RIYADH: The International Monetary Fund has raised Saudi Arabia’s economic growth forecast for 2027 to 5.5 percent, up from the 4.5 percent it projected in April, as the Kingdom is expected to be less affected by regional disruptions due to its diversified export routes. The revised forecast, publi»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of European Integration Nemanja Starovic received on Wednesday in Belgrade a delegation of the Belgian federal parliament headed by Chamber of Representatives member Katrijn van Riet to discuss Serbia’s EU accession and bilateral relations between the two countries. The »»»

London, United Kingdom: Czech ninth seed Linda Noskova reached her first Wimbledon semi-final with a 6-3, 7-5 win against Belgium's Elise Mertens on Wednesday. Noskova dominated from start to finish in a last-eight clash lasting one hour and 50 minutes in searing temperatures on Court One. The 21-y»»»

Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh: Heavy rain in Bangladesh triggered a landslide at the world's largest refugee camp on Wednesday, killing seven children and a teacher during a school class and doubling the death toll from rain-related disasters this week. Rescuers clawed through liquid earth to drag out th»»»

The 11th century Bayeux Tapestry will arrive in London in the coming days in a discreet overnight operation under police protection ahead of its first-ever exhibition in Britain, the UK envoy overseeing the transfer said. The 68-metre-long masterpiece, which depicts the 1066 Norman conquest of Engl»»»

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Interior has contacted the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury, saying it is prepared to provide information and evidence related to the implementation of sanctions imposed under the Global Magnitsky Act. According to the ministry, Bul»»»

The Israeli enemy continued on Wednesday its attacks on South Lebanon. In this regard, Lebanese ministry of health updated toll of Israeli aggression, since March 2, 2026, recording 4320 martyrs and 12203 injuries. The Israeli enemy targeted with air raids and artillery shells the Ali Al-Taher Hill»»»

ZAGREB: Croatia’s most successful football coach, Zlatko Dalic, resigned on Wednesday, ending a tenure that included taking the team to the 2018 World Cup final. “As much as I still feel the ambition and desire to achieve new successes with Croatia, I feel that this is the right moment to bring thi»»»

LA FLECHE, France: France’s far-right supremo Marine Le Pen hit the campaign trail on Wednesday fresh off her announcement she would run for president despite an embezzlement conviction. Surrounded by crowds and journalists in the western town of La Fleche, that was won by her National Rally (RN) p»»»

Lebanon's judiciary postponed a hearing scheduled Wednesday for former central bank governor Riad Salameh, accused of embezzling more than $300 million, a judicial official told AFP. Salameh, who headed the central bank for three decades and was arrested in 2024, has faced numerous accusations incl»»»

Lebanon demands Israel's withdrawal from two "pilot zones" in the south before participating in the next round of direct talks in Rome next week, a diplomatic source told AFP on Wednesday. The source, requesting anonymity, said "Lebanon is stipulating Israel's withdrawal from two pilot zones in ord»»»

Tunis, July 8 (TAP) - Temperatures are set to rise in most parts of the country from Friday, July 10, 2026, the National Institute of Meteorology (INM) said on Wednesday. This rise in temperatures will be particularly noticeable on Saturday, July 11...»»»

The parliamentary Labour, Demographic and Social Policy Committee approved the 2026 State Budget Bill at first reading, with 12 committee members voting in favour and six against, while there were no abstentions. The budget's parameters were presented by Deputy Finance Minister Lyudmila Petkova. Ga»»»

Former Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan is set to be sentenced Wednesday for trying to hide an undocumented immigrant from ICE agents. File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- Former Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday for obstruction for trying to »»»

DOHA: Qatar Gas Transport Company Limited (Nakilat) announced that 'Al Rakiyat', the liquefied natural gas carrier, was struck by a projectile while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, confirming that the incident resulted in no injuries among the crew members, nor did it cause any env»»»

LONDON: Saudi fintech and private credit firm Seha Invest has signed a $500 million partnership with Boston-based Y-Innovations to support biotechnology and healthcare development in the Kingdom. The agreement was announced on the sidelines of the BMG Forum at the London Stock Exchange. Seha Invest»»»

WASHINGTON - In its new forecast, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Serbia would become one of Europe's five fastest-growing economies, with average annual GDP growth of 3.52 pct in 2027-2031. The IMF said a large-scale investment cycle associated with hosting EXPO 2027 Belgrade would the »»»

Munich, Germany: German police said several people had been wounded and a suspect arrested in an attack at a secondary school in the southern German state of Bavaria on Wednesday. The perpetrator appeared to have deliberately targeted the school in a suspected "rampage", a police spokeswoman told A»»»

HAMBURG: Jordan’s state grains buyer purchased about 60,000 metric tons of animal feed barley in an international tender that closed on Wednesday, European traders said. The ‌seller was ‌said to be ‌trading ⁠house Louis Dreyfus, with ⁠the barley sold at $252.60 a ton, cost and freight (c&f), for sh»»»

Doha, Qatar: Amendments to Qatar's State Audit Bureau Law will enter into force on July 25 2026, introducing new enforcement powers, criminal penalties and financial disclosure requirements aimed at strengthening public-sector oversight after nearly a decade of experience under the existing legisla»»»

Dubai: The UAE has strongly condemned renewed Iranian attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait with missiles and drones. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attacks constituted a blatant violation of the sovereignty of Bahrain and Kuwait, and posed a threat to their security and st»»»

LONDON: Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the president of the Syrian Arab Republic, has held talks on ties and regional development with American members of Congress and US Special Presidential Envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack. The officials met on Wednesday in Ankara, where Turkiye is hosting the 36th NATO Su»»»

TUNIS, July 8 (TAP) – The challenges and difficulties facing communitarian companies were the focus of a meeting held on Wednesday by the Services and Social Development Committee of the National Council of Regions and Districts (CNRD), in the...»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Padel Federation announced that the International Padel Federation (FIP) has awarded Doha the hosting rights for the 2026 and 2028 editions of the FIP Padel World Cup, reinforcing Qatar's position as a global destination for major international sporting events. Both editions »»»

1 of 3 | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump at the Beştepe Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on Tuesday. Photo by Turkish Presidency Office/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said Wednesday at the NATO summit that he wants to cut»»»

DOHA: The Qatar Economic Forum, Powered by Bloomberg, held in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, will convene a special leadership gathering alongside the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on September 20. The gathering, titled QEF: UNGA Special Edition »»»

Abu Dhabi: Employees infected with communicable diseases during an epidemic or pandemic will be prohibited from attending work without losing their salaries or leave entitlements under amendments to the UAE's federal law on combating communicable diseases approved by the Federal National Council. T»»»

Competing under neutral status at international events does not mean you represent only yourself, and Russian athletes still project their country’s image, world champion Alena Efimova said. “Everyone knows us and knows exactly which country we come from. I defend not only myself, but also my entir»»»

Overseas venture capital (VC) funds are demonstrating a growing appetite for Japanese startups, with investments surging nearly 70 % to 22.5 billion yen ($152 million) in the first half of the year. This accounts for about 20% of total VC funding in Japan, marking a notable shift from China due to »»»

Part VII – Why the World Still Remembers Hypatia “Civilizations are remembered not only by the empires they build, but by the ideas they refuse to abandon.” On an ordinary spring day in AD 415, the citizens of Alexandria could not have imagined that the murder of a philosopher would echo across six»»»

Dubai: Owning a Hermes Birkin is already considered the ultimate luxury flex. But carrying one that's worth an estimated $2 million? That's a whole different league. Isha Ambani turned heads at the Paris Haute Couture Week when she arrived at Rahul Mishra's runway show carrying the ultra-rare Hermè»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Trump: We might strike Iran again tonight 08-07-2026 16:25 PM Latest News Urgent News Trump: We might strike Iran again tonight 16:25 MP Am»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has approved a new federal Cultural Heritage Law introducing prison terms of up to 10 years and fines of as much as Dh10 million for offences against the country's cultural heritage, as part of a comprehensive framework aimed at protecting archaeological sites, historical assets »»»

Dubai: The UAE has agreed a three-year action plan with South Korea to strengthen cooperation on patent and industrial design examination, while also exploring closer collaboration with Singapore on intellectual property legislation. The agreements were discussed during bilateral meetings held by A»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index rose on Wednesday, gaining 1.32 points, or 0.01 percent, to close at 10,853.73. The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR4.36 billion ($1.15 billion), as 60 listed stocks advanced while 200 declined. The MSCI Tadawul Index also rose, gai»»»

BRUSSELS - EU ambassadors debated on Wednesday an European Commission (EC) non-paper recommending opening Cluster 3 in Serbia's EU accession talks, with eight member states opposing the move. The group, comprised of the three Baltic states, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Bulgaria and Croatia, ci»»»

Flamingo cruise missiles have a 3k km range and a 1.1T warhead – enough to deliver a powerful blow beyond the Urals. That makes their systematic destruction imperative, says air defense expert Yuri Knutov, commenting on the latest Russian strikes on a Flamingo assembly plant in Kiev. Flamingos heav»»»

Bulgaria recorded the fastest annual growth in services production among European Union member states in April 2026, according to the latest preliminary figures released by Eurostat. Output in the country's services sector climbed 9.3% compared with April 2025, placing Bulgaria at the top of the EU»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Minister of Labour, HE Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, met on Wednesday with the Minister of State in the of the United Republic of Tanzania, HE Deus Clement Sangu, who is visiting the State of Qatar. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed bilateral cooperation between the State o»»»

The National Bank of Uzbekistan, the country’s largest commercial bank, is betting that the next phase of the country's economic transformation will be driven not by state-backed megaprojects but by households and small businesses. After a decade of reforms since Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev »»»

Ajman: Ajman Bank has successfully priced its inaugural $300 million Additional Tier 1 (AT1) Perpetual Non-Call 5.5-Year Sukuk at a profit rate of 6.5 per cent, marking a key milestone in the lender’s capital management strategy. The transaction, the bank’s first-ever AT1 capital Sukuk, reflects st»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that U.S. forces would strike Iran "hard" in the coming night, after earlier declaring Washington's ceasefire with Iran over at a NATO summit in Ankara. "We're gonna hit 'em hard tonight," he said before holding talks with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, s»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace is planning a pilot "humanitarian zone" in southern Gaza which would aim to accommodate tens of thousands of vetted Palestinian civilians, a board official told AFP. The official said the zone could act as a "starting point" for the Palestinian technocra»»»

People in Bahrain and Kuwait awoke on Wednesday to the now familiar sound of warning sirens and explosions in the distance, as Iranian strikes again dashed hopes of a return to normalcy. The latest round of strikes pushed U.S. President Donald Trump to declare the ceasefire was "over", raising fear»»»

Parliament's Committee on Economic Policy, Investment and Industry approved at first reading the 2026 State Budget Bill, submitted by the Council of Ministers on July 1. The bill was backed by 13 committee members, while eight voted against. There were no abstentions. The committee rejected the ver»»»

Bulgaria's Interior Ministry has contacted the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury to say it is ready to provide evidence regarding the enforcement of sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act, the Ministry said on Wednesday The Bulgarian authorities are prep»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s flagship technology conference, LEAP, opened its first international edition in Hong Kong on Wednesday, marking its expansion beyond the Kingdom as Riyadh seeks to strengthen technology partnerships across Asia. Speaking at the opening of LEAP East, Minister of Communications»»»

The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday sent a letter to all 50 stateds and the District of Columbia threatening criminal prosecution if they allow noncitizens to vote. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter warning states that i»»»

“It was not surprising what the German Foreign Minister stated during his meeting with the Foreign Minister of the terrorist criminal entity. The one who remained silent about the genocide and all the other crimes committed by this entity against Palestine, Lebanon, and the peoples of the region, a»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia led the Gulf Cooperation Council’s projects market in the second quarter of this year, while other member states grappled with declines amid the economic fallout from the Iran war, a new analysis showed. In its latest report, Kamco Invest revealed that the Kingdom awarded contr»»»