DOHA: When FIFA awarded the 2026 World Cup to Canada, Mexico and the United States, many expected the topic of discussion to center around logistics, sold-out stadiums, and successful engagement. Few expected all three hosts to build their own story and legacy into the tournament. From Mexico's dis»»»

Argentina players celebrate after defeating Egypt 3-2 in a Round of 16 FIFA World Cup match at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia on Tuesday. Photo by Christian Brunskill/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- As Argentina advances in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, prosecutors with the U.S. Departme»»»

ANKARA: President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors, a huge boost for Kyiv, which has long sought permission to produce the defensive weapons. “We’re going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That’s»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia condemned on Wednesday a wave of deadly attacks against police officers and soldiers in the Pakistani southwestern province of Balochistan. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned “all terrorist and extremist acts.” It affirmed its solidarity with the government and peo»»»

WASHINGTON: The US military said on Wednesday it had launched a new wave of strikes against Iran aimed at reducing Tehran's ability to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations in the region, said the attacks were intended to lim»»»

DUBAI: Four years ago, Morocco smashed the glass ceiling for Arab teams at the World Cup. A sensational run to the semifinal, where they lost 2-0 to France, goes beyond the wildest dreams of even European and South American nations, never mind those from the region. Arab teams from North Africa hav»»»

Doha QNB Group, a leading financial institution in the Middle East and Africa region, announced its results for the six months ended 30 June 2026. The net profit for the six months (H1) ended 30 June 2026 reached QR8.7bn, an increase of 3% compared to same period last year, demonstrating the stable»»»

WASHINGTON: The US military is conducting fresh strikes on Iran, the US Central Command said on ‌Wednesday, hours ‌after ​President ‌Donald ⁠Trump ​declared that an ⁠interim agreement to end the war with Iran was "over." It said the ⁠strikes were aimed ‌at ‌degrading Iran's ​ability ‌to threaten fr»»»

NEW YORK: Nearly 1,000 people in Michigan have been diagnosed with a parasitic infection that can cause weeks of watery diarrhea, making it the largest such outbreak in state history and one of the nation’s largest in years. No deaths have been reported and the source of the cyclospora infections h»»»

New York: Justin Bieber has been added to the star-packed lineup of the first-ever World Cup final halftime show as organizers confirmed Wednesday that the entire musical performance will last 11 minutes. Canadian megastar Bieber joins Madonna, Shakira and K-pop sensation BTS for the Super Bowl-sty»»»

TEL AVIV, Israel: Rahm Emanuel, a potential Democratic presidential candidate and longtime defender of Israel, warned Wednesday that the country has become increasingly isolated as its leadership has turned it into a “territorial pariah,” in a speech at Tel Aviv University on Wednesday.Emanuel’s co»»»

DOHA: The International Padel Federation and the Qatar Padel Federation yesterday announced Doha as the host city for the 2026 and 2028 editions of the FIP World Cup, the most prestigious international competition for national teams. Both editions will be held at the iconic Khalifa International Te»»»

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahid Jalalzadeh addressed the public gathering held alongside the funeral procession of the martyred Imam, Sayyed Ali Khamenei (may his soul rest in peace), at Ashura Square in Beirut’s southern suburb. “I bring with me the greetings of the Iranian people to the Leb»»»

BAGHDAD: In the heart of old Baghdad, legendary movie theaters stand abandoned and shrouded in dust, bearing witness to Iraq’s once-vibrant cultural scene. A few kilometers away, director Ali Al-Bayati oversees his camera operators as they adjust their lenses for a scene in his upcoming horror film»»»

NEW YORK: Justin Bieber will bring his swag to the World Cup’s star-studded, Super Bowl-style halftime show, joining fellow headliners Madonna, Shakira and BTS, FIFA announced Wednesday. Afrobeats star Burna Boy, Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the PS22 Chorus — a choir of elementary schoo»»»

PARIS: A wildfire in central France has endangered residents of the town of Morthomiers and threatens to reach a nearby industrial site where KNDS produces munitions, which would pose a risk for explosions and further fires, local officials said on Thursday. KNDS confirmed the munitions production »»»

Nestle announced its second small coffee acquisition in as many months on Friday, buying Texas-based Chameleon Cold-Brew as it seeks to bolster its world-leading coffee business. The maker of Nescafe and Nespresso said Chameleon is the No.1 organic cold-brew brand in the United States. Nestle, whic»»»

Scaffolding and tarp cover much of the name of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that President Donald Trump's name must remain off the building. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- A federal appeals co»»»

Washington, July 8 (SANA) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday that President Donald Trump has informed Congress of his intention to remove Syria from the US list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. In a post on X, Rubio described the move as a historic step that would open new oppo»»»

Dubai: Dubai maintained its strong economic performance in the first quarter of 2026, with the emirate's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reaching Dh232 billion, representing a 2.4 per cent increase from the same period last year. The performance reflects the strength, resilience, and adaptability of D»»»

AMMAN — The Syrian-Jordanian Joint Free Zone's total revenue rose to nearly $3.96 million during the first half of 2026, driven by higher investment income, occupancy fees and trust fund revenues, according to financial indicators.During the company's board meeting on Wednesday, Secretary General o»»»

WASHINGTON, United States — The IMF cut its 2026 global growth projection again Wednesday, flagging "uncertainty and risks" to the economic outlook as fighting reignited in the Middle East.Global economic growth is estimated at 3.0 per cent this year, said the International Monetary Fund, down from»»»

Dubai: The General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai has been recognised with the “Best Digital City Experience” award under the Hamdan bin Mohammed Programme for Government Services for its Domestic Worker Management initiative, marking a major milestone in the emirate’s effor»»»

France's far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen launched her fourth presidential campaign in the small town of La Flèche in the country's Loire Valley Wednesday after an appeals court cleared her to run for office – despite upholding her conviction for misusing millions of euros in public funds. French»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) has announced the opening of registration centres for student admissions and transfers to government schools for the 2026-2027 academic year, with services available from July 5 to August 13, 2026. The ministry said the registratio»»»

These days, every official visit, every summit that involves the President of the United States seems like a mad scramble to keep the leader of the Atlantic Alliance on board. But what if it’s just too late? Last month, leaders left France thanking their lucky stars that Donald Trump hadn’t taken a»»»

LONDON: Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk made quick work of Italy’s 2024 runner-up Jasmine Paolini on a sweltering Center Court to speed into her first Wimbledon semifinal 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday. The 12th seed was a woman in a hurry from the start as she took the opening set in 36 minutes, breaking Paolini t»»»

Russia has carried out precision strikes on Ukrainian military-industrial facilities in Kiev, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has reported. In a statement released on Wednesday, the ministry said the strikes targeted the production facilities of Samsung Ukraine, where it said the components for FP-5»»»

NEW YORK CITY: Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces committed mass killings, systematic abductions of women and girls and mass gang rape in El-Fasher, the UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan said in a new report on Wednesday. The findings add further weight to evidence that atrocities committed by the warrin»»»

MASSACHUSETTS, USA: France coach Didier Deschamps says that their appeal of star Michael Olise’s controversial World Cup yellow card during their Round of 16 win over Paraguay was denied by FIFA on Wednesday. “There was no change when it comes to Olise’s yellow card. We received FIFA’s decision thi»»»

LONDON: At least four Palestinian children in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have been killed by Israeli attacks in the past six days, according to news reports. Palestinian medics said on Wednesday that an Israeli strike hit a tent in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza St»»»

Prime Minister Rumen Radev met with Westinghouse representatives on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers. At the meeting, the implementation of the preliminary engineering activities for the project to build Units 7 and 8 of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant was discussed, the Government Informatio»»»

This is a view of the exposed banks by low water levels at Lake Calima, in the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia, in February 2016. High temperatures due El Niño drastically reduced the level of water in the reservoir. File Photo by Christian Escobar Mora/EPA July 8 (UPI) -- A very strong El »»»

King Charles III salutes the armed forces after the annual Trooping the Colour in recognition of the King's birthday on June 13. Charles gave a posthumous pardon to Ruth Ellis, who was the last woman hanged in Great Britain. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- King Charles II»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump pose for a photo in January during their meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Trump said Wednesday that the United States will allow Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptors. »»»

July 8 (UPI) -- A New Zealand great-grandfather was officially named the world's oldest water skier just a month and a half shy of his 95th birthday. Bryan Murray was 94 years and 318 days old when he went water skiing on Auckland's Lake Kereta in April, earning him the Guinness World Records title»»»

The timing of the Ukrainian drone attack on the Krasnodarskaya compressor station of the Turkiye-bound Blue Stream gas pipeline on July 7, the same day Zelensky arrived in Ankara for the NATO summit, is “very intriguing,” prolific global energy expert Dr. Mamdouh Salameh told Sputnik. Salameh could»»»

Constitutional Court Judge Desislava Atanasova did not leave Turkiye while she was in the country between April 5 and 8, 2024, and was not on a business trip, a press release sent to the media by the Constitutional Court’s press office said. On July 2, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said in Par»»»

The Hungarian forint suffered a sharp sell-off on Wednesday after a combination of geopolitical tensions and concerns over Hungary’s public finances unsettled investors. The currency weakened significantly against both the euro and the US dollar, reversing part of the strong gains it had made over »»»

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has confirmed in Ankara that the next NATO Summit will be hosted by Albania. "The next summit will be held in Albania. That was the decision taken in The Hague. The summit will take place in Albania, but we still need to determine the exact date," Rutte told report»»»

Doha: The State of Qatar on Wednesday strongly condemned and denounced the armed attacks targeting police officers and military personnel in Pakistan's Balochistan province, which resulted in a number of fatalities. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed Qatar's firm and consist»»»

DOHA: The Katara Cultural Village collaborated with the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs, alongside IslamOnline, in convening the 30th Katara Tech Forum in Doha. The panel discussion was dedicated to discussing the subject of artificial intelligence in Islamic Sharia provisions. I»»»

Damascus, July 8 (SANA) Chairman of Syria’s General Authority for Borders and Customs Qutaiba Badawi held separate talks on Wednesday with Jordanian and Lebanese delegations to develop border crossings and enhance cooperation on customs, transport and trade, the authority said in a Telegram stateme»»»

ANKARA: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said ​he thought he would remove Syria from the United States’ list of designated state sponsors of terrorism. “I think I will,” Trump told reporters in response to a question during a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Turkiye. The US ha»»»

GUATEMALA CITY: Conservationists ‌in Guatemala are breeding a new generation of Guatemalan beaded lizards, one of the world’s most endangered lizards, in the hopes of rebuilding wild populations decimated by habitat loss and their popularity in the illegal pet trade. Heloderma charlesbogerti, also »»»

LONDON: The UK government will lead a coalition of around a dozen European countries to step up funding for the next generation of long-range missiles designed to protect Europe, the UK government said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was set to unveil details of the program at the NATO su»»»

Apple CEO Tim Cook gifts President Donald Trump a plaque to commemorate the announcement an additional $100 billion Apple investment in the United States during an event in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on August 6. On Wednesday, Apple announced plans to increase its commi»»»

The New Horizons probe has awakened after hibernating for nearly a year, billions of miles into deep space, from where it sent this image of Pluto on July 14, 2015. File Photo courtesy of NASA | License Photo July 8 (UPI) -- NASA's New Horizons probe has awakened after hibernating for nearly a year»»»

LONDON: An Israeli rights group said on Tuesday that a state court filing on 14 detained Gaza doctors failed to answer “serious concerns” about the condition of Palestinian physician Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, who has been held by Israel since late 2024 reportedly without charge. Physicians for Human R»»»

People line up Tuesday in La Guaira, Venezuela, to receive humanitarian aid after twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 on the Richter scale struck June 24. Photo by Xaume Olleros/EPA July 8 (UPI) -- Two weeks after earthquakes devastated Caracas and La Guaira, Venezuela's emergency entered a new »»»