Bardo, July 17, 2026 (TAP) - Minister of Economy and Planning Samir Abdelhafidh affirmed that the fundamental challenge of the 2026-2030 Development Plan lies in transforming scheduled projects into actual achievements with tangible economic,...»»»

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., right, won his court case to stay on the primary ballot in Florida. File Pool photo by Justin Lane/UPI | License Photo July 17 (UPI) -- Republican Congressman Cory Mills won the first round of his bid to stay on the primary ballot in Florida. Mills was sued June 19 by prima»»»

Capitals: Qatari embassies abroad have received further rounds of condolences from officials and senior figures following the death of HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. In Sarajevo, HE Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Dr Denis Becirovic paid tribute at the Qa»»»

TAIF: Round two of the 2026 Saudi Toyota Championship Hill Climb got underway on Friday at Aqabat Al-Muhammadiyah in Al-Shafa, Taif, with 54 competitors taking part in the opening day of action. Organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, and managed by Bakhashab Motorsport in part»»»

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters in Washington he would apply "maximum pressure" against states that refuse to work with his department on election security. File Photo by Daniel Heuer/UPI | License Photo July 17 (UPI) -- The Department of Homeland Security on Friday ramped up the Trum»»»

Education and Science Minister Georgi Valchev said here Friday that Bulgaria is ready to join the new European ocean observation initiative and become an equal partner in building a common system for scientific research and data exchange. He made the statement during a meeting with Charlina Vitchev»»»

Boeing will be allowed to take responsibility for certifying all of its 737 Max and 787 planes starting next week, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday. The FAA said that after months of review the agency decided that Boeing's final safety checks on its planes are good enough to ensure t»»»

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium: Alpine’s Franco Colapinto wound up seventh fastest for Alpine in Friday practice at the Belgian Grand Prix and then said he will be more nervous watching Argentina in the World Cup final than driving in Sunday’s race. The only Argentine driver on the grid, Colapinto wore»»»

WASHINGTON: After months of a regional war that has left Iraq once again caught between Iran, the Gulf and the US, Baghdad is attempting an ambitious diplomatic pivot — hosting talks it hopes will transform the country from a battleground into a broker. The proposal, announced by Iraq’s Foreign Min»»»

Andy Burnham speaks after being confirmed as the Labour Party's new leader and the country's next prime minister, during Labour's Special Conference in central London Friday. Burnham is expected to offcially become Britain's prime minister on Monday. Pool Photo by Henry Nicholls/EPA July 17 (UPI) -»»»

Doha: The State of Qatar strongly condemned the Iranian attack on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, considering it a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the sisterly Republic of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and a blatant breach of the rules of international law. The Ministry of Foreign A»»»

KYIV: Russian and Ukrainian strikes killed at least 10 people in total across both sides of the border on Friday, local officials in the respective territories said. More than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, strikes from both sides have been intensifying for several months»»»

BETHLEHEM: When Mohammed Adnan Sbeih, also known as Abu Amous, began building a home for his family, he believed years of sacrifice would finally provide the stability he had worked so hard to achieve. Instead, 4 years of continuous labor, decades of savings, and mounting debt were erased within ho»»»

BRUSSELS: The EU welcomed the first session of Syria’s People’s Assembly as “another positive step” in the country’s political process. EU foreign affairs spokesperson Anouar El-Anouni said the bloc supports the assembly, which held its inaugural session on July 12, as part of a Syrian-led and Syri»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received his Venezuelan counterpart, Felix Plasencia, in Riyadh on Thursday. During the meeting, Prince Faisal congratulated Plasencia on his recent appointment to the position, wished him success and expressed his aspiration to continue worki»»»

SpaceX's next-generation Starship is stacked on the pad atop the new Super Heavy V3 booster at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX rescheduled its 13th flight test for Monday. Photo courtesy SpaceX | License Photo July 17 (UPI) -- SpaceX announced Friday that it has rescheduled its 13th launch of»»»

New York: The United Nations has expressed deep concern over the continuing military escalation between the United States and Iran, calling for intensified diplomatic efforts to reach a peaceful and lasting resolution to the crisis. Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, UN Deputy Spokesperson Far»»»

NEW YORK: Argentina’s Mauricio Pochettino is weighing ‌whether to coach the United States Men’s National Team for the next four years, which would include the 2030 World Cup hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Pochettino has been engaged in contract talks to stay with the USMNT side that reached»»»

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium: Series leader Kimi Antonelli hailed his Mercedes team on Friday after bouncing back to top the times in second free practice ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix. The 19-year-old Italian, who also gesticulated at Carlos Sainz for what he said was “a dangerous momen»»»

KINGSTON: Jamaica’s government said two of its three citizens recently deported by the United States to the African kingdom of Eswatini have formally declined offers to be repatriated to the Caribbean nation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said late Thursday that Jamaican officials were still atte»»»

Beijing: A landslide in southwest China killed at least eight people and left 34 missing on Friday, local authorities said, with Chinese President Xi Jinping urging comprehensive inspections as rescue efforts were ongoing. The landslide happened around 9:10 am local time (0110 GMT) in Chongqing's P»»»

A powerful earthquake struck the southern Mexican Pacific coast on Friday, prompting residents to evacuate buildings in neighbouring Guatemala and El Salvador – and triggering an alert from the US Tsunami Warning System. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. A powerful magnitude »»»

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira participates in a press conference in Brasilia on Thursday after the announcement of new U.S. tariffs on Brazilian goods. 'It is clear that what bothers the U.S. government is that Brazil did not give in to the excessive demands and unreasonable requirements »»»

Germany will take part in a French nuclear exercise later this year, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday after key defence talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at an air base near Cologne. Merz said the two countries would also continue to develop ​the ‌cloud solution from ‌the ​FCAS »»»

Addis Ababa: The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Friday commended China for its solidarity with Africa in response to the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak. Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya made the remarks following a meeting with Jiang Feng, head of the Ch»»»

Uber is set to become the new owner of Foodora Hungary after agreeing to acquire German food delivery giant Delivery Hero in a USD 14.8 billion (EUR 12.7 billion) deal. The acquisition will significantly expand Uber’s global food delivery business and strengthen its position against major competito»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam recently destroyed 4,573 landmines and other unexploded weapons in Yemen’s Abyan governorate. The controlled demolitions took place in the Wadi Dofs area, the project said on Friday. The devices included artillery shells, antipersonnel and antitank mines, hand g»»»

A five-year roadmap for trade and economic cooperation between Pakistan and Uzbekistan is expected to be signed next week in Islamabad, according to media reports. The sides have set an ambitious target of increasing bilateral trade from $450 million to $2 billion within five years. Reliance on Afg»»»

Jakarta: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Friday that the government aims to complete a nationwide sugarcane replanting program within two years after plantations went more than a decade without large-scale rejuvenation. Speaking during a sugarcane harvest in Malang, East Java province, P»»»

Tunis: The Arab Interior Ministers Council has condemned Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks targeting Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan. The General Secretariat released a statement on Friday, slamming the attacks as a "flagrant violation" of international law and the principles of good ne»»»

GENEVA: The humanitarian situation in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid is worsening rapidly, the United Nations said Friday, as displacement camps swelled with new arrivals. The UN has been warning for weeks that atrocities similar to those committed during the paramilitary assault on the Darfur city »»»

Author: Caro Claire Burke Every so often I pick up a novel expecting a fun escape, only to end up questioning my own assumptions. Caro Claire Burke’s “Yesteryear” did exactly that. What initially seemed like a light historical mystery quickly became a thoughtful reflection on nostalgia, identity an»»»

Former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro is shown in 1978 after he was kidnapped by far-left Brigade Rosse (Red Brigades) movement. ANSA files/EPA July 17 (UPI) -- Nicaragua has severed diplomatic relations with Italy after Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani renewed calls for the extradition of»»»

TAPACHULA, México: A strong earthquake struck the southern Mexican Pacific coast on Friday, right on the border with Guatemala, and was felt from Mexico City to El Salvador. Authorities have not immediately reported any severe damage or casualties in any country. The US Geological Survey (USGS) rep»»»

VENICE: The billionaire US ambassador to Italy faced protests when he arrived in Venice on Friday aboard his luxury yacht as part of a coastal diplomacy tour marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. Activists described hospitality mogul Tilman Fertitta’s arrival as an unwelcome displ»»»

London: The mother of a British Sikh man imprisoned for fatally stabbing a white student was jailed by a court Friday for trying to hide the ceremonial knife used in the killing. Henry Nowak was handcuffed by police in December as he lay dying, after his attacker, Vickrum Digwa, falsely claimed tha»»»

Copenhagen: One person was killed and a policeman was wounded in Denmark on Friday when a gunman opened fire on officers responding to a call of a blaze in a building, police said. The shooter was badly wounded when police returned fire and was taken to hospital. His motive for the ambush was not k»»»

Two South African soldiers died on Friday after falling down a mine shaft during an operation targeting illicit mining, a police spokeswoman said. The deaths are the first military fatalities since President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed troops in March to bolster police operations against crime and ill»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has condemned in the strongest terms the hostile Iranian attack targeting the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that this hostile attack constitutes a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq and the Kur»»»

New York: US officials on Friday pinned the source of a diarrhea-causing foodborne parasite as shredded iceberg lettuce used by the fast food chain Taco Bell. A federal investigation by the Food and Drug Administration traced the contamination back to a single supplier of iceberg lettuce from Mexic»»»

NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia has established an advanced model for sustainable urban development, progressing from planning and policymaking to implementation and measurable impact, Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majed Al-Hogail has said. Guided by the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom»»»

Fernando Jorge (L) and Serguey Torres of Cuba, and teams of Russia and Poland compete during semifinal men's canoe double (C2) 1000m semifinal at the Lagoa Stadium during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 2016. File Photo by Orlando Barria/EPA July 17 (UPI) -- Nine mem»»»

The new Hungarian government “has engaged in intense reforms to restore the rule of law”, the European Commission said in its 2026 rule of law report published on Friday. “Following continued dialogue with the Commission under the Recovery and Resilience Plan and the general regime of conditionalit»»»

BEIRUT: A planned virtual meeting between Lebanese, Israeli and US military representatives to discuss the implementation of pilot zones in southern Lebanon was postponed on Friday, sources told Arab News. The meeting had been expected to focus on finalizing the pilot zones, setting a timetable for»»»

NEW YORK: Mikel Merino can smell and see the smoke from the Canadian wildfires that are making for hazy conditions across large parts of the US, including northern New Jersey where he and Spain are set to face Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday. Merino is trying not to focus on it. It remai»»»

ATLANTA: Federal health officials have identified lettuce from Mexico served by Taco Bell locations across five US states as a source of the widespread outbreak of diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Thursday confirmed the source and warned cons»»»

RAFHA: The hottest period of summer in Saudi Arabia has begun, with several weeks of peak annual temperatures expected in most regions of the Kingdom. Barjas Al-Fulaih, of the Afaq Society for Astronomy, said this part of the season, which runs from mid-July until early August, is traditionally kno»»»

GAZA: An Israeli airstrike killed at least eight Palestinians and wounded 20 attending a funeral in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on Friday for a person killed by another Israeli strike on the area earlier in the day, Gaza health officials said. Those deaths, along with at least three Palestin»»»

MOSCOW: Kazakhstan exported its ​first gasoline cargo to Russia in July, supplying about 1,000 ‌metric tons ‌to ​one ‌of ⁠the ​regions in ⁠Central Russia, industry sources said. Russia is facing gasoline ⁠shortages after ‌increased Ukrainian ‌drone ​attacks ‌on oil ‌refineries across the country, p»»»

BARCELONA: Almost two decades ago, photographer Joan Monfort didn’t think much of his photo shoot of a teenage Lionel Messi bathing a cute baby boy in a plastic bathtub. Not until the remarkable twist of fate became clear years later, when that infant blossomed into Lamine Yamal. Now those images o»»»