhan Bank’s continued progress in delivering customer-focused, Sharia-compliant b»»»

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»»»

RIYADH: Foreign private capital investment in Saudi Arabia’s private markets reached SR20 billion ($5.3 billion) in 2025, accounting for about 60 percent of the Kingdom’s total private capital investment and underscoring the continued expansion of the country’s private capital ecosystem. This was h»»»

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»»»

RIYADH: The Capital Market Authority has announced the commencement of receiving applications for authorization to carry out commodity exchange activities in the Saudi Market for a period of 123 days, starting on July 1 and ending on Oct. 31. Through the opening of the application window, the CMA a»»»

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»»»

Russian missile and drone strikes hit Kyiv early Thursday, sparking fires, killing 13 people and injuring dozens, Ukrainian officials said, after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow was preparing a "massive attack".  Russian missile and drone strikes rocked Kyiv early Thursday, kil»»»

The search for 11-year-old Natalia Slavova Asenova from the village of Konstantinovo continues today as police, local authorities, and volunteers intensified efforts to locate the missing child, who disappeared on June 30. According to the Ministry of Interior, the girl is believed to be with »»»

Parliament on Thursday elected Assen Medjidiev as Deputy Governor of the National Health Insurance Fund for a term ending on November 30, 2028. He was nominated for the position by Progressive Bulgaria on June 16. His nomination was approved with 147 votes in favor, 58 against, and no abstentions. »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), a leading onshore financial and business centre, announced that Franklin Templeton is expanding its presence in the Middle East through the establishment of its Qatar entity, Franklin Templeton Investments QFC LLC. Following initial authorisation from »»»

Eurozone inflation eased further in June, falling to 2.8% from 3.2% in May, according to preliminary Eurostat data. The reading came in below market expectations of 3.0% and marked the lowest level since March. In Bulgaria, annual harmonized inflation also declined, dropping to 5.3% from 6.3% in th»»»

On June 30, 2026, the six-month window for free conversion of levs into euros through commercial banks officially ended, marking a key phase in Bulgaria’s currency transition process. According to data released by the Bulgarian National Bank, a total of 29.4 billion leva had been exchanged into eur»»»

Ukraine has become a European hub for multimillion dollar online scamming call centres. The attempted murder of Ukrainian businessman Vadym Iermolaiev in Monaco on June 28 is likely to be connected to his illegal call centre operations based in his home town of Dnipro in Ukraine, say experts, beyon»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian Embassy in Sweden said on Thursday that it had been once again attacked by drones, with one dropping paint and another dropping an imitation of an improvised explosive device near the diplomatic mission. "On July 2 ...the Russian Embassy in Sweden was once again attac»»»

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»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli occupation forces storm the town of Kafr Aqab, north of occupied Jerusalem 02-07-2026 09:02 AM Latest News Urgent News New Escalati»»»

Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf called on Thursday for massive turnout at Ali Khamenei's funeral to avenge the supreme leader's death in U.S.-Israeli strikes at the start of the war. "I invite all the Iranian people... to write a glorious page in the history of Islamic Iran through»»»

Doha, Qatar: Advanced technology and modern operational capabilities are enabling Mwani Qatar to further strengthen marine safety and streamline port operations, with the organisation delivering a comprehensive range of services designed to ensure the safe and efficient movement of vessels througho»»»

Revolut Bank, one of the leading digital banks in Hungary and across the European Economic Area, today announced the successful completion of the migration of more than 2 million eligible Hungarian retail customers to the local branch and can now access Revolut’s Hungarian bank accounts. As part of»»»

Dubai: If you have had your eye on something, today is the day to grab it. Dubai's big summer shopping season has kicked off with a 12-hour flash sale, and it is on right now until 10pm tonight. Running today, Thursday 2 July from 10am to 10pm, the sale brings discounts of up to 90 per cent across »»»

As the UAE ushers in a new chapter in modern transportation, Etihad Rail has unveiled a comprehensive set of travel regulations outlining what passengers are permitted—and prohibited—from bringing aboard its trains, alongside guidelines governing passenger conduct, child travel, pets, luggage, tick»»»

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»»»

Iran has firmly rejected a US-led military security summit hosted in Bahrain, with a senior diplomat declaring that the strategic Strait of Hormuz falls exclusively under Tehran’s operational purview not that of Washington’s regional military headquarters. Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign m»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Stars League (QSL) has announced the official ball that will be used during the new 2026-2027 football season, provided by Adidas (the official match ball partner). The ball’s design was a collaboration between QSL and Adidas, a global leader in the design and manufacture of »»»