Brussels: 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 under-16s f»»»

BRUSSELS: ‌The European Union proposed on Thursday a new sanctions framework targeting migrant smuggling, human trafficking, and other forms of organized crime, which would impose asset freezes and travel bans on offenders. “We all have a common goal. To ‌drive them out ‌of business. And to ‌save ⁠»»»

A fire broke out in a Chinese shoe factory Thursday. It's not yet known how many have died or been injured. Image courtesy of UPI July 9 (UPI) -- A shoe factory caught fire Thursday morning in China, and it's unknown how many people are dead or injured. Chinese President Xi Jinping said there were »»»

Bulgaria's Parliament approved an increase in the cost of the country's contract for Stryker armored combat vehicles, backing amendments to the investment project for equipping battalion battle groups within a mechanized brigade. The decision passed with 156 votes in favor, while the 11 MPs from th»»»

GERB and Democratic Bulgaria (DB) accused Prime Minister Rumen Radev's government of putting Bulgaria's planned partnership with German defense company Rheinmetall at risk after Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Alexander Pulev said the state currently lacks the funding needed to move the »»»

The British Council has signed a new agreement with the Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA), awarding funding for nine new joint research projects in the areas of healthcare, clean energy and environmental protection, delivered through the UK–KSA Research Collaboration Programme o»»»

A Serbian court has approved the extradition of former Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) governor Stoyan Mavrodiev to Bulgaria, his lawyer Emanuil Yordanov confirmed. The decision was taken in a closed session after Mavrodiev himself submitted a request expressing consent to be returned to Bulgaria.»»»

Dubai: "From 6am to 6pm I was an occupational therapist in Dubai. From 6pm till midnight, I was a theatre artist at The Junction in Alserkal." Not exactly the making of a movie star. But that leap of faith has transformed Dubai-raised Farzana Palathingal into Malayalam cinema's breakout talent, tha»»»

AMMAN: The Jordanian military said it intercepted eight missiles fired from Iran on Thursday, while the Islamic republic said it targeted a US base there amid a new exchange of strikes between Tehran and Washington. “Jordanian air defense systems intercepted and shot down, today, Thursday, eight mi»»»

LONDON: Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, declared Nov. 28, which falls on a Saturday, as the date for the long-expected Palestinian legislative elections. The vote will take place across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East»»»

JEDDAH: Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have developed technology that enhances the reliability of digital devices by relying on their unique physical characteristics, potentially offering a faster and more secure alternative to conventional passwords and security »»»

South Africa’s largest municipalities are sliding deeper into financial distress after years of underspending on infrastructure and maintenance, raising the risk of broader municipal failure with serious economic and social consequences, according to a report by independent governance rat»»»

Sharjah: Sharjah Police have arrested two motorists for committing serious traffic violations that endangered the lives of road users, authorities announced on Thursday. The drivers were found to have engaged in reckless and dangerous driving, prompting an investigation that led to their identifica»»»

Al Aini: The National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) announced the successful launch of “LEONAV-1”, the first Emirati satellite dedicated to satellite navigation technologies. Supported and funded by the UAE Space Agency, the LEONAV-1 proje»»»

The US struck the Aq Tekeh-Khan railway bridge in Iran's northern Golestan province with cruise missiles, hitting a link on the rail corridor connecting Iran to China and Russia, state media reported on July 9. The strike marks one of the deepest US attacks inside Iranian territory since the confli»»»

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic met with Dutch Ambassador to Belgrade Martijn Elgersma on Thursday to discuss the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, pointing to unilateral, anti-Serb moves by the Albin Kurti-led authorities in Pristina. Petkovic conv»»»

Artificial intelligence (AI) should serve the interests of all countries, not a narrow circle of states and corporations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov told Sputnik. Speaking on the sidelines of the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance, Alimov noted that Russia sees significant po»»»

More than nine months ago, we launched our Hungary Votes series, in which we provided weekly summaries of the latest developments in Hungary’s election campaign. The series continues as we report on the developments following the historic election and the measures taken by the Tisza government. Thi»»»

The floods were already forcing people from their homes. Then came another warning: watch where you step. Authorities in southern China say nearly 900 snakes escaped after floodwaters swept through commercial breeding farms in Hengzhou, Guangxi. The authorities said the floods sent both venomous an»»»

Dubai: Christopher Nolan's upcoming epic The Odyssey hasn't even reached cinemas yet, but it's already become the centre of a heated online debate. At the heart of the controversy is Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o, who has been cast as Helen of Troy, the legendary beauty from Greek mythology »»»

The Zionist occupation forces continued on Thursday their violations and attacks in South Lebanon. In this regard, Al-Manar correspondent reported that the Israeli enemy carried out bombing operations in the towns of Khiam, Taygeh and Haddatha. The reporter added that the Zionist artillery targeted»»»

LONDON: Lord’s, the Home of Cricket since 1814, will mark another milestone on Friday when England and India step out for the first women’s test match at the sport’s most famous venue. The four-day test comes 50 years on from Rachael Heyhoe-Flint leading England out for the first women’s match at L»»»

MADINAH: Rural farms across the Madinah region are attracting growing numbers of visitors during the evening hours, emerging as preferred tourism and recreation destinations that offer natural surroundings, diverse amenities and a cooler atmosphere than many open spaces. The farms benefit from thei»»»

TUNIS, July 9, 2026 (TAP) – Fifty-two members of the Assembly of People's Representatives (ARP) have submitted a petition to the Prime Minister, urging the government to expedite the implementation of Law No. 18 of 2025 on the exceptional...»»»

GENEVA: The United Nations called Thursday for an immediate end to fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo between the armed forces and the M23 militia. The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has seized vast swathes of territory since it re-emerged in 2021 in mineral-rich eastern DR Congo, »»»

RIYADH: Abha International Airport, one of the sites operated by Cluster2 Airports, has set a new record for the highest number of flights handled in a single day after recording more than 130 on July 5. It was reported that the total included 117 domestic and 15 international flights, marking the »»»

British lawmakers have triggered a by-election Thursday to replace Reform U.K. leader Nigel Farage in Parliament following his abrupt resignation. File Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo July 9 (UPI) -- British lawmakers have triggered a by-election Thursday to replace Reform U.K. leader Nige»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has condemned in the strongest terms the hostile attack by Iran that targeted the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with missiles. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that this hostile attack constitutes a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Hashemi»»»

DOHA: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has announced the imposition of final anti-dumping duties on imports of electric batteries originating in or exported from the People's Republic of China and Malaysia under Decision No. 48 of 2026. In a post on X on Thursday, the ministry said the »»»

TUNIS: The General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers condemned on Thursday the targeting of the Qatari LNG tanker 'Al Rekayyat' and Saudi crude carrier 'Wadiyan' as they transited the Strait of Hormuz. It also denounced the attacks targeting the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom o»»»

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the production of Patriot missile interceptors in Ukraine would constitute another sign of unacceptable encroachment by NATO. But Zelensky’s lack of enthusiasm with the idea signifies it may not be as urgent a threat as may first seem, the former senior DoD anal»»»

BusinessGermanyWhy Volkswagen's huge workforce became a costly burdenNik MartinThe struggling German carmaker plans to cut up to 100,000 jobs from its 630,000-strong workforce. How did VW's headcount get so bloated, and will the cuts be enough to survive the Chinese EV onslaught? https://p.dw.com/p»»»

Dubai: "From 6am to 6pm I was an occupational therapist in Dubai. From 6pm till midnight, I was a theatre artist at The Junction in Alserkal." Not exactly the making of a movie star. But that leap of faith has transformed Dubai-raised Farzana Parthingal into Malayalam cinema's breakout talent, than»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iranian media: Military and security officials in Iran’s Kermanshah province deny any explosions or attacks by US warplanes in the province»»»

PARIS: Two thirds of the European Union’s population may have been exposed to harmful levels of ozone pollution during last month’s record-breaking heatwave, a report exclusively shared with AFP warned Thursday. Nearly 300 million people, including 100 million children and elderly people, faced hig»»»

GENEVA: Moderna said ‌on Thursday it has secured a European Commission contract to supply its respiratory syncytial virus vaccine to six countries in the region. The agreement gives the participating countries — Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway and Portugal — ‌access to ‌up to 24 milli»»»

The Hague: The Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has adopted a draft resolution submitted by the State of Qatar to restore the rights and privileges of the Syrian Arab Republic within the organization. The resolution was adopted during the 112th se»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney in Jeddah on Thursday.»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has released documents and fresh allegations concerning a 2018 trip to the United States by former President János Áder, claiming that the HUF 55 million journey, funded by public money, included several days of what he described as family holiday activities ra»»»

US President Donald Trump formally began the process of removing Syria from his country's list of state sponsors of terrorism on Wednesday, notifying Congress after telling Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa the move would help rebuild the war-ravaged country. The decision marks a major shift in Wash»»»

Dubai: The UAE Council for Fatwa has urged the public to obtain religious rulings only from official national fatwa institutions, warning against relying on websites, social media platforms, anonymous accounts or unlicensed individuals for religious guidance. In a public awareness message shared on»»»

Jordan's state news agency said Thursday the country had intercepted eight missiles launched into its airspace from Iran. Tehran earlier targeted Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar after US military officials said they had struck approximately 90 Iranian military targets overnight. Follow our liveblog »»»

US has launched a second salve of strikes on Iran on July 8 after US President Donald Trump announced that the ceasefire with Tehran was over at the NATO summit. Iran says that the strikes targeted civilian infrastructure including railway bridges, calling them a "gross war crime". FRANCE 24's Phil»»»

The United States and Iran traded strikes on July 9 for the second day running as Washington and Tehran battled over the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Explosions were also heard in Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, two US allies in the Gulf, following fresh attacks on Iran overnight. But although Trump says»»»

London, United Kingdom: Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi met today in London with HE Hamish Falconer, UK Minister for the Middle East and North Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; HE Chris Elmore, UK Min»»»

Dubai: Just three weeks after declaring he had secured a breakthrough with Iran, President Donald Trump once again finds himself weighing military escalation against diplomacy as the Strait of Hormuz crisis threatens to spiral. Iran’s renewed attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, »»»

After Iranian military attacks on US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to US aggression, sirens were heard in Jordan for the first time in a long period. The U.S. Embassy in Jordan issued an alert to its staff, saying that according to reports, “missiles, drones, or rockets are in Jordanian a»»»

In tonight's edition, Nigeria is investigating how a fictitious agency wielding forged appointment letters from the president accessed government funds. Meanwhile the country’s 36 states are about to ratify a major police reform that would allow them to set up their own forces. And in Mauritania, c»»»

The number of confirmed deaths in the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 600, figures published by the UN health agency showed Thursday. The WHO's figures show the worsening haemorrhagic fever outbreak has a case fatality rate of 34 percent. The Ebola outbreak in the De»»»

Nigeria is investigating a made-up government agency which authorities are saying was cooked up by a conman, and somehow managed to operate under authorities' noses. It had set up offices on government premises and even got itself listed on the budget for allocation of public money. It was supposed»»»