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»»»

SYDNEY: Scientists have detected the highly contagious H5 bird flu in an Australian seabird for the first time, the government said Friday. Australia was for years the only continental landmass to be free of the H5 strain, which has caused severe disease and high death rates in poultry and wild bir»»»

Dubai: Friday morning traffic is lighter than on weekdays, although motorists are encountering pockets of congestion on several key roads across Dubai and on routes from Sharjah into the emirate, according to Google Maps. Traffic is flowing steadily on most major highways, with delays largely limit»»»

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»»»

Parliament will debate at first reading the Bill on the 2026 Public Social Insurance (PSI) Budget and the Bill on the 2026 National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) Budget, according to the agenda adopted for Friday’s plenary sitting. On Tuesday, the two draft budgets were approved at first reading by »»»

The Justice Department under acting Attorney General Todd Blanche filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging Maryland's so-called sanctuary policies. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 10 (UPI) -- The Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Maryland on Thursday challenging the state's »»»

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»»»

Vladimir Zelensky tried to blackmail NATO countries with the prospect of Ukraine having nuclear weapons in order to boost support for Kiev, but his approach was ignored, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. In a comment on the ministry's website, Zakharova said the recent NATO»»»

North Korea has decided to strengthen its nuclear forces both qualitatively and quantitatively, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, citing a decision made at a meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea. The meeting was chaired by the party's general secre»»»

FOXBOROUGH: Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi promised that his team will bounce back from their World Cup quarter-final exit against France on Thursday and keep building as they prepare to co-host the next tournament in 2030. The Atlas Lions were hoping to at least match their historic run to the semif»»»

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»»»

RIYADH: Six national projects led by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) have been honored at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2026 for excellence in artificial intelligence and digital innovation, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Friday. The award»»»

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»»»

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»»»

COLUMBUS, Ohio: Eight men were indicted on murder and terrorism conspiracy charges Thursday for their alleged roles in a thwarted drone and sniper attack on the UFC cage-fighting show staged at the White House in June. The indictment, returned in Ohio, charges all eight in two separate conspiracies»»»

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»»»

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»»»

The U.S. Capitol is seen along with a model of President Donald Trump's Triumphal Arch as visitors attend the fifth day of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall on June 29, 2026. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 9 (UPI) -- A federal Washington, D.C., planning agency advanc»»»

Tehran: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi discussed the latest regional developments with his Omani and Turkish counterparts as well as Pakistan's army chief in separate phone calls following renewed US strikes on Iran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said. Get updated faster and for FREE:»»»

Melbourne: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Australia's Opposition Leader Angus Taylor during his ongoing three-day visit to Australia, with both leaders discussing ways to further strengthen the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The meeting underscored the bipartisan c»»»

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»»»

A wildfire that ripped through a hamlet in southern Spain killed 12 people, authorities said Friday, as a heatwave stifled swathes of the country. Some of the dead in Bedar in Almeria province were found in vehicles, the regional government said in a statement, revising an earlier toll of six dead.»»»

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»»»

A trial showed that human-operated robots can successfully complete at least some surgeries. File Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA July 9 (UPI) -- A humanoid robot successfully assisted during a laparoscopic surgery for a gall bladder removal, suggesting that robots may serve a purpose in some health care »»»

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»»»

Healthcare across the UAE has entered a defining moment. Historically, medical systems were largely designed to respond to an illness once it occurred; care was often fragmented and resource intensive, placing growing pressure on hospitals, clinicians, and national healthcare systems. But today, a »»»

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»»»

DAMASCUS: Western classical music and centuries-old Arabic musical traditions came together at the Damascus Opera House on Monday as Syrian pianist and composer Gaswan Zerikly joined the Arab Music Ensemble for Heritage Revival in a performance celebrating the country’s rich cultural legacy, the Sy»»»

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»»»

Syrian authorities said on Thursday they had arrested several suspects accused of carrying out a series of bombings in Damascus, including attacks during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit this week. The Interior Ministry said security forces dismantled the entire cell, while an official blam»»»

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. »»»

Crowds of Gazans took to the streets on Wednesday for the funeral of Palestinian aid worker Mohammad al-Waheidi, who was killed by an Israeli air strike Tuesday. Waheidi had been involved in setting up public screenings of World Cup matches in the devastated Palestinian territory. Gazans turne»»»

Iranian state media said two military facilities in southern Iran came under attack Thursday evening, but US officials denied that American forces were carrying out any new strikes, adding to uncertainty over the latest reported explosions. The state-run IRNA news agency, citing Ehsan Jahanian, the»»»

The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared to be collapsing Thursday after both sides accused each other of violating the truce, with new military strikes reported across Iran, Jordan intercepting missiles crossing its airspace and tens of thousands of mourners gathering for »»»

Satyendra Pathak Doha The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) ended the trading week on a softer note, with the benchmark index declining 120.59 points, or 1.2 percent, to close at 10,090.57 points. Market capitalisation eased by 1.2 percent to QR609.3 billion from QR616.9 billion a week earlier. Despite th»»»

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met with UN High Commissioner for Refugees HE Dr Barham Salih, who is visiting the country. During the meeting, they discussed relations between the State of Qatar and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)»»»

Meet Eng. Jassim Al Obaidly, Senior Manager, Venue Management, at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), who is serving as a Venue Operations Manager at Miami Stadium during the FIFA World Cup 2026. In this role, Al Obaidly plays a key part in ensuring the smooth and efficient delivery o»»»

QNA Doha Minister of State for International Cooperation His Excellency Dr. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Dr. Barham Salih in Doha on Thursday. During the meeting, they discussed cooperation between Qatar and the UN High Commissioner for»»»

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) launched the activities of the student activity centres for the summer of 2026, under the theme ‘invest their summer in creativity.’ In a statement on Thursday, the MoEHE said that the events, which will continue until August 3, aim to provide »»»

QNA London Qatar does not view mediation as merely one of the tools of its foreign policy but as a reflection of a deep-rooted constitutional conviction, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi has said. He noted that Article 7 of Qat»»»

Tribune News network Doha Qatar Foundation’s Lawh Wa Qalam: M F Husain Museum is hosting a series of summer workshops under the theme ‘Paint Your Summer’ featuring hands-on art activities inspired by renowned artist Maqbool Fida Husain. With a variety of activities on offer throughout the summer, p»»»

QNA The Hague The Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), at its 112th session held in The Hague, adopted a draft decision submitted by the State of Qatar regarding the reinstatement of the rights and privileges of the Syrian Arab Republic at the OPCW. »»»

Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi on Thursday met with UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Hamish Falconer, UK Minister of State for Multilateral Affairs, Human Rights, Latin America and the Caribbean Chris Allmore,»»»