OUPIA, France: A large wildfire raged in southern France on Wednesday, forcing scores of people to be evacuated, emergency services said. Hundreds of firefighters mobilized to battle the blaze in the Herault and Aude departments, fueled by drought and strong winds. It came a year after major blazes»»»

It’s the 1000th day of war since a Hamas-led attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. Other conflicts have emerged in the region, and fragile ceasefires show scars of persistent attacks. Both Israelis and Palestinians are weary of the strain. The fate of over 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, l»»»

Dubai: DP World has launched Egypt’s first fully integrated logistics distribution centre at Sokhna Logistics Park, giving global companies a single hub to serve Egypt, Africa, the Gulf and Europe. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The new centre is located next to Sokhn»»»

Washington: President Donald Trump on Wednesday took his maiden voyage on a new Air Force One - a retrofitted Boeing 747-800 worth $400 million gifted by Qatar that embeds his personality more deeply into the institution of the American presidency. Gone is the trademark light blue hull that helped »»»

Seven countries within the OPEC+ group are planning to increase oil production in August, Reuters reports. They are expected to once again agree on raising oil output quotas by 188,000 barrels per day. The same decision has been taken over the past two months by members of the group — Russia, Saudi»»»

Bulgarian Parliament is scheduled to vote on the appointment of a deputy governor of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), according to the National Assembly's agenda for Thursday. At Wednesday's plenary sitting, lawmakers presented the nomination of Dr Assen Medjidiev, who was put forward by »»»

A quarter of the oil stored in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) has become inaccessible because of aging infrastructure, caused by large-scale oil withdrawals during the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, an analysis of data from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) by Sputn»»»

The past few days have been defined by oppressive heat, during which Hungary’s all-time temperature record was broken. The prolonged spell has scorched the landscape and drained water from Lake Velence, River Tisza, while the cold front that followed in its wake has brought severe weather — includi»»»

A regional beauty pageant was held in Talas, the organizers announced. According to them, 14 girls who advanced to the finals had to introduce themselves with a welcoming speech. Then, the contestants performed a dance and presented solo numbers to the jury and audience. Finally, the main stage of »»»

The European Union's new Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regime came fully into force on July 1, forcing cryptocurrency exchanges, bitcoin ATM operators and other digital asset providers without an EU license to suspend or significantly limit their services. Poland enters the new regulatory framewo»»»

From July 1, the European Union has abolished the customs exemption for low-value e-commerce imports, replacing it with a temporary €3 customs duty on goods worth up to €150 shipped directly from outside the bloc. The measure is aimed at creating fairer competition for European retailers while addr»»»

More than 4,000 foreign rescuers continue to work in the earthquake zone in Venezuela, with the volume of international humanitarian aid exceeding 7,000 tonnes, Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said. "As of today, all 4,099 international rescuers remain in the disaster zone, w»»»

HILL CITY, Kansas/CHICAGO/NEW YORK: Record-breaking temperatures spread to the eastern US from the Midwest on Wednesday, putting tens of millions of people under heat warnings expected to last into the July 4 holiday weekend, when Americans will celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary. The extreme»»»

DOHA: US and Iran negotiators made “positive progress” during indirect talks in Doha, with the next round expected after the late Iranian supreme leader’s funeral, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman said. “Qatar & Pakistan mediators concluded separate meetings with the US & Iranian negotiators in D»»»

Two people who climbed to the top of New York City's iconic Empire State Building and unfurled a peace banner before appearing to get engaged were arrested Wednesday after prompting a major emergency response from the New York City Police Department. The pair, as shown by NYPD bodycam shared with U»»»

Kyrgyzstan has ranked 78th in the latest Global Passport Index (GPI). Unlike the traditional Henley Passport Index, which focuses solely on visa-free mobility, the GPI evaluates three key factors: mobility, investment attractiveness, and quality of life. Kyrgyzstan’s position across these criteria »»»

An eco-activist and founder of Taza Karma Foundation, Andrei Panaev, arrived in Bishkek on July 1, completing a walking campaign aimed at promoting environmental awareness and greening efforts. The Bishkek municipality reported. Related news Eco-activist walks from Karakol to Bishkek to promote tre»»»

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday announced the designation of the Ecuadorean gang Chone Killers as a foreign terrorist organization and a specially designated global terrorist. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 2 (UPI) -- The State Department designated the Ecuadorean gang»»»

Poland's residential property market is shifting in buyers' favor as developers become increasingly cautious about sales prospects and price growth. According to the latest Tabelaofert Developer Sentiment Index, expectations for sales momentum turned negative in June for the first time since Novemb»»»

Iranian Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has delivered a firm message on the implementation of the US‑Iran memorandum of understanding, confirming that the release of frozen assets was expedited during talks in Switzerland and that Tehran will strictly limit IAEA acc»»»

Five people needed hospital treatment in Japan after a man accidentally set off an anti-bear spray in a city-centre post office, reports and officials said, as the country grapples with a sharp rise in maulings. A foreign national, who was not named, apologised and told police that he discharged th»»»

The briefing document related to the planning of the 2027 budget is now available. The government will likely set the period of 1–31 October for the submission of the budget bill to the National Assembly, the finance minister announced on his Facebook page on Wednesday. András Kármán explained that»»»

Former Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó rented private aircraft worth more than two billion forints "from Hungarian taxpayers' money" last year, the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday. György László Velkey wrote that it came to t»»»

In the first five months, almost half of all buyers on the property market were under 40 years old. Those aged 30 to 40 accounted for nearly a third of all buyers, making them by far the most active participants in the market, Duna House (DH) announced on Tuesday. This age group is not only the mos»»»

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday indirect talks with Iran in Qatar were making progress, signalling diplomacy remained on track despite recent hostilities. Iran later said the talks had ended with agreement to establish a communication channel by Thursday to report and document violation»»»

According to preliminary data the deficit of the general government sector in the 1st quarter of 2026 was HUF 2,090 billion, 9.0% of GDP. The deficit was HUF 838 billion higher, or 3.1 percentage points higher as a proportion of GDP compared to the same period of the previous year. In the 1st quart»»»

A citizen has been detained for illegally operating in the medical field, acquiring, distributing, and storing potent psychotropic drugs. The press center of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) reported. Al-Aziz rehabilitation center in Osh was operating illegally. It treated people su»»»

All four members of the team of Kyrgyzstan won bronze medals at the Balkan Physics Olympiad, held from June 27 to 30 in Istanbul. These are the country’s first awards in the history of its participation in these competitions. According to the Ministry of Education, the bronze medals were awarded to»»»

An 11-year-old Canadian boy died from rabies after waking to find a bat resting on his nose and mouth while sleeping at a family cottage. This has prompted physicians to warn that any direct contact with a bat should be treated as a potential rabies exposure — even if there are no visible bite or s»»»

Dubai: Commuters are facing another busy morning on Dubai's roads, with congestion building on key routes from Sharjah into the emirate as rush-hour traffic gathers pace, according to Google Maps. Motorists travelling from Sharjah towards Dubai are experiencing delays on Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) fro»»»

A Russian daredevil couple have been arrested after scaling the Empire State Building and staging a marriage proposal atop the New York landmark, more than 1,400ft above Manhattan. The stunt unfolded at around noon on Wednesday, drawing the attention of stunned New Yorkers below as police drones an»»»

Dubai: What was once simply a spectacular summer bloom has evolved into one of Dubai’s most distinctive cultural movements. Inspired by the vision of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Executive Co»»»

CATIA LA MAR, Venezuela: Hundreds of rescuers were working Wednesday evening to save a 43-year-old Venezuelan man who has survived for a week under the ruins of a seven-story building, an AFP reporter witnessed. Hernan Gil, a 43-year-old security guard, is trapped inside his booth under the buildin»»»

A backpack bomber targeted Ukrainian real estate mogul and online scammer Vadym Yermolaiev in Monaco yesterday in the principality’s first ever terrorist attack. No one was killed, but seven people were injured and Yermolaiev’s wife had both her legs amputated as a result of the blast. CCTV footage»»»

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, will attend the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran as a special envoy of President Vladimir Putin, Iran's ambassador to Moscow said, ISNA reported on July 1. Iran is expected to shutdown for four days»»»

Dubai: The UAE Lottery has kicked off July with its second-ever Dh30 million Grand Prize winner, and an early clue on the operator's website is already fuelling speculation about who has just become a multi-millionaire. The second winner of the Dh30m Grand Prize emerged in a Wednesday draw on July »»»

KYIV: Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv overnight killing at least two people and injuring more than a dozen, as drones and missiles struck residential buildings and started a fire in a hotel on a central boulevard. President Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier warned of a possible over»»»

Two British police officers are under investigation over their treatment of Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old student who was handcuffed instead of being given first aid after they arrived to find him lying on the ground, dying from stab wounds. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said on We»»»

The CIA is declassifying a new trove of documents relating to its ‘MKUltra’ program, Representative Anna Paulina Luna said on Tuesday. Nazi scientists were involved in the agency’s mind-control experiments. Last month, Luna ordered CIA Director John Ratcliffe to preserve 40 boxes of “JFK files and »»»

Dubai: Gold buyers may get some breathing room in the second half of 2026 after prices cooled from January’s record highs, but the metal could still break higher if geopolitics flare up, rate expectations change or bargain hunters return in force, according to the World Gold Council. Sign up for ou»»»

A large wildfire raged in southern France on Wednesday, forcing scores of people to be evacuated, emergency services said. Hundreds of firefighters mobilised to battle the blaze in the Herault and Aude departments, fuelled by drought and strong winds. It came a year after major blazes in the Corbie»»»

A federal judge has barred the Department of Defense, under Secretary Pete Hegseth, from enforcing a policy that required reporters to have escorts within the Pentagon building. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 1 (UPI) -- A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Defense Departm»»»

Dubai: Temperatures are forecast to climb to 47 degrees Celsius inland across the UAE over the coming days, while fresh winds are expected to raise blowing dust from the weekend, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said. The NCM said today's weather would be fair in general, with low clouds de»»»

NEW YORK: A daredevil couple scaled the Empire State Building’s antenna Wednesday and unfurled a banner about “the power of love” and peace, apparently as part of an audacious, high-altitude marriage proposal — soon followed by their arrest. The Russian climbers, who go by Angela Nikolau and Ivan B»»»

SANTA CLARA: Folarin Balogun scored and was sent off as the United States beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 to reach the last 16 of the World Cup on Wednesday. The co-hosts’ first World Cup knockout victory in nearly a quarter-century — and only their second ever — sets up a clash with Belgium in Sea»»»

Manila: The Philippines has officially achieved Upper Middle Income Country (UMIC) status, marking a major economic milestone after years of sustained growth and bringing the country into a new league of developing economies recognised by the World Bank. In its latest annual income classification r»»»

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s sweeping water-sector reforms have transformed the Kingdom’s water scarcity challenges into development opportunities, with experts and officials at Saudi Water Week highlighting advances in sustainability, digital transformation and international cooperation to strengthen gl»»»

France’s lower chamber of parliament has approved a controversial assisted dying bill that would allow some seriously ill adults to request a lethal injection. The legislation has been backed by French President Emmanuel Macron but has met strong opposition from conservative parties and the Catholi»»»

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that indirect talks with Iran in Qatar were making progress, offering a tentative sign that diplomacy was holding after recent exchanges of fire threatened efforts to end the Middle East war. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who led Tehran's»»»

Authorities say they rescued 16 children from "deplorable conditions" this week in a small town in rural Ohio. The parents and two grandparents now face charges. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 1 (UPI) -- Officials in Ohio said Wednesday that they found 16 children from 1 to 18 y»»»