United Nations High Commission for Refugees and other international organizations warned that Venezuela's humanitarian crisis is deteriorating rapidly following the twin earthquakes that struck the country on June 24. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez/EPA July 1 (UPI) -- United Nations High Commission for »»»

TORONTO: Portugal and Croatia’s World Cup last-32 clash on Thursday could be Cristiano Ronaldo or Luka Modric’s final game on soccer’s biggest stage, and the massive moment will unfold at the tournament’s smallest venue. If there was any skepticism about how the 43,036-seat Toronto Stadium would ho»»»

NEW JERSEY, USA: France’s fearsome foursome of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olize and Bradley Barcola leaves opponents exclaiming: Sacré bleu! “Their four up front is the best in the competition by far,” Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said. France became the first nation to score three or »»»

BERLIN: Germany is hoping to expand defense industry ties with the United States and produce more US-designed weaponry at factories in the country, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Wednesday. The pitch comes just ahead of a major NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Turkiye, where European mi»»»

Abu Dhabi: Etihad Airways is increasing flights across five international routes, adding more capacity to Brussels, Dhaka, Kraków, Palma de Mallorca and Zanzibar as demand for travel continues to grow. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Abu Dhabi-based airline said it»»»

AI-driven cyberoffensive tools can be compared to “digital nuclear weapons,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe has said, warning that they could fuel rivalries among global powers. Ratcliffe made the comparison on Tuesday in a speech at the Amazon Web Services summit in Washington, where he discussed the»»»

Italy is stalling a NATO aid commitment to Ukraine for 2027 after the bloc signed off on a €70 billion ($80 billion) military package to Kiev this year, Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported on Tuesday. While NATO envoys agreed on the terms of this year’s assistance on Tuesday in »»»

European Union climate scientists issued warnings that weather patterns, global climate, and marine ecosystems could be impacted in unexpected ways -- none of them positive -- after the temperature of world's oceans spiked in June to levels that eclipsed all previous records. File photo by Miguel T»»»

Dubai: Why did the UAE decide to restrict social media access for children under 15 rather than setting the age at 13 or 16? According Sana bint Mohammed Suhail, Minister of Family and Chairperson of the Child Digital Safety Council, the age threshold was chosen after extensive research into childr»»»

BELGRADE - A new operating licence issued to Serbia's Russian-majority owned oil company NIS by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) will put Russia under additional pressure to bring talks with Hungary's MOL on selling its stake in the firm to a conclusion or give up on them, says Serbia»»»

BEIRUT: Heavyweight boxing is entering a new era after Oleksandr Usyk’s decided to stand down as unified champion and sent his belts to different parts of the world. That’s given a bunch of globally unheralded fighters the chance to emerge from the shadows in the sport’s glamor division. Usyk recen»»»

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, United States: President Donald Trump hailed the progress on Wednesday of indirect talks between Iran and the United States, saying there had been "very good meetings" in Doha. "As far as things are going, the denuclearization of Iran is moving along well. They've had very good »»»

KYIV: Ukrainian officials on ​Wednesday reported a new locust outbreak, this time in the southern Kherson ‌region. Outbreaks ​of ‌locust ⁠development ​had been ⁠detected in Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, the Ukrainian ⁠state service on food ‌safety ‌and ​consumer ‌protection said ‌last mo»»»

The United States on Wednesday signed an agreement to build a new embassy compound in Jerusalem, in a move that Israel said reflected the "unbreakable alliance" between the countries. During his first term, U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December 2017 and or»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received on Wednesday the U.S. envoys HE Steve Witkoff and HE Jared Kushner at his office at Lusail Palace. During the meeting, they reviewed the latest developments in the region, particularly recent progress in the negotiation track between»»»

DUBAI: Dutch Moroccan Egyptian model Imaan Hammam took to the runway at Jacquemus’ highly anticipated “Le Bonheur” fashion show, staged on the rocky Ile de la Pietra in Corsica. The exclusive co-ed presentation saw Hammam walk a dramatic runway built into the slopes of the islet, leading to the ico»»»

MEDORA, North Dakota: President Donald Trump is traveling to North Dakota on Wednesday to dedicate a museum honoring Theodore Roosevelt, invoking the Republican president’s legacy as he promotes a message of American greatness ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. The visit comes as Trump has embrac»»»

JERUSALEM: The United States on Wednesday signed an agreement to build a new embassy compound in Jerusalem, in a move that Israel said reflected the “unbreakable alliance” between the countries. During his first term, US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 20»»»

Abu Dhabi: Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday announced new consular service rules for Indian expats in the UAE. In a press release dated June 29, Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi said that due to administrative reasons, both the Embassy and the Consulate in Dubai will start providing consular ser»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia retained the top global ranking in the 2026 Information and Communication Technology Development Index with a score of 99.8 out of 100, driven by continued investment in digital infrastructure and connectivity. The Kingdom ranked first globally for the second consecutive year i»»»

A group of families who have suffered serious health problems because of exposure to pesticides urged EU lawmakers not to row back on safety standards for pesticides in the bloc’s latest move towards light-touch regulation. “Alternatives exist…we need a European policy that is coherent…and to put p»»»

Dubai: As school holidays begin and residents across the UAE gear up for summer plans, Big Ticket is adding a major dose of excitement to the season with its July promotion, featuring life-changing cash prizes, luxury cars, and multiple chances to win every week. The highlight of this month’s campa»»»

The India government is considering issuing a notice to Meta over WhatsApp's upcoming username feature, amid concerns that it could be misused for fraud and impersonation, according to media reports citing government sources. The feature, which is yet to be rolled out widely, will allow WhatsApp us»»»

Dubai: Armenia has extended its temporary visa waiver programme for UAE residents and citizens of several Gulf countries until July 1, 2027, state news agency Armenpress reported. Armenia implemented a full visa-free entry regime specifically tailored to citizens and residents of the GCC region las»»»

PARIS: Marking its first participation at Vision Golfe, Saudi Arabia’s Athar festival is making its international ambitions clear. The event is looking to engage new partners, speakers and international visitors as it continues to expand and elevate the global profile of Saudi Arabia’s creative eco»»»

RIYADH: Qatar attracted $3.4 billion in foreign direct investment project capital expenditure across 373 initiatives in 2025, generating 15,051 jobs, according to the agency responsible for promoting opportunities in the country. More than half of the total FDI capital expenditure was directed towa»»»

Dubai: For Kamaludeen Anvarsha, a 45-year-old Kerala entrepreneur based in Oman, an ordinary day turned memorable when a phone call delivered unexpected news, he has won Dh25,000 in the Big Ticket e-draw. Anvarsha, who has been living in Oman for the past 24 years while his family remains in India,»»»

Lahore, Pakistan: Pakistani mourners shouldered bedframes in a procession through the narrow streets of Lahore's Kahna area on Wednesday as they carried the bodies of 14 children killed when the roof of their tutoring centre collapsed the night before. Residents and families gathered by freshly dug»»»

Dubai: DAMAC Properties said its construction pipeline has avoided any major hit from recent supply chain pressure, helped by the UAE’s port and logistics response, as the developer topped out its Dh243 million Harbour Lights tower in Dubai Maritime City on Tuesday. Sign up for our daily business n»»»

CAIRO: A cholera outbreak in Sudan has killed 120 people, with another 1,102 suspected cases since May in isolated war zones, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. More than three years of war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have decimated the country’s »»»

ANTWERP: At least five people were killed and many others injured on Wednesday in a fire at an apartment block in the Belgian city of Antwerp, police said. The blaze broke out mid-morning on the eighth floor of the building, where more than 200 people live, in the city’s Linkeroever neighborhood, s»»»

NEW DELHI: India’s capital New Delhi will ban new petrol- and diesel-fueled scooters and rickshaws from its roads over the next two years, as an ambitious new policy aimed at bringing down dangerously high pollution levels in the city came into effect on Wednesday. Delhi’s new EV policy seeks to ac»»»

Doha, Qatar: Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has launched a public awareness campaign to encourage eligible patients to undergo annual health checkups, as part of efforts to strengthen preventive healthcare services, improve access to care and promote early disease detection. Assistant Manag»»»

For years, we’ve talked about it.We’ve watched construction updates, spotted the tracks while driving across the country and wondered what it would actually be like to travel between emirates by train.Yesterday, it finally became real.The official opening of Etihad Rail’s passenger service on June »»»

Fujairah: The UAE has stepped up its efforts to secure Unesco World Heritage status for Wadi Wurayah, one of the country’s most ecologically significant protected areas, highlighting Fujairah’s mountain reserve as a global model for biodiversity conservation and sustainable environmental stewardshi»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani chaired the weekly Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday at the Amiri Diwan. Following the meeting, HE Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ibrahim bin Ali Al Moha»»»

London: Serena Williams could be forced to pull out of the Wimbledon doubles event after the American legend suffered a knee injury in her first round singles defeat. Williams, playing her first singles match in four years, was beaten by Australia's Maya Joint in a three-set epic on Centre Court la»»»

The UAE's Next Mastermind Awards 2026 Founded by Dr Mansoor Al Obeidli and co-founded by Dr Navana Kundu brought together professionals from the fields of business, corporates, coaching and authorship, along with industry pioneers and changemakers, on Saturday, June 27, celebrating excellence acros»»»

Dubai: Two of Dubai's largest Catholic churches have announced a full reopening, allowing parishioners to once again participate in all church activities after temporary restrictions introduced earlier this year. St. Mary's Catholic Church in Oud Metha and St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in J»»»

Ajman has been ranked the world's safest city for residents' sense of security, while Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah secured second, third and fourth places respectively, according to the Numbeo Mid-Year 2026 report, highlighting the UAE's strong performance in global safety rankings. Dubai »»»

Abu Dhabi: Ali Saeed Al Neyadi, Chairman of the National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA), met with Ambassador Shiferaw Tekle Mariam, Commissioner of the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission, during an official visit to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia»»»

Doha, Qatar: With the summer holiday season underway, many expatriates in Qatar are preparing to travel to neighboring countries or to their home countries by road as a more affordable alternative to air travel or simply to enjoy the journey. Before setting off, motorists are advised to familiarize»»»

Lisbon: Parts of Portugal have been placed on red alert due to high temperatures forecast for the coming days, after being relatively spared from the recent heatwave in Europe. The country's IPMA weather agency said the Lisbon and Setubal regions on the coast will be on red alert for high temperatu»»»

The European Union rolled out two measures to protect its steel industry and limit e-commerce small parcels on Wednesday as the 27-nation bloc grapples with its staggering trade imbalance with China. "Today's change is about restoring fairness for European businesses and better protecting our consu»»»

MAKKAH: Makkah’s royal commission announced one of the city’s largest ever urban development programs during a ceremony on Tuesday evening. A number of agreements were signed to formally launch the projects, which will make up an area of more than 4.4 million sq. meters backed by more than SR16.3 b»»»

RIYADH: The Apple Developer Academy, in partnership with Tuwaiq Academy, celebrated the graduation of its fifth cohort at The Garage in Riyadh, with 192 female students completing a nine-month program. The scheme brought together participants from diverse academic and professional backgrounds and f»»»

Dubai: The first thing Girley Pineda remembers about arriving in Dubai isn't the skyline or the excitement of starting a new chapter. It's the tears. On April 22, 2017, her birthday, the Filipino expatriate stepped off a plane believing she was beginning the journey that would change her family's f»»»

Dubai: Both runways at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport will remain closed to commercial flights for three hours every day from July 5 to September 15 as a precaution against increased bird activity during the monsoon season, Pakistan’s Airports Authority (PAA) has announced, Dawn report»»»

Clause 5 of the fragile US-Iran interim deal has become a flashpoint, a trigger for the series of escalating maritime incidents. This specific clause of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on June 18, 2026, has emerged as one of the most contentious provisions. Despite the rather »»»

Shenzhen, China: Their metallic frames covered in supple, lifelike skin, a posse of new Chinese robots meant for companionship can offer users AI-generated conversation or a hand to hold, complete with manicured nails. The company UBTech says its "U1" robot -- equipped with eye cameras, chest senso»»»