DOHA: Qatar's international referee Khamis Al Marri has been appointed as the support video assistant referee (support VAR) for the FIFA Club World Cup final between Argentina and Spain on Sunday, adding yet another laurel to the country's rich sports legacy. Germany's Bastian Dankert will serve as»»»

Poland’s Air Navigation Services Agency has challenged Pfizer in a Brussels court over the seizure of funds linked to Eurocontrol air traffic fees. The agency was not a party to the vaccine contract at the center of Pfizer’s approximately €1.3 bn claim against Poland. Polish authorities argue that »»»

The National Bank of Poland kept its reference rate unchanged at 3.75% in July, but a rate cut later in 2026 remains possible. According to the Polish Economic Institute, the decision will depend mainly on the conflict in the Middle East and its effect on energy prices. The NBP expects inflation to»»»

JEDDAH: Summer rain, relatively mild temperatures, and mountain attractions are drawing residents and tourists to Al-Baha and Taif, where parks, forests and recreational sites have recorded increased visitor activity, according to a report from the Saudi Press Agency. As scattered rainfall across A»»»

JEDDAH: For most people, the human eye is simply a feature of the face. For Saudi photographer Ashraf Habib, it is a canvas of extraordinary beauty. “The Gate of Sights” exhibition, which concludes on Saturday at Galleria Center in Jeddah, is dedicated to iris photography and is an extension of the»»»

The United States and Iran continued exchanging strikes on Saturday as tensions over control of the Strait of Hormuz escalated. US Central Command carried out a seventh consecutive night of attacks, targeting military infrastructure and maritime capabilities, while Iran launched strikes on neighbou»»»

Kuwaiti firefighters have contained two fires that erupted this afternoon as a result of Iranian attacks, according to the Kuwait Fire Force. The force’s spokesman, Mohammed Bader Ibrahim, said several firefighters and an oil worker were injured in one of the affected areas, which was targeted agai»»»

The US is on the path to revolution because President Donald Trump has betrayed Americans by putting foreign interests ahead of those of his own country, journalist Tucker Carlson has said. In an interview on Bloomberg’s The Mishal Husain Show aired on Friday, the conservative commentator – once am»»»

US President Donald Trump’s social network Truth Social will start selling investors early access to posts from prominent accounts, most likely including his own, the holding company has announced. Critics argue that the move could create an unprecedented new way for the president to profit from hi»»»

The EU is set to use a multibillion-euro antitrust fine imposed on Google to help ease pressure on the bloc’s budget after years of increased military spending and aid for Ukraine. The US tech giant has paid €4.6 billion ($5.4 billion), including interest, after losing a years-long legal battle ove»»»

Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said discussions with officials from the US Department of Justice focused on the possibility of launching federal prosecutions against individuals accused of circumventing sanctions imposed under the Global Magnitsky Act, as well as those suspected of helping sanc»»»

Seven people have been arrested following a coordinated international operation targeting an organized criminal network accused of smuggling migrants through Bulgaria to other European Union countries. The action involved law enforcement authorities from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and the Netherland»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said former foreign minister Peter Szijjarto's appointment at Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD would not affect the government's relationship with the company, but raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest, Index.hu wrote after Magyar's July 16 pre»»»

Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok has signed the 17th amendment to Hungary’s Fundamental Law, confirming that his own presidential mandate will end the day after the legislation is officially published in the Hungarian Gazette. Sulyok announced the decision on his Facebook page on Saturday. The amen»»»

Bulgaria and Ukraine are close to signing an agreement on natural gas transit, according to Petar Vitanov, chairman of the Progressive Bulgaria parliamentary group. Speaking on BNT's Panorama program, Vitanov said the deal is being prepared between the two countries' state gas companies, Bulgargaz »»»

Sharjah: The Sharjah Electricity, Water and Gas Authority (SEWA) has completed a project to connect natural gas services to Dibba Al Hisn at a total cost of Dh35 million. The project was implemented in line with the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supr»»»

Riyadh: Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi condemned in the strongest terms the Iranian attacks that targeted Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, alongside the targeting of infrastructure and civilian facilities, which resulted in the injury of a number of civi»»»

The Ukrainian public is exhausted by the conflict, and defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov promised them a “less bloody…cleaner, more organized, less corrupt” and “technological approach” toward fighting, prolific military and geopolitical analyst Scott Ritter told Sputnik. Instead, his flashy, style»»»

Construction has begun on the Big Boy high-rise in Gdańsk’s Przymorze Wielkie district. Developed by the Hossa Group, the building was originally announced in 2007 as a 202-meter tower but was later reduced to 99 meters. It will have 29 above-ground floors, one underground level, and nearly 25,000 »»»

Damascus, July 18 (SANA) Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned on Saturday the renewed Iranian attacks targeting the territories of the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the Kurdistan Region of the Republic o»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has pledged $5 million to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, reinforcing its commitment to expanding access to quality education and empowering children and young people around the world. The contribution will support the Fund's efforts to improve educational opportunities t»»»

AMMAN — The Social Security Investment Fund (SSIF) increased its assets to approximately JD19.7 billion by the end of June 2026, up from JD18.7 billion at the end of 2025, marking growth of JD1 billion, or 5.4 per cent, during the first six months of the year.The fund said in a statement that the i»»»

AMMAN — Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT) has reported “strong” operational and commercial performance during the first half of 2026, driven by growth in cargo volumes, continued infrastructure investments, high safety standards, and progress toward its sustainability and community development goals.I»»»

US House Democrats were divided into a near-even split by a vote this week over whether to cut military aid to Israel, which was defeated through almost total opposition from the Republican party. Ahead of November's midterm elections, the vote reflects a sharp erosion in support for Israel among l»»»

After a leak of confidential documents revealed how Russian agents have been placing hundreds of articles in French-speaking media outlets in West and Central Africa, FRANCE 24 travelled to Dakar, Senegal, to investigate this secret operation. "When you read articles like this, you definitely get t»»»

Japan's parliament on Friday enacted changes to imperial succession rules, allowing male distant relatives to rejoin the imperial family and women to retain royal status after marrying commoners. The legislation, however, keeps the ban on female emperors despite opinion polls showing broad public s»»»

NEW DELHI: Authorities in India’s capital Delhi moved social activist Sonam Wangchuk to hospital against his wish on Saturday, after his condition worsened on the 21st day of a hunger strike launched to demand the resignation of the federal education minister. Wangchuk, 59, had been fasting since J»»»

NEW YORK: For some fans following this World Cup, the calculation has been ‌simple: support whoever is playing against Argentina. Across the tournament, that has meant wearing the green of Algeria, the blue of Cape Verde, or the red of Switzerland. Even the often maligned England got a boost in glo»»»

WASHINGTON: Iraq has announced its readiness to play a mediating role between the United States and Iran as part of a diplomatic effort aimed at ending the war and paving the way for renewed dialogue, with Baghdad expressing its willingness to help bridge differences, particularly on economic issue»»»

RIYADH: Iraq increased oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz and the Ceyhan pipeline in July, Oil Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair said, as Baghdad sought to recover revenue lost during the disruption of its main export route. Average shipments through the two outlets reached about 1.5 million b»»»

Riyadh: Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), today condemned in the strongest terms the treacherous Iranian attacks that targeted the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, alongside the targeting of infrastructure »»»

DOHA: Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has paid a glowing tribute to HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani in an article under the title ‘Yuba’ – My dear father. The full article reads as follows. “المقياس قطر (The measure is Qatar)” There is no liter»»»

An Iranian woman walks next to a huge anti-United States billboard featuring President Donald Trump in a coffin, accompanied by a sentence in Persian that reads: "We kill Trump" displayed at the Enghelab Square in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday. Photo by Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA July 18 (UPI) -- The United»»»

Overnight Ukrainian drone attacks on two sprawling warehouses in Russia killed eight people and wounded more than 60 others, local officials said Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strikes hit “significant logistical facilities” in Russia that were used to produce drones and »»»

Manila: A Philippine vlogger was shot dead while her partner was wounded Friday morning after unidentified gunmen opened fire on them in Caloocan City in the northern Philippines, according to local media reports on Saturday. Police said the victim died from a gunshot wound to the head, while her p»»»

Ghana's rural banking sector has grown into a GHS26bn ($2.2bn) industry with 147 licensed institutions serving more than 8mn customers, Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Asiama said, Citi News reported on July 17. The figures land as the central bank overhauls a 50-year-old financial inclusion model w»»»

RIYADH: Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi on Saturday condemned Iran’s recent attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, describing the strikes on civilian infrastructure as “war crimes.” He also said Iran’s actions “constitute a highly dangerous escalation, a grave vi»»»

Ukraine just got a new Prime Minister, Serhii Koretskyi, an oil and gas man that cut his teeth as an oil trader in the private sector before going to run Ukraine’s two biggest energy companies: Ukrnafta and Naftogaz. This is very good news. He is not a Zelenskiy loyalist and doesn’t really have any»»»

Bolivia has become the third Andean country this year to discover its own citizens fighting – and dying – in Russia's war on Ukraine. Prosecutors in La Paz opened a criminal investigation on July 14 into a recruitment network accused of luring Bolivian men abroad with fake construction jo»»»

Ukrainian drones killed seven employees of online retailer Wildberries at its logistics centre in Kotovsk in Russia's Tambov region overnight, regional governor Yevgeny Pervyshov said on July 18. The strike is among the deadliest on a civilian commercial site inside Russia since the full-scale war »»»

Some 2,700 Russian companies whose main business is tourism were liquidated in the first half of 2026, up 52.3% year on year, Emerging Travel reported on July 18, citing data from the Russian corporate registry service. The closures signal the end of Russia's post-pandemic domestic travel boom, wit»»»

Design work is starting on the six-kilometre section of the Sofia Ring Road between Struma Motorway and the Buxton borough after nearly two years without substantial progress, Regional Development and Public Works Minister Ivan Shishkov told Dari Radio on Saturday. Shishkov said a detailed developm»»»

Kuwait City: Kuwait said on Saturday that Iran struck a power and water plant as well as an oil facility, accusing it of targeting civilian infrastructure as the Middle East war escalates. "Another electricity and water distillation plant was targeted by a hostile attack that led to a fire erupting»»»

Dubai, July 18 (SANA) Most Gulf stock markets ended the trading week lower as rising military tensions between the United States and Iran weighed on investor sentiment following a new round of U.S. strikes on Iranian military targets. Saudi Arabia’s benchmark Tadawul All Share Index (TASI) gained 0»»»

PARIS: The World Cup has engaged punters like never before with an 80 percent increase in betting volume compared to the 2022 edition, even taking into account the higher number of matches for a 48-team tournament, a betting expert told AFP. Although many football fans were skeptical about the incr»»»

KHARTOUM: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center recently distributed 1,681 food baskets to displaced families and returnees in Khartoum state, Sudan, benefiting 11,327 individuals, as part of the 2026 Madad Project in Sudan. Meanwhile, the aid agency distributed 400 personal care kits »»»

Hungary has launched diplomatic efforts in Washington in an attempt to avert potential US tariffs that could severely affect the country’s exports if new sanctions targeting buyers of Russian energy are approved. Márton Hajdu, chairman of the Hungarian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said h»»»

Israel has reportedly reclassified Nile crocodiles as “tended” animals, potentially clearing the way for their use as part of prison security. The controversial proposal to surround prisons with crocodile-filled moats was reportedly floated late last year by far-right National Security Minister Ita»»»

NEW DELHI: India’s space startup Skyroot Aerospace completed its first orbital flight on Saturday, making India the third country in the world with a private company capable of such a feat. The Vikram-1 rocket lifted off at 12.05 p.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, an island of»»»

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium: Ferrari is rushing to get Lewis Hamilton’s car repaired in time for qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix later Saturday after the seven-time Formula 1 champion hit a barrier in practice. Hamilton ran wide over a gravel trap and clipped the barrier with his rear-right wh»»»