British politics has long had room for eccentric independent candidates, but few have become as recognisable as Count Binface, the silver-faced, cape-wearing satirical campaigner who has turned elections into a platform for political humour. Now, Count Binface has unexpectedly found himself at the »»»

President Donald Trump executed a sweeping purge of the US Election Assistance Commission (EAC) on Thursday, dismissing its three remaining commissioners in an unprecedented shake-up that places the independent agency in administrative limbo just months before the 2026 midterm elections. The White »»»

New cancer cases are projected to nearly double worldwide by 2050, with the disease expected to affect more than 90% of the global population in some way, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. In a report released on Wednesday, the agency said cancer remains the world’s second-leading cau»»»

After being distracted by the Iran war and cutting off Ukraine’s financial and military aid, US President Donald Trump is back in the Ukraine peace game. In a major policy U-turn, the Trump administration has promised to give Kyiv a licence to make its own desperately needed Patriot missile weapons»»»

Afghan nationals with no criminal convictions are being held in immigration detention in Germany pending deportation, according to a report by German daily taz, raising questions over whether some cases are consistent with Berlin's stated deportation policy. The newspaper said at least five Afghan »»»

DUBAI: The plot of Kenji Tanigaki’s “The Furious,” such as it is, is simple. Think “Taken” with far fewer guns. “Somewhere in South East Asia,” widowed mute Chinese handyman Wang Wei (Miao Xie) spends some time with his young daughter Rainy. When she runs off, angry at his refusal to return with he»»»

Doha, Qatar: Spain have made winning look routine at the FIFA World Cup, but Belgium’s growing confidence suggests today’s quarter-final could be anything but. A place in the last four is at stake when two of Europe’s biggest football nations meet at Los Angeles Stadium today (10pm Qatar time), wit»»»

France has finally returned 23 Syrian archaeological treasures that remained in the country for about 15 years after being loaned for an exhibition. Their return coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron's landmark visit to Damascus — the first by a major Western leader since the ouster of Ba»»»

Dubai: The Palm Monorail has resumed services after a six-month maintenance closure, restoring a key public transport connection across Palm Jumeirah. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The operator confirmed the reopening on social media, saying: “We’re back on track. Th»»»

As Bulgaria reassesses its planned cooperation with German defense manufacturer Rheinmetall, neighboring Croatia is moving ahead with a major partnership that positions the country as a future regional center for advanced defense technology and unmanned systems, BGNES writes. Rheinmetall has offici»»»

The United States will oversee the withdrawal of Israeli forces from "pilot zones" in the south, with the first to get underway within days, Lebanese and U.S. officials said Thursday. A U.S. official said that new talks between Israel and Lebanon would go ahead next week, after a diplomatic source »»»

Doha, Qatar: The 3rd Hamba Pakistani Mango Exhibition and Its Products, featuring 60 exhibitors, opened yesterday at the Eastern Square of Souq Waqif, showcasing Pakistan’s renowned mango varieties alongside a wide range of mango-based food products and cultural experiences. The opening ceremony wa»»»

One of the greatest minds in the history of world science, Serbian physicist and inventor Nikola Tesla, was born on this day in 1856. He was born in what was then the Habsburg Monarchy, in what is now Croatia, as the son of a village Serbian Orthodox priest. He was the fourth child of Milutin and D»»»

For 20 years the Islamic Republic of Iran measured its power by the number of Arab capitals it could move from Tehran: At one point, it was four: Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut, Sanaa. Those days are gone. Damascus fell first, taking the land bridge with it. Then, in the last week of June 2026, two of t»»»

Hungary’s Prime Minister’s Office says it does not hold an official record of former prime minister Viktor Orbán’s official programmes or engagements during his final term in office between 2022 and 2026. The revelation came in response to a freedom of information request submitted by investigative»»»

Dubai: Emirates Global Aluminium has restarted alumina production at its Al Taweelah refinery in Abu Dhabi, more than three months after operations were suspended following Iranian attacks on Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Production i»»»

West Palm Beach, United States: A Florida airport was renamed after Donald Trump on Thursday, accelerating a push by the US president and supporters to plaster his name and image on everything from national landmarks to banknotes. "This will soon be one of the Greatest and Most Spectacular Airports»»»

SEOUL: North Korea will strengthen its nuclear force “both in quality and quantity” and expand the role of its military intelligence agency focused on South Korea, state media said Friday. Pyongyang is under widespread sanctions over its nuclear program, and the two Koreas remain technically at war»»»

KEELUNG: Five people were killed in a landslide in the Philippines, and hundreds in Taiwan were evacuated from their homes, as the biggest typhoon in decades swept toward the region on Friday. Typhoon Bavi is expected to pound Taiwan’s north and east, as well as Japan’s remote southwestern islands,»»»

RIYADH: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney departed from Jeddah on Friday, after a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia. On his visit to the Kingdom, the first by a Canadian prime minister in 26 years, Carney said that the two nations were well-placed to deepen mining and energy ties. Saudi Arab»»»

Paris, France: Indian designers are a growing presence at Paris Haute Couture Week -- "overdue" representation for a country that has long played a role behind the scenes, the latest newcomer, Manish Malhotra, told AFP. Malhotra, 59, became the fourth Indian designer after Rahul Mishra, Gaurav Gupt»»»

Dubai: UAE telecoms group e& is selling its entire investment in Vodafone Group for $5.95 billion, bringing an end to one of its largest international shareholdings after a review of its global portfolio. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Abu Dhabi-listed company sai»»»

Twelve people died in a wildfire near Almeria in southern Spain late on Thursday, regional authorities said, with some victims found inside vehicles. The deaths occurred in the hamlet of Bedar, the Andalusian regional government said in a statement, as firefighters continued efforts to contain the »»»

Yokoshiba, Japan: A lanky businessman ventures into a hole-in-the-wall restaurant and savours his meal alone. It's a mundane premise for a TV show, yet Japan's "The Solitary Gourmet" draws a cult-like following around Asia, captivating millions of viewers with its simplicity, nostalgia and deeply q»»»

As thousands of Dubai residents travel overseas this summer, Dubai Housekeeping says homeowners are increasingly looking beyond pre-holiday cleaning and asking a different question: Who will look after my home while I’m away? The company has observed growing demand for services such as home visits,»»»

The government considers it important to preserve utility cost reductions for households served by district heating providers, and will therefore contribute 25.9 billion forints to the district heating fund, government spokesperson Éva Magyar said on Thursday in Budapest. Éva Magyar stated that the»»»

When it came to the funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran this week, the most important man—his son and successor—did not appear. Other relatives came, as did senior officials, who spoke of loyalty and bay’a (the oath of allegiance), as the crowds were told to chant for revenge. B»»»

Israel shared intelligence with the United States this week about a new and “specific” plan by Iran to assassinate President Donald Trump, US media reported Thursday. The reports come as renewed US and Iranian attacks raised fears of a return to all-out war, and after Trump's puzzling use of an old»»»

Oil prices edged higher in Asian trading on Friday as renewed fighting in the Middle East kept geopolitical risks firmly in focus, even as a senior US Federal Reserve official said he expects energy prices to ease over the coming year despite the latest escalation. As of 1:27 pm Tokyo time, Brent c»»»

JERUSALEM: With the Israeli parliament set to dissolve in the coming days, just four months before national elections, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is racing to pass a series of bills, drawing fierce criticism from opposition. Seven pieces of legislation are currently on the »»»

Uzbekistan and Belarus agreed on July 9 to double their bilateral trade to $2bn, as Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko concluded two days of talks in Minsk with the kind of substantive commercial package that gives the Belarusian leader's r»»»

Manila: Taiwan’s Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer and a key Apple supplier, is poised to anchor a landmark US-backed tech cluster project in the Philippines, signaling deepening integration of the country into secure Western supply chains. Get updated faster and for FR»»»

Uzbekistan and Belarus agreed on July 9 to double their bilateral trade to $2bn, as Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko concluded two days of talks in Minsk with the kind of substantive commercial package that gives the Belarusian leader's r»»»

Twelve people were killed in a wildfire in Almeria in ​southern Spain, with 150 firefighters working to put out the blaze, the Emergency Agency of Andalucía said early on Friday. Minister of the Presidency, Health, and Emergencies Antonio Sanz called the fire “the most devastating fire to date ‌in »»»

Tehran: A condolence ceremony will be held on Saturday following the passing of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who lost his life during military strikes on February 28, according to a report by Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency. The news agency reported that the ceremony will»»»

Dubai: The UAE's Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has published its most comprehensive summary yet of Corporate Tax private clarifications, consolidating dozens of questions submitted by taxpayers into a single reference guide. The document, which compiles private clarifications issued up to May 2026, d»»»

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s plans to build a skyline-altering arch in the nation’s capital won initial approval Thursday from a key federal commission, but its members put off a decision on whether a federal law that limits building heights should be applied to this project. Despite overwh»»»

Angelina Jolie is back on the big screen, with perhaps her most vulnerable and delicate performances to date, in “Couture.” It sauntered into cinemas across the Kingdom in early July, coinciding with Paris Haute Couture Week, after premiering last year at the Toronto International Film Festival and»»»

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida: An airport in Florida state was renamed after Donald Trump on Thursday, accelerating a push by the US president and supporters to plaster his name and image on everything from national landmarks to banknotes. “This will soon be one of the Greatest and Most Spectacular Airp»»»

NEW YORK: FIFA’s handling ‌of two World Cup red-card cases came under renewed scrutiny on Thursday after England defender Jarell Quansah got a two-match suspension while US striker Folarin Balogun avoided an immediate ban for a similar ​challenge. That has left former international referees unable »»»

Iran on Friday laid to rest its former supreme leader Ali Khamenei over four months after his killing in an airstrike, as two days of US and Iranian attacks raised fears of a return to all-out war. Khamenei's flag-covered coffin was carried aloft into the shrine of Imam Reza in his home city of Mas»»»

Dubai: Partly cloudy skies, humid nights and occasional dusty winds are expected across the UAE through the weekend, with the chance of fog and mist increasing over coastal and inland areas early next week, according to the National Center of Meteorology (NCM). The NCM said Friday's weather will be»»»

Twenty minutes shouldn’t matter too much, now would it? Dubai-based Kriti Kohli thought so too , until a quick trip to the bank served as a warning tale about leaving a car parked in the UAE heat. “It was so hot when I returned to the car,” she notes. “Worse, the stuffiness just leaves you more fat»»»

Dubai: The UAE's Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has published its most comprehensive summary yet of Corporate Tax private clarifications, consolidating dozens of questions submitted by taxpayers into a single reference guide. The document, which compiles private clarifications issued up to May 2026, d»»»

Share: BEIRUT — The White House has invited Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to visit the United States and meet with President Donald Trump on July 21 in the first such visit by a Lebanese head of state in nearly two decades. In a press release, the Lebanese Embassy in Washington stated, “The invita»»»

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said that technical details still needed to be finalised with the US before Kyiv could start manufacturing its own Patriot air-defence missiles. Ukraine's dwindling interceptor stockpiles have been outstripped by Russia's deadly ballistic missile a»»»

Angelina Jolie is back on the big screen, with perhaps her most vulnerable and delicate performances to date, in “Couture.” It sauntered into cinemas across the Kingdom in early July, coinciding with Paris Haute Couture Week, after premiering last year at the Toronto International Film Festival and»»»

Dubai: Fancy seeing your artwork beamed across the world's tallest building in Dubai? Emaar has thrown open its doors to artists, designers and visionaries once again, launching a fresh edition of its Burj Khalifa Open Call, a projection design competition inviting creatives from the UAE and beyond»»»

By allegedly targeting three civilians tankers during what was supposed to be a 60-day ceasefire, Iran may have crossed a line that weakened — rather than strengthened — its negotiating position. The attacks prompted renewed US military strikes against Iranian military targets and infrastructure, t»»»

Marine tracking firms have reported a sharp decline in commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting growing concerns among shipowners and insurers after renewed military exchanges between the United States and Iran threatened one of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints. »»»