ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council has changed the competition formats of two major men’s tournaments, adding a preliminary round before the group stage of the 2027 World Cup and revamping the playoffs for the Twenty20 World Cup in 2028. “The changes were introduced to create more meaning»»»

JERUSALEM: US Vice President JD Vance said some ‌members of the Israeli government had tried to influence US public opinion to oppose a deal by the US to end the war with Iran, in a podcast ​episode with host Joe Rogan posted on Wednesday. The comments echoed earlier criticism of Israeli government»»»

ATLANTA: Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni saluted his team’s never-say-die mentality after another come-from-behind victory on Wednesday powered them past England into the World Cup final. Scaloni said his team had scented victory as England sat back after taking a 1-0 lead in their semifinal in Atla»»»

LONDON: The British government on Thursday urged FIFA to investigate Argentina’s team after players posed with a banner claiming sovereignty over the contested Falkland Islands. Argentina beat England 2-1 in a World Cup semifinal on Wednesday in Atlanta. During post-match celebrations, Argentine pl»»»

Dubai: Former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan has been selected to help review how the US Federal Reserve manages its $6.7 trillion balance sheet, as the central bank considers changes to its monetary policy operations. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Raj»»»

Plovdiv residents protested outside the Municipal Council on Thursday, calling for better public transport in the city. Protest organizer Pavel Nachev stressed that Plovdiv is the only major Bulgarian city that relies entirely on a private transport consortium, leaving the Municipality without cont»»»

Dubai: Dubai Police have warned motorists of heavy traffic congestion following an accident on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) towards Sharjah. In a post on X, Dubai Police said the accident occurred on the Sharjah-bound route in front of Global Village, causing traffic to build up in the are»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s producer prices climbed 7.5 percent year on year in May as higher manufacturing costs, led by chemicals and refined petroleum products, pushed wholesale prices higher, official data showed. Manufacturing, the largest component of the Producer Price Index, rose 8 percent from »»»

The 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance will be held in Shanghai from July 17 to 20. Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony and deliver a keynote address. Since its inception in 2018, the conference has evolved into a key multilatera»»»

A fatal road accident claimed one life and left two other people injured on Wednesday evening in Budapest’s District XX after two passenger cars collided at the junction of Udvarhely Street and Hunyadi Square in Pesterzsébet. According to the Budapest Police Headquarters (BRFK), the crash occurred »»»

Dubai: India’s space programme is entering one of its most ambitious phases. With the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission nearing key milestones, advanced satellite launches planned and future planetary missions in the pipeline, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing for a defin»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar is expected to experience an increase in relative humidity levels this weekend, said the Qatar Meteorology Department. It added that during the weekend, Friday and Saturday, July 17 and 18, the rise in humidity could bring mist and fog forming in some parts. Meanwhile, in its wee»»»

Dubai: Salik is expanding beyond toll gates into parking optimisation and vehicle access systems under a new agreement covering more than 21,000 spaces across three Dubai economic zones. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The partnership with the Dubai Integrated Economic»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.3717 dinars for one euro on Thursday, which is a slight change relative to Wednesday, the National Bank of Serbia said. The dinar is steady against the euro m-o-m, down by 0.2 pct y-o-y and down by 0.1 pct relative»»»

BUCHAREST - Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic and Romanian PM and acting Energy Minister Ilie Bolojan signed on Thursday in Bucharest a MoU on facilitating information exchange regarding a project to build a Djerdap 3 reversible hydropower plant. "This year, Serbia »»»

Syrian authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle a shipment of advanced weapons and missiles through the Iraqi-Syrian border, the Syrian interior ministry has announced. The ministry added that “investigations confirmed that the shipment was intended to pass through Syria to Hezbollah.”»»»

Dubai: DAMAC Properties has launched the sixth and final tower of Chelsea Residences by DAMAC in Dubai Maritime City, giving buyers what the developer says is the last opportunity to invest in the world’s first football-branded residential project after the first five towers sold out amid strong de»»»

President Zelenskiy was in Paris on July 13 for a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, joining some 25 heads of state and government at the Hôtel des Invalides to sign up to deals supplying desperately needed air defence systems, ammunition and fighter jets. Hosted by Emmanuel Macron, the gathe»»»

Global energy technology leader Schneider Electric has placed first in the 2026 Gartner Top 25 Supply Chain for the fourth consecutive year. Over the past year, Schneider Electric continued to strengthen its supply chain by focusing on three core priorities: people, digital, and sustainability. The»»»

An Israeli-Lebanese-U.S. military meeting will be held electronically on Friday to discuss military details, finalize the two pilot zones, and determine the start date for implementation. Lebanon and Israel concluded two days of talks in Rome on Wednesday, with a U.S. State Department official desc»»»

Dubai: Salik is expanding beyond toll gates into parking optimisation and vehicle access systems under a new agreement covering more than 21,000 spaces across three Dubai economic zones. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The partnership with the Dubai Integrated Economic»»»

Fuel prices have increased sharply across Africa, rising between 15% and 40%. Francis Kokoroko/Reuters Economist Mostafa Badra warned that persistent global conflicts and regional escalations could trigger a hike in domestic fuel prices. His analysis came as Egypt’s Fuel Automatic Pricing Committee»»»

Artificial intelligence has become the main strategic priority for executives worldwide, as companies are forced to rethink their competitiveness models amid geopolitical and technological transformation, according to the “CxO Priorities 2026” study by international management consulting company Ho»»»

Progressive Bulgaria Floor Leader Petar Vitanov said that Bulgaria has made it very clear that it will not block common European decisions. Speaking at a briefing in Parliament on Thursday, he commented on the positions of Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova regarding »»»

Progressive Bulgaria is submitting proposals for amendments to the Public Procurement Act and the Medicinal Products in Human Medicine Act related to medicines procurement tenders, Georgi Iliev of Progressive Bulgaria said at a briefing in Parliament on Thursday. Iliev explained that the first amen»»»

Wang Huning, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, held talks in Pyongyang with a senior North Korean official, state-run media reported Thursday. Wang is seen here at a meeting in Beijing on March 4. File Photo by Jessica Lee/EPA A senior North Korean party official a»»»

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday it would encourage the United States and Iran to stop violence and resume talks under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) it helped mediate last month. “While the implementation of the MoU is facing challenges, Pakistan will continue to encourage all sides to en»»»

Israeli warplanes targeted Thursday at dawn the outskirts of Baraashit and Beit Yahoun in south Lebanon. On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it killed three Hezbollah members in Beit Yahoun. Lebanon and Israel announced a framework agreement on June 26, laying out a plan for Israeli forces to w»»»

New York City’s self-professed ‘democratic socialist’ mayor Zohran Mamdani has drawn backlash for attributing the recent uptick in rape reports to an expanded definition of what constitutes the crime. In an interview with PIX11 News published on Monday, Mamdani was asked about recently released NYP»»»

Dubai: A 32-year-old man allegedly shot his father dead at their home in Ghaziabad's Modinagar late on Wednesday following a heated argument over a property dispute, according to reports by NDTV and The Times of India. Police said the accused, identified as Nikhil, allegedly returned home drunk and»»»

Restaurants, cafés, and bars that implement self-order solutions can increase their average check value by between 15% and 30%, according to data from Selectsoft, a Romanian provider of ERP solutions for SMEs. In addition, digitalizing the ordering process can reduce service times by around 20% and»»»

Vazrazhdane party leader Kostadin Kostadinov believes that when Prime Minister Rumen Radev speaks about Ukraine and the coalition of the willing, he just tries to say what his supporters want to hear. "The Prime Minister says what his voters want to hear, ensures that those statements receive suffi»»»

This photo, taken Thursday, shows the trading room of Hana Bank in Seoul as South Korean stocks fell by more than six percent on tech stock losses amid Middle East tensions. Photo by Yonhap Seoul shares again plummeted Thursday, led by steep losses in technology heavyweights, as escalating tensions»»»

South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Jin Yong-sung (R) poses with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Gen. Dan Caine and Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, respectively, during their Trilateral Chiefs of Defense meeting at the Pentagon Wednesday. Photo courtesy of South Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff »»»

On the 25th anniversary of the Russia-China Treaty on Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship, and Cooperation, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has laid out the scale of what Moscow and Beijing have built together. Read the full text below. Today, as a more equitable multipolar world order takes shape, the»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iranian military will strike the remaining infrastructure in the Middle East should the United States attack Iranian facilities, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for the Khatam Al-Anbiya central headquarters of the Iranian military command, said on Thursday. On Wednesday, US Presi»»»

DUBAI: Ministers from the Israeli Transportation Ministry are reportedly exploring ways to limit the number of Israelis living abroad who can return to the country to vote in October’s election, according to a report by Haaretz. Citing sources familiar with the discussions, the newspaper reported t»»»

US President Donald Trump said Iran had released an American citizen detained since December 2024 and allowed her to leave the country, calling it a "gesture of goodwill" despite renewed hostilities between Washington and Tehran. US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that arch foe Iran has freed»»»

Nathan Group has announced that it has surpassed Dh4.5 billion in payroll processing, achieving the milestone in July 2026 as the company celebrates its 15th year of operations. The achievement reflects the scale of its payroll and HR services business and underscores the growing demand among emplo»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Renewed Israeli aggression on Gaza claims lives of four Palestinians: local media 16-07-2026 11:51 AM Latest News Urgent News Vance: US Won»»»

BULGARIA'S WITHDRAWAL FROM COALLITION OF WILLING FOR UKRAINE Despite the shift in position and Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s refusal to participate in the Coalition of the Willing meeting in support of Ukraine, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova signed a declaration in Kyiv on Wednesday t»»»

GERB lawmaker and former Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev on Thursday accused the government of displaying "political schizophrenia" over Bulgaria's participation in the Coalition of the Willing, saying its conflicting positions were damaging the country's international standing. Speaking to reporte»»»

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced a new testosterone screening policy for all service members 30 years of age and older. File Photo by Graeme Sloan/UPI | License Photo July 16 (UPI) -- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has announced that all service members aged 30 and older will under»»»

Rare wartime protests in Ukraine erupted across the country on Thursday with demonstrators demanding that President Volodymyr Zelensky reappoint the popular Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who was removed from office on Wednesday. Lawmakers are set to vote on a new government today.  Large »»»

A day after Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced that Bulgaria would not join the “Coalition of the Willing” supporting Ukraine, Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova signed a declaration in Kyiv confirming the country’s commitment to the initiative and expressing readiness to increase its i»»»

ATLANTA: Harry Kane said he was “gutted” for England and their fans after his team were beaten 2-1 by defending champions Argentina in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday. Anthony Gordon’s strike had put the Three Lions on the cusp of a first men’s World Cup final since they lifted the 1966 troph»»»

BARCELONA: A ​disputed Spanish law granting an amnesty ‌to ‌those ​involved ‌in ⁠Catalonia's ​separatist drive does ⁠not violate European ⁠Union ‌rules, the ‌EU's ​top ‌court said ‌on Thursday, in ‌a boost to the ⁠Spanish ⁠government and its Catalan allies.»»»

Dubai: Pakistan has moved to clear widespread confusion over new travel rules for overseas Pakistanis, stressing that foreign passport holders with a valid National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) can continue to enter the country without a visa. The government said the latest directi»»»

Kyiv: Large protests erupted in several Ukrainian cities on Thursday morning against the removal of popular Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. More than a thousand people gathered on a central square, singing the Ukrainian national anthem, waving Ukrainian and EU flags and chanting “shame” and “bri»»»

Could Washington witness the unprecedented scene of a Lebanese president sitting across from the Israeli prime minister? A report by Al-Akhbar has raised questions over a possible Joseph Aoun-Benjamin Netanyahu meeting during their visits to the US capital, amid reported efforts to bring the two si»»»