As Bulgaria reassesses its planned cooperation with German defense manufacturer Rheinmetall, neighboring Croatia is moving ahead with a major partnership that positions the country as a future regional center for advanced defense technology and unmanned systems, BGNES writes. Rheinmetall has offici»»»

Doha, Qatar: The 3rd Hamba Pakistani Mango Exhibition and Its Products, featuring 60 exhibitors, opened yesterday at the Eastern Square of Souq Waqif, showcasing Pakistan’s renowned mango varieties alongside a wide range of mango-based food products and cultural experiences. The opening ceremony wa»»»

WELLINGTON: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in New Zealand on Friday touting a free trade deal that has sparked a backlash despite promises it will unlock jobs and economic riches. On the agenda are trade, tourism and sport — but recent undercurrents of anti-migrant sentiment risk tarnis»»»

Yokoshiba, Japan: A lanky businessman ventures into a hole-in-the-wall restaurant and savours his meal alone. It's a mundane premise for a TV show, yet Japan's "The Solitary Gourmet" draws a cult-like following around Asia, captivating millions of viewers with its simplicity, nostalgia and deeply q»»»

A protest was held on Thursday outside Sándor Palace, organised by Fidesz and KDNP, against what they described as the building of a "Tisza-style autocracy" and the removal of President of the Republic Tamás Sulyok. At the demonstration, former President of the Republic János Áder said that the ame»»»

In February, the ruling Iranian regime’s daily newspaper Jomhouri Eslami posed a question in print that had been taboo for 40 years: does the Islamic Republic really need two sets of armed forces? There is the regular army, the Artesh, to guard against foreign enemies, and there is the Islamic Revo»»»

Oil prices edged higher in Asian trading on Friday as renewed fighting in the Middle East kept geopolitical risks firmly in focus, even as a senior US Federal Reserve official said he expects energy prices to ease over the coming year despite the latest escalation. As of 1:27 pm Tokyo time, Brent c»»»

JERUSALEM: With the Israeli parliament set to dissolve in the coming days, just four months before national elections, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is racing to pass a series of bills, drawing fierce criticism from opposition. Seven pieces of legislation are currently on the »»»

North Korea has decided to strengthen its nuclear forces both qualitatively and quantitatively, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, citing a decision made at a meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea. The meeting was chaired by the party's general secre»»»

Tehran: A condolence ceremony will be held on Saturday following the passing of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who lost his life during military strikes on February 28, according to a report by Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency. The news agency reported that the ceremony will»»»

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s plans to build a skyline-altering arch in the nation’s capital won initial approval Thursday from a key federal commission, but its members put off a decision on whether a federal law that limits building heights should be applied to this project. Despite overwh»»»

Angelina Jolie is back on the big screen, with perhaps her most vulnerable and delicate performances to date, in “Couture.” It sauntered into cinemas across the Kingdom in early July, coinciding with Paris Haute Couture Week, after premiering last year at the Toronto International Film Festival and»»»

The U.S. Capitol is seen along with a model of President Donald Trump's Triumphal Arch as visitors attend the fifth day of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall on June 29, 2026. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 9 (UPI) -- A federal Washington, D.C., planning agency advanc»»»

A trial showed that human-operated robots can successfully complete at least some surgeries. File Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA July 9 (UPI) -- A humanoid robot successfully assisted during a laparoscopic surgery for a gall bladder removal, suggesting that robots may serve a purpose in some health care »»»

DAMASCUS: Western classical music and centuries-old Arabic musical traditions came together at the Damascus Opera House on Monday as Syrian pianist and composer Gaswan Zerikly joined the Arab Music Ensemble for Heritage Revival in a performance celebrating the country’s rich cultural legacy, the Sy»»»

Angelina Jolie is back on the big screen, with perhaps her most vulnerable and delicate performances to date, in “Couture.” It sauntered into cinemas across the Kingdom in early July, coinciding with Paris Haute Couture Week, after premiering last year at the Toronto International Film Festival and»»»

By allegedly targeting three civilians tankers during what was supposed to be a 60-day ceasefire, Iran may have crossed a line that weakened — rather than strengthened — its negotiating position. The attacks prompted renewed US military strikes against Iranian military targets and infrastructure, t»»»

Satyendra Pathak Doha The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) ended the trading week on a softer note, with the benchmark index declining 120.59 points, or 1.2 percent, to close at 10,090.57 points. Market capitalisation eased by 1.2 percent to QR609.3 billion from QR616.9 billion a week earlier. Despite th»»»

Foxborough: Kylian Mbappe recovered from having a first-half penalty saved to score a magnificent opener that set France on their way to a 2-0 win over Morocco in their World Cup quarter-final showdown on Thursday. Mbappe's weak spot-kick was easily saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, but »»»

Share: Israel is expected to begin its first pullback from a planned “pilot zone” in southern Lebanon within days, a US official told Axios on Thursday, as Washington moves forward with the US-mediated security framework between Beirut and Tel Aviv. The process would proceed despite Lebanon’s refus»»»

NEW YORK: At the UN’s annual High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, Faisal AlFadl, secretary-general of the Saudi Green Building Forum, argued that sustainable development goal 11 on sustainable cities is uniquely positioned to accelerate progress across the entire 2030 Agenda becau»»»

CALIFORNIA: Mikel Merino is relishing Spain’s opportunity to advance to the semifinals of the ‌World Cup, although first up is a quarterfinal matchup against Belgium in Inglewood, California, on Friday. Merino played a major role as Spain stayed alive with his stoppage-time goal in a 1-0 win agains»»»

Miami: Erling Haaland said facing England, the land of his birth, in the World Cup quarter-finals was extra special as he aims to extend Norway's historic run into the last four. In his first major international tournament the Manchester City striker has propelled his country to the last eight by s»»»

NAIROBI: The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo is the “fastest growing” ever, African health authorities said Thursday, as the World Health Organization said it had killed 600 people. Updated numbers issued by the UN health agency showed there have been 1,759 confirmed cases in DR Cong»»»

MIAMI, USA: Erling Haaland said facing England, the land of his birth, in the World Cup quarter-finals was extra special as he aims to extend Norway’s historic run into the last four. In his first major international tournament the Manchester City striker has propelled his country to the last eight»»»

NEW YORK: The Saudi Fund for Development has channeled more than $3 billion into development programs across 22 small island developing states, an official told a UN session on Thursday, as member states examined strategies to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals ahead of the 20»»»

The sinking of the ARA San Juan in 2017 killed all 44 crew members. A woman visits the a makeshift tribute made with flags and notes to the 44 crew members of the missing submarine ARA San Juan at the Argentina Navy base at Mar del Plata in November 2017. File Photo by Mauricio Arduin/EPA July 9 (U»»»

Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez said Wednesday she had begun direct international efforts to recover frozen Venezuelan assets and use them to respond to the disaster. Photo by Ivan Cardenas/EPA July 9 (UPI) -- Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez said she will send a formal let»»»

Los Angeles, United States: FIFA referees chief Pierluigi Collina has hit out at "unfounded allegations" against World Cup match officials in the wake of Argentina's controversial last 16 victory over Egypt. In comments posted on FIFA's official website, Collina defended officials who oversaw Argen»»»

BELGRADE: ‌Serbian authorities have begun culling 11,000 pigs at a farm in the west of the country following an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), the Tanjug news agency reported on ‌Wednesday, citing ‌Agriculture Minister Dragan Glamocic. The ‌cull ⁠at the farm ⁠in the village of Hrtkovci is e»»»

Taco Bell has taken many ingredients off its menu due to the spread of a parasite that's mostly found in produce. File Photo courtesy of Taco Bell July 9 (UPI) -- Some Taco Bell locations have removed ingredients from their menus amid the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak. Some locations have added s»»»

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects growth in sub-Saharan Africa to remain broadly stable at 4.3% in 2026 before edging up to 4.5% in 2027, but warned that the regional headline masks widening divergence between countries exposed to higher food and energy prices and those benefiting from »»»

LONDON: People gathered on Wednesday night in Beirut’s southern suburbs to mourn Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran in late February. In a speech broadcast by the group’s Al-Manar TV, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem reaffir»»»

PRAIA: Thousands of flag-waving fans gathered in Cape Verde’s capital to welcome the returning national soccer team after their stunning debut World Cup performance, mobbing the players as they left the airport. In downtown Praia, at one of the country’s most prestigious training academies, student»»»

Nairobi: The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo is the "fastest growing" ever, African health authorities said Thursday, as the World Health Organization said it had killed 600 people. Updated numbers issued by the UN health agency showed there have been 1,759 confirmed cases in DR Cong»»»

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 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.»»»

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, »»»

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»»»

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, »»»

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»»»

The entrance to Samsung Electronics’ campus in Suwon, South Korea. The memory chipmaker posted record operating profit during the second quarter of this year. Photo by Hyojoon Jeon / UPI July 9 (UPI) -- South Korea's Samsung Electronics has become one of the world's most profitable companies after »»»

He is the grandson of an influential Shiite cleric, born in Qom — the heart of religious studies in Iran — and raised in a traditional family that embraced the theocracy. But by his late 20s, he had stopped praying and given up on clerical rule. Now, he can barely discuss politics or religion with »»»

LONDON: Oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was at a near standstill on Thursday, according to data and sources, as shipping risks escalated after the US renewed airstrikes on Iran, triggering retaliation by Tehran in the Gulf. Just two tankers had so far sailed through the strait in th»»»

Mumbai, India: Indian IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) reported on Thursday double-digit growth in revenue for the April-June quarter, with Asia's largest outsourcer helped by a weak rupee and greater spending from banking customers. The leader of India's $315 billion software services indu»»»

The only two unbeaten teams in the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup progressed to the final on July 5. Australia were favorites by virtue of dominating performances in the tournament, only looking in jeopardy at 68 for three against India in their final group match, Elysse Perry coming to the rescue.»»»

Kozhikode A major tragedy was narrowly averted at Kerala’s Kozhikode Railway Station on Thursday when a nearly 130-year-old clock tower building collapsed onto Platform No. 2, sending tonnes of debris crashing onto it and overhead electrical lines. The incident occurred at around 11.10am, but no pa»»»

Ukrainian forces said Thursday that they attacked energy infrastructure, tankers and military assets overnight as part of a campaign targeting Russian forces' supply logistics and sources of finance. File Photo by Vladimir Mordunov/UPI | License Photo July 9 (UPI) -- Ukrainian forces said Thursday »»»

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»»»

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 »»»