China and President Xi Jinping are now viewed more favorably than the US and Donald Trump across most of the world, a new Pew Research Center survey spanning six continents has found. Pew says China enjoys a more positive image than the US in 25 of the 36 countries and territories surveyed, includi»»»

WASHINGTON: Republicans on the House Budget Committee advanced a $95-billion package late on Thursday for the Iran war, farm aid and President Donald Trump's push for strict new voter ID requirements, moving forward on a party-line vote despite trouble in the full House — and the Senate. Get update»»»

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil has described the latest US tariffs on certain Brazilian imports as unjust and politically motivated, threatening Thursday to impose reciprocal measures on US products. The country's top diplomat criticised US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the move. Get — updated faster »»»

Smoke from wildfires in Canada drop hazy skies on the Manhattan skyline on Thursday in New York City. All of New York State and parts of New Jersey were under an Air Quality Advisory due to the smoke from more than 100 wildfires burning in Canada. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo July 16»»»

RIYADH: While most people know Prince Sultan bin Salman Al-Saud as the first Arab and Muslim astronaut to travel into space, the years that followed were devoted to a different mission: reviving Saudi Arabia’s heritage and documenting the people whose lives helped shape the Kingdom’s history throug»»»

TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK DOHA HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani has paid an emotional tribute to the late His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani describing him as a father, mentor and the architect of Qatar’s modern renaissance. In a post on X, accompanied by childhood photogra»»»

LONDON: When a team of Egyptian archaeologists revealed details last month of excavations at an ancient burial ground on the east bank of the Nile, there was the usual flurry of international media excitement at the prospect of yet another breakthrough in our understanding of how the great pyramids»»»

TAIPEI — Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC will invest an additional $100 billion in the US state of Arizona, the company said Thursday, as it reported a record quarterly net profit on the back of massive demand for AI hardware.TSMC, the biggest contract maker of microchips used in everything from Apple pho»»»

The World Health Organization on Thursday warned that the Ebola virus is spreading through the Democratic Republic of Congo faster than during any previous outbreak, with more than 2,000 confirmed cases and 796 deaths recorded in just two months. Health officials say the rapid spread, lack of »»»

LONDON: Authorities in Syria seized a further 200,000 captagon pills on Thursday. They were confiscated by the country’s Drug Enforcement Administration during a raid on a criminal network in the southern province of Daraa, along the border with Jordan. Six balloons used to smuggle drugs across the»»»

ADEN: Concerns are mounting over a worsening humanitarian crisis in Yemen as renewed military escalation by the Houthis coincides with the fallout from the resumption of the war involving Iran, which has begun to disrupt trade flows and commodity supplies to the country. At the same time, the Unite»»»

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will attend Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, the White House said, saving his first appearance at the tournament for its grand finale. “His attendance will cap what has been the most watched, most secure, and most successful World Cup in Am»»»

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has suspended a teleprompter operator over allegations he placed bets with a prediction market on the content of Trump’s speeches, the White House said Thursday. Gabriel Perez allegedly made more than $100,000 with bets placed on the prediction market Kalshi ab»»»

June retail sales were slower than expected despite the tourism boost added by the World Cup. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo July 16 (UPI) -- U.S. retail spending was weaker than expected while tourists from around the world came to the country for the World Cup. Retail sales rose»»»

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump remains open to diplomacy with Iran, the White House said Thursday, adding that Washington is still talking to Tehran despite the renewal of hostilities. The comments come a day after Trump thanked Iran for freeing a US citizen detained since December 2024, in »»»

Hungary was the European Union’s largest purchaser of Russian pipeline natural gas during the first five months of 2026, spending EUR 1.1 billion despite a year-on-year decline in imports. According to Eurostat data analysed by the Russian state news agency TASS, Hungary accounted for nearly half o»»»

Five Polish universities have signed a letter of intent to establish an Inter-University Space Ecosystem Center. The initiative will combine expertise in engineering, economics, medicine, health and sports to support Poland’s participation in research projects and future space missions. The foundin»»»

Chinese surgeons have implanted a brain-computer interface in a patient with limited hand mobility, in what is described as the world’s first commercial procedure using an approved non-invasive device of its kind. The procedure was carried out on Monday at a hospital in Shanghai. The patient suffer»»»

NEW YORK: If LeBron James knows where he will play this coming season, he’s still not saying. The NBA’s career scoring king and current free agent spoke publicly for the first time in weeks Thursday afternoon, though stopped short of revealing which team he’ll choose to play for this fall — despite»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Iranian negotiators continue to engage in talks with the United States, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed on Thursday, adding that Tehran wants to reach an agreement. "I've spoken with the [US] president [Donald Trump] about this as recently as an hour ago.»»»

Ukraine's struggle to defend its skies against ballistic missile attacks is increasingly highlighting the strategic importance of interceptor production, while successful Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure are reshaping fuel markets without significantly reducing Moscow's oil export»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has confirmed that an investigation is underway into former Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó’s relationship with Russia, while also announcing new public safety measures for Budapest and providing updates on major transport and energy projects. Speaking at the »»»

MICHIGAN: Michigan health officials ‌reported 4,312 cases of cyclosporiasis on Thursday, an increase of 550 from a day earlier, as investigators continued efforts to identify the source of the unusually large outbreak of the intestinal illness. The outbreak has led to 102 hospitalizations in the st»»»

NEW YORK: Spain opened as the +125 favorites to win ‌the World Cup and stood at +130 as of Thursday morning, but Lionel Messi and defending champions Argentina are seeing more of the betting action, according to BetMGM. Argentina — who opened at +250 at the sportsbook and have since moved to +240 —»»»

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Human Rights Watch executive director Philippe Bolopion says the Trump administration has "launched an all-out assault on human rights" at home and abroad. He calls the Fort Bliss ICE detention centre a "human rights catastrophe" and warns Washington i»»»

PARIS, France — Investment in critical minerals fell last year, the International Energy Agency said Thursday, even after Western nations vowed to boost domestic production for national security reasons.Furthermore the geographic concentration of supply chains for elements critical to the high-tech»»»

Health workers fighting the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo are going on strike over unpaid wages. This comes as the World Health Organization warned that Ebola was spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo at a faster pace than during any previous outbreak of the deadly virus. More than 2,000 Ebola»»»

France briefly explored acquiring the controversial Pegasus spyware in 2019, according to media investigations, even as Morocco was allegedly using the Israeli-made surveillance tool to target French ministers. The report claims President Emmanuel Macron ultimately rejected the purchase to avoid re»»»

France and Morocco moved on Thursday to strengthen a renewed partnership that has flourished over the past two years, with French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu hailing their "exceptionally positive" ties in Rabat. Lecornu praised the diplomatic advances Paris and Rabat have achieved since Presid»»»

PARIS/BERLIN: France and Germany will discuss deepening cooperation on nuclear deterrence, missile defense, long-range strike capabilities and space at a joint ministerial retreat, the Elysee said, seeking to show that the EU’s two largest defense powers can still work together despite differences »»»

DAKAR: An Ebola outbreak that has killed almost 800people in the Democratic Republic of Congo is disrupting companies and negotiations linked to a major US-backed minerals partnership there, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters. One US-backed mining company in Congo said quarantine and»»»

Beirut: A Lebanese criminal court has sentenced content creator George Hanna Dib, widely known as "Dr Food", to life with hard labour in absentia after convicting him in a drug manufacturing case, according to Lebanese media reports. The Mount Lebanon Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Elie Hel»»»

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony has announced a series of measures aimed at improving public safety in the Hungarian capital, promising a stronger police presence, closer cooperation between authorities and new support services for people struggling with addiction. The announcement follows growing»»»

The Government’s goal is to disburse as much funding as possible under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) by August 31, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov said Thursday before the parliamentary Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of European Funds. In June, the European Comm»»»

CARDIFF: England captain Harry Brook won the toss and elected to field in the second one-day international against India in Cardiff as the hosts bolstered their pace attack in a bid to level the three-match series. Spin-bowling all-rounder Liam Dawson, despite making an ODI best 68 during India’s s»»»

Hungary is experiencing a political transformation on a scale that many people previously believed impossible, according to a new analysis published by the Financial Times. The British business daily argues that the changes unfolding since the April election extend well beyond a routine change of g»»»

The United States and Iran continued to trade blows for a sixth day on July 16, as the foes battled over the vital Strait of Hormuz, despite a call from mediator Pakistan to resume talks. The renewed fighting and US blockade of Iranian ports came a month after a preliminary deal was signed that aim»»»

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - Issues related to the use of artificial intelligence, payment systems and food security will be high on the agenda of the third Russia-Africa summit, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. "Priority topics for the third summit will include information and commu»»»

Geneva: The World Health Organization warned Thursday that Ebola was spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo at a faster pace than during any previous outbreak of the deadly virus. More than 2,000 cases including 796 deaths have been confirmed in the DR Congo since the outbreak was declared o»»»

Abu Dhabi: Rain fell across parts of the UAE on Thursday, bringing brief relief from the summer heat as unstable weather developed over southern and eastern areas of the country. Showers were reported near Al Qua'a, south of Al Ain, while light drizzle was recorded in parts of Fujairah and the Shar»»»

The fate of Ukraine’s Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov hangs in the balance. Less than a year on the job he has already won a reputation as a radical reformer and cracked down on corruption in the notoriously venal procurement process but is also despised by the bulk of Ukraine’s military elite as»»»

Al Ain: The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has temporarily closed Take Restaurant in Al Ain after inspectors identified repeated food safety violations that posed a risk to public health. The establishment, which operates under commercial licence CN-2554094, was ordered to»»»

Wizz Air is marking two decades of operations in Romania with an expanded fleet, a 50 percent market share, and plans to offer approximately 18 million seats on the local market in 2026. The airline is now prioritising higher frequencies and greater network resilience, while preparing additional ro»»»

Dubai: The United States appears to be shifting from trying to degrade Iran’s military capabilities to considering operations that could fundamentally weaken Tehran’s ability to control the Strait of Hormuz, marking what could be a new phase in the conflict. As President Donald Trump weighs broader»»»

Economic reports on Wednesday found that Chinese growth has sunk to the slowest pace in over three years. Despite benefitting from the global AI boom, the country has not managed to offset the slump due to a struggling property sector, drop in domestic spending and trade disruptions caused by the w»»»

Online grocery shopping has become a regular part of everyday life for a growing number of Bulgarians, moving beyond the temporary boom during the Covid-19 pandemic and turning into a firmly established consumer habit. The sector is no longer expanding only in terms of sales, but is also undergoing»»»

PARIS: France’s government plans to sharply restrain most public spending growth in 2027 as rising defense outlays and borrowing costs consume an increasing share of the budget, spending ceilings published on Thursday showed. The ceilings set the stage for a potentially rocky parliamentary budget b»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly called for lower interest rates again, increasing the pressure on the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) as the Kremlin struggles to reconcile a slowing wartime economy with a fresh surge in inflation driven by the country's deepening fuel crisis. (chart»»»

Israeli warplanes targeted Nabatieh al-Fawqa and the outskirts of Baraashit and Beit Yahoun in southern Lebanon on Thursday, while artillery shelled Rshaf. The National News Agency said two strikes targeted Nabatieh al-Fawqa and a third strike targeted Ali al-Taher hill on the outskirts of the town»»»

Nairobi: Uganda discharged its last Ebola patient on Thursday, the health ministry said, marking a successful containment of the outbreak that had spread from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda must now pass 42 days without a new case to be declared officially Ebola-free under World »»»