DUBAI: A major road safety initiative has been introduced in the Middle East and North Africa by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, motorsports’ global governing body and the worldwide federation for mobility organizations. FIA Safe Mobility 4 All & 4 Life aims to support the FIA’s memb»»»

MOSCOW: Russia on Thursday hit out at the United States for saying Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy sites could help end the war between Moscow and Kyiv. Ukraine has mounted a retaliatory strike campaign using long-range drones against Russian energy and military facilities, in what Kyiv calls f»»»

BAMAKO: Tuareg separatists and their militant allies attacked a convoy of Russian mercenaries and Malian soldiers Thursday morning, as they traveled to assist cohorts holed up at a northern military camp in the town of Anefis. Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM militants and FLA Tuareg separatist launched coordi»»»

The Sofia Municipal Council approved on Thursday a proposal to establish a municipal electricity trading company wholly owned by the Sofia Municipality. The company, Sofia Energy Trade, will supply electricity to municipal entities at a minimal trading margin. According to independent councillor Dr»»»

Amman: Jordan's Armed Forces announced Thursday that they intercepted and shot down eight missiles launched from Iran toward the kingdom. A military source at the General Command of the Jordan Armed Forces, quoted by the Jordan News Agency (Petra), said Jordan's air defense systems intercepted and »»»

The Kremlin has warned that giving Ukraine a license to produce Patriot interceptors would constitute the presence of NATO on Ukrainian territory.But the US pledge is little more than a pipe dream, since the problems that must be overcome to get production off the ground are legion, says Swedish ai»»»

CAIRO — The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) kept its benchmark interest rates unchanged on Thursday after new data showed annual urban consumer inflation eased modestly to 14.3% in June, reinforcing expectations that policymakers may resume their monetary easing cycle later this summer if disinflation »»»

RIYADH: A rollercoaster of an evening between Argentina and Egypt in Atlanta was felt almost 12,000 km away in Riyadh’s Al-Malqa District. Up To You, a cafe that opened in the summer of 2025, has become a go-to for avid sports fans in the Kingdom’s capital — but also for those who have never consid»»»

DUBAI: For a few joyous weeks, those nagging concerns were put to bed. The FIFA World Cup has a habit of doing that to football fans. As the game’s flagship event kicked off across Mexico, the US and Canada, supporters from the 48 competing nations, not to mention millions of others around the glob»»»

President Joseph Aoun has said that he wants to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump because he wants the Lebanese issue to “remain on the American agenda.” “We want to solidify its position there,” Aoun said in an interview with Asharq al-Awsat newspaper. “There's no need to reiterate the importa»»»

Dubai: Among the crowd inside Abu Dhabi's VOX Cinemas at Al Maryah Island for today's surprise Dune: Part Three reveal was Majid Alammari who had not just driven across town for it. He had flown in from Saudi Arabia specifically for the event, carrying a laminated first print edition of Dune Messia»»»

A Budapest court has sentenced an Irish man to 14 years in prison for the murder of 31-year-old American tourist Mackenzie Elizabeth Michalski, whose death in the Hungarian capital in November 2024 gained international attention. Court finds defendant guilty of homicide The Budapest-Capital Regiona»»»

Progressive Bulgaria must find the necessary resources to fund the project with Rheinmetall for a gunpowder factory near Sopot (South Central Bulgaria), because this project is strategically important for Bulgaria and the European Union, Temenuzhka Petkova MP of GERB-UDF told reporters in Parliamen»»»

Sirens blared in Jordan on Thursday, an AFP correspondent reported, hours after Iran's military said it had targeted sites in Gulf countries in retaliation for U.S. strikes. State broadcaster Al-Mamlaka added: "Alarm sirens sounded in Jordan on Thursday to alert citizens and urge them to follow ins»»»

RIYADH: Construction developers in Riyadh have a “social responsibility” to protect the environment, a government official has told Arab News. The National Center for Environmental Compliance recently issued more than SAR16 million ($4.3 million) in fines for 557 violations of dust control regulati»»»

Damascus: Damascus welcomed a US announcement that it would remove Syria from its list of "state sponsors of terrorism", a move that one economist told AFP opened the door to economic recovery and foreign investment. "A dark page in Syria's history has been turned," Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaiba»»»

Geneva, July 9 (SANA) Syria presented its strategy for strengthening intellectual property protection and supporting innovation during the 68th Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), held in Geneva. According to the Ministry of Economy and Industry, »»»

NEW YORK: Justin Bieber has joined the ​star- studded lineup for the World Cup final halftime show. Bieber, BTS, Madonna and Shakira have committed to perform during the 11-minute ‌halftime show on ‌July ​19 ‌at ⁠MetLife ​Stadium in ⁠East Rutherford, N.J. Bieber explained his decision in a statemen»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Marko Djuric met with Chinese Ambassador to Belgrade Li Ming on Wednesday to discuss possibilities for further strengthening and advancement of bilateral cooperation, as well as regional and geopolitical challenges and cooperation at multilateral level. "Particular attention d»»»

COLOMBO: The newly launched Sinhalese version of Arab News is making global and regional developments more accessible to Sri Lankan migrant workers in the Middle East, their representatives say, as for many, language has until now been the main barrier to obtaining news. The Sinhalese are the large»»»

Italy and Israel announced this week that a new round of talks between Lebanon and Israel will take place in Rome in mid-July. The two sides had previously met for five rounds of U.S.-sponsored talks in Washington aimed at ending the war between Israel and Hezbollah and paving the way for peace. A »»»

JEDDAH: In November, Emma Merrick and Elzette Van Zyl will be undertaking an extraordinary enduring challenge, running 225 km from Jeddah to Taif — a demanding feat they hope to complete in approximately 28 hours. If successful, they will be the first women in Saudi Arabia to accomplish this test o»»»

Romania is rapidly establishing itself as one of Europe’s fastest-growing renewable energy markets, driven by accelerating investment in solar energy, battery storage and grid infrastructure. Against this backdrop, the acquisition marks an important step in the consolidation of the country’s energy»»»

Dubai: Pakistan received a record $41.6 billion in workers’ remittances during fiscal year 2025-26, with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates accounting for nearly half of the total inflows, underscoring the Gulf’s continued importance to the country’s economy and external finances. Data relea»»»

Iran's slain ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday will be buried at the country's holiest shrine in Mashhad after a week of mass funeral processions, rallies and mourning ceremonies that has coincided ​with a flare-up in conflict with the US. Khamenei's son and successor, Supreme»»»

Ankara, July 9 (SANA) SunExpress, the joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Germany’s Lufthansa, has announced the expansion of its services to Syria as it resumes flights to destinations across the Middle East following a temporary suspension of some routes due to regional military escalation»»»

BELGRADE - The National Bank of Serbia (NBS) Executive Board decided on Thursday to keep the key policy rate at 5.75 pct, and also kept the deposit facility and lending facility rates at 4.5 and 7.0 pct, respectively. "In making this decision, the Executive Board primarily took into account actual »»»

Defense companies from NATO member ‌states gathered in Ankara this week for an industry forum held alongside the alliance’s annual summit, where officials touted more than $50 billion in defense procurement and industrial agreements as allies sought ​to demonstrate their commitment to bolstering mi»»»

Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev presented the Agency's report for 2025 to MPs in Parliament on Thursday. He expressed hope that the 2026 state budget will increase funding for BTA, Bulgarian National Radio and Bulgarian National Television in order to guarantee higher sal»»»

Parliament unanimously passed Thursday at first and second reading in a single sitting a bill ratifying an agreement between the governments of Bulgaria and Mongolia on the international carriage of passengers and goods by road, signed in Sofia on November 21, 2025. The parliamentary Transport and »»»

The Sofia Appellate Court has upheld a lower court ruling dismissing Evelin "Brendo" Banev’s request for conditional early release from prison, the court said on Thursday. The ruling is final and cannot be appealed. In April 2026, the Sofia Appellate Court rejected a proposal by the then head of th»»»

EU's climate monitor said Thursday that Western Europe this year experienced its hottest month of June on record as an intense heatwave swept across the world's fastest-warming continent. A "heat dome" weather effect – a high-pressure system acting like a lid on a boiling pot – »»»

Russian strikes on Ukraine on July 8 killed at least seven people as Kyiv's army said it had hit several Russian tankers, in fresh overnight attacks ahead of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky at a NATO summit. During the meeting Trump said that the US will»»»

Brussels, Belgium: Restrictions on children's use of social media in the European Union could come as early as this summer, as a long-awaited expert report next week is expected to recommend limiting minors' access to online platforms. After Australia became the first country in the world to ban un»»»

Paris, France: Western Europe this year experienced its hottest June on record as a searing heatwave swept across a continent facing increasingly frequent and intense heat extremes, the EU's climate monitor said Thursday. The report comes as a new heatwave is battering Europe this week, following a»»»

Dubai: Investors facing renewed US-Iran tensions should avoid chasing sudden market moves and focus on diversification, liquidity, and defensive sectors that tend to hold up better during periods of geopolitical stress, analysts advised. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances»»»

Parliament approved on Thursday an amendment to the investment expenditure project related to acquisition of Stryker combat vehicles. The reason for the change is a price increase requested by the US side. A total of 156 MPs voted in favour and 11 Vazrazhdane MPs voted against. Defence Minister Dim»»»

The installation of the reactor vessel for the second unit of Egypt’s El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant has begun in northern Egypt, marking another stage in building the country’s first nuclear power station. The ceremony was attended by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Electricity»»»

Bulgarian households are among the most electricity-dependent in the European Union, while also ranking among the bloc’s leading countries in the use of renewable energy sources for heating homes, according to the latest Eurostat data on household energy consumption in 2024. The figures highlight B»»»

Sydney: Teenage Australian sprint star Gout Gout on Thursday pulled out of next month's under-20 world championships after suffering a serious hamstring injury in training. The 18-year-old has set the athletics world alight with a series of scorching runs. He won the 200m at the Australian champion»»»

Tunis, July 9 (TAP) – The weather will be clear to partly cloudy across the country's various regions Thursday, according to the forecast issued by the National Institute of Meteorology (INM).Winds will be from the northwest in the north and central...»»»

Wizz Air is launching direct flights between Varna and Basel, Switzerland, the airline's press centre said on Thursday. Flights on the new route will start on October 27 and will operate twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The airline said the new service expands travel opportunities between B»»»

Dubai: Denis Villeneuve took over cinema screens worldwide today for a global fan event tied to the first trailer for Dune: Part Three, appearing live via satellite in front of audiences linked in Chicago, Dallas, Montreal, Toronto, London, Berlin and Abu Dhabi. Then came the surprise: Timothée Cha»»»

Egyptian equities retreated on Wednesday, July 8, as investors took profits after a strong rally, while renewed regional tension weighed on risk appetite. The benchmark EGX30 fell 1.84% to 52,028.37 points, after opening at 53,006.11 points and touching an intraday low of 51,820.41 points, accordin»»»

‌Iraq will not leave OPEC, but is seeking a fair output quota within the oil producer ‌group, ‌Iraqi Prime Minister ‌Ali ⁠Al-Zaidi said in an interview ⁠with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV, according to his office. Reuters ⁠reported in ‌an ‌exclusive in ‌June that ‌Iraq, the group’s second-largest produ»»»

MOSCOW: Russia will respond to Italy’s expulsion of two of its military attaches who ‌had ‌been working at ‌the ⁠Russian embassy in ⁠Rome, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on ⁠Thursday, the ‌RIA ‌state news ‌agency reported.‌The Italian government has decided to expel two military »»»

RIYADH: Trade between Saudi Arabia and Canada reached approximately SR11 billion ($2.93 billion) in 2025, while total bilateral trade amounted to around SR66.3 billion over the past five years (2021-2025), reflecting continued commercial ties and diversified trade flows between the two countries. A»»»

No single topic dominates the news media on Thursday. POLITICS Commenting on the proposed amendments to the Election Code, Dimitar Petrov from Progressive Bulgaria told Bulgarian National Television's morning programme that these will ensure more transparent and fair presidential elections later th»»»

Parliament on Thursday gave final approval to amendments to the Credit Institutions Act, transposing two EU directives into Bulgarian law, one of which has already prompted the European Commission to launch infringement proceedings against Bulgaria. The amendments strengthen requirements concerning»»»

Dubai: Emirates will introduce its flagship A380 to Delhi from October 25, making the Indian capital its third A380 destination in India after Mumbai and Bengaluru. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The double-decker aircraft will operate on flights EK512 and EK513 in a »»»