PARIS: At a time when energy security and affordability have risen to the top of the development agenda, 655 million people globally still lack access to electricity, and 2 billion use polluting fuels and technologies for cooking putting their health and well-being at risk. Sub-Saharan Africa bears»»»

Dusty Ray Spencer, who was convicted in 1993 of stabbing his wife to death in front of her son, was executed on Thursday evening by the state of Florida. Photo by Florida Department of Corrections June 25 (UPI) -- Florida executed 74-year-old Dusty Ray Spencer on Thursday evening for the 1992 stabb»»»

EAST RUTHERFORD, United States: Ecuador kept their World Cup campaign alive as Gonzalo Plata’s winner completed a memorable come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Germany to send them through to the last 32 on Thursday. Leroy Sane controversially fired Germany ahead less than two minutes into the Group »»»

QNA New York The State of Qatar expressed deep concern over the findings of the UN Secretary-General’s report on children and armed conflict, which indicated that violence committed against children in conflict zones have reached unprecedented levels, including killing and maiming, attacks on schoo»»»

QNA DOHA The Ministry of Interior (MoI), represented by the General Directorate of Drug Enforcement, launched an awareness exhibition marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse, held this year under the theme ‘An Aware Community... A Safe Nation’. The event coincides with the Arab and GCC Wee»»»

QNA Doha Director of the GCC Criminal Information Center to Combat Drugs (GCC-CICCD), Colonel Mohammed Abdullah Al Khater, said that the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, observed annually on June 26, is an important occasion to renew the commitment to protecting societi»»»

QNA Doha The Public Prosecution, represented by the Institute of Criminal Studies, on Thursday organiseda scientific and awareness seminar to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The seminar was attended by a number of prosecutors along with specialists from variou»»»

François Picard is pleased to welcome Eric Klinenberg, Professor of Sociology at NYU and Author of "Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago". He challenges one of the dominant assumptions surrounding extreme heat: that technological adaptation alone can protect societies from climate cha»»»

Pro-Kremlin social media users are blaming Ukraine for a strike that led to a fire at the Dormition Cathedral in Kyiv, a UNESCO World Heritage site. However, the images they say constitute “proof” were actually AI-generated.  The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, an Orthodox monastic complex listed as a Un»»»

A framework agreement between Washington and Tehran has already pulled oil prices lower, but Erste Group's quarterly outlook warns the inflationary scar tissue from the conflict will outlast the crisis itself across the eurozone, the US and emerging markets alike. The third quarter of 2026 looks se»»»

Turkey’s Erdogan administration is engaged in a dual-track campaign of meticulous aesthetic curation and intensive domestic policing in preparation for Ankara’s hosting of the upcoming 2026 Nato Summit, an occasion set to feature the participation of US President Donald Trump, local media reports s»»»

NEW YORK: Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ibrahim Olabi said Syria remains committed to protecting children’s rights and strengthening cooperation with the UN in this field, including efforts to develop a national action plan aimed at preventing violations against children. Speaking duri»»»

NEW YORK CITY: The 2023 Jeddah agreement brokered by Saudi Arabia can still serve as a foundation for future Sudan peace talks, the UN’s special envoy for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, said on Thursday, even as he voiced alarm over an intensifying offensive by the Rapid Support Forces around the city of E»»»

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Prisoners Society said on Thursday that Israeli forces killed two Palestinian men during detention operations in the Jenin and Salfit governorates. The society identified the two men as Mohammed Nazem Zayed, 29, from Jenin, and Mustafa Al-Khatib, 32, from Salfit. In a stat»»»

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, center, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, left, European Council President Antonio Costa, second from right, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, second from left, pose for a group photo at the opening session of the Ukraine Recovery Co»»»

London: Representatives of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have reaffirmed their commitment to implementing a landmark peace agreement following talks in London attended by the State of Qatar, the United States of America, the Republic of Togo and the African Union Commission.»»»

TINE, Chad: Faouzi Abdulbagi Mahammat Anour woke up in Tine, Chad, with a burnt face and his right eye missing after being attacked on the Sudanese side of the border by a drone. The attack happened on the morning of June 10, when the 18-year-old was grazing his family’s livestock northeast of the »»»

WASHINGTON: Norway are riding the crest of a wave having made the knockout stage on their return to the World Cup after 28 years and for Norwegian Football Federation chief Lise Klaveness their success confirms their holistic approach to the game is paying off. Much like the synchronized rowing cel»»»

TEXAS, USA: No, a storm didn’t roll through Sweden’s base camp at the World Cup. It’s just a home renovation. The Swedes were taken by surprise seeing mangled metal and other demolished construction material on one side of Toyota Stadium — the home of MLS team FC Dallas — during their training sess»»»

Dubai: Foreign ministers from the GCC countries and the US reaffirmed their strategic partnership on Thursday and welcomed mediation efforts by Qatar and Pakistan that helped secure a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran. In a joint statement issued after the GCC-US Ministerial»»»

Members of Venezuela's Civil Defense team remove debris and search for survivors at buildings collapsed during the earthquakes in Chacao in eastern Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday. Two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck Venezuela on Wednesday. Photo by Boris Vegraga/EPA June 25 (UPI) -- Large»»»

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Monsanto, the manufacturer of the weedkiller Roundup, does not have to comply with state laws to include a cancer warning on the product's label because the EPA has said it is not required to do so. File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI. | License Photo June 25 (UP»»»

Israel said Thursday that it had set no timetable for withdrawing its forces from Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, as Israeli and Lebanese officials engaged in U.S.-brokered talks in Washington. The Israeli military has launched widespread airstrikes in Lebanon and sent troops into the country's south afte»»»

DOHA: As the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage approaches its conclusion, the Netherlands and Tunisia meet in a Group F encounter with important objectives on the line in Kansas City. The Dutch are aiming to secure top spot and build momentum ahead of the knockout rounds, while Tunisia are determined»»»

TUNIS: Tunisia’s humiliating exit from the 2026 World Cup after two heavy losses against Sweden and Japan delt a blow to Eagles of Carthage fans, who say it laid bare years of dysfunction within the football federation. The team, which had made history in 1978 by becoming the first African nation t»»»

Doha: The Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate of Drug Enforcement, today launched an awareness exhibition marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse, held this year under the theme "An Aware Community... A Safe Nation". The event coincides with the Arab and GCC Weeks »»»

The deadly heatwave sweeping France has once again exposed the structural problems of the country’s chronically overcrowded prisons, with groups of three or four detainees crammed into airless cells built to hold a lone prisoner. Analysts and prison staff alike have criticised a penal system that c»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia has suspended travel by its citizens to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, and halted the issuance of visas and entry for travellers arriving from the three countries as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the Ebola virus. The measures als»»»

“The budget execution figures for the first five months confirm the consistency with which we have managed public finances. The deficit has been reduced by nearly half compared to the same period in 2025, from 3.35% to 1.75% of GDP. This is a positive sign, especially since the adjustment was not a»»»

A landmark conference on Ukraine's post-war reconstruction opened on Thursday in Poland without President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is snubbing the event over a diplomatic row with ally Warsaw and weeks of squabbling over historical differences. Kyiv sent Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko instead »»»

Online live casino gaming has undergone one of the most remarkable evolutions in the digital entertainment world. What began as a niche extension of traditional online casinos has now become one of the most dynamic, immersive, and fast growing sectors in modern iGaming. By blending real time human »»»

DOHA: After three challenging matches at the FIFA World Cup, Al Annabi finally showed the attacking spirit many supporters had been waiting for in their final match at the World Cup. Although Qatar's tournament came to an end, following a 3-1 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Seattle, USA, fans p»»»

Harvey Weinstein appears in Manhattan Supreme Court during his retrial in New York City on May 15. Pool photo by Timothy A. Clary/UPI | License Photo June 25 (UPI) -- New York prosecutors will not retry disgraced film producer and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein on an unresolved rape charge»»»

Sharjah: Sharjah Police have arrested 4,757 suspects, dismantled major drug trafficking networks and seized drugs, psychotropic substances and criminal assets worth nearly Dh392.8 million in a sweeping campaign that combined intelligence-led policing, international cooperation and community-based p»»»

Spielberg bei Knittelfeld: Formula One leader Kimi Antonelli said Thursday that a Mercedes upgrade would help him bounce back from a first defeat of the year but team-mate George Russell warned that Lewis Hamilton was back to his 'beautiful best'. Russell, a 28-year-old Briton, was the pre-season f»»»

BEIRUT: A long-awaited ceasefire has brought relative calm to Lebanon, but it hasn’t brought peace of mind to Hussein Merhi. He is among tens of thousands who remain displaced because their homes were destroyed in Israeli strikes or their hometowns fall within a swathe of the south occupied by Isra»»»

Are Slavs just meme people?According to a popular theory, there is a direct link between the ethnonym ‘Slav’ and the Greek word σκλάβος (sklabos), meaning ‘slave’. This has nothing to do with the Slavic character or will for independence but is rather a grim historical reminder: in Late Antiquity a»»»

Northern Ireland veteran politician Jeffrey Donaldson has said he will give up his knighthood and seat on the UK Privy Council after being convicted of rape and child abuse. On Monday, a jury found the former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) guilty of 18 counts of sexual abuse, includi»»»

DOHA (Sputnik) - The planned withdrawal of Israeli troops from two areas in southern Lebanon did not take place, a Lebanese military source told the Qatari television channel Al Araby on Thursday. Earlier on Thursday, Israeli news website I24 reported, citing a US source, that Israel started withdr»»»

The Latin American Association of Zoos and Aquariums warned the region's illegal wildlife trade is increasingly shifting to social media. File Photo by Attila Kovacs/EPA June 25 (UPI) -- The Latin American Association of Zoos and Aquariums on Thursday launched a regional campaign to combat illegal »»»

Police officers patrol a street after an attack on a public hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 2024. Armed individuals belonging to the Vivre Ensemble coalition attacked Port-au-Prince's General Hospital, killing at least two journalists and a policeman. File Photo by Johnson Sabin/EPA June 25 (»»»

1 of 2 | Far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella has defeated leftist Ivan Cepeda for the Colombian presidency. Photo by Mauricio Duenas Castaneda/EPA June 25 (UPI) -- Colombia and Peru have elected two of Latin America's most conservative right-wing leaders after electoral authorities confirm»»»

Politicians reacted Thursday to the 2026 State Budget Bill presented a day earlier by Finance Minister Galab Donev. The draft faced criticism by all parliamentary groups except the ruling Progressive Bulgaria and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms which has not commented on the topic. Progressive»»»

KHARTOUM: Newly issued Sudanese pounds have begun circulating in territory controlled by a paramilitary group fighting the national army, raising questions about the source of the notes and potentially deepening the country’s de facto division. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — which cooperated with»»»

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy Arnaud Gouillon said on Thursday the objective of a so-called "Sarajevo safari" case - a narrative about alleged paid shootings of civilians in wartime Sarajevo - had been to accuse, through an attack on Serbian President A»»»

Minister of Interior, Besfort Lamallari, has ordered a 15-year entry ban against Ikball Huduti (Berisha), declaring her an “undesirable person” in the Republic of Albania on national security grounds. According to the ministry, the decision was based on information gathered by state authorities ind»»»

La Guaira, Venezuela: A pair of powerful earthquakes that rocked Venezuela have killed at least 164 people, the country's leader said Thursday as residents searched for loved ones trapped under rubble after many buildings were flattened within minutes. An international outpouring of aid quickly fol»»»

DUBAI: Oman confirmed on Thursday that no transit fees would be imposed on ships using the Strait of Hormuz as part of any planned changes to managing the waterway. Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi’s comments came after his country and Iran said this week that they were discussing “costs” for marit»»»

Politicians reacted Thursday to the draft 2026 State Budget Act presented a day earlier by Finance Minister Galab Donev. The draft faced criticism by all parliamentary groups except the ruling Progressive Bulgaria and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms which has not commented on the topic. Progre»»»