Share: Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli military strike in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Friday, June 19, 2026. Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday killed at least seven people, including two children, hours after reports emerged of a ceasefire agreement. The»»»

MANILA: Filipino hoteliers and businesses gathered on Saturday for the Philippines’ first halal and Muslim-friendly tourism forum in Manila, as they seek to capture the growing Muslim travel market. Tourism is a key sector for the Philippines, contributing more than 8 percent to its gross domestic »»»

LOS ANGELES: High-scoring Germany face a powerful Ivory Coast side at the World Cup on Saturday with the winner guaranteed a place in the last 32, while Sweden can also book their ticket. Those three nations can join co-hosts the United States and Mexico who are already through. Germany thrashed de»»»

Prague: Aprilia rider Ai Ogura smashed his own track record to earn his maiden pole position for the Czech MotoGP in Brno on Saturday. Japan's Ogura, a 25-year-old Trackhouse MotoGP Team rider, topped Friday's practices, improving the track record by over half a second in the Czech Republic's secon»»»

The Nord Stream saga has taken a turn for the absurd, with a new book claiming that the star saboteur who blew up the gas pipelines was a Ukrainian erotic model-turned-deep sea diver. This detail is the latest addition to an ever-shifting story – while one key coincidence has completely flown under»»»

MADRID: A Spanish court has ordered the wife of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Begona Gomez, to stand trial by jury for corruption and banned her from leaving the country, according to a court order released Saturday. The case is one of several corruption affairs that have embroiled the Socialist le»»»

A coordinated UK media campaign surrounding a Ukraine-linked arson plot cannot hide the obvious holes in the story Britain wants you to believe. After over a year of mounting mystery, fevered speculation, and strange media silence, a UK court has finally reached a verdict in the bizarre case of ‘Ar»»»

Los Angeles, United States: High-scoring Germany face a powerful Ivory Coast side at the World Cup on Saturday with the winner guaranteed a place in the last 32, while Sweden can also book their ticket. Those three nations can join co-hosts the United States and Mexico who are already through. Germ»»»

Western Europe sweltered under a punishing heatwave on Friday with temperatures expected to climb further in the coming days, prompting authorities across the continent to issue warnings and brace for prolonged extreme weather. In France, hundreds of schools were forced to tweak their timetables to»»»

Anthony Fauci used his position as the leading Covid-19 adviser under two US administrations to steer scrutiny away from the so-called lab leak theory and protect himself from possible accountability, outgoing US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has alleged. She claimed the effort in»»»

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting pressure from Labour MPs, party heavyweights and even cabinet ministers to step down as early as this weekend, the Guardian has reported, citing lawmakers and government sources. Calls for Starmer’s resignation have grown since Labour lost near»»»

First published in Respekt. One of the most famous footballers in the world has repeatedly called on people not to vote for the National Rally. The party has responded by mocking him. French football star Kylian Mbappé has thrown himself into a match on home turf. His opponent is the National Rally»»»

Atlanta: Lamine Yamal is hard to avoid on the approach to Atlanta's futuristic stadium where adverts featuring the 18-year-old adorn the sides of giant skyscrapers, but it is on the pitch that Spain desperately need the Barcelona superstar. The European champions flunked their opening test of the W»»»

SEATTLE: Christian Pulisic’s injury absence didn’t hurt the Americans one bit.The US national soccer team found a way to advance to the knockout round without the injured forward on the field, beating Australia 2-0 Friday for its second straight victory at the largest World Cup in history.“C.P. is »»»

Dubai: There’s a very short list of places or companies that have become verbs. Google it. Uber it. Now, apparently, 'Dubai-it'. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, this week launched a campaign called Dubai-it, a bold»»»

RIYADH: Scotland spent almost 89 minutes searching for a response, but the damage had already been done. Ismael Saibari’s goal in the second minute of the game proved enough to give Morocco a 1-0 victory in Foxborough and send the Atlas Lions to the top of Group C. Saibari’s goal is now officially »»»

Uzbekistan and South Korea have agreed to establish industrial clusters, expand infrastructure cooperation and elevate investment partnerships across multiple sectors based on a series of agreements and memoranda signed at the Uzbekistan-Korea Business Forum in Tashkent. The forum was held on »»»

LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday he would not walk away, ​vowing to fight any challenge from his leading party rival, Andy Burnham, and potentially ushering in a new bout of political instability. Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, won a decisive victory for Labour to »»»

The US pharma industry "has literally gotten away with murder" during the COVID pandemic, Professor Alfred de Zayas, retired UN independent expert, tells Sputnik. "The courts in the US were activated and instrumentalized to bring frivolous and vexatious claims against China for responsibility in re»»»

The start of a new heatwave in France has prompted multiple schools to announce changes to their opening hours from Thursday onwards. As climate change makes high temperatures an annual – and increasingly early – phenomenon, France and other countries in southern Europe are debating »»»

PARIS: Much of Western Europe was sweltering in a gruelling heatwave on Friday with the mercury expected to continue rising in the coming days, shattering temperature records. France was hit hard, forcing hundreds of schools to tweak their timetables to cope. Forecasters warned of an “intense and l»»»

BERLIN: World number one Aryna Sabalenka stormed back from the cusp of defeat to beat Czech Nikola Bartunkova and reach the last four of the WTA event in Berlin on Friday. Sabalenka won 2-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 in sweltering conditions in the German capital in the traditional Wimbledon warm-up event. “I»»»

HALLE WESTFALEN, Germany: American Taylor Fritz battled past Ben Shelton in three sets on Friday to reach the semifinals in Halle five days after losing the title match to his countryman in Stuttgart. World number nine Fritz won 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (7/3) in two hours and 45 minutes in the tr»»»

Maine Gov. Janet Mills addresses her counterparts during a convening of the northeastern Governors and Canadian Premiers at the Massachusetts State House to discuss the impacts of President Trump's tariffs in Boston, on June 16, 2025. Mills has endorsed Democrat Hannah Pingree to succeed her in the»»»

The U.S. has "relayed" to Iran that Israel will not further escalate its attacks in Lebanon as the Trump administration seeks to get high-stakes nuclear talks with Iran back on track, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Asked whether the U.S. would provide those guarantees, the source said:»»»

Labour's Andy Burnham has won a by-election in northern England, fuelling speculation that he could mount a challenge to Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Starmer’s popularity has cratered since he led the center-left Labour Party to a landslide election victory in July 2024. Labour is losing liberal vo»»»

Labour's Andy Burnham won the Makerfield parliamentary by-election on Friday, defeating Reform UK candidate Rob Kenyon and returning to Westminster after years as Manchester mayor. The victory strengthens Burnham's position as a potential successor to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as speculation gro»»»

Ottawa is expected to select a preferred bidder within 30 days for a submarine program that could be worth up to $40 billion Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (C), accompanied by South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok (R) and Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan during their visit to Hanwha»»»

Lawmaker Andy Burnham said Britain needed ​fundamental change, from its economy to its immigration system, to education and industry, after he won a parliamentary seat ​in the Makerfield by-election. The election was under intense scrutiny as it was triggered to give Burnham the possibility of chal»»»

London: Arsenal will kick off their Premier League title defence against promoted Coventry on August 21. The Premier League fixtures for the 2026-27 campaign were released on Friday, with the Gunners' home game against Frank Lampard's Coventry among the highlights in the opening round of matches. C»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Friday before leaving her post that she had released documents detailing the actions of former top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, including matters related to the funding of research at a laboratory in Wuhan»»»

The costs of the Korean Air-Asiana Airlines merger could cost up to 1 trillion won and be offset by 2028, a company official said Friday. This photo, taken Tuesday, shows planes from both carriers on the runway at Incheon International Airport. Photo by Yonhap Korean Air Co. said Friday the cost of»»»

No single topic dominates Friday's media. POLITICS The Trud tabloid daily frontpages an article titled „The era of the Crusades is over“, quoting Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who on Thursday, ahead of a European Council meeting of EU heads of state or government, said that Bulgaria will veto the Eur»»»

A by-election in a little-known corner of northwest England has suddenly become the most important story in British politics. Andy Burnham’s emphatic victory in Makerfield has returned Labour’s popular politician to Parliament and intensified questions about the future of Prime Minister Keir Starme»»»

Dubai: More than 100 days of regional conflict tested the Gulf but the UAE held steady. Now, with the United States and Iran having signed an initial interim peace agreement, a sense of calm is returning, and with it, the families who had temporarily stepped away. Some left to be close to loved one»»»

Southampton, United States: Jason Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner, withdrew from the 126th US Open in Thursday's first round due to a back injury. The 38-year-old Australian, who has been nagged by back injuries for years, had just completed the back nine to begin his round when he suffered t»»»

Young mathematicians from Kyrgyzstan won three bronze medals at the Professor Shaltai Smagulov Republican Mathematics Olympiad among students in grades 6 and 7. According to the Ministry of Education, the final round of the intellectual competition took place in Almaty. Schoolchildren from Kazakhst»»»

Doha, Qatar: United States and Australia face off in Seattle today in a crucial Group D meeting, with both sides looking to build on winning starts and move closer to the FIFA World Cup knockout stage. After opening their campaigns with impressive wins, the two teams meet at Seattle Stadium (10pm Q»»»

LOS ANGELES: Canada thrashed nine-man Qatar 6-0 to secure their first ever World Cup victory on Thursday as Switzerland reignited their campaign with a resounding defeat of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Tournament co-hosts Canada had lost all six of their previous matches at the World Cup, at the 1986 and 20»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s transportation sector has received fresh international recognition after Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) won two prestigious global awards for safety and risk management, while the International Air Transport Association (IATA) commended the Kingdom’s air traffic management perfo»»»

Kyrgyz swimmer Denis Petrashov won a gold medal at the international TYR Pro Series swimming tournament in the United States. Petrashov showed the best performance among 46 competitors in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke event. In the preliminary heats, he clocked 2:13.67, securing a place in the f»»»

Dubai: The Court of Cassation has ruled that a husband who proves serious marital harm may be exempt from paying certain divorce-related financial entitlements, such as waiting-period maintenance and compensation, but remains legally obligated to pay the deferred dowry unless it has already been se»»»

BOSTON, Massachusetts: Scotland have hit ‌the ground running in the World Cup with an opening 1-0 victory over Haiti in Group C and with their Tartan Army of fans winning hearts in Boston, but their return to the city on Saturday to face Morocco could dampen their spirits. The North Africans, surpr»»»

ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD, United Kingdom: Counting was under way late Thursday in a historic UK by-election which could determine embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s future, as a Labour rival eyeing a leadership bid vies for a parliamentary seat. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, a veteran of »»»

Tens of thousands of New Yorkers packed Manhattan on Thursday for a heavily secured victory parade celebrating the New York Knicks' NBA Finals triumph, turning the city into a sea of blue and orange. Fans chanted "Let's go Knicks" as the procession moved through packed streets, with some paying hun»»»

Sweden has selected Rolls-Royce SMR to supply three small modular reactors (SMRs) for a new nuclear power project at the Varo Peninsula next to the Ringhals site. The decision was announced by Videberg Kraft — a nuclear venture backed by utility giant Vattenfall and industrial partner Industrikraft»»»

DHAHRAN: In a quiet corner of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, a group of Ph.D. candidates is working to solve some of the most pressing technological challenges of the modern era. Among them are Asma Yamani and Linah Ali Abuhajar, two researchers operating at the intersection of art»»»

ROME: Stronger-than-expected results from Ramadan and Hajj visitors helped ease the impact of the disruption caused by the war in Iran, Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb said on Thursday at the FII Priority Europe summit in Rome. Discussing the status of the country’s tourism sector, Al-Khate»»»

The death rate in US immigration detention centres have more than doubled during President Donald Trump's second term, a Reuters analysis found, as authorities expanded arrests. Advocates linked the rise to overcrowding and strained medical services. A Vietnamese man with cardiovascular problems co»»»

GUADALAJARA, Mexico: It’s number-crunching time when it comes to formations at the World Cup. Every team start with a goalkeeper in front of the net, but then it’s up to the 48 coaches to try to arrange their lineups to optimize their players and match up effectively with opponents. On paper, the l»»»