PARIS: Donald Trump explained the appeal in one sentence: “Versailles is not gold leaf — Versailles is the real deal.” For Emmanuel Macron, that was precisely the point. On Wednesday night, the French president threw open Louis XIV’s palace to his US counterpart for a private reception, show and di»»»

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Jamaica is in discussions with the United States to accept third-country deportees, a move that would add the island nation to a growing number of Caribbean countries working with the Trump administration on its immigration agenda. Jamaica's National Security Minister Dr. Horace »»»

Tribune News Network Vancouver Upbeat Qatar will look to build on their opening day resilience when they face Canada in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group B tie at BC Place on Thursday (Friday 1am Doha Time). Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui’s side showed character in their 1-1 draw with Switzerland, sta»»»

An image grab taken from Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV shows Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem delivering a speech in 2024. On Wednesday, Qassem said negotiations with Israel should be limited to "mutual security." Photo by Al-Manar TV/UPI | License Photo BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 17 (UPI) -- Hezbollah lea»»»

Supporters of Hezbollah hang a banner depicting portraits of late Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah (R) and Hashem Safieddine in a partially damaged building targeted by an Israeli strike, during the first day of Ashura in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday. Israel and Lebanon have»»»

Nigel Farage’s recent Substack post lays bare the reality of Britain’s “two-tier” system, where native white Britons face systemic disadvantages in policing, housing, employment, and justice while ethnic minorities receive preferential treatment under the guise of “equality.” This is not an aberrat»»»

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, has published a lengthy personal manifesto on his Substack this week. Farage is not noted for making detailed policy pronouncements, and his long-winded writeup provides an interesting insight into Reform’s policy agenda – revealing, as it does, both its intel»»»

Supporters of Hezbollah hang a banner depicting portraits of late Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah (R) and Hashem Safieddine in a partially damaged building targeted by an Israeli strike, during the first day of Ashura in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday. Israel and Lebanon have»»»

KANSAS CITY: Lionel Messi savored a “beautiful moment” after becoming the World Cup’s joint all-time leading goalscorer on Tuesday but said, “ultimately, it is just a statistic, nothing more.” The 38-year-old Argentina captain etched another memorable chapter in his glittering career with a brillia»»»

The 2025 Türkiye Report adopted today (17 June) at the Plenary Session of the European Parliament (EP) contains flawed assessments based on misinformation and unfounded claims by anti-Türkiye circles. It is clear that the report, which appears to be drafted as part of a deliberate political agenda,»»»

Brazil's Supreme Federal Court convicted former federal lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, and sentenced him to four years and two months in prison for coercion during judicial proceedings. File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo June 17 (UPI) -- Brazil's Sup»»»

DOHA: beIN MEDIA GROUP (“beIN”), the global sports, entertainment and media group, today announced the renewal of its long-standing partnership with The All England Lawn Tennis Club, securing its exclusive broadcast rights to The Championships, Wimbledon across 24 territories in the Middle East and»»»

US President Donald Trump has signaled that Washington will refocus on efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict after peace talks were put on hold by the crisis in the Middle East. The prospect of renewed US engagement has reportedly unsettled EU officials, who fear the bloc could once again be s»»»

Online shopping cart: What do Romanians prefer? In 2025 alone, 10 million items were ordered through auchan.ro. Among the most sought-after products are water, bananas, soft drinks, and coffee beans. Additionally, in the private label category, Auchan croissants rank among consumers’ top preference»»»

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into Central, East and Southeast Europe grew in 2025, but gains were concentrated in just a handful of economies, a report from the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw) showed. Across the region, FDI rose from around €75bn in 2024 to just over €»»»

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into Central, East and Southeast Europe grew in 2025, but gains were concentrated in just a handful of economies, a report from the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw) showed. Across the region, FDI rose from around €75bn in 2024 to just over €»»»

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into Central, East and Southeast Europe grew in 2025, but gains were concentrated in just a handful of economies, a report from the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw) showed. Across the region, FDI rose from around €75bn in 2024 to just over €»»»

Tehran's foreign ministry on Wednesday said it was considering a plan for the presidents of the U.S. and Iran to sign the deal ending the Middle East war, ahead of the expected ceremony in Switzerland. "So far, our plans for the Geneva meeting have not changed," ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei sa»»»

Israel has accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of anti-Semitism after he compared its actions in Gaza to the horrors of the Holocaust. In a recent interview with Al Arabiya, Lukashenko condemned Israel’s destruction of Gaza and said West Jerusalem should be more careful, given the lev»»»

CASABLANCA: Their red jerseys stood out against the green pitch. Most were teenage girls. Some had fled war. Others had never played in an organized soccer league or set foot in a major stadium before. Yet when they took the field at Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco, they marked Sudan’s »»»

The World Bank's board approved a $2 billion financial guarantee package for Argentina. File Photo by Peter Foley/UPI | License Photo June 17 (UPI) -- The World Bank's board approved a $2 billion financial guarantee package for Argentina, a move aimed at helping the country meet upcoming foreign cu»»»

In Brazil, Eduardo Bolsonaro has been sentenced to four years in prison. The third son of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was found guilty of pressuring US officials to impose economic sanctions on his own country. It was a bid to influence his father’s Supreme Court trial — with the elde»»»

LONDON: Six multinational construction firms may be aiding and abetting war crimes by providing excavators and bulldozers to the Israeli military, human rights experts have said. It comes after widespread documentation of Israeli forces using the vehicles to systematically demolish villages across »»»

Passengers wait to drop their luggage while traveling during the holiday season at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., on December 22. The airport is scheduled to close for most of July 4 to accommodate events celebrating Independence Day in the capital. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UP»»»

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Wednesday that the fatal shooting of exiled Russian artist Semyon Skrepetsky was likely a political assassination. The Kremlin critic, known for provocative caricatures of President Vladimir Putin and other political figures, was shot dead by an unidentified g»»»

G7 leaders were joined by some of the world's top tech executives on June 17 to discuss opportunities and dangers of artificial intelligence. The future of the industry is highly contentious - with US businesses dominating the industries and many fearful that the powerful new technology poses subst»»»

Authorities of Osh city have decided to reject 25 trolleybuses previously transferred from Bishkek. Deputy Mayor Ernis Toltoev announced during a session of the City Council. According to Toltoev, the decision was prompted by the unsatisfactory technical condition of part of the fleet. A total of 7»»»

Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova has warned that plans to blockade border crossings between Bulgaria and North Macedonia would be counterproductive and risk undermining Sofia’s diplomatic position, particularly amid ongoing tensions between the two countries. Further reading: Protests Ann»»»

BRUSSELS: Belgium’s Wout van ‌Aert will miss this year’s Tour de France because of an elbow injury sustained at the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, his Visma-Lease a Bike team said on Wednesday. The 31-year-old, who won Paris-Roubaix in April, would have been a key member of the Dutch team’s Tour squad »»»

After a 20-month qualifying campaign that included four draws with the continental heavyweight Iran, Uzbekistan will compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the first Central Asian country to participate in the world’s most watched sports tournament.  Uzbekistan’s World Cup debut crowns three-an»»»

After a 20-month qualifying campaign that included four draws with the continental heavyweight Iran, Uzbekistan will compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the first Central Asian country to participate in the world’s most watched sports tournament.  Uzbekistan’s World Cup debut crowns three-an»»»

Doha, Qatar: Lusail International Circuit (LIC) is set to script a defining chapter in global motorsport history by hosting a trio of global championships comprising of the Qatar 1812 KM - FIA World Endurance Championship 2026, MotoGP QATAR AIRWAYS GRAND PRIX OF QATAR 2026, and the FORMULA 1 QATAR »»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Snezana Paunovic met with Spanish Ambassador to Belgrade Juan Jose Sanz Aparicio on Wednesday to discuss advancement of bilateral cooperation in areas under the authority of the Ministry of Public Administration and Loca»»»

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a roundtable on education at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Photo by Daniel Heuer/UPI | License Photo June 17 (UPI) -- The Trump administration has joined a lawsuit Wednesday to stop a housing reparations program for Bl»»»

The recent turmoil in the Philippine Senate has become more than a contest for leadership. It has become a test of whether one of the country's most important democratic institutions can still fulfill its constitutional purpose. The leadership reshuffle, the standoff between majority and minority b»»»

Dubai: From bank accounts in China and Iraq to restricted funds in Qatar and South Korea, tens of billions of dollars belonging to Iran remain frozen abroad — and gaining access to that money has emerged as one of Tehran's top demands in negotiations with the Trump administration. According to a re»»»

PARIS: World Defense Show, founded by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries, is strengthening its international presence through participation in Eurosatory 2026 in Paris, as preparations continue for its fourth edition in Riyadh in January 2028. During Eurosatory, held from June»»»

Rex Heuermann, of Massapequa Park, Long Island, N.Y., will be sentenced Wednesday for the murders of seven women. Photo courtesy of the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office June 17 (UPI) -- Rex Heuermann, who pleaded guilty in April to the murders of seven women in Long Island, N.Y., and admitted to one»»»

DUBAI: Eight months into a ceasefire that has failed to stop Israeli attacks or fully open Gaza’s borders, the 2.1 million Palestinians inside the besieged enclave are entering a summer that aid agencies warn could accelerate an already unfolding public health catastrophe. As summer temperatures so»»»

The Department of Justice is trying to block a lawsuit against Elon Musk's xAI. File Photo by Fazry Ismail/EPA June 17 (UPI) -- The Department of Justice is trying to quash a lawsuit against a power plant that supports an xAI data center and is arguing that the turbines are essential to national se»»»

KABUL: Government workers in different parts of Afghanistan have started switching off their smartphones, following an order imposed Wednesday that they told AFP came from Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. A letter announcing the ban on smartphones for all government employees started circulati»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index slipped on Wednesday, losing 30.65 points, or 0.28 percent, to close at 11,114.90. The total trading turnover of the benchmark index reached SR4.23 billion ($1.12 billion), with 72 stocks advancing and 182 retreating. Similarly, the Kingdom’s parallel »»»

Hungarian police have appealed to the public for assistance in tracing 45-year-old British businessman John Robert Joseph Tovell, whose whereabouts remain unknown after he left a nightclub in the early hours of the morning in the Erzsébetváros district. Businessman disappears after night out Accord»»»

LONDON: Police in France are exploiting broad powers to issue spot fines against Arab youth as a new form of racial profiling, a new report has warned. Published on Wednesday by Human Rights Watch, (RE)CLAIM and Maison Communautaire pour un Developpement Solidaire, the 60-page report documents a co»»»

A joint operation in Sofia, Stara Zagora, Pernik, and Aytos on Tuesday led to the dismantling of a criminal group involved in migrant smuggling, which had been operating in the country since August 2025, Deputy Prosecutor General Desislava Petrova told a news briefing here on Wednesday. Eight peopl»»»

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s ​bribery commission has arrested Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, police said on Wednesday. Rajapaksa ‌was arrested ‌by ​the ‌Commission ⁠to ​Investigate Allegations of ⁠Bribery and Corruption and he was granted bail after being presented to ⁠t»»»

Tommy Schmidt assembled the world's largest Lego brick sausage, measuring 6 feet and 6.7 inches long. Photo courtesy of Guinness World Records June 16 (UPI) -- A German man assembled 65,000 Lego bricks into the shape of a bratwurst and bun to break the Guinness World Record for the largest Lego bri»»»

The Commission on Protection of Competition (CPC) has cleared Sofia Municipality to provisionally implement new sanitation contracts in Zones 3 and 4, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said at a City Hall briefing on Wednesday. The CPC decisions, issued on Tuesday, cover Slatina, Poduyane and Izgrev, as w»»»

Bulgaria recorded an annual inflation rate of 6.3% in May 2026, according to revised data from Eurostat using the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP). The figure marks the highest level since September 2023 and places the country among the top inflation performers in the European Union, seco»»»

Sub-Saharan Africa's economic expansion is expected to slow modestly in 2026 as higher energy costs, weaker external demand and constrained fiscal space offset gains from structural reforms and improved trade access, according to the World Bank's latest Global Economic Prospects report. The World B»»»