JEDDAH: Citizens and residents of Jeddah are experiencing the rich culture, fine arts, and umami flavors of Japan at the Tomodachi Japanese Festival. The name of the festival, which translates to ‘friends,’ began on Thursday and will run until Saturday at the Jeddah Center for Forums and Events. It»»»

The Yemeni Armed Forces issued on Friday a statement to highlight a Saudi attempt to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sana’a International Airport. The statement indicated that the Saudi attempt failed through the interception of the warplanes by the Yemeni Armed Forces that thw»»»

Castelvetro Piacentino: Several waterways in northern Italy are in a "critical state" due to drought, and the weather forecast bodes ill for the coming days, the Po River Authority (ADBPO) said Friday. "The grip of drought continues to tighten on northern Italy," the institution monitoring Italy's »»»

KFAROUE, Lebanon: In the village of Kfaroue in southern Lebanon, Hussein Hamza makes his daily rounds to feed and check on his furry and feathered charges. The number of animals in his care has multiplied since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, as hundreds of thousands of southern Le»»»

LONDON: Doubles players fear for their tennis future after being told by the ATP Tour that prize money and tournament sizes will decrease significantly starting in 2028. A group of leading doubles players issued a statement Friday saying they are not “a carnival sideshow”, and that it will be impos»»»

Tunis, July 3, 2026 (TAP) - The Tunis Stock Exchange ended Friday's session almost unchanged, with the benchmark index closing at 19,835.16 points in a sustained trading volume of TND 20.9 million, according to stockbroker Tunisie Valeurs.LAND'OR...»»»

RIYADH: The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority has strengthened responsible artificial intelligence innovation in education through the AI Sandbox in Digital Learning initiative, led by the National e-Learning Center. The initiative forms part of SDAIA’s ongoing efforts to support the»»»

Pakistan is investing significant political capital in the Iranian track. In return, it expects Tehran to respect its mediatory role and cooperate on security matters. Pakistan has sent a high-level delegation to Iran for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's farewell ceremony, led by PM Shehbaz Sharif and»»»

KYIV: The Ukraine war front line remained largely frozen in June, extending a longer-term trend of stalled Russian momentum, an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) showed. The June data showed a Russian net gain of 30 square kilometers (12 square miles), focused in th»»»

JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said Friday it had struck several Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon a day earlier in response to attacks on its troops in the area. Israel and Lebanon signed a US-sponsored framework agreement last week to pave the way for peace between the two countries and disarm Ir»»»

Amal Movement issued on Friday a statement on the occasion of its Martyr’s Day, reiterating its rejection of the “Framework Agreement” with the Zionist enemy. The Movement also affirmed its support to the Lebanese Army, denouncing the Israeli attempts to utilize its soldiers and officers for the sa»»»

Bulgaria's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivanka Tasheva and Chinese Ambassador in Sofia Dai Qingli met here on Friday to discuss priority areas for interaction and deepening the bilateral partnership, as well as specific steps for cooperation within the framework of relations between the Europ»»»

New Delhi: India's foreign exchange reserves declined by 5.65 billion U.S. dollars to 666.93 billion dollars during the week ended June 26, showed the latest weekly bulletin released by the country's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on Friday. Three weeks ago, the forex reserves had f»»»

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine updated the death toll from a Russian attack on Kyiv to 30 as rescue operations continued Friday. Photo via State Emergency Services of Ukraine/UPI | License Photo July 3 (UPI) -- The State Emergency Service of Ukraine updated the death toll from a Russian att»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles Fernandez in Belgrade on Friday to discuss further strengthening of Serbia-Spain cooperation in defence and security, as well as current regional and European matters of mutual interest. "I especially t»»»

Hungary now officially holds more gold than Romania for the first time in modern history, with the country’s gold reserves reaching 110 tonnes and an estimated value of USD 12.1 billion, according to new research based on World Gold Council data. The analysis, published by The Gold Bullion Company,»»»

MUNICH: Bayern Munich on Friday announced Germany defender Nathaniel Brown has joined the club from Eintracht Frankfurt on a deal running until 2031. The defending Bundesliga champions paid a reported fee of 55 million euros ($63 million) to Frankfurt to bring Brown, 23, to the club, where he will »»»

RIYADH: The red fox, one of the most common carnivorous mammals in the King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve, plays an important ecological role in Saudi Arabia. Regarded in Arab folklore as a symbol of intelligence and quick wit, the canine helps to regulate populations of rodents and other smal»»»

Dubai: The Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and Minor Hotels announced on Friday that the Thai hospitality giant will take over the management and operations of the seven properties under Sharjah Collection. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The agr»»»

BELGRADE - At a ceremony at which he presented the Serbian Order of Karadjordje's Star 1st Class to the family of posthumously decorated Serbian Armed Forces Staff Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Jovanovic had lost his life while honourably performing his duty in»»»

Tunis, July 3, 2026 (TAP) - The National Hajj and Umrah Commission met on Thursday at the headquarters of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, chaired by Minister of Religious Affairs Ahmed Bouhali, in the presence of Chief Executive Officer of the...»»»

Dubai: If you've watched HBO's hit show Succession, you'll know one thing: building a business is hard. Passing it on is even harder. So when I jokingly ask brothers Fadl and Abed Safadi whether their family has ever resembled the Roys—the billionaire clan whose empire is fuelled by sibling rivalry»»»

TORONTO: Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said VAR is taking “the joy out of football” after seeing his team have a stoppage time equalizer disallowed in their 2-1 World Cup defeat to Portugal on Thursday. Croatia’s players thought they had grabbed an incredible equalizer when Josko Gvardiol prodded the »»»

Iran has warned the US and Israel against any attacks during the upcoming funeral processions for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes of the war, as Tehran prepares for days of heavily secured mourning ceremonies. Funeral processions for Khamenei are se»»»

BELGRADE - At a ceremony at which he presented the Serbian Order of Karadjordje's Star 1st Class to the family of posthumously decorated Serbian Armed Forces Staff Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Jovanovic had lost his life while honourably performing his duty in»»»

Dubai: Dubai Health has launched “Dream-It, Dubai-It”, an interactive educational programme designed for children to explore the world of healthcare through hands-on experiences, creative workshops, and field visits that help them develop new skills and turn their ideas into impactful projects. Get»»»

LAGOS: The United States has pulled out most of the troops deployed to Nigeria for a special operation against fighters of the Daesh group in the country’s northeast, the American military said. In May, US and Nigerian forces in the Lake Chad region of Nigeria killed nearly 200 Daesh fighters, incl»»»

THESSALONIKI, Greece: Greek police said Friday they had arrested two Turkish nationals seeking to cross their frontier with 50 pistols. The men were driving two trucks at the Evros border crossing in the Thrace region on Wednesday night with the front vehicle acting as a “scout” and the guns found »»»

Singapore: Minister of Labour HE Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri met today with Minister for Manpower of the Republic of Singapore HE Dr. Tan See Leng as part of His Excellency's official visit to the Republic of Singapore, accompanied by an official delegation. His Excellency affirmed that the meeting»»»

Dubai: The UAE's national aerobatic display team, Al Fursan, has arrived in the United States to take part in celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of US independence, in what will be the team's first-ever performance in American skies. Al Fursan will participate in the official aerial display»»»

The ‘Israel’-Lebanon framework agreement signed in Washington on June 26, 2026, threatens to betray war crimes victims in Lebanon, Amnesty International and five human rights and press freedom organizations said today. Parts of the text appear to be aimed at preventing victims of serious internatio»»»

Kiev: Ukrainian authorities announced that four people were killed and several others injured in Russian attacks targeting the Sumy Oblast and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast regions in northeastern and central Ukraine. Head of the regional military administration Oleh Hryhorov, head of the Sumy Regional Mil»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Friday condemned and denounced the bombing of a cafe in the Al-Hijaz area of Damascus, after an explosive device detonated at the site on Thursday, killing and injuring several people. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Kingdom stands in solidarity with»»»

The Louisiana Supreme Court granted a stay on state Attorney General Liz Murrill's indictment, less than 24 hours after a grand jury approved malfeasance and intimidation charges. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo July 3 (UPI) -- The Louisiana Supreme Court granted a stay on state At»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia strongly condemns the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attack on a market in the city of Tokmak in the Zaporozhye Region, which is a heinous war crime, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Friday. Earlier in the day, Zaporozhye Region Governor Yevgeny Balit»»»

The new multi-projectile ammunition ‘Mnogotochie’ (‘Ellipsis’) from Rostec’s High Precision Systems delivers devastating penetrating power while remaining incredibly simple to use — even for beginners. In combat tests of the new cartridge, a non-professional shooter took down a moving first-person »»»

TUNIS, July 3, 2026 (TAP) – The Tunis Court of Appeal, late Thursday, delivered its verdict in the case concerning the lifting of the assets freeze imposed on businessman Marouane Mabrouk, a decision taken by a small cabinet meeting in January...»»»

TUNIS, July 3, 2026 (TAP) - The Tunis Court of Appeal upheld late Thursday the first-instance ruling against businessman Marouane Mabrouk in a money laundering case, confirming his 14-year prison sentence, a judicial source told TAP.The Tunis Court...»»»

DAMASCUS: Mourners filed through Damascus on Friday, a day after an explosive device set off in a cafe in the Syrian capital killed nine people. The funeral procession in the normally bustling Midan neighborhood carried the coffins of three of the blast victims. Another 20 were wounded in the explo»»»

LONDON: Media rights group the Committee to Protect Journalists has voted to keep its current definition of who counts as a journalist, following a week of turmoil over fears that Palestinian and Lebanese reporters killed by Israel could be erased from its casualty database. On June 25, CPJ announc»»»

Capitals, July 3 (SANA) Bahrain, South Korea, Japan and the International Commission for the Protection of Civilians (I.C.P.C.) condemned on Friday the terrorist bombing that targeted a café near the Palace of Justice in the al-Hijaz district of the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Thursday.Bahrain’s F»»»

BusinessGermanySick leave: Germany rising but not the worst in EuropeNik MartinSick leave in Germany has hit a new record, with workers taking an average of nearly 20 days off per year. As Chancellor Merz cracks down, how does the country's absenteeism compare to other countries? https://p.dw.com/p»»»

Paris: Interpol on Friday identified a 39-year-old woman from Ukraine as the main suspect in a bombing in Monaco that reportedly targeted a Ukrainian tycoon with links to Russia. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.The police organisation named Anasta»»»

BusinessGermanySick leave: Germany not top in EuropeNik MartinSick leave in Germany has hit a new record, with workers taking an average of nearly 20 days off per year. As Chancellor Merz cracks down, how does the country's absenteeism compare to other countries? https://p.dw.com/p/5GVMWWorkers in »»»

Bengaluru: Aster DM Healthcare and Quality Care India Limited (QCIL) have officially completed their merger, the healthcare giant announced Friday, creating one of India's largest integrated hospital networks with 39 hospitals across 28 cities and more than 10,600 beds. Sign up for our daily busine»»»

Brussels: Authorities in Belgium announced that the country's death rate rose by 39 percent during the week of the heatwave that swept across Europe last month. In a statement, the Belgian authorities said that, according to preliminary data, Belgium recorded 1,222 excess deaths between Thursday, J»»»

Abu Dhabi: Alhind Tours and Travels Private Ltd, the company that was supposed to launch new unified Indian Consular Application Centres on July 1, on Friday officially announced that rollout of the new Indian passport, visa and consular services across the UAE has been postponed temporarily. In a »»»

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has called on all Lebanese parties to implement the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, saying it is essential to preventing internal strife. "All components of Lebanon must work to implement the clause about Lebanon in the memorandum of unders»»»

This year, the United States is marking 250 years of independence with celebrations across the country. An historic occasion that US President Donald Trump intends to turn into the crowning achievement of his second term by changing the appearance of Washington DC to his taste – and infusing h»»»

PRESS REVIEW - Friday, July 3: We look at the US papers' reactions as the country's 250-year celebration begins this Fourth of July weekend. The New York Times warns Europe's glaciers are melting rapidly because of recent heatwaves. Also, British papers are in a football frenzy ahead of their game »»»