The strengthening of parliamentary contacts and economic cooperation was the focus of talks between Parliament Chair Mihaela Dotsova and the President of the Landtag of the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg, Thomas Strobl, Parliament's press centre said on Friday. Germany is an important pa»»»

Bulgarian leaders denied any split in the country’s position on Ukraine on Friday as the government and opposition parties clashed over the Kyiv Declaration and Bulgaria’s relationship with the Coalition of the Willing. Prime Minister Rumen Radev and President Iliana Iotova said the document requir»»»

JEDDAH: Muslim World League Secretary-General and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa opened Al-Rahman Mosque in Auckland, New Zealand, and delivered its first Friday sermon. Al-Issa also led worshippers in prayer following the mosque’s official in»»»

WASHINGTON: The World Cup final between Argentina and Spain on Sunday will be refereed by Slavko Vinčić of Slovenia, two years after he was in charge of a Champions League final. FIFA announced the pick late Thursday. It’s the second straight World Cup final where Argentina, now the defending champ»»»

The education system in areas under Houthi control is facing a fresh wave of criticism as the group launched the new academic year during the summer. The Houthis are accused of limiting the distribution of school supplies and cash assistance to their supporters and to the families of fighters kille»»»

Sharjah Police have released dramatic surveillance footage of a serious road accident caused by a sudden lane change, warning motorists that a split-second decision behind the wheel can have devastating consequences. The video, captured by the force's advanced traffic monitoring system, shows a sil»»»

DUBAI: More airlines are restoring flights to parts ‌of the Middle East after the conflict that followed US and Israeli strikes on Iran, but some carriers have kept suspensions in place. Below is an update on the status of airlines’ flights, in alphabetical order: AEGEAN AIRLINES Greece’s largest c»»»

GENEVA: The transport of Ebola victims’ bodies between different areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, often for funerals in their home communities, risks further spreading the virus, the UN migration agency said on Friday. More than 2,000 Ebola cases and 700 deaths have been recorded in Congo»»»

A 42-year-old woman was detained in Sofia's Krasna Polyana district during a specialized police operation targeting drug distribution. Police officers found dozens of doses of fentanyl during the action, Sofia police deputy chief Commissioner Stanislava Todorova said. According to her, the operatio»»»

A series of a new anti-corruption proposals are set to be tabled by the European Commission before the end of the year. The announcement on Friday (17 July) follows the publication of reports that attempt to decrypt rule-of-law issues in each of the 27 member states. Speaking to reporters in Brusse»»»

Liverpool FC have officially announced that Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has signed a new long-term contract, committing his future to the Premier League club until 2031. Reward for remarkable development The new agreement comes just three years after Szoboszlai joined Liverpool from RB »»»

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Djuro Macut on Friday inspected works underway at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport and announced it would get three new gates by the start of EXPO 2027. Macut noted that the airport was not only a regional air transport hub but also a symbol of a modern, developed Serbia. "Thre»»»

JERUSALEM: Two former heads of government from the Elders group of international figures founded by Nelson Mandela on Friday warned of the potential disappearance of the Palestinian territories and called for an end to what they called Israeli “impunity.” The call from former Ireland president Mary»»»

BRUSSELS: The ‌European Union announced sanctions on Friday against a Russian executive and five Russian companies, saying they were involved in the manufacture of drones. The Council of the European Union said the decision had been made in the wake of escalating Russian attacks on ‌Kyiv and other »»»

Donald Trump is reviving his long-running claims about the security of US elections. In a primetime address, the president accused China of what he called the largest election data breach in history. He also released documents he says reveal foreign interference, despite intelligence officials sayi»»»

In this edition: how Belgium is leading the way in treating survivors of sexual violence by offering a one-stop centre which provides them with access to medical, psychological and police support. Also, as South Korea is wrestling with a fertility crisis a group of monks at a local monastery are do»»»

The UK will be getting a new prime minister on July 20. And many challenges await Andy Burnham. He will be faced with a tepid economy, high government borrowing costs, and irregular migrants arriving in small boats that have fuelled support for Reform. In his address to the Labour party, he has vow»»»

Pakistani-born Shabir Ahmed, a rape gang ringleader recently released in the UK after serving a prison term for dozens of child sex offenses, committed his crimes because of his upbringing in England, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said on Thursday. The 73-year-old, who first en»»»

Artificial intelligence is no longer simply a technological race. It is becoming a question of how the world chooses to govern one of the most transformative innovations of the modern era, who benefits from it, and whether its advantages remain concentrated in the hands of a few companies or are sh»»»

China has rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that Beijing masterminded the theft of 220 million American voter files to meddle in the 2020 election. Trump’s explosive remarks came ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit to Washington in late September and amid a tentative trad»»»

MUNICH: A Moldovan man has been arrested on suspicion of espionage after a drone flew over a defense contractor’s facility in Munich and allegedly captured images of the site, prosecutors in Germany announced Friday. The 37-year-old man allegedly flew the drone over the facility on Wednesday and is»»»

KYIV: Just when Ukraine appeared to be gaining momentum on the battlefield, President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered a surprise government reshuffle that included the dismissal of his defense minister, triggering rare protests across the country. Parliament has approved a new prime minister — former he»»»

MOSCOW: Russian authorities have detained a blogger who criticized President Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine and fined an anti-war politician, as Moscow sends a warning signal to critics of the Kremlin ahead of September’s parliamentary election. Although Putin maintains a near-total grip on »»»

LONDON: West Ham United ‌captain Jarrod Bowen has pledged his future to the club as they prepare for life in the second-tier Championship following relegation from the Premier League, the England forward said in an interview published on Friday on the team’s website. The 29-year-old was part of the»»»

Russia’s international reserves edged up to $722.4bn in the week ending 10 July, according to the Central Bank of Russia, extending a recovery after a sharp fall in late June. (chart) The stockpile increased by $700mn, or about 0.1%, from $721.7bn a week earlier. It remains well below this yea»»»

Ukraine’s lawmakers approved chairman of the national gas company Naftogaz’s board, Serhii Koretskyi as the new Ukrainian Prime Minister on July 16 in anticipation of intense winter attacks by Russia. Zelenskiy announced a surprise government reshuffle at the weekend, after asking Ukraine’s Prime M»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to appoint former interior minister Ihor Klymenko as secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, completing another stage of a contentious wartime government reshuffle. After making the controversial decision to sack Defence Minister Mykhai»»»

MAKKAH: Saudi artist Basher Al-Khamali has forged a name for himself in the world of mural art in the Kingdom, with his 1,000-square meter mural of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman adorning a wall in Tabuk. It was one of his biggest projects which took him just six days to complete. Speaking to Ara»»»

Nestlé will cease production at its Diósgyőr factory by the end of 2026 after a sustained decline in demand for seasonal chocolate products, the company has announced. The decision affects the plant that specialises exclusively in manufacturing hollow chocolate figures, including the familiar choco»»»

Dubai: Dubai's food sector continued its rapid expansion in the first half of the year, with 1,898 new food establishments opening across the emirate, equivalent to around 316 new businesses a month or 10.5 every day, according to Dubai Municipality. The latest figures bring the total number of foo»»»

Iran’s March drone and missile attacks disabled numerous critical US radars and forced it to “expend a significant portion of their air and missile defense stockpiles,” military expert and CAST security think tank senior research fellow Yuri Lyamin told Sputnik. Lyamin pointed out, for example, tha»»»

The Labour party in the UK has a new leader. Andy Burnham is succeeding to outgoing prime minister Keir Starmer, and will be officially confirmed as prime minister on July 20. In his speech to Labour members at a special conference, he vowed to bring hope back to the UK. He is seen as the party's m»»»

WASHINGTON - Ahead of the launch of US-Serbia strategic dialogue, Serbian FM Marko Djuric said in Washington Serbia and the US would on Friday also sign MoUs on cooperation the energy sector and education. "Today's discussions will focus on a series of topics - besides the ceremonial and formal ope»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE marks Union Pledge Day on 18th July each year, commemorating the historic signing of the Declaration of the Union and the UAE Constitution by the Founding Fathers in 1971, marking the beginning of a 55-year journey of development, progress and global leadership. Union Pledge Day,»»»

Comprehensive work is needed on the regulation on motorway crash barriers, because mechanical replacement, without delving into the problem in depth, may have no effect, said Regional Development and Public Works Minister Ivan Shishkov during Friday's question time in Parliament. Shishkov was respo»»»

Abu Dhabi: Parents and students in Abu Dhabi can now obtain an attested certificate detailing private school tuition fees in as little as six minutes through the emirate's TAMM government services platform, streamlining a process often required for official transactions and financial assistance app»»»

From 18 August 2026, digital service providers within the European Union will face new obligations regarding electronic evidence in criminal proceedings. The new rules will change the way in which companies respond to requests from judicial authorities concerning the disclosure or preservation of d»»»

Dubai: Brent crude may need a prolonged disruption through the Strait of Hormuz or clear evidence of tightening global inventories to break above $90 a barrel, despite heading for its biggest weekly gain since April. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The global benchmark»»»

MEXICO CITY: Mexico on Thursday arrested a former state governor identified as one of the leaders of a billion-dollar smuggling ring, authorities said. Trafficking of stolen fuel is one of the most lucrative criminal activities in Mexico, alongside the drug trade. Ernesto Ruffo, a former governor o»»»

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces raided multiple militant hideouts in the country’s northwest region, killing Pakistani Taliban and seizing a cache of weapons, the military and local officials said. The military said Friday it used intelligence sources to target militants in operations carried »»»

Andy Burnham vowed on July 17 to "give hope" back to the British people as he was confirmed as the ruling Labour party's new leader, set to be the next UK prime minister. 'The King of the North' was elected in a snap election by a landslide in Makerfield, a constituency near Manchester. He will bec»»»

Rewatch Andy Burnham's address to Labour as he officially becomes the new party leader, and is a few days awat from becoming the new British prime minister.»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of European Integration Nemanja Starovic said Friday's launch of US-Serbia strategic dialogue was an important milestone in the relations between the two countries, and noted that the strategic dialogue would pave the way for US investments in Serbia worth up to 20 bln d»»»

A day at Lake Balaton is becoming increasingly expensive for many families, with beach admission fees often overtaking accommodation costs as the biggest holiday expense. For a family of four, a full day at a paid beach can easily cost HUF 10,000–15,000, prompting many visitors to seek out the lake»»»

Dubai: Moving to a new country often begins with excitement to new opportunities, new surroundings, and the promise of a different future. But behind many expatriate stories is a challenge of building a life from the beginning. For Egyptian expat Ahmed Youssef, that challenge came at a time when th»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has been officially declared the leader of the Labour Party and will now be able to become the UK's prime minister, Home Secretary and Chair of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee Shabana Mahmood said on Friday. Mahmood confirmed at a par»»»

RIYADH: Artificial intelligence can now create images that are nearly impossible to distinguish from traditional photographs. But if no camera ever captured the scene, what makes it a photograph? The question is becoming increasingly relevant as AI-generated images blur the boundaries between photo»»»

PARIS: The Riyadh-based International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics called for the responsible and inclusive use of AI during a global science conference at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris this week. ICAIRE participated in the first Global Conference of the International Dec»»»

Abu Dhabi: The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) has launched a comprehensive infrastructure development and road expansion project is underway on the E20 highway to improve traffic flow and accommodate rising mobility demands. Among the key improvements are the widening of its lanes»»»

German Foreign Minister Johannes Wadephul has proposed deploying a European Union force in Lebanon to replace the U.N. peacekeeping mission whose mandate is soon to expire, in order to prevent a security vacuum. In an interview published Friday by RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland, he said, "We in the»»»