RIYADH: The world will witness one of the longest total solar eclipses of the 21st century, on Aug. 2. It will be a rare astronomical event not seen in Saudi Arabia for more than 75 years that will temporarily turn daylight into darkness. The path of totality will cross large parts of western and s»»»

Al Ain: The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has temporarily closed Take Restaurant in Al Ain after inspectors identified repeated food safety violations that posed a risk to public health. The establishment, which operates under commercial licence CN-2554094, was ordered to»»»

Wizz Air is marking two decades of operations in Romania with an expanded fleet, a 50 percent market share, and plans to offer approximately 18 million seats on the local market in 2026. The airline is now prioritising higher frequencies and greater network resilience, while preparing additional ro»»»

Dubai: The United States appears to be shifting from trying to degrade Iran’s military capabilities to considering operations that could fundamentally weaken Tehran’s ability to control the Strait of Hormuz, marking what could be a new phase in the conflict. As President Donald Trump weighs broader»»»

Athens: The mayor of Athens on Thursday said construction of a new line for the city's subway network had been halted for safety tests after dozens of residents reported damage to their flats. Haris Doukas told reporters that "the tunnel boring machine has stopped" in the central district of Kypsel»»»

Dubai: The emirate's flagship biennial business aviation exhibition will return in December, bringing together aircraft manufacturers, private jet operators and aviation service providers. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The 11th edition of the MEBAA Show will take pla»»»

Bulgaria’s parliament has approved at first reading a series of amendments to the Election Code that would bring back widespread machine voting, remove the planned electoral district for Bulgarians abroad, and lift restrictions on the number of polling stations in countries outside the European Uni»»»

The head of Albania's Socialist Party parliamentary group, Taulant Balla, accused Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha of personally signing a master plan for the development of the Zvërnec area, escalating political tensions during a parliamentary debate. Balla made the remarks in Parliament while»»»

Egypt is finalising procedures for four state-owned companies under its stock-market offering programme as it seeks to accelerate privatisation and reduce the government’s role in the economy. Twenty of the 30 companies covered by the programme have already secured temporary listings on the Egyptia»»»

GENOA, Italy: An Italian court has begun delivering verdicts for 57 defendants charged in the collapse of Genoa’s Morandi highway bridge that killed 43 people nearly eight years ago. The defendants include former executives of highway operator Autostrade per L’Italia, experts from its engineering c»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly called for lower interest rates again, increasing the pressure on the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) as the Kremlin struggles to reconcile a slowing wartime economy with a fresh surge in inflation driven by the country's deepening fuel crisis. (chart»»»

MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan of Hezbollah stressed Thursday that Hezbollah “will not hand over the weapons.” “They will not be able to remove them,” he told Al-Jadeed television. “The villages located within the pilot zone are not occupied except for one village, and the Lebanese state's achievement i»»»

A black-furred monkey with striking orange-pink lips that has remained hidden for years in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been confirmed as a new species, marking one of Africa’s most significant primate discoveries in decades. The monkey, officially named Colobus con»»»

It began with unanswered phone calls. When relatives couldn't reach anaesthesiologist Dr Kiran Honannavar for nearly two days, they kept trying. His wife answered instead, reportedly saying he was sleeping. Later, she said he had gone to work. Neither explanation was true. Get updated faster and fo»»»

Nairobi: Uganda discharged its last Ebola patient on Thursday, the health ministry said, marking a successful containment of the outbreak that had spread from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda must now pass 42 days without a new case to be declared officially Ebola-free under World »»»

Dubai: The parent company of Taj Hotels has overhauled its organisational structure as it prepares for its next phase of growth, with plans to expand its global portfolio to 700 hotels by 2030. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), I»»»

With internet penetration at 94.1% and online platforms capturing 56% of the national advertising spend, the digital shift in the Hungarian market is absolute. However, for brands trying to reach the quarter-million foreign residents and millions of international tourists, standard display ads are »»»

Police in Hong Kong arrested five bookstore workers on suspicion of breaches of the territory's national security laws during raids on two independent shops after customs officers seized a consignment of books shipped from overseas. File photo by Leung Man Hei/EPA-EFE July 16 (UPI) -- Police in Hon»»»

Islamabad: The Pakistani Foreign Ministry affirmed that the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between Washington and Tehran remained a framework for promoting peace. At a press briefing, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said that mediation efforts are currently facing signi»»»

Dubai: Donald Trump returned to the White House promising to end America’s “forever wars,” not start new ones. But a New York Times analysis raises a question that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: Could the renewed conflict with Iran become the very kind of prolonged military engagemen»»»

Dubai: India is set to join a select group of countries operating hydrogen-powered passenger trains when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off the country’s first such service on Friday, marking a major milestone in Indian Railways’ transition to cleaner and more sustainable transportation. The hy»»»

London: Thomas Tuchel may have criticised his England stars for being too "passive" in their World Cup semi-final defeat against Argentina, but it is the beleaguered German who has come under fire from the British media for his defensive tactics. Hampered by Tuchel's cautious substitutions, England»»»

Kuwait: Kuwait's General Staff announced Thursday that the country's air defense systems are currently intercepting hostile drones following the ongoing Iranian aggression. In a statement, the General Staff said any explosions heard are the result of air defense systems engaging the hostile aerial »»»

Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah lashed out Friday at President Joseph Aoun for playing "partisan" politics and "fueling division" instead of uniting the war-torn country. Fadlallah accused Aoun of "turning the presidential palace into a partisan platform for factions whose history and alignments are »»»

The data for in-app authentication will remain unchanged, so users can log in to the app with the same credentials (email address/phone number and password). In the preparation phase necessary to switch to the new version, between Friday July 17, starting at 20:00, until Sunday July 19, 2026, the m»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli artillery targets the area between Bani Hayyan and Talloussa, South Lebanon: Al-Manar reporter 16-07-2026 14:05 PM Latest News Urge»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli warplanes raided Nabatiya Al-Fawqa town, South Lebanon: Al-Manar reporter 16-07-2026 14:23 PM Latest News Urgent News Israeli warpl»»»

Moscow sees no immediate prospect of resuming Ukraine negotiations in Turkiye but remains open to that path, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Journalists asked Peskov how the Kremlin assessed the possibility of renewing peace talks on Ukraine through Turkish mediation, which Turkish Foreign Mi»»»

ASHGABAT, (Sputnik) - The US' policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran, including the economic sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic, have lost all effect and are no longer able to force Iran to make concessions, Iranian Ambassador to Turkmenistan Ali Mojtaba Rouzbahani said on Thursday. "The faile»»»

Why is everyone talking about Satluj?Satluj, director Honey Trehan's film based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, has become the subject of intense discussion after it was reportedly removed from streaming platform ZEE5 just days after its release in India. In the UAE, the »»»

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told his US counterpart Pete Hegseth early Thursday that “Israel is determined to keep its forces in security zones” in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip. In a statement, Katz’s office said the two officials spoke overnight and the minister “emphasized Israel’s »»»

The British government said Thursday it had taken British Steel into full public ownership to "protect the future of steel production in the UK", after taking control from Chinese firm Jingye. The country's last factory that can make steel from scratch faced imminent closure last year after Jingye »»»

Pakistan said on Thursday it would encourage the United States and Iran to stop violence and resume talks under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) it helped mediate last month. "While the implementation of the MoU is facing challenges, Pakistan will continue to encourage all sides to end violence »»»

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it has approved the sale of an estimated $1.96 billion in weapons to bolster Saudi Arabia's air defenses, as the war ramps up in the Middle East. "This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by imp»»»

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected claims that Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova’s signature on a joint declaration in Kyiv represents a decision for the country to strengthen its participation in the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” supporting Ukraine. The statement was issue»»»

Member of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, MP Hasan Fadlallah, affirmed that over the past period the bloc made a commitment to itself not to engage in polemics with the President of the Republic. However, what he described as “repeated accusations against our people and the insistence on turnin»»»

Ukraine is likely to get a new Prime Minister today and a much more pragmatic government as a result of the surprise reshuffle that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy triggered by asking the current Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko to step down at the weekend. Under the Ukrainian constitution »»»

The Kremlin is pushing the Far East as a major investment opportunity thanks to a sanctions-driven surge in trade with China and a broader wave of investment from across the continent and the Global South. For most of the past decade, Russia's pivot to Asia has been measured in barrels of oil, cubi»»»

Last week’s column ended with reference to my interviews with members of the Afghan women’s cricket team, which had been touring England. Since then, there have been developments in plans for their future. After the International Cricket Council’s Annual Conference in Edinburgh between July 8 and 1»»»

CAIRO: Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Palestinian health officials said, as a US-based research group reported a surge in Israeli attacks to levels not seen since the latest truce took effect in October. Medics said an Israeli airstrike killed two p»»»

Dubai: Indian community groups in the UAE have called for a permanent solution to the ongoing difficulties faced by Indian expats in accessing passport and attestation services, along with the recent hike in passport fees. Their demands come amid uncertainty over the future of passport and attestat»»»

The paradox comes at a particularly challenging time for the Romanian economy. The European Commission forecasts GDP growth of just 0.1% in 2026, while inflation is expected to remain around 7%, continuing to erode household purchasing power and consumer spending. At the same time, fiscal consolida»»»

A ceremonial send-off was held Thursday in Stara Zagora for 97 Bulgarian service members deploying to Kosovo as part of NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR). The contingent, primarily drawn from the Second Tundzha Mechanized Brigade, also includes personnel from the Joint Forces Command, Military Police Serv»»»

JERUSALEM: US Vice President JD Vance said some ‌members of the Israeli government had tried to influence US public opinion to oppose a deal by the US to end the war with Iran, in a podcast ​episode with host Joe Rogan posted on Wednesday. The comments echoed earlier criticism of Israeli government»»»

ATLANTA: Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni saluted his team’s never-say-die mentality after another come-from-behind victory on Wednesday powered them past England into the World Cup final. Scaloni said his team had scented victory as England sat back after taking a 1-0 lead in their semifinal in Atla»»»

LONDON: The British government on Thursday urged FIFA to investigate Argentina’s team after players posed with a banner claiming sovereignty over the contested Falkland Islands. Argentina beat England 2-1 in a World Cup semifinal on Wednesday in Atlanta. During post-match celebrations, Argentine pl»»»

Dubai: Former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan has been selected to help review how the US Federal Reserve manages its $6.7 trillion balance sheet, as the central bank considers changes to its monetary policy operations. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Raj»»»

Dubai: India’s space programme is entering one of its most ambitious phases. With the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission nearing key milestones, advanced satellite launches planned and future planetary missions in the pipeline, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing for a defin»»»

Syrian authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle a shipment of advanced weapons and missiles through the Iraqi-Syrian border, the Syrian interior ministry has announced. The ministry added that “investigations confirmed that the shipment was intended to pass through Syria to Hezbollah.”»»»

Dubai: DAMAC Properties has launched the sixth and final tower of Chelsea Residences by DAMAC in Dubai Maritime City, giving buyers what the developer says is the last opportunity to invest in the world’s first football-branded residential project after the first five towers sold out amid strong de»»»