“The position taken by World Athletics is totally cynical, openly cynical,” political scientist Yevgeny Semyonov told Sputnik, commenting on World Athletics president Sebastian Coe’s announcement that Russian and Belarusian athletes would remain banned from track & field events despite the IOC’s re»»»

RABAT: Morocco ‌will maintain a customs duty on soft wheat until August 31, effectively extending a halt to imports aimed at protecting the local harvest, the heads of the country’s grain traders association (FNCL) and millers federation (FNM) said on Thursday. Authorities had introduced a 170 perc»»»

OMV Petrom and the Romanian Rowing Federation have launched a project to build Romania’s first Olympic rowing arena on Lake Pantelimon, near Bucharest. The energy company will provide EUR 1.7 million for the development, according to News.ro. The PETROM Rowing Arena will be Romania’s first rowing f»»»

"Russia’s appeal against World Athletics is not just about competition access. It's about preventing political decisions from erasing years of training, sacrifice, and careers," Olympic runner Lyudmila Petrova told Sputnik. "Of course, we must go to court and try to restore justice. It's wrong to p»»»

The decision by World Athletics to extend the suspension of Russian athletes is an act of "institutional Russophobia" and political discrimination, Pavel Danilov, director of the Center for Political Analysis and associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Fe»»»

World Athletics’ refusal to reinstate Russian athletes is discriminatory and politically motivated, Russian Athletics Federation executive director Boris Yaryshevsky said. “World Athletics has effectively confirmed the discrimination Russian athletes are facing. We had no choice but to challenge th»»»

HANGZHOU: Qatari shooter Rashid Saleh Al Athba captured the gold medal in the men's individual skeet event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup (Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun), currently taking place in Hangzhou, China, featuring an elite field of world-class athletes. This vict»»»

The World Athletics’ move to uphold its blanket ban on Russian athletes—even after the International Olympic Committee rolled back its own restrictions—is “a very bad decision,” Cuban track and field legend Javier Sotomayor told Sputnik. All Russian athletes are highly skilled and are known for the»»»

A legal challenge by the Russian Athletics Federation could test whether World Athletics is justified in continuing to bar Russian athletes from international competition, Turkish sports commentator Mustafa Eren told Sputnik. "World Athletics has effectively ignored the IOC's revised approach to th»»»

London: Norway's football chief told The Times they are set to make a formal complaint to FIFA over the suspension of Folarin Balogun's World Cup ban because it has put "the whole game at risk". Lise Klaveness, the president of the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF), says she will seek the backing»»»

For most businesses, a reliable copier or multifunction printer is not a luxury but a daily necessity. Contracts, invoices, marketing materials, and everyday paperwork all depend on it. Yet when the time comes to acquire one, companies face a deceptively tricky decision: should they buy the machine»»»

Paris, France: The French Football Federation (FFF) will hold a news conference on July 28 to unveil the next coach of the national team, the governing body said on Thursday. Zinedine Zidane, although not named in the FFF statement, is the overwhelming favourite to succeed Didier Deschamps as Franc»»»

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - The Russian armed forces have liberated the settlement of Belitskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday. "Units of the Tsentr Battlegroup have liberated the settlement of Belitskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic," the ministr»»»

DUBAI: The Saudi Arabian national football team have jumped three places in the FIFA World Rankings, which were announced this week following the World Cup. Spain, who beat Argentina 1-0 on Sunday to claim their second World Cup triumph, climbed to top spot. The Saudi team are now in 58th place glo»»»

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday defeated Hong Kong 46-11 to finish top of Group A with a perfect record at the 19th Asian Men’s Junior U-20 Handball Championship. The team secured their fifth consecutive victory in the continental championship being held in Suzhou, China, having already secured th»»»

RIYADH: Ahead of the start of the 2026 Taif Racing Season on Friday, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia has announced the upgrade of the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Cup for Purebred Arabians to Group 3 status. This year’s race, which will take place on Sept. 25, received the new classification from the »»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatari officials continue to play an increasingly influential role on football’s biggest stage, with the FIFA World Cup 2026 once again highlighting the country’s growing contribution beyond hosting major tournaments. From organising global events to shaping key areas of football admin»»»

Doha, Qatar: The French Tennis Federation (FFT) and beIN Media Group (beIN), the global sports, entertainment and media group, are pleased to announce the extension of its exclusive broadcasting agreement for Roland-Garros across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Asia regions which will s»»»

Hungary’s public broadcaster says its interim leadership has saved almost HUF 7 billion (around EUR 17 million) during its first two weeks in charge, while launching a comprehensive financial and organisational review and preparing a major overhaul of programming. In a statement released on Wednesd»»»

On the night of July 22, Wildberries logistics centers in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk (Stavropol Krai) were attacked by drones in Russia. According to preliminary information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan, received from company management, as well as representatives of the Kyrgy»»»

Qatari talent continues to solidify its presence at the world’s biggest sporting events, confirming the status that Qatar has achieved, not only in hosting and organizing major tournaments but also in strengthening the international sports system with national talents who assume leadership roles in»»»

WASHINGTON: Vice Chairman of FIFA's Referees Committee Hani Taleb Ballan said that Qatari officials continue to strengthen their presence at the world's biggest sporting events, reflecting Qatar's growing role not only in hosting major tournaments but also in contributing to the governance of inter»»»

Washington: Vice Chairman of FIFA's referees committee Hani Taleb Ballan said that Qatari officials continue to strengthen their presence at the world's biggest sporting events, reflecting Qatar's growing role not only in hosting major tournaments but also in contributing to the governance of inter»»»

KISVARDA/GDANSK: Facing a choice between upsetting businesses and a public opinion backlash, the Polish and Hungarian ruling centrists are opting for curbs on foreign labor — something economists warn may hurt the two countries’ growth prospects. Both Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who won »»»

Athletes from Kyrgyzstan won eight medals at the Asian Junior Judo Championships in Jordan, the sport’s federation reported. The tournament for athletes aged 18 and under was held on July 16-17 in Amman. Athletes competed for a total of 16 sets of medals. Kyrgyzstanis won one silver and seven bronz»»»

JEDDAH: Under the sporting regulations of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, ALTAWKILAT Motorsport has announced the launch of the third edition of the Aramco F4 Saudi Arabian Championship, the Kingdom’s first FIA-certified national single-seater championship. The 2026 season will be t»»»

DALLAS: The first 48-team World Cup has barely finished, but Gianni Infantino has already acknowledged the possibility that soccer’s biggest tournament could one day grow larger still, a move that could fundamentally alter the economics of the sport. Speaking to Swiss television during the tourname»»»

Egypt is implementing a coordinated action plan to tighten market controls and enforce energy efficiency standards for electrical appliances and equipment to curb consumption, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat announced. Esmat stated that generating one new megawatt of powe»»»

JEDDAH: Muslim World League Secretary-General Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa met New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Wellington on Tuesday for talks on dialogue, peaceful coexistence and cooperation between nations. “I was pleased this evening to meet with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher L»»»

LONDON: The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said on Monday that eight journalists were killed and 467 violations were committed against media workers in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip in the first half of 2026. The figures were presented at a news conference in Ramallah, where the union ac»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said on Tuesday it was still uncertain whether the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) would extend licences issued to the Serbian oil company NIS and Hungary's MOL after July 31, and noted that strategic dialogue »»»

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) welcomes North Korea's Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui (L) ahead of a meeting in Moscow on Monday. The two sides blamed the United States and its allies for tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Russia's Foreign Ministry said. Photo courtesy of Russian Foreign M»»»

ABU DHABI: The UAE’s jiu-jitsu national team concluded an outstanding campaign at the third Jiu-Jitsu Asian Youth Championship and the 10th Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship, held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from July 13 to 19, winning 55 medals across the U-16, U-18, U-21 and adult categories. The team fini»»»

Romanian tourism is seeing a significant rise in visitors from the Anglo-Saxon region (the USA and the UK)?travelers who opt for longer stays, have high spending levels, and seek authentic experiences, particularly in Transylvania and Maramures to a Facebook post by the Romanian Hotel Industry Fede»»»

An extreme street sports festival, organized by the Extreme Sports Federation, was held in Bishkek over the weekend, the press service of the City Hall reported. Athletes from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia participated in the festival. On July 18, BMX, scootering, and parkour compe»»»

LONDON: Sheikh Mohammed Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League, on Monday visited Al-Noor Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, which was the scene of a deadly mass shooting during Friday prayers on March 15, 2019. It was one of two facilities, the other being nearby Linwood Islamic C»»»

Egypt’s Chamber of Apparel and Home Textile Industries at the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) is launching an integrated support programme to help Egyptian manufacturers expand exports to Kenya and the wider East African market, including the establishment of a 250-square-metre showroom and»»»

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday condemned the attack on a commercial vessel departing from Odesa port in Ukraine in which four Indian nationals have lost their lives and one remains in a critical condition. According to the MEA, on the evening of July 19, the vessel MV G»»»

The Russian market has always been, and remains, attractive to Western companies - it is large, stable, and rapidly growing, Chief Executive Officer of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Russia Robert Agee told Sputnik. He talked about how US companies are suffering from anti-Russian sanc»»»

July 17 (UPI) -- A total 31,075 coordinated skydives took place in 43 countries in a single day to break a world record for the most recorded skydives completed in a single day. Saturday's World Skydiving Day event, coordinated by the U.S. Parachute Association (USPA), Australian Parachute Federati»»»

The Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic in the Russian Federation continues to verify information about citizens of Kyrgyzstan who may have been affected by the fires on July 18, 2026, in Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast, and Kotovsk, Tambov Oblast of Russia. On July 19, embassy staff visited the hospitals wh»»»

Damascus, July 20 (SANA) Syria‘s Federation of Chambers of Commerce and the Syrian-Chinese Business Council signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday to expand trade and investment cooperation between the two countries, as Damascus seeks to strengthen economic ties with Beijing. The agre»»»

Rabat: The National Committee for International Humanitarian Law participated in the International Legal Symposium organised by Morocco’s National Committee on International Humanitarian Law under the theme “Multilateral Humanitarian Action at a Crossroads: Challenges and Issues.” The Committee’s d»»»

Kyrgyz athletes successfully competed at an international aerial acrobatics competition, winning medals and securing places at the World Championship to be held in the Czech Republic. According to the Kyrgyz Federation of Aerial and Sports Acrobatics, the country was represented at the tournament b»»»

Women accounted for 53% of all microfinance beneficiaries in Egypt during the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, underscoring their growing role in the country’s non-banking financial sector and the importance of women’s economic empowerment to sustainable development, according to Islam Azzam, Chairperso»»»

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification has announced seven investment opportunities in national parks across the Eastern Province, the Saudi Press Agency reported. This forms part of a wider package of 142 investment opportunities annou»»»

Abu Dhabi: At a time when countries around the world are working to protect their agricultural genetic resources from the growing threats of climate change, pests and diseases, the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority's Documentation of New Date Palm Varieties project marks an important step in preserving »»»

BusinessEuropeEU ban on destroying unsold clothes takes effectNik Martin with AFP, European CommissionUnder new rules to reduce waste, large companies across the European Union can no longer dispose of unsold clothes, accessories and footwear. https://p.dw.com/p/5HNpwThe rise of fast fashion retail»»»

TAIF: The second round of the 2026 Saudi Toyota Championship Hill Climb ended on Saturday after 46 competitors battled it out in 10 classes, in addition to the Ladies Cup taking place. The event was held under the supervision of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation at Aqabat Al-Muhammadiy»»»

ALMATY: The UAE Women’s Jiu-Jitsu National Team continued the country’s strong campaign at the 10th Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship by winning six medals in the women’s competition on Saturday at Almaty Arena in Kazakhstan. The two gold, one silver and three bronze medals took the UAE’s overall tally »»»