The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a law in Hawaii that required people licensed to carry a concealed firearm to seek permission to do so on private property. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo June 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a Hawaiian law tha»»»

ALULA: Saudi composer and pianist Abeer Balubaid was announced as winner of the AlUla Music Competition at a ceremony in Design Space AlUla on Wednesday. Accepting the award, Balubaid said: “It is an incredible honor. Knowing that visitors from around the world will experience this composition as t»»»

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»»»

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»»»

ALKHOBAR: For much of the past decade, Saudi Arabia’s artificial intelligence ambitions have been focused on building the foundations. The Kingdom has invested heavily in cloud infrastructure, data centers, digital transformation programs and national AI initiatives under Vision 2030, as government»»»

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»»»

Ras Al Khaimah: A Ras Al Khaimah court has sentenced a TikTok user to three months in prison and fined another Dh1,000 after a livestream dispute escalated into insults, harassment and a death threat, reinforcing that misconduct on social media platforms can carry serious criminal consequences. The»»»

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

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»»»

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»»»

At least 101 million Europeans will experience temperatures above 35C on Thursday, as Spanish and French authorities begin to tally the deaths linked to the heatwave. At least 101 million Europeans were forecast to swelter in temperatures of over 35C on Thursday, as scores of people were thought to»»»

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 »»»

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»»»

The 2026 State Budget Bill will be submitted to the Council of Ministers for consideration on July 1 and sent to the National Assembly later the same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev said on Bulgarian National Television on Thursday. The Finance Minister rejected claims t»»»

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»»»

MANAMA: The Gulf’s top diplomats said on Thursday that dealing with Iran’s proxies and missiles was key to lasting peace, and that any trade and investment with Tehran would be reversible and contingent on it respecting its deal with the US. “The Ministers further emphasized that lasting regional p»»»

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»»»

SINGAPORE: Hussam Alangari, president of the Saudi General Court of Audit, chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Authority of Internal Auditors, and member of the board of directors of the Institute of Internal Auditors, took part in the seventh meeting of the Institute of Internal Audito»»»

DUBAI: Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf ​said on Thursday that the United States’ claims that Iran will spend its unfrozen ‌assets to ‌buy ​US agricultural ‌products ⁠were ​false. “The US ⁠only exports GMO soybeans, broken promises and trash talks,” Ghalibaf said ⁠in a ‌post ‌on X. US »»»

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 (»»»

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»»»

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»»»

RIYADH: Top Saudi medical institutions have come together to support diabetic patients and improve outcomes for those living with the chronic illness. Diabetes is one of the Kingdom’s most significant public health challenges in the Kingdom, with many patients receiving care across Ministry of Heal»»»

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»»»

Dubai: A 45-year-old businessman, who was previously arrested in a high-profile extortion and threat-letter case, was found dead at the Bengaluru apartment of Kannada actor Krishi Thapanda, police said on Thursday. The deceased, identified as Vaishak Upadhyay, was found hanging at an apartment in R»»»

RIYADH: PFL Mena has announced the official fight card for its upcoming event taking place on July 10 at Boulevard Studios in Riyadh. The event was relocated from Jeddah to the Saudi capital as part of an updated schedule. Headlining the event will be Saudi star Hattan Al-Saif (4-0 AM), who will ma»»»

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon announced Thursday that the company has named Doug Petno and Troy Rohrbaugh its new co-presidents. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo June 25 (UPI) -- JPMorgan Chase has named its new co-presidents on Thursday while announcing the departure of consumer a»»»

Head of Yemen’s Ansarullah Movement Sayyed Abdul Malik Badredddine Al-Houthi, renewed his emphasis on the rejection of the continuation of aggression, siege, and occupation against Yemen, stressing that the movement will continue within the framework of the just position, the just cause, and the ex»»»

The Constitutional Court has declared unconstitutional a National Assembly resolution requiring the Council of Ministers to submit legislation ratifying Bulgaria's accession, as a founding member, to the Charter of the Board of Peace established at the initiative of the United States, the Court sai»»»

LONDON: The former grand mufti of Syria and a staunch supporter of the Bashar Assad regime, Ahmad Hassoun, appeared in court in Damascus on Thursday, charged with war crimes. Hassoun, 77, was the country’s grand mufti from 2005 until 2021. He appeared before the Fourth Criminal Court for the first »»»

Abu Dhabi: UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today received Asaad Al Shaibani, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic. At the start of the meeting, Al Shaibani conveyed to Sheikh Mohamed the greetings of Ahmed Al Sharaa, President of Syri»»»

ROME: Three Italian activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla have been released after a month in prison by authorities controlling eastern Libya, the Italian government said. Since the fall of Muammar Qaddafi in 2011, Libya has been governed by a UN-recognized government in Tripoli, while a paralle»»»

JEDDAH: As Saudi Arabia takes to the world stage at the World Cup, support for the Green Falcons is coming not only from Saudi citizens, but also from thousands of expatriates who have made the Kingdom their home. Having spent years living, working and raising families in Saudi Arabia, many foreign»»»

The unrelenting heatwave pummeling France has turned the iconic zinc roofs of Paris into a nightmare and a health hazard for people living directly underneath in often cramped attic dwellings that retain the searing heat and are impossible to ventilate. Before the heat struck, Amelie Kenney could b»»»

NATO's willingness to weaponize European territory for extra-regional wars while claiming defensive legitimacy presents clear risks for a country whose core interests – regional stability, relations with China, and an independent counter-terrorism approach – do not automatically align with Western »»»

Manila: Japan has opened its electronic visa (eVisa) system to eligible Philippine passport holders for the first time, marking a significant step toward streamlining travel between the two countries. Currently the programme comes with a major limitation: it is available only to tourists traveling »»»

The 2026 draft budget is "drip irrigation for people and businesses and a waterfall of euros for circles of companies in construction and energy, and for the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC)," Continue the Change leader and former finance minister Assen Vassilev said at a Thursday press conference on»»»

Former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov has sharply criticized Bulgaria’s draft 2026 state budget, describing it as a policy direction that sacrifices long-term stability for short-term political convenience. In a commentary published on his Facebook profile, Gyurov argued that the proposal r»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has announced plans to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office through a constitutional amendment, which will be the biggest political movement since the change of government. PM Magyar will remove Sulyok whatever it takes Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Ma»»»

The Bulgarian government presented its draft budget for 2026 on Wednesday, setting a deficit of 5.7% of GDP, the highest figure in three decades, and immediately drew fire from opposition parties who accused the cabinet of repeating the same fiscal practices it once condemned. Deputy Prime Minister»»»

Bulgaria is seeking to deepen economic ties with Poland and attract more Polish investment, with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Investments and Industry Alexander Pulev stating that Sofia aims to develop its economy along the lines of the Polish model. Speaking in Gdansk during a me»»»

The Fiscal Council supports the government's proposal to gradually align social security contribution rules for civil servants and magistrates with those applying to other employees but opposes compensating them through higher salaries, the Council said in a press release on Thursday. Under the 202»»»

EAST RUTHERFORD, USA: Co-hosts the United States and Germany will bid to complete perfect World Cup group stage campaigns on Thursday, while the Netherlands and Japan look poised to join them in the last 32. The US have clinched top spot in Group D with a game to spare after wins over Paraguay and »»»

Bulgaria’s government is preparing to shut down the Commission on Files, a long-standing body responsible for reviewing and disclosing links between public figures and the former State Security services. The move is included in the transitional and final provisions of the draft 2026 state budget, w»»»

Prime Minister Rumen Radev used his address at the High-Level International Conference on the Recovery of Ukraine in Gdansk to reaffirm Bulgaria’s support for Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction, while stressing that ending the war remains the most important prerequisite for rebuilding the country. »»»

“Capital allocation is one of the most important responsibilities of a public company. The launch of this Public Tender Offer reflects our confidence in the strength of the business, the quality of our asset base, and our long-term growth prospects. We continuously evaluate how to deploy capital in»»»

Oman's top diplomat said no transit fees would be imposed in the Strait of Hormuz Thursday after Muscat and Tehran, which border the key waterway, had earlier said they were discussing service "costs". Badr Albusaidi said "future arrangements regarding the Strait do not entail the imposition of any»»»

The Supervisory Board of Bulgaria's National Social Security Institute (NSSI) approved the draft Public Social Insurance Budget Act for 2026, the Institute said on Thursday. The draft reflects the parameters of the social insurance policies planned for the current year and now proceeds to the next »»»