KANSAS CITY: Africa set a record by sending nine of its teams to the knockout rounds of the World Cup. Seven of them were knocked out in the first round. Ghana were the last African team to play in the Round of 32 on Friday night, and the white-clad Black Stars went down with a whimper in a 1-0 los»»»

BEIJING: China’s military promoted two officers to the rank of general in what may be a precursor to a reorganization at the top following the removal of several of its leaders in a long-running anti-corruption drive. The shake-up is believed to be in part an effort to ensure the military’s loyalty»»»

WASHINGTON: Prince William revealed that his father King Charles “hates football” in an appearance on Travis Kelce’s podcast that aired Friday, just hours before the NFL star was due to celebrate his marriage to pop megastar Taylor Swift. The World Cup, rather than the wedding, was the main theme o»»»

TORRE BERETTI, Italy: Summer came too early to Europe’s most important rice growing region and weeds are taking over Sharon Angoli’s parched paddies in Italy’s Pavia province. “That one is done for, no matter what happens,” the 22-year-old said as she surveyed one desolate field that has been baked»»»

MEXICO CITY: The Mexican dream at this World Cup can be summed up in a phrase: “And what if we do?” The question omits the ending — and what if we do win? — but captures the hope of two generations of Mexicans who were used to defeats and have waited 40 years to see their national team make it to t»»»

Pope Leo XIV greets migrants at the Favaloro Pier to bless a plaque dedicating the pier to late Pope Francis during his pastoral visit to the island of Lampedusa, Italy, Saturday. Photo by Ciro Fusco/EPA July 4 (UPI) -- Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, spent his second Fourth of July as the p»»»

London: Reigning champion Iga Swiatek was dumped out of Wimbledon in the third round on Saturday as an inspired Alexandra Eala created more history for the Philippines with a straight-sets victory on Centre Court. Eala edged a dramatic 84-minute first set before powering to a 7-6 (11/9), 6-2 victor»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine believed the fortified area in the city of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) was inaccessible, but Russian forces proved otherwise, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday. "These are fortified areas that had been poured with concrete since 20»»»

Share: Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani, left, and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam sign agreement to establish higher committee comprising ministers from both countries. (SANA) Syria and Lebanon agreed on Thursday to establish a joint ministerial committee aimed at strengthening securi»»»

Jakarta: The Indonesian government has warned all local governments to step up preparedness for potential fires at landfills amid forecasts of extreme weather conditions over the coming months, local media reported on Saturday. This follows a blaze at a landfill in Tangerang regency, near the Indon»»»

Istanbul: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discussed, in Istanbul on Saturday, prospects for developing bilateral cooperation, as well as key regional and international issues. According to the Anadolu Agency, their talks covered developments in the»»»

Kuwait: Boursa Kuwait recorded a 14.9 percent increase in liquidity in June, reaching approximately KWD 2.131 billion compared to about KWD 1.855 billion in May. A specialized economic report released today stated that the liquidity in the Kuwaiti stock exchange reached approximately 9.823 billion,»»»

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced the temporary closure of the bus and taxi service road at the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station, with the closure set to remain in place until the end of 2026. The move is part of ongoing works to expand the station, which serves as one »»»

LONDON: Prince Harry’s wife Meghan and their two children will not travel to London with him next week, his spokesperson said on Saturday, although a visit elsewhere in Britain had not been ruled out. Harry, the younger son of King Charles, is due in London and Birmingham next week for a series of »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iran’s FM Meets in Tehran with Hezbollah Delegation Participating in Leader Funeral 04-07-2026 18:57 PM The Iranian foreign minister Abbas »»»

Plans to establish a National Citizens' Assembly as part of an ongoing protest movement in Albania have sparked internal disagreements among organizers and supporters, with participants raising concerns over transparency and representation. According to public statements, a working group approved t»»»

First they protested about flamingos, now the crowd on the streets below Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's office has begun to chant about schools, jobs and living standards as well – and wants him to resign. The pink migratory birds became the symbol of Albania's nightly rallies because they floc»»»

Share: President Aoun sends a message to US president to congratulate him on the 250th anniversary of US independence and thanked him for his support for Lebanon Beirut- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday called on his US President Donald Trump to continue his support for Lebanon. According»»»

MAKKAH: As the Kingdom advances to diversify agricultural production and strengthen food security, success stories are emerging from farmers who have embraced unconventional ideas and harnessed the local environment to introduce new crops to the Saudi market. Among them is farmer Radhi Al-Sharari, »»»

Baghdad: The Iraqi Ministry of Oil said that it is implementing a broad program to develop the country's gas and energy sectors. It added that it will seek to end routine flaring of associated gas by 2030, expand renewable energy projects, and increase the oil sector's contribution to financing inf»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Al-Manar correspondent: Two enemy helicopters just carried out a machine-gun combing operation towards the town of Majdal Zoun 04-07-2026 1»»»

London: Serena Williams' Wimbledon comeback is over after the American legend pulled out of the doubles due to a knee injury on Saturday. Williams and her sister Venus were due to play in the first round on Saturday, but Serena announced just hours before the match that her knee had not healed enou»»»

Gaza: A Palestinian was martyred and others were wounded on Saturday in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City. Medical sources reported that one Palestinian was killed and others were injured when an Israeli drone targeted a group of people in the Asqoula area of ​​the Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast o»»»

Hungarian Gripen fighter jets were scrambled on Saturday afternoon after a Chinese passenger aircraft flying from Hong Kong to London failed to establish contact with Romanian civilian air traffic control, prompting a NATO quick reaction alert. According to Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, »»»

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the current government of Israel “must not be allowed to spread the smell of gunpowder and blood in our region again,” during a Saturday meeting with the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Istanbul. “With the Islamabad Agreement between Washi»»»

Political parties and coalitions that contested Bulgaria's April 19, 2026, parliamentary election reported combined campaign revenue of EUR 4.56 million, according to an analysis by the Institute for Public Environment Development (IPED), which was published on Saturday. The analysis is based on fi»»»

After France became, in 2024, the first country on Earth to ‘enshrine’ abortion in its Constitution, French MPs have now passed a bill to legalize euthanasia. The bill still needs to get the approval of the Senate, but at this stage it is probably a simple formality, as only some Catholic associati»»»

Tens of millions of people suffered and thousands died during a historic heatwave in France last month. As the temperatures rose while the days stretched on, media attention invariably turned to air conditioning, a rare technology in France. In this edition of FRANCE 24's media show, we look at med»»»

BEIRUT: Shortly after Egypt made history by reaching a World Cup 16th round for first time by beating Australia, their coach celebrated the victory by waving a Palestinian flag. Hossam Hassan’s players had just won their Round of 32 match against Australia in a penalty shootout at Dallas Stadium on»»»

Doha: Qatar and Saudi Arabia national basketball teams will meet tomorrow in the closing fixture of the third window of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 in Qatar. The encounter promises strong competitiveness despite qualification to the second round already being secured»»»

RIYADH: Large-scale concerts, scintillating theme parks, and a booming cinema industry are no longer novelties in Saudi Arabia, with them becoming powerful engines of economic diversification under Vision 2030, according to industry experts. Guided by the ambitious program, Saudi Arabia is affirmin»»»

TAIF: The opening day of the first round of the 2026 Saudi Toyota Championship Hill Climb concluded Friday at Aqabat Al-Muhammadiyah in Al Shafa, Taif, with drivers battling for the fastest times in qualifying. Backed by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation and organized by Bakhashab Moto»»»

KYIV: A Ukrainian drone attack struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg on Saturday, Russian officials said, as Kyiv presses on with bombardment of Russia’s oil infrastructure. Almost daily long-range attacks on Russian oil facilities have created a fuel crisis and heaped political pressure on the »»»

ERFURT, Germany: Thousands protested against Germany’s far-right AfD and blocked roads to its annual conference in the eastern city of Erfurt on Saturday, where the party re-elected the two leaders who have overseen its rise as a national force. Protesters from unions, civil society groups and left»»»

SILVERSTONE: Kimi Antonelli returned to winning ways on Saturday by denying Lewis Hamilton a crowd-pleasing home victory in the sprint race ahead of the British Grand Prix. Hamilton started on pole and held off Antonelli until lap eight of 17, when the Italian swept past with the help of electrical»»»

LOS ANGELES: France are bracing for furnace-like temperatures when they face Paraguay in Philadelphia in the World Cup’s last 16 on Saturday as co-hosts Canada prepare for a daunting date with African giants Morocco in Houston. With a brutal heatwave roasting swathes of the United States as it cele»»»

COLOMBO: A new medical college complex in southwestern Sri Lanka, financed by the Saudi Fund for Development, was inaugurated on Saturday, marking the latest Saudi assistance aimed at improving healthcare and education in the island nation. The $50 million project for the Faculty of Medicine at the»»»

Doha, July 4 (SANA) Syrian Foreign Minister and Expatriates Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani met with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha on Saturday to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and review the latest regional dev»»»

Share: A sovereign Lebanon and a secure Israel are not competing goals—they are mutually reinforcing. The framework agreement offers a rare opportunity to turn that vision into lasting peace. By : The Editorial Board , Opinion The time has come for visionary leaders in both Israel and Lebanon to su»»»

Cairo: An Egyptian court on Saturday handed a suspended six-month prison term to a former doctor convicted of spreading false information on social media alleging abuse of women at a university hospital, her lawyers said. Omnia Swaydan was convicted over a Facebook post describing what she said wer»»»

JEDDAH: Seasons at Art Promenade is an event in Jeddah consisting of four themed zones inspired by the four seasons of the year. Organized by Lamsat Events, the attraction, which runs until July 26, offers a mix of family entertainment, creative workshops, live performances and interactive activiti»»»

President Donald Trump ushered in the 250th anniversary of American independence on Friday with soaring rhetoric about American exceptionalism before veering into a darkly political speech with warnings about a sinister threat of communism that evoked one of the country’s ugliest chapters. Ian Reif»»»

Mourners thronged a vast prayer complex in ​Tehran on Saturday as the week-long funeral ceremonies of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began with the national anthem, religious eulogies and readings from the Koran. 15 million people are expected to attend the former leader's funeral, a»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The capture of the city of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) is an important step in the final liberation of Donbass, Russian Deputy Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday. "An important step in the final liberation of Donbass and the achie»»»

Insurgents in ​Mali staged attacks in at least five locations ‌early ⁠on ‌Saturday, including at a prison in Kenieroba, according to an army statement. The fighting comes more than two months after the country's defence minister was killed.  Insurgents in ​Mali staged attacks in at l»»»

Brussels, July 4 (SANA) Syrian Chargé d’Affaires in Brussels, Abdullatif Dabbagh, met with Anna Maria Boura, Chief Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of the European Council, on Saturday to discuss ways to enhance cooperation and coordination on Syrian-European relations. According to a statem»»»

Washington: Millions of Americans celebrated the country's 250th birthday on Saturday -- a landmark celebration that comes at a time of deep political division, with a president determined to put his stamp on the festivities. Washington's traditional fireworks display on the National Mall -- lined »»»

A week-long state funeral for the Islamic Republic’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has begun in Iran, more than four months after he was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes. The ceremonies mark the end of nearly four decades of Khamenei’s leadership. Millions of mourners are expected to »»»

Three children were killed when the boat they were on capsized in a storm in Wisconsin Friday. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 4 (UPI) -- Three children were killed Friday when a severe storm capsized a boat in Wisconsin, police said. The privately owned, recreational motorboat h»»»