Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced plans to establish a National Special Forces Academy, describing it as the next major step in modernizing the country's defense capabilities following the inauguration of Albania's National Flight School. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the National Fl»»»

1 of 5 | Crowds of mourners gathered around the coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during his funeral in Tehran on Friday. Photo courtesy KHAMENEI.IR | License Photo July 3 (UPI) -- Iran began a weeklong funeral ceremony for former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his f»»»

1 of 4 | Reigning champions Miki Sudo and Jay Chestnut pose for a photo with Long-time Chairman and Commissioner of Major League Eating George Shea at the 110th Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest weigh-in ceremony at Hudson Yards on Friday in New York City. Photo by»»»

LONDON: World number one Aryna Sabalenka stepped up her bid for a maiden Wimbledon title with an impressive straight-sets victory over Jelena Ostapenko on Friday. The Belarusian was too strong for Latvia’s Ostapenko, winning 6-4, 6-4 to book a last-16 tie against fellow four-time Grand Slam champio»»»

LISBON: Portugal ‌has asked the EU, Spain and Morocco to have extra firefighting aircraft ready in case wildfires worsen during the current heatwave, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said on Friday. He said the unusual move was prompted not by a shortage of national resources, but by what he describe»»»

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump spoke on Friday and agreed to meet “soon” in the United States, the premier’s office said. The conversation comes after the United States and Israel fought alongside each other in their military campaign against Iran»»»

Tokyo, July 3 (SANA) A Syrian delegation has begun an official visit to Japan aimed at boosting cooperation on reconstruction and early recovery through closer engagement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Syria’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing said on Friday. The delegat»»»

1 of 4 | New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivers an address to commemorate America's 250th anniversary on Friday in New York City. Mayor Mamdani delivered the speech from George Washington's desk, surrounded by recently naturalized citizens. Pool Photo by Anna Connors/UPI | License Photo July 3»»»

A public dispute between Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar and former President János Áder has escalated after the prime minister published drone footage of Áder’s official residence while accusing him of benefiting from taxpayers’ money. The exchange began after the former President criticised»»»

TAIZ: As part of its ongoing humanitarian efforts to support Yemenis and alleviate their suffering, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center implemented the eighth phase of its project to operate the Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Center in Taiz, from Jan. 1 to May 31. The project aims to»»»

Ayatollah Khamenei's funeral will be a monumental gathering, with implications stretching beyond the region – all the way to the US, Dr. Khan underscored. A high-level Pakistani delegation – comprising military leaders, federal ministers, and opposition representatives – is attending Ali Khamenei's»»»

DOHA: Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia hailed his side's resilience and unwavering belief after they produced one of the most remarkable comebacks of the FIFA World Cup 2026, overturning a two-goal deficit to defeat Senegal 3-2 after extra time and book their place in the Round of 16. With Belgium tr»»»

More than 50 British MPs have urged the government to stop the popular Russian children’s cartoon ‘Masha and the Bear’ from being shown in the UK, claiming it may be used as a “propaganda” tool. The animated series, loosely based on a traditional Russian folk tale, follows the adventures of a misch»»»

In an economically and financially unstable market, young Romanians are not making the best choices regarding their academic future. A recent Eurostat study shows that we are in last place in the European Union in terms of the percentage of higher education graduates among young people, while a thi»»»

BRUSSELS - Serbian FM Marko Djuric said on Friday in Brussels Serbia was doubling down on its EU path and that it was also committed to maintaining peace in the region and cherishing good relations and cooperation with its neighbours. "Serbia is doubling down on its EU accession path. Serbia is dou»»»

Damascus, July 3 (SANA) Regional and international condemnations have continued on Friday following the terrorist bombing that targeted a cafe in the vicinity of the Palace of Justice in Damascus on Thursday, which claimed the lives of 10 civilians and left 21 others injured. Lebanon condemned the »»»

Abu Dhabi: Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, boarded a passenger train on a journey from Mohamed bin Zayed City Station in Abu Dhabi to Fujairah Station, just days after the beginning of scheduled passenger rail services in the UAE. The journey reflects the»»»

Dubai: An Indian national's life changed in an instant after winning the Dh25 million grand prize in Big Ticket's latest live draw series 288 in Abu Dhabi. Kanika Arora, hailing from Delhi, has been announced as the winner after her ticket number, 476107, was selected during the live draw. Moments »»»

Hungarian authorities have ordered the immediate suspension of all activities at the Debrecen plant of Chinese battery separator manufacturer Semcorp Hungary Kft., citing serious fire safety deficiencies that they say pose a risk to people and property. The decision marks the toughest regulatory ac»»»

The US was concerned that Israel could kill Iran’s top negotiators in an attempt to derail the peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran, the New York Times has reported, citing American officials. According to a report by the newspaper on Thursday, US officials feared that Israel would targ»»»

Nearly half of Americans do not know what the country’s 250th anniversary is actually celebrating, despite overwhelming majorities saying they are proud and grateful to be American, according to the Cato Institute. The milestone commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4»»»

Dubai: A Delhi resident's life changed in an instant after winning the Dh25 million grand prize in Big Ticket's latest live draw series 288 in Abu Dhabi. Kanika Arora has been announced as the winner after her ticket number, 476107, was selected during the live draw. Moments later, she has answered»»»

NEW MEXICO: Match tickets originally ‌bought by England fans for Sunday's World Cup last-16 clash against Mexico have been relisted for thousands of pounds on FIFA's official resale portal, drawing sharp criticism from supporter groups. England's Football Association (FA) confirmed the tickets were»»»

Caracas: As part of the State of Qatar's efforts to provide relief for those affected by the two devastating earthquakes that hit Venezuela recently, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has launched an emergency humanitarian response to the disaster , in cooperation with Qatari government authorities»»»

FRANCE 24’s Europe editor-in-chief Caroline de Camaret hosts Maia Sandu, the President of Moldova. This in the context of an EU-Moldova summit held on June 22, 2026, in Brussels. The ex-Soviet republic of nearly 3 million people that borders Ukraine has opened its first “cluster” of negotiatio»»»

BERLIN: Germany’s football association (DFB) will start talks with former Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp to take over as national team coach following the departure of Julian Nagelsmann, it said on Friday, as it looks to rebuild after a shock World Cup exit. Germany’s defeat to Paraguay on penalties »»»

Capitals, July 3 (SANA) The European Union, Germany, Spain and Belgium have strongly condemned on Friday the bomb attack in Damascus that killed at least 10 people and wounded 21 others, expressing solidarity with the Syrian people and reaffirming their support for the country’s sovereignty and cou»»»

India approved on Friday the purchase of a range of military equipment for its defence forces worth $6.3 billion, including missiles, electronic warfare systems and Kamikaze drones. The acquisition was approved "in-principle" by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) comprising top military officers»»»

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed more than 400 people and continues to spread, with health authorities confirming a first case in the major city of Kisangani, hundreds of kilometres from the epidemic's epicentre in the northeast. An Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo has»»»

France recorded 2,025 excess deaths during the June 22-28 heatwave, the country's health minister said Friday, marking a nearly 30 percent nationwide rise in recorded deaths. In the Paris region, the number of deaths during the same period increased by 62 percent, according to the public health aut»»»

The pilot who flew a small plane into Beijing's tallest building wrote in his diary about “ending his life”, Chinese authorities said Thursday, aiming to end speculation swirling around an incident that raised concerns about aviation security in China's capital. The pilot who died after crashi»»»

Basking Ridge, New Jersey, United States: Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said Neymar is unhappy he has had such a limited role at the World Cup but has handled the situation professionally and remains a positive influence within the squad. The country's all-time leading goalscorer has made just one s»»»

Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it is examining almost HUF 4.9 billion (around EUR 13 million) spent on private jet charters used for the official travel of former Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó between 2022 and 2026, with officials now also looking into the possibility of criminal lia»»»

Footage reportedly shows Ukrainian forces destroying a Russian system deployed to jam Starlink. The satellite network, which is notoriously difficult to jam, has become crucial for providing high-speed internet access to Ukraine. Six white trailers, lined up in two rows of three, with one bursting »»»

India approved on Friday the purchase of a range of military equipment for its defence forces worth $5.46 billion, including missiles, electronic warfare systems and Kamikaze drones. The acquisition was approved "in-principle" by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) comprising top military officer»»»

Dubai: A large tent now covers the courtyard. Applicants are given free tea and coffee apart from water. And for the first time in 17 years, it is consulate staff, not an outsourced agency, guiding Indian expats through their passport and other consular paperwork. These were the scenes at the India»»»

KFAROUE, Lebanon: In the village of Kfaroue in southern Lebanon, Hussein Hamza makes his daily rounds to feed and check on his furry and feathered charges. The number of animals in his care has multiplied since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, as hundreds of thousands of southern Le»»»

LONDON: Doubles players fear for their tennis future after being told by the ATP Tour that prize money and tournament sizes will decrease significantly starting in 2028. A group of leading doubles players issued a statement Friday saying they are not “a carnival sideshow”, and that it will be impos»»»

Pakistan is investing significant political capital in the Iranian track. In return, it expects Tehran to respect its mediatory role and cooperate on security matters. Pakistan has sent a high-level delegation to Iran for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's farewell ceremony, led by PM Shehbaz Sharif and»»»

Amal Movement issued on Friday a statement on the occasion of its Martyr’s Day, reiterating its rejection of the “Framework Agreement” with the Zionist enemy. The Movement also affirmed its support to the Lebanese Army, denouncing the Israeli attempts to utilize its soldiers and officers for the sa»»»

Bulgaria's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivanka Tasheva and Chinese Ambassador in Sofia Dai Qingli met here on Friday to discuss priority areas for interaction and deepening the bilateral partnership, as well as specific steps for cooperation within the framework of relations between the Europ»»»

New Delhi: India's foreign exchange reserves declined by 5.65 billion U.S. dollars to 666.93 billion dollars during the week ended June 26, showed the latest weekly bulletin released by the country's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on Friday. Three weeks ago, the forex reserves had f»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles Fernandez in Belgrade on Friday to discuss further strengthening of Serbia-Spain cooperation in defence and security, as well as current regional and European matters of mutual interest. "I especially t»»»

Hungary now officially holds more gold than Romania for the first time in modern history, with the country’s gold reserves reaching 110 tonnes and an estimated value of USD 12.1 billion, according to new research based on World Gold Council data. The analysis, published by The Gold Bullion Company,»»»

Dubai: The Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and Minor Hotels announced on Friday that the Thai hospitality giant will take over the management and operations of the seven properties under Sharjah Collection. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The agr»»»

Iran has warned the US and Israel against any attacks during the upcoming funeral processions for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes of the war, as Tehran prepares for days of heavily secured mourning ceremonies. Funeral processions for Khamenei are se»»»

Dubai: Dubai Health has launched “Dream-It, Dubai-It”, an interactive educational programme designed for children to explore the world of healthcare through hands-on experiences, creative workshops, and field visits that help them develop new skills and turn their ideas into impactful projects. Get»»»