Paris: There were at least 2,025 more deaths than expected in France during June's heatwave, the country's health minister said on Friday. "There were around 2,025 additional deaths for the week of June 22 to 28 compared with the previous week," Stephanie Rist told local media, warning that the tal»»»

Iran has launched the first phase of vast funeral ceremonies for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, with foreign dignitaries and religious figures converging on Tehran’s Grand Mosalla to pay tribute in a display of national unity and international solidarity. The body of Ayatollah Seyye»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Lolwah bint Rashid bin Mohammed Al Khater has approved results of the General Secondary Certificate examinations for the 2025-2026 academic year during an official meeting held at the Ministry’s headquarters in the presence of senior minis»»»

DUBAI: Algeria have become the latest African nation to depart the 2026 World Cup after a 2-0 loss to Switzerland in Vancouver on Friday morning. Algeria had never won a World Cup knockout match before, having lost on their only previous attempt to eventual champions Germany 2-1 in 2014, while the »»»

DUBAI: Following Portugal’s dramatic 2-1 win over Croatia in the 2026 World Cup Round of 32 match, Cristiano Ronaldo has downplayed a statement by his sister that he would be retiring from international football at the end of the tournament. “Enjoy it while it lasts. It’s ending soon. The info I ha»»»

ALULA: Saudi pianist and composer Abeer Balubaid recently won the AlUla Music Competition — meaning her entry “The Passage of Light” will now welcome visitors as they enter the site. Launched by Arts AlUla, the competition was designed to celebrate and support musical talent within the Kingdom. Sau»»»

‘The Pitt’ Starring: Noah Wyle, Katherine LaNasa, Sepideh Moafi Season two of HBO’s award-winning hospital drama was every bit as stressful and satisfying as the first. Set 10 months on, it once again follows the workers in the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, led by Dr. Michael “Robby” »»»

Dubai: Gold prices in Dubai climbed again on Friday morning, with 24-karat gold returning above Dh500 after two days of gains in the international market. (Check latest UAE gold prices here, alongside prices in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and India.) Sign up for our daily business n»»»

Police officers in Bishkek detained a man suspected of illegally possessing weapons and ammunition. The capital’s Main Internal Affairs Department reported. Officers stopped a Toyota Corolla at the intersection of Mahatma Gandhi and Ala-Archa Streets. In the sports bag of one of the passengers, the»»»

DUBAI: A powerful general who leads Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard emerged from hiding as Tehran prepared Friday for the dayslong funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Photos published online by Iranian state media showed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi attending a meeting about th»»»

DHAHRAN: The red carpet was once again dotted with shimmering stars on Thursday night as the 12th Saudi Film Festival came to a grand finale close. The prized Golden Palm Awards, which aptly resemble film strips sprouted in the shape of gold-colored palm trees, were given out after the week-long fe»»»

Manila: The Office of the Ombudsman here has filed plunder charges before the Sandiganbayan against Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Friday over allegations that he failed to declare ₱75 million in campaign contributions he allegedly received during the 2025 senatorial elections. Also charged were former »»»

Dubai: Domestic spending and government investment helped anchor business confidence in the UAE in June, even as the non-oil private sector recorded its weakest expansion in more than five years. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The seasonally adjusted S&P Global UAE Pu»»»

Dubai: Domestic spending and government investment helped anchor business confidence in the UAE in June, even as the non-oil private sector recorded its weakest expansion in more than five years. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The seasonally adjusted S&P Global UAE Pu»»»

Toronto, Canada: Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic and Portugal's Roberto Martinez paid tribute on Thursday to Luka Modric, who almost certainly played his last World Cup match. After a gut-wrenching 2-1 loss to Portugal in Toronto, Croatia midfielder Modric, 40, shared a long exchange with 41-year-old Cr»»»

Los Angeles, United States: Portugal battled into the last 16 of the World Cup with a drama-filled 2-1 victory over Croatia on Thursday to set up a titanic showdown with European champions Spain. In another nerve-shredding World Cup classic, Goncalo Ramos headed Portugal into the lead in the fourth»»»

July 3 (UPI) -- A man, identified by Tibetan exile media as a Tibetan activist, died Thursday evening after setting himself on fire outside the United Nations' headquarters in Manhattan, authorities said. Video of the incident posted online shows the man dressed in robes and holding a Tibetan flag,»»»

Despite severe fuel shortages across Russia, President Vladimir Putin appears unbothered by Ukraine’s increasing attacks on his country’s oil refineries. He has shrugged off the setback for one of the world’s leading oil producing nations as “not critical,” dismissed ceasefire proposals and insiste»»»

Manila: Typhoon Bavi strengthened over the Philippine Sea as forecasters warned the storm could rapidly intensify while tracking toward the Mariana Islands, including the US territory of Guam. Packing sustained winds of up to 200 km (124 miles) per hour, Bavi has reached the equivalent of a Categor»»»

El Nino will quickly develop into a strong event between July and September, fuelling the likelihood of extreme weather, the United Nations' weather and climate agency warned Friday. The World Meteorological Organization said El Nino had already set in, and would quickly gain strength, as it warned»»»

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has rejected US President Donald Trump’s demand for loyalty from other NATO members, insisting that no member state should impose its will on the others. Pistorius made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with Der Spiegel, which was published on Thursday»»»

Poland will receive €180 million from the EU Modernisation Fund as part of a wider €2.5 billion disbursement for energy transformation projects across 11 member states. The funds are designed to support modernization of energy systems, energy-efficiency improvements and zero-emission transport in l»»»

Poland ranked first among OECD countries for labor-productivity growth, according to Bankier.pl’s report on the latest OECD productivity indicators. The data show Poland’s output per hour worked rising sharply over the long term, reflecting the country’s successful catch-up with richer Western econ»»»

The Accounts Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic reported the discovery of financial violations and deficiencies amounting to almost one billion soms at Kyrgyzneftegaz OJSC following its 2025 audit. It was reported that the results of the audit of one of the country’s largest strategic enterprises were »»»

Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok held talks with members of the Venice Commission in Budapest on Thursday, after turning to the Council of Europe’s constitutional advisory body over what his office described as a constitutional conflict between Hungarian public law institutions following the electi»»»

TEHRAN: The body of Iran’s supreme leader who was killed in US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war arrived at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Friday ahead of his funeral, state media reported.Millions of people and a coterie of foreign dignitaries were expected to attend Saturday’s officia»»»

NEW YORK CITY: A man died after setting himself on fire outside the UN’s headquarters in New York on Thursday, police said, with activists and reports identifying him as a pro-Tibet campaigner. The New York Police Department told AFP that “at 1832 (2232 GMT) NYPD received a call... a male set himse»»»

WASHINGTON: Seven protesters who blocked traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge in a 2024 pro-Palestinian protest against Israel’s war in Gaza were convicted of misdemeanor charges by a San Francisco jury that remained deadlocked on the more serious charge of felony conspiracy. The jury convicted each o»»»

CARACAS: The death toll from Venezuela's twin earthquakes has risen to 2,595, Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said on Thursday, as rescue efforts increasingly shifted from finding survivors to recovering bodies from the rubble. Rodriguez told a press conference there were no plans for mass graves»»»

CATIA LA MAR: Venezuela’s US-backed acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Thursday issued a fiery defense of her government’s response to last week’s devastating earthquakes, lashing out at critics who say authorities reacted too slowly, pushing back on suggestions that the true death toll is far hig»»»

At 65, she feels younger than she did at 45. Dubai-based Anuradha Chatterjee feels that she is living her second life. "I've been a homemaker my whole life, looking after my husband and children, sending them off to college. My husband died a few years ago, and I was all alone at home. I was just l»»»

Tehran, Iran: A powerful general who leads Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps emerged from hiding Friday as Tehran prepared for days of funeral ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Photos published by Iranian state media showed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi attending a meet»»»

JEDDAH: The first edition of Saudi Water Week concluded in Jeddah on Thursday after five days of discussions that brought together more than 2,500 participants from over 80 countries and laid out a roadmap toward the 11th World Water Forum, which Saudi Arabia will host in Riyadh in 2027. The June 2»»»

Dubai: Every month, countless expatriates across the UAE do the same thing before thinking about themselves, they send money home. For many, being the family's breadwinner is more than a financial responsibility. It's the reason they leave parents, siblings, or children behind. It's why they take o»»»

India’s passport has slipped to 80th place in the latest Henley Passport Index for July, despite offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 56 destinations. The ranking is down from 78th in May, although India had climbed to 75th globally in the Henley Passport Index 2026 released in February »»»

The final proposal for the 17th amendment to the Basic Law will be submitted to the National Assembly shortly — this week or at the latest at the beginning of next week — Péter Magyar announced at the government spokesperson's briefing on Thursday. The Prime Minister said the government had discuss»»»

The Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek delivered its verdict in the criminal case related to the so-called «Letter of 75.» The verdict was announced publicly, although the trial itself was held behind closed doors. Presiding Judge Aziret Mederov read out the court’s decision. According to a corr»»»

Europe is enduring its most intense early summer heatwave on record, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in several countries and breaking local June records across southern and western Europe. But climate scientists warn that the continent's current ordeal could merely be a precursor to an even more »»»

The heatwave that seared much of Europe in late June is officially the most severe ever recorded in the region, according to a rapid-attribution study published on June 26. Worst of all, scientists warn: “Get used to it. This is going to be normal from now on.” Climate research released this week s»»»

Heat-related mortality in Europe has surged over the last couple of decades. This is according to the latest available data published by the Lancet Countdown 2025 Report, Statista reports. Between 2012 and 2021, 5.5 people per 100,000 population died of heat-related causes per year on the continent»»»

Region seen outpacing eurozone, but geopolitical risks and industrial weakness cloud outlook. The economies of Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe are expected to remain resilient despite elevated energy prices and a difficult global backdrop, although structural weaknesses and geopolitical risks»»»

Hungary's electricity consumption hit a new summer record on June 30 as temperatures climbed to 42°C under a heat dome that pushed large parts of the country above 40°C, state news agency MTI writes. Grid operator Mavir said evening demand reached 7,488 MW, surpassing the previous summer recor»»»

Africa's growing reliance on domestic borrowing is reducing exposure to exchange-rate shocks but shifting financial risks onto domestic banking systems, Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Pandit Asiama has warned. The shift towards domestic debt has accelerated across sub-Saharan Africa since global in»»»

China has taken another step towards expanding the international use of the yuan in Africa by appointing Standard Bank Group (JSE: SBK) and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (SSE: 601398; HKEX: 1398) to operate the continent's first continent-wide renminbi clearing arrangement, reducing Afric»»»

The World Bank Group has approved a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Nigeria covering 2026-2032, alongside a $1.25bn policy financing package aimed at supporting private sector-led growth, job creation and continued economic reforms. The new strategy follows a series of macroeconomic ref»»»

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of Sudan have intensified their bombardment of the strategic city of El Obeid, targeting fuel stations, electricity infrastructure, markets and residential neighbourhoods in a campaign that is accelerating the humanitarian crisis and raising the risk of a»»»

Former President János Áder described the planned removal of Head of State Tamás Sulyok and other constitutional officeholders as unconstitutional, speaking on a public media podcast. János Áder stressed that the planned removal of Tamás Sulyok is unconstitutional, that political and legal opinions»»»

US President Donald Trump outlined his administration's vision for using an interim agreement with Iran as a foundation for broader diplomacy following recent regional conflict In an interview at the White House, Trump stated: “They (Iran) have 300% inflation. They're making no money — so we're goi»»»

Air India on Thursday announced a reduction in fuel surcharges on select international routes, including North America, Australia, Europe and the UK, as global oil and jet fuel prices ease. According to a PTI report, the surcharge has been cut to $200 from $280 on North America and Australia routes»»»

Chaotic scenes have unfolded at supermarkets across France as shoppers fight over discounted air conditioners ahead of another heatwave. Hundreds of people descended on Lidl supermarkets in and around Paris on Thursday after the retailer put around 200,000 discounted air conditioners and fans on sa»»»