Mediators have achieved progress in efforts to get the United States and Iran back to negotiations and avert an all-out war in the Middle East, two regional officials said Monday, with a pause in attacks coming after a period of rapidly escalating tensions. The comments came after neither the U.S. »»»

Paris, France: FIFA president Gianni Infantino has hit back at World Cup critics, claiming they were "spreading hate and false rumours" and arguing the tournament delivered "only joy and happiness". In a long open letter published on Monday, Infantino urged detractors to "take a moment to reflect, »»»

Kobe, Japan: Five young Pallas's cats, dubbed the world's grumpiest feline for their sullen facial expressions, went on display at a zoo in Japan on Thursday. Kobe Animal Kingdom put the four males and one female, all born in May at the facility, on public viewing last week. The animals are believe»»»

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has maintained a flexible political approach while insisting that his core positions on dealing with the Israeli enemy remain unchanged, according to remarks published by Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar on Monday. Speaker Berri stressed the importance of preserving »»»

Iran's foreign ministry on Monday said it was not currently involved in negotiations with the United States, despite a halt in recent fighting between the two sides. "At present, we are not engaged in any negotiations with the United States," said the ministry's spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei at a weekly»»»

Share: Former Israeli army chief Gadi Eisenkot has emerged as the main challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections. © Jack Guez, AFP Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot has emerged as the principal challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel prepares to v»»»

Employees working in Bucharest’s main northern business districts spend an average of RON 42-45 on lunch, with Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday recording the highest traffic, according to data collected during the first six months of 2026 by the FAYN restaurants in Pipera and Aurel Vlaicu. The data »»»

Dubai: OGold, the premier Shariah-compliant gold and silver-backed super app, has announced a major milestone of surpassing 1.5 million users, cementing its position as one of the region's fastest-growing digital precious metals investment apps. The achievement reflects the increasing adoption of d»»»

Maghazi, Palestinian Territories: Just days before her final secondary school examinations, the house opposite the temporary home where 18-year-old Saba Rabah was living in central Gaza was bombed. She and her family fled, leaving behind everything they had. It was only the latest ordeal in a war t»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received a farewell visit from Hungarian Ambassador to Belgrade Jozsef Magyar on Monday. "A cordial and substantial discussion with Hungarian Ambassador Jozsef Magyar, whom I thanked for his commitment, personal engagement and significant contribution t»»»

German police said Sunday they had shot and killed the chief suspect in what officials described as a deadly Islamist attack near the Berlin Pride parade the previous night, the latest ramming assault to hit the country. The attack late Saturday -- the first such incident to target the German capit»»»

Manila: June Palomar is paying Php730 pesos in "system loss" charges on his June 2026 electricity bill amounting to Php11,500. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr now wants it scrapped. That's one of the president's appeals made to Filipino lawmakers on Monday (June 27) as he delivered his fifth State of»»»

An ​Australian court on Monday rejected an appeal from right-wing leader Pauline Hanson to overturn a ruling that she racially discriminated against a Muslim senator by telling her to “piss off back to Pakistan.” The three-judge panel of the Full Federal Court of Australia unanimously upheld a 2024»»»

TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign ministry on Monday said the United States was not involved in recent talks with Oman over the administration of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.“These talks have no connection with the United States. They are a bilateral matter between Iran and Oman, and they are continuing,” »»»

Manila: A homemade bomb detonated near the entrance of the Philippine justice ministry early on Monday, officials said, hours before a suspected unexploded device was found near the country's Senate. The explosion just after midnight, which resulted in no casualties, and the discovery of the second»»»

Seattle: A shooting near the Space Needle landmark in Seattle killed three people on Sunday and wounded at least four others including a toddler, officials said. Seattle Police said one suspect was arrested and they were searching for another following the incident at a food festival in a popular t»»»

Sydney: Residents and police searched for survivors on Monday after a landslide at a gold mine in the Solomon Islands, a witness and officials told AFP. The landslide at the Chinese-owned Gold Ridge mine, around 25 kilometres (16 miles) southeast of the Pacific nation's capital Honiara, took place »»»

Dubai: Travellers flying from the UAE to Hungary will soon have another direct option, with flydubai resuming non-stop flights between Dubai and Budapest from July 31. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Dubai-based carrier said it will initially operate three weekly f»»»

RIYADH: Qatar has launched a diamond exchange in a bid to position Doha as a regional hub for the global trade in rough and polished diamonds. The Qatar Diamond Exchange, launched by the Qatar Free Zones Authority, will operate from the Ras Bufontas Free Zone and offer trading, vaulting, certificat»»»

Following a meeting with decorated senior officers of the Russian navy, Russian President Vladimir Putin once again hinted that Hungary could regain territory from Ukraine. According to the Russian president, Ukraine will “sooner or later lose” these lands. Could Hungary receive territory from Ukra»»»

Doha: Qatar Tourism, through Visit Qatar, in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Development and Family and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, marked the second edition of Purple Saturday 2026. The national initiative promotes the inclusion and empowerment of people with disabilities while »»»

Doha, Qatar: Snoonu, Qatar’s first homegrown super app for food, groceries, and in demand services, and Spacetoon Go, a comprehensive family entertainment super app in MENAT, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly provide their audiences with access to premium content and exclus»»»

RIYADH: The Saudi Sports for All Federation has announced the launch of its “10 Billion Steps” initiative, which aims to encourage healthy lifestyles and support the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. The initiative runs from July to December 2026 under the slogan “Don’t Count Your Steps, Let Them Count.”»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), a leading financial and business hub, and the Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in talent development and help bridge the gap between academic learning and industry pra»»»

Doha, Qatar: Dukhan Bank has won two major accolades at the 2026 Euromoney Islamic Finance Awards, receiving the titles of Qatar’s Best Islamic Bank and Qatar’s Best Islamic Digital Bank. The awards reinforce Dukhan Bank’s position as one of Qatar’s leading Islamic financial institutions, recognizi»»»

Doha, Qatar: QNB Group, a leading financial institution in the Middle East and Africa, has announced the opening of its newest dedicated QNB First premium branch in Msheireb Downtown Doha. Following the highly successful launches of its Lagoona Mall and Al Sadd locations, this latest addition marks»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Board of Directors of Aamal Company (“Aamal”), one of the region’s leading diversified companies, yesterday announced its financial results for the six months (H1) ended 30 June 2026. The total revenue was down by 1.9% to QR1,050.2m (H1 2025: QR1,070.1m) while the gross profit incr»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Rayan Investment LLC (ARI), Qatar’s leading investment and advisory firm, has joined the Gulf Capital Market Association (GCMA). ARI is the first Qatari investment firm to be accepted by the region’s premier investment industry association. The GCMA serves as the leading voice of th»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Commercial Bank and its subsidiaries (the “Group”) announced yesterday its financial results for the six months ended 30 June 2026. The Group reported Net Profit before Pillar Two Tax of QR1,083.0m for H1 2026. The year-on-year movement in profit was supported by resilient operatin»»»

Ras Al Khaimah: Construction has officially begun on Janu Al Marjan Island, a new luxury hotel and branded residences development in Ras Al Khaimah that is scheduled to open in 2029. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The project marks the second joint venture between Mar»»»

MANILA: A homemade bomb detonated near the entrance of the Philippine justice ministry early on Monday, officials said, hours before a suspected unexploded device was found near the country’s Senate. The explosion just after midnight, which resulted in no casualties, and the discovery of the second»»»

Doha, Qatar: From sports and science to technology, creativity and personal development, Qatar Foundation (QF) is once again transforming Education City into a vibrant summer destination where children and youth and families can learn, explore and grow. Running until end of August, QF’s extensive s»»»

Firefighters battled throughout the night and into Monday morning to tackle "monster" wildfires ​in France and Spain as authorities warned of a fresh heatwave set to hit already drought-stricken areas in coming days. French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a crisis cabinet meeting to discus»»»

The fire in southwest France was about 15 kilometres away from Bordeaux on Sunday, as authorities in France and Spain battled wildfires that have forced roughly 300,000 people from their homes across both countries. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the situation in Bordeaux as "unprecedent»»»

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, using his first meeting with a foreign leader since taking office to underline London's "unwavering support" for Kyiv. The visit comes ahead of Zelensky's trip to Washington on Tuesday.  Zelens»»»

The Supreme Court on Monday observed that the right to peaceful protest is guaranteed under the Constitution and cannot be denied, while indicating that it may frame an all-India protocol for regulating peaceful demonstrations. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, along with J»»»

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has declared that the United States has “destroyed the foundation” for any meaningful dialogue, following what it describes as a “flagrant and gross violation” of a recently brokered maritime agreement. In an exclusive interview with Austria’s ORF television, Iranian Foreign»»»

Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan praised on Sunday the pilots and military personnel involved in shooting down the drones and "strongly" condemned the Russian Federation's violation of Romanian airspace, describing it as "unacceptable.""The recent actions of the Romanian Air Force, alongside our»»»

A city beach is being developed on the bank of Ak-Buura River in Osh’s Yugo-Vostok microdistrict, Osh Deputy Mayor Shumkarbek Paiziev said. According to him, the site has already been leveled, sand has been delivered, and sunshades for visitors are being installed. A pedestrian bridge across the ri»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov said that Kyrgyzstan built the Balykchy—Kochkor railway branch using its own resources and at a significantly lower cost than what had been offered by foreign companies. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the railway line, he said the 63-kilometer route has be»»»

SEATTLE: A shooting killed two people and wounded five including a child on Sunday evening during a popular food festival near the Space Needle in Seattle, a city fire department spokesperson said. The gunfire erupted around 6 p.m. in the waning hours of the Bite of Seattle, an annual festival that»»»

DETROIT: Traffic is set to start flowing Monday across a new bridge over the Detroit River that will serve as a critical route for trade, jobs and tourism between Canada and the US Last week, Canada celebrated the Gordie Howe International Bridge with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Windsor, Ontario, »»»

Bulgaria is working to minimize risks to the public from US military aircraft stationed at Bezmer Air Base, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said in a television interview on Sunday. “Risks existed when the aircraft were based at a civilian airport in Sofia, and risks exist now that they are at Be»»»

July 27 (UPI) -- Two locations of a Jewish-owned Toronto bakery chain were damaged overnight, authorities said Sunday, as the incidents are being investigated by Toronto Police Service's Hate Crime Unit. The Toronto Police Service said both locations suffered broken windows, but only one appeared t»»»

TEHRAN: The United States and Iran paused their attacks for a second straight day Sunday, as efforts continued to bring them back to negotiations on an interim ceasefire deal largely undermined by recent exchanges of fire, as Donald Trump’s UN envoy said the president was “giving talks some space.”»»»

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed to Russian leader Vladimir Putin to «freeze» the conflict in Ukraine with the assistance of world powers. He made this statement during the 22nd Forum of Interregional Cooperation of the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan in Omsk, local media re»»»

It is the duty of the Hungarian government to represent the rights of Hungarians living beyond the borders, which also means that these rights cannot be diminished, Zoltán Tarr, Minister for Social Relations and Culture, stressed on Sunday in Fehéregyháza, Transylvania, at the inauguration ceremony»»»

The President of Kyrgyzstan attended the opening ceremony of Balykchy — Kochkor railway and Kochkor station in Naryn region. According to the press service of the presidential administration, Sadyr Japarov arrived at the Kochkor station by train, personally inspected the new railway route, and asse»»»

MAGHAZI, Palestinian Territories: Just days before her final secondary school examinations, the house opposite the temporary home where 18-year-old Saba Rabah was living in central Gaza was bombed.She and her family fled, leaving behind everything they had.It was only the latest ordeal in a war tha»»»

JERUSALEM: As Israel heads into a fiercely contested general election on October 27, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot has emerged as the principal challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Eisenkot’s rise comes at a pivotal moment in Israeli politics, with the election widely viewed as a r»»»