RIYADH: Venture capital across the Middle East and North Africa has been trapped in a paradox: more money, more international attention and more government-backed ambition, yet still a market that looks small beside the economies it is meant to help transform. Startups in the region raised $3.8 bil»»»

MUSCAT: Qatar advanced to the semifinals of the Second West Asia Men's Volleyball Championship, currently underway in Muscat, Oman. The team secured the second victory of the tournament by defeating Kuwait in straight sets in Group A. The tournament runs through July 22. Qatar's players sealed the »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei: US Breach of Commitments Proves Washington Cannot Be Trusted 18-07-2026 22:26 PM Leader of the Islamic R»»»

Nairobi: Kenya temporarily shut down the presidency's website on Saturday after what local media reported was a cyberattack that included a ransom demand. Media reports said hackers had altered the site's homepage with messages critical of President William Ruto. They had also demanded five bitcoin»»»

RIYADH: In inspections across the Kingdom between July 9 and 15, the Interior Ministry recorded 15,836 violations — 7,892 related to residency, 4,617 to border security, and 3,327 to labor. Border authorities apprehended 1,631 individuals attempting to cross into the Kingdom illegally, of whom 33 p»»»

The Apostle of Freedom, Vasil Levski, gave words and substance to the aspirations of a people seeking liberty and wove the moral, political and social ambitions of Bulgarians into a national ideal untouched by time, President Iliana Iotova said on Saturday. She was speaking in Karlovo at a ceremony»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has outlined the qualities his Tisza Party wants in Hungary’s next president, saying the ideal candidate would have no party-political background or affiliations. In a Facebook post published after President Tamás Sulyok signed the constitutional amendment endi»»»

Creotech Instruments has been selected by OrbitFab to participate in the ASTRAL project, developed with the European Space Agency. Creotech will supply two of its HyperSat satellite platforms for an orbital refueling demonstration scheduled for 2028–2029. The platforms will support a servicing spac»»»

Abu Dhabi, July 18 (SANA) UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday to discuss regional and international developments, including the situation in the Middle East. According to the UAE’s state news agency (WAM), the t»»»

BEIRUT: The Israeli military said ​it struck a Hezbollah cell near Tebnit in southern Lebanon ‌on ‌Saturday ​after soldiers ‌identified ⁠a ​Hezbollah drone in ⁠the area. The air force located fighters that ⁠had been ‌operating drones ‌and ​taking ‌cover ‌near Israeli troops, the military said in a »»»

NEW YORK: France ‌captain Kylian Mbappe paid an emotional tribute to Didier Deschamps ahead of the coach’s final match in charge, saying the players had failed to give him the ending he deserved at the World Cup after 14 years at the helm. “Today is your last dance. You, who have given us so much. »»»

Tunis, July 18, 2026 (TAP) - Scattered rainfall is expected Saturday night over western highlands and locally in midland regions, according to the National Institute of Meteorology (INM).Light to moderate wind will blow east. The sea will be calm to...»»»

Ankara: Turkey's interior ministry said on Saturday that authorities had arrested 119 people across the country accused of links to the Islamic State group. "(The) 199 suspects were arrested in a police operation carried out in 30 provinces against the Daesh terrorist organisation," including in Is»»»

CAIRO: In the labyrinthine alleyways of Cairo’s Garbage City, recycling specialist Peter Romany finds himself fielding calls from factories scrambling for plastic to plug supply shortfalls caused by the Iran war. The 25-year-old is among the hundreds of recyclers and manufacturers across Egypt bene»»»

NEW YORK: FIFA President Gianni Infantino deemed the World Cup a success on Friday, saying the tournament achieved its mission of uniting people from all corners of the globe. Infantino spoke at the United Nations as part of a daylong session there about how the game can be a catalyst for youth men»»»

LONDON: Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign England World Cup midfielder Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, according to several reports on Saturday. Rogers, 23, who has impressed during the tournament in North America, will fetch a transfer fee of 117 million pounds ($157 million) and will sign a seve»»»

Iranian women hold an image of supreme leader Ayatolla Mojtaba Khamenei as Iranian officials, military commanders, families of war victims and their supporters gathered at Imam Khomeini Mosque in Tehran on Sunday. On Saturday, Khamenei called the United States "The Great Satan." Photo by Behnam Tof»»»

Ramallah, Palestinian Territories: A 17-year-old Palestinian footballer died on Saturday, a week after he was shot during an attack by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to officials and relatives. Dozens of mourners dressed in black carried the body of Fadi Hamdallah al-Nassan -»»»

A cold front will sweep across Hungary on Sunday, bringing thunderous weather, strong winds and a marked drop in temperatures, according to Hungary’s national meteorological service, HungaroMet. Nationwide weather warnings remain in force A first-level weather warning has been issued for the entire»»»

Spain is set to enter its third heatwave of the summer on Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to climb above 40°C across large parts of the country, the national weather office said. The heatwave will be fuelled by a persistent area of high pressure that will trap hot, dry air from North Africa ove»»»

Vientiane: Laos authorities said on Saturday they could not determine blame or the cause of the deaths in 2024 of six tourists previously linked to methanol-tainted alcohol because their families had refused to allow autopsies. Two Danish citizens, an American, a Briton and two Australians died fol»»»

A handout photo shows a building damaged during a Ukrainian drone attack in Elektrostal, Moscow region, Russia, Saturday. The building caught fire but was quickly extinguished. Photo by Moscow Regional Governor Andrey Vorobiev's Telegram Channel/EPA July 18 (UPI) -- Ukrainian drones hit two Russian»»»

Dubai: Several participants have walked away with cash prizes in the latest UAE Lottery Lucky Day draw held on Saturday. In Lucky Day Draw No. 260718, the winning numbers in the Days section were 13, 8, 10, 30, 31, 22, while the winning number in the Months section was 2. Three lucky participants h»»»

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said two US service members in Jordan were killed yesterday as “partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks”. Another is “missing in action,” CENTCOM added.»»»

Two US service members have been killed, while another is unaccounted for, after Iranian forces struck American military facilities in Jordan with ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones, the Pentagon has reported. According to a statement released by the US Central Command on Saturday, the casualti»»»

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is in talks over whether to try to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an upcoming UN summit, he said in an interview published Saturday -- prompting a sharp rebuke from Netanyahu's camp. "I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague»»»

Gaza: Five Palestinians were killed Saturday, including three children, and others were wounded after Israeli fighter jets bombarded an apartment in the Al-Nasr neighborhood, west of Gaza City, Palestinian medical sources said. Today, the death toll from the war of annihilation that the Israeli occ»»»

JOHANNESBURG: ‌Kenya’s Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy said on Saturday it was investigating a cybersecurity incident that affected the official website of the president, adding that there was no evidence so far of unauthorized access to sensitive data ‌or loss ‌of i»»»

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Annahar Media Group this week launched Nahar, its first artificial intelligence-powered “news correspondent.” In its announcement, the media outlet said the step opens a new chapter in the relationship between journalists and technology. Nayla Tueni, Annahar’s editor-in-chief, sai»»»

Dubai: Several participants have walked away with cash prizes in the latest UAE Lottery Lucky Day draw held on Saturday. In Lucky Day Draw No. 260718, the winning numbers in the Days section were 13, 8, 10, 30, 31, 22, while the winning number in the Months section was 2. Three lucky participants h»»»

LONDON — Britain's economy rebounded slightly in May with growth of 0.1 per cent thanks to expansion in the services sector, official data showed last week as Britain awaits a new prime minister.Gross domestic product (GDP) had contracted by 0.1 per cent in April as the US-Iran war pushed up inflat»»»

NEW YORK — Wall Street stocks fell decisively last week, joining most global markets in retreating on continued weakness in artificial intelligence shares and rebounding oil prices.Tech shares have been under pressure in recent days on questions about their lofty valuations following Nasdaq's surge»»»

AMMAN — Minister of Investment Tareq Abu Ghazaleh said that recent amendments to the country's citizenship- and residency-by-investment programme mark a “significant” shift towards attracting higher-quality investments that generate tangible economic benefits, create jobs, and support balanced deve»»»

AMMAN — The Jordanian Businessmen Association (JBA) held the Ninth Conference of Jordanian Businessmen and Investors Abroad on Saturday under the theme of "Investment Opportunities with a Global Vision."Major structural revisions to the national investment framework designed to fast-track the entry»»»

Share: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday left Beirut for Washington, where he is expected to meet president Donald Trump at the White House , the Lebanese presidency said It will be the first trip to Washington by a Lebanese head of state since former President Michel Suleiman met former U»»»

Ankara, July 18 (SANA) Syria’s Chargé d’Affaires in Ankara, Fadi al-Qassem, held talks on Saturday with the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Ankara, Maria Olson, on ways to boost bilateral relations and expand cooperation across a range of fields. According to the Syrian Embassy in Ankara, the two diploma»»»

Saudi Arabia has renewed its condemnation of Iranian attacks targeting civilian and vital infrastructure, including a power generation facility and water desalination plant in Kuwait. In a statement issued on Saturday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Iran’s continued attacks on Kuwait»»»

Egypt’s microfinance sector maintained strong growth during the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, with the total outstanding microfinance portfolio approaching EGP 108bn, according to Hala Abu Elsaad, Chairperson of the Egyptian Federation for Financing Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEF). The to»»»

Orascom Development Egypt (ODE), one of Egypt’s leading real estate and tourism developers, announced that its subsidiary, Orascom Real Estate, has secured a 10-year syndicated financing facility worth EGP 18bn from the Commercial International Bank-Egypt (CIB), Banque Misr, and the National Bank o»»»

Karim Malash, chairperson and chief executive officer of M squared, has been named one of CNBC Arabia’s Top 100 Business Leaders for 2026. The ranking identifies executives, founders, and innovators based on their measurable performance and tangible impact on Middle Eastern economies and markets, r»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iran Affirms Agreement Process Suspended After US Breached Commitments 18-07-2026 20:30 PM Iran flagIran has suspended implementation of it»»»

Jens Spahn, the parliamentary head of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU faction, resigned on Saturday amid mounting pressure over his use of a surrogate mother in the US despite a surrogacy ban in Germany. Spahn and his husband welcomed the child earlier this week, sparking criticism»»»

DHAKA: There are rooftops draped in blue and white and murals of Lionel Messi everywhere — but this is not Argentina, it is Bangladesh where football-crazy fans are again celebrating their unique bond with the South American giants. The craze for Argentina has endured for decades in a country of 17»»»

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 food-processing industry increased real sold production by 5.4% y/y in 2025, more than twice the growth rate of manufacturing overall. The sector accounts for about 21% of Poland’s manufacturing output and remains strongly export-oriented. Agri-food exports reached €58.4 bn in 2025, genera»»»

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 four-star Bellevue Hotel is under construction just 300 meters from Jelenia Góra’s main square and is scheduled to open in October 2026. The project, developed by the Kocham Góry Group, is about 80% complete and will operate under a condo-hotel model. It will offer 92 rooms ranging from 27 to 6»»»

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»»»

The precision-guided air strike hit fuel and lubricant storage tanks at Yuzhny Port, some 30 km east of Odessa on the Black Sea Coast. The fuel was intended for use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russia's Defense Ministry said. "The Russian Armed Forces continue to strike Ukrainian ports and vessel»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Saturday strongly condemned Iranian attacks against Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The Kingdom reiterated its complete rejection Iran’s attacks on civilian infrastructure and vital facilities, including a power and water desalination plant i»»»