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 »»»

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 »»»

The United States and Iran are continuing to trade strikes on July 9 for a second straight day. after President Donald Trump said the ceasefire between the two countries was "dead". According to Iran's health ministry, the two days of US attacks have killed at least 14 people and injured more than »»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

WASHINGTON: An Afghan man awaiting trial for allegedly shooting two members of the National Guard near the White House has been hospitalized after refusing food, The Washington Post reported on Thursday. Rahmanullah Lakanwal pleaded not guilty in December to murder and firearms charges in the Novem»»»

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»»»

WASHINGTON: An Afghan man awaiting trial for allegedly shooting two members of the National Guard near the White House has been hospitalized after refusing food, The Washington Post reported on Thursday. Rahmanullah Lakanwal pleaded not guilty in December to murder and firearms charges in the Novem»»»

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»»»

DAMASCUS: ‌Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab said the ​cell responsible for what he called “terrorist” bombings that targeted Damascus on Tuesday was now ‌in custody, Syrian ‌TV ​reported ‌on ⁠Thursday. Khattab ​said authorities ⁠would reveal the identities of the cell’s members, their roles an»»»

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»»»

A group of 17 news organizations that are suing OpenAI for its use of their content to train artificial intelligence models asked a federal court for sanctions because they allege the company lied about its ability to search its own datasets. File Photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA July 9 (UPI) -- More than»»»

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»»»

DUBAI: Several ​explosions were heard in southern ‌parts ‌of ​Iran ‌including ⁠Bushehr, ​where one ⁠of Iran’s nuclear plants ⁠is ‌located, ‌Konarak ​and ‌Choghadak, ‌Iran’s Mehr news agency ‌reported on Thursday. Developing...»»»

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»»»

DOHA: The State of Qatar ranked 12th globally among the top 15 countries in the mid-2026 Quality of Life Index issued by the Numbeo Global Database, moving up six positions in the global ranking. The Numbeo Quality of Life Index is a comprehensive measure that evaluates the factors influencing peop»»»

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»»»

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Gaza’s civil defense agency and health officials said Israeli attacks killed six people across the Palestinian territory on Thursday. A ceasefire is in place in the Israel-Hamas war, but it has not ended the violence in Gaza and progress toward a final deal to en»»»

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»»»

Doha: Qatar Airways announced today that it will participate in Farnborough International Airshow 2026, bringing its world-class travel experience to one of the most influential global events in the aviation industry. Qatar Airways will showcase its FIFA special livery aircraft, carrying the vibran»»»

Dubai: Digital Dubai has announced a new feature on the DubaiNow app allowing private sector workers to submit complaints against their employers through the "Worker's Voice" service, developed by Dubai Police. In a post on X, Digital Dubai said the service enables employees to file individual or c»»»

Doha: The State of Qatar ranked 12th globally among the top 15 countries in the mid-2026 Quality of Life Index issued by the Numbeo Global Database, moving up six positions in the global ranking. The Numbeo Quality of Life Index is a comprehensive measure that evaluates the factors influencing peop»»»

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»»»