RIYADH: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met with Canada’s Minister of National Defense, David McGuinty, on Thursday. The two reviewed Saudi-Canada relations and discussed bilateral defense cooperation, as well as regional developments and efforts to promote regional and internationa»»»

Italy's second biggest bank, Unicredit, is closing in on a takeover of Germany's second biggest bank Commerzbank after saying it secured 47.6% of the lender's shares on Wednesday. The move is facing widespread opposition in Germany, notably from the federal government, which has a 12% stake in the »»»

Protesters gathered for the 40th consecutive day on Tirana's "Dëshmorët e Kombit" Boulevard, continuing their campaign demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and what organizers described as the country's entire political establishment. During Thursday's demonstration, protesters also»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met with Canada’s Minister of National Defense, David McGuinty, on Thursday. The two reviewed Saudi-Canada relations and discussed bilateral defense cooperation, as well as regional developments and efforts to promote regional and internationa»»»

DOHA: As part of the State of Qatar's ongoing humanitarian response in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela following the earthquake that struck Caracas, a delegation from Qatar Fund For Development (QFFD) conducted a field visit to assess ongoing humanitarian operations and review the progress of »»»

Tuareg separatists from the Azawad Liberation Front and their jihadist allies attacked a convoy of Russian soldiers and Malian troops Thursday as they were en route to reinforce a military camp in the northern town of Anefis.  Tuareg separatists and their jihadist allies attacked a convoy of R»»»

Doha: Jassim bin Rashid Al-Buenain has announced his resignation as president of the Qatar Football Association (QFA) following the conclusion of Qatar’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign. In a statement posted on his official X account on Thursday, Al-Buenain said his decision comes after three years a»»»

DOHA: Jassim Rashid Al Buenain has announced his resignation as President of the Qatar Football Association (QFA), stepping down after serving three years at the helm of the country's governing football body. In a statement posted on his social media accounts, Al Buenain said his tenure was marked »»»

RIYADH: Construction of Saudi Arabia’s first entertainment-focused business park and corporate resort has been completed, the head of the General Entertainment Authority said on Thursday. Boulevard Business Park, built at a cost of more than SR1 billion ($267 million), is within Riyadh’s Boulevard »»»

The Trump administration has proposed changing a Biden-era Environmental Protection Agency rule requiring heavy duty trucks to limit specific emissions, stating that it could save truckers up to $12 billion per year. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo July 9 (UPI) -- The Trump admini»»»

The resolution adopted by the European Parliament, which contains baseless and preposterous allegations against the heroic Turkish Armed Forces, is null and void. We fully support the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus regarding the resolu»»»

Share: Israel is expected to begin its first pullback from a planned “pilot zone” in southern Lebanon within days, a US official told Axios on Thursday, as Washington moves forward with the US-mediated security framework between Beirut and Tel Aviv. The process would proceed despite Lebanon’s refus»»»

NEW YORK: At the UN’s annual High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Faisal AlFadl, secretary-general of the Saudi Green Building Forum, argued that sustainable development goal 11 on sustainable cities is uniquely positioned to accelerate progress across the entire 2030 Agenda becau»»»

UTAH, USA: The defendant in Charlie Kirk’s killing told his roommate “he wishes he hadn’t done it” the day after the conservative activist was shot in the neck while speaking to a crowd at Utah Valley University, according to a recording played in court Thursday. Lance Twiggs, who was also suspect »»»

Doha: The State of Qatar welcomed the United States' announcement that it has begun the process of removing the Syrian Arab Republic from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the move marks a positive step toward supporting stability in Syria and the w»»»

KYIV: ‌Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Russia struck an ammunition warehouse ​during its attack on Kyiv region earlier this week, adding that a criminal probe was launched. In the small town of Vyshneve on Kyiv’s western outskirts, the Russian ‌strike hit ‌the warehouse»»»

Doha: The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has urged motorists to pay their traffic fines on time, emphasizing that prompt payment reflects compliance with the law, enables motorists to benefit from available incentives, and helps prevent the accumulation of violations and the legal procedures that may f»»»

Eric Jay Dolin’s “The Wreck of the Mentor” tells the gripping saga of the American whaleship wrecked in 1832 on a remote reef in the western Pacific. With supplies dwindling, the eleven surviving crewmen face not only the miseries of shipwreck in unfamiliar territory but also the profound uncertain»»»

DOHA: The State of Qatar welcomed the United States' announcement that it has begun the process of removing the Syrian Arab Republic from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the move marks a positive step toward supporting»»»

CALIFORNIA: Mikel Merino is relishing Spain’s opportunity to advance to the semifinals of the ‌World Cup, although first up is a quarterfinal matchup against Belgium in Inglewood, California, on Friday. Merino played a major role as Spain stayed alive with his stoppage-time goal in a 1-0 win agains»»»

Mourners gathered for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during the funeral procession from Iran to Najaf, Iraq, on Wedensday. Iran and the United States are continuing strikes in the Gulf region. Photo by Behnam Tofighi/UPI | License Photo July 9 (UPI) -- The United States and Iran have trade»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has revealed the unusual gift he received from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during the recent NATO summit: a personalised .357 Magnum revolver engraved with his name and supplied with live ammunition. Sharing the gift on Facebook, PM Péter Magyar desc»»»

First Sermon (Khutbah One)All praise is due to Allah, who has promised those who are patient the finest ultimate abode, and has bestowed upon them His bounty beyond all measure. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that our Master and Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger o»»»

JEDDAH: As Saudi Arabia accelerates the adoption of advanced technologies across key sectors, researchers are harnessing artificial intelligence and drone technology to modernize one of the Kingdom’s oldest traditions: camel herding. Home to more than 2.1 million camels and over 80,000 owners, Saud»»»

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh: The UN refugee agency called on Thursday for additional land to ease overcrowding in Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps after heavy rains triggered landslides that have killed at least 15 people. More than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees, many of whom fled Myanmar during a b»»»

Adjudicating Constitutional Case No. 6 of 2026, Bulgaria's Constitutional Court on Thursday declined a petition submitted by the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) to declare unconstitutional a provision of the Measures Against Money Laundering Act which obliges the Supreme Bar Council (SBC) to ado»»»

Miami: Erling Haaland said facing England, the land of his birth, in the World Cup quarter-finals was extra special as he aims to extend Norway's historic run into the last four. In his first major international tournament the Manchester City striker has propelled his country to the last eight by s»»»

MANCHESTER: Manchester United revealed more details about their proposed new stadium on Thursday, including the precise location of the 100,000-seat arena. United said the new stadium would be situated around 350 meters northwest of their existing Old Trafford stadium. As part of a wider stadium di»»»

LONDON: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan arrived in Kuwait on Thursday for a meeting with Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Al-Nahyan was accompanied by a high-level delegation. The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier condemned the Iranian missile and drone at»»»

WASHINGTON: Russian strikes ‌killed at least 265 civilians in Ukraine and injured 1,816 in June, the highest combined casualty count since the first months after Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, a top UN official told the Security Council on Thursday. UN political affairs chief Rosema»»»

Riyadh: The member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) expressed their strongest condemnation and denunciation of the Iranian attacks targeting the Saudi tanker "Wadiyan" and the Qatari tanker "Al Rekayyat" while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which endangered the lives of their cre»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) held an introductory workshop on Thursday for top-performing Qatari high school graduates to present the 2026-2027 government scholarship program and explain the academic opportunities and benefits available. Speaking at the event,»»»

NAIROBI: The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo is the “fastest growing” ever, African health authorities said Thursday, as the World Health Organization said it had killed 600 people. Updated numbers issued by the UN health agency showed there have been 1,759 confirmed cases in DR Cong»»»

BEIRUT: 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 US officials said Thursday. A US official said that new talks between Israel and Lebanon would go ahead next week, after a diplomatic sou»»»

MIAMI, USA: Erling Haaland said facing England, the land of his birth, in the World Cup quarter-finals was extra special as he aims to extend Norway’s historic run into the last four. In his first major international tournament the Manchester City striker has propelled his country to the last eight»»»

NEW YORK: The Saudi Fund for Development has channeled more than $3 billion into development programs across 22 small island developing states, an official told a UN session on Thursday, as member states examined strategies to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals ahead of the 20»»»

The sinking of the ARA San Juan in 2017 killed all 44 crew members. A woman visits the a makeshift tribute made with flags and notes to the 44 crew members of the missing submarine ARA San Juan at the Argentina Navy base at Mar del Plata in November 2017. File Photo by Mauricio Arduin/EPA July 9 (U»»»

India has officially confirmed its ambition to host the 2036 Summer Olympic Games, emerging as one of the strongest contenders in what is expected to become an increasingly competitive race. The announcement could present a significant challenge to Budapest’s long-discussed Olympic aspirations, as »»»

Doha, Qatar: The representative of the Private Engineering Office, Abdulrahman Mohammed Al Naama, inaugurated the 3rd Hamba Pakistani Mango Exhibition and Its Products on Thursday evening at the Eastern Square of Souq Waqif. The exhibition is organized by the Celebrations Committee at the Private E»»»

Supporters of Fidesz and the Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP) staged a demonstration outside Sándor Palace on Thursday to protest what organisers described as the “construction of a Tisza dictatorship” and the planned removal of President Tamás Sulyok. Fidesz and KDNP held a protest in fa»»»

Abu Dhabi: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, discussed regional developments during phone calls with a number of foreign ministers from brotherly and friendly countries. Sheikh Abdullah held phone talks with Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al Ahmad Al S»»»

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia and Canada are deepening their economic ties through the Saudi-Canadian Investment Forum, a high-level gathering held in Jeddah alongside a visit by the Canadian prime minister to the Kingdom. The forum brings together senior officials, investors, financial institutions, and pr»»»

Renewed US-Iranian fighting over the Strait of Hormuz has cut off liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments from the Persian Gulf to Pakistan. "Since Qatar's LNG flows through the Strait of Hormuz seized up in March, the country has been living with a 4,000-megawatt daily power shortfall," Mishal Pakis»»»

By Mahmoud Hammad Rana Adawi, Co-founder and Managing Director of Acumen Holding Ltd, said that the company will begin its real-estate fund -the first of its kind in the Egyptian market- in March 2016. With a capital ranging between EGP 250mn and $300mn. Adawi has singled The Middle East Observer o»»»

PARIS: French skipper Alexia Barrier is set to make history when she competes in the transatlantic single-handed Route du Rhum yacht race in November. “I’m going to be the first woman to race in the Ultim class at the Route du Rhum,” the 46-year-old told a video press conference on Thursday. The Ul»»»

Dubai: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has issued a decree setting November 28 for legislative elections, with presidential elections to follow in the first quarter of 2027, in what would mark the first Palestinian presidential vote in more than 20 years. The decree calls on Palestinians in Jer»»»

LONDON: Andy Burnham, ‌who is expected to be named as Britain’s new prime minister later this month, wants to exert more ​pressure on the Israeli government over its actions in Gaza, the Guardian reported on Thursday. In an interview with the newspaper, Burnham was critical of how current Prime Min»»»

The government approved the draft of a new General Civil Liability Insurance Contract covering the liability for nuclear damage of Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant EAD. The insurance contract will be concluded with the Bulgarian National Nuclear Insurance Pool for a period of one year. The current cont»»»

The European Parliament has taken a major step towards introducing the digital euro, approving its negotiating position on the legislation that could pave the way for the EU’s first central bank digital currency. If the remaining negotiations proceed as planned, Europeans could begin using the new »»»