Author: gulf-daily.com

ARLINGTON, TEXAS / MENA Newswire / – Spain reached the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Portugal on Monday, as Mikel Merino scored in the 91st minute at Dallas Stadium. The substitute took a pass from Ferran Torres and finished low past Diogo Costa. Spain advanced after a tight Iberian derby that ended Portugal’s campaign. Spain had more of the ball and more of the chances. The 2010 champions finished with 55 percent possession and completed 467 passes, while Portugal completed 357. Spain also led 15-10 in shots, 6-2 in shots on target and 7-3 in corners.…

DAMASCUS, SYRIA / MENA Newswire / – French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Damascus on Monday for an official visit focused on Syrian-French relations, reconstruction and economic cooperation. The trip marks the first visit by a French president to Syria since 2009. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani received Macron and his delegation at Damascus International Airport. Macron traveled with a French delegation that included business figures and company representatives. His program included talks with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, meetings with Syrian civil society and economic discussions. French companies TotalEnergies and CMA CGM were represented in the business delegation, as…

BASRA, IRAQ / MENA Newswire / – Iraq’s state-run Basra Oil Company signed a five-year integrated management contract with Halliburton for the Bin Omar and Sindbad oil fields in Basra province, Iraq’s Ministry of Oil said. The agreement covers field management work aimed at raising crude oil and associated gas production at two southern oil assets. Oil Minister Bassem Mohammed Khudair attended the signing, according to the ministry statement. The contract sets production targets for both fields over the five-year term. Bin Omar output is planned to reach 150,000 barrels per day. Associated gas production at the field is set…

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY / MENA Newswire / – Norway reached the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals for the first time after beating Brazil 2-1 in the Round of 16 on Sunday. Erling Haaland scored twice late at New York New Jersey Stadium. Brazil, the five-time champion, exited before the last eight for the first time since 1990. Brazil had the first major opening after Kristoffer Ajer fouled Matheus Cunha in the area in the 13th minute. Bruno Guimarães took the penalty, but Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland dived left to save it. The stop kept the match level and gave Norway…

NEW DELHI, INDIA / MENA Newswire / – India and Japan broadened their Special Strategic and Global Partnership at the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit in New Delhi, adding cooperation in artificial intelligence, economic security, energy resilience, defence and mobility. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae during her official visit from July 1 to 3. Japan’s delegation included senior officials, chief executives and industry leaders. The summit produced 16 listed outcomes across government, business, finance, science and technology. The two governments identified three main areas of work: defence and security, economic partnership, and people-to-people exchanges. The economic…

LOS ANGELES / MENA Newswire / – Spain moved into the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 with a 3-0 win over Austria on Thursday at Los Angeles Stadium. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice, and Pedro Porro added the other goal. The result ended Austria’s campaign in the Round of 32 and extended Spain’s stay in the knockout stage. Spain took control of the match through steady pressure and clean passing in the first half. Austria held out for more than half an hour before Oyarzabal opened the scoring in the 36th minute. The forward found space in the area…

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES / MENA Newswire / – Emirates said customers have made more than one million connections to Starlink Wi-Fi since the service entered its fleet seven months ago. The Dubai-based airline said passengers have used more than one petabyte of data through the satellite internet service. The milestone covers free onboard access on aircraft already fitted with the system. The Starlink Wi-Fi service now operates on 33 Boeing 777 aircraft and three Airbus A380 aircraft in the Emirates fleet. The airline said more than 60 Starlink-equipped flights operate each day. Passengers use the service for streaming, video…

RABAT, MOROCCO / MENA Newswire / – The World Bank has approved $265 million to support Morocco’s Ifahsa Pumped Hydropower Storage Project, a 300-megawatt clean energy facility planned for the country’s north. The financing backs a major storage project designed to help Morocco add more renewable power to its national electricity grid. The project will be built near Chefchaouen and will use pumped hydropower storage technology. The system pumps water to an upper reservoir when electricity supply is high, then releases it through turbines when demand rises. This model helps balance power supply from solar and wind plants. The facility…

TOKYO, JAPAN / MENA Newswire / – Japan’s new car sales rose 1.8% in the first half of 2026, marking a second straight first-half gain for the domestic auto market. Automakers sold 2,387,189 new vehicles from January through June, including minivehicles. The increase followed a stronger second quarter, after the market opened the year with softer first-quarter demand. Industry data released Wednesday showed a broad but modest recovery across Japan’s vehicle market. The Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association compiled the figures for registered vehicles and kei-class minivehicles. Registered vehicles include standard passenger…

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA / MENA Newswire / – South Korea’s exports topped US$100 billion in a single month for the first time in June, setting a national record as semiconductor shipments nearly tripled. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said exports rose 70.9% from a year earlier to US$102.25 billion. Imports climbed 30.1% to US$66.10 billion. The result gave Asia’s fourth-largest economy a monthly trade surplus of US$36.15 billion, also a record for the country. The June figure made South Korea the fourth country to pass US$100 billion in monthly exports, after Germany, China and the United States. Average…