A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Venezuela. Authorities have issued a tsunami warning for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. According to the United States Geological Survey, the death toll from the earthquake in Venezuela could range from 10,000 to 100,000 people. The exact number of »»»

The National Assembly is set to debate amendments to the Judiciary Act on second reading. The item is first on the agenda for Thursday’s plenary sitting. The amendments were approved on second reading by the National Assembly Legal Affairs Committee at two consecutive meetings earlier in June. The »»»

A Regional Project Support Center for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries has been opened in Bishkek. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kyrgyzstan reported. The center was created as part of the implementation of the priorities of the Kyrgyz Republic’s SCO presidency in 2025»»»

Dubai: A few years ago, electric vehicles (EVs) in the UAE were considered a niche choice. Today, they’re moving firmly into the mainstream. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.In 2021, fewer than 3,000 new EVs were registered in the UAE. By 2024, annual registrations had »»»

Shamshy reservoir is scheduled to be commissioned in Kochkor district in 2026. President Sadyr Japarov announced this during a meeting with residents of Naryn region. According to him, the facility will improve the irrigation system in the region. Once operational, the reservoir will ensure a stabl»»»

An earthquake with magnitude 4 hit Uzbekistan and was felt by residents of Kyrgyzstan, the Institute of Seismology under the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic reported. The seismic activity was recorded on June 24 at 10:07 p.m. The epicenter was located in Uzbekistan, 7 kilometers»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov said during a meeting with residents of At-Bashy district in Naryn region that the state intends to independently develop Zhetim-Too iron ore deposit. The issue of the deposit was raised by local resident Beishen Momunaliev, who noted that amid the rapid growth»»»

A meeting was held in Bishkek between Bakyt Torobayev, Special Representative of the President of Kyrgyzstan for Special Assignments, and Antje Grawe, the UN Resident Coordinator in the Kyrgyz Republic. The parties discussed the current socio-economic situation in Kyrgyzstan, as well as the outcome»»»

Thapelo Maseko’s second-half goal lifted South Africa to ‌a must-win 1-0 result against South Korea in their Group A finale in Guadalupe, Mexico, on Wednesday, sending Bafana Bafana to the World Cup knockout stage for the ​first time. Maseko put South Africa in front in the 63rd minute with a clini»»»

TEHRAN: Tehran accused NATO on Thursday of “complicity” in the US-Israeli war against Iran, after the bloc’s chief noted its support for the United States in the conflict. Responding to US President Donald Trump’s criticism of allies for not supporting the war, NATO boss Mark Rutte told Fox News th»»»

SEATTLE: Bosnia-Herzegovina reached the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time after beating 2022 hosts Qatar 3-1 in their final Group B match on Wednesday. Bosnia finished on four points and hours after their game had completed, FIFA announced they will be one of the best eight third-»»»

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the ​two earthquakes that hit Venezuela earlier in the day had “left a devastating number of deaths,” without ‌citing any official ‌casualty ​figures. “The ‌two ⁠major ​earthquakes that ⁠just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and»»»

MEXICO CITY: Mateo Chávez and Julián Quiñones scored in a six-minute span early in the second half, and Mexico beat the Czech Republic 3-0 on Wednesday night to win all three of its World Cup group-stage matches for the first time. The 22-year-old Chávez, in his first World Cup, opened the scoring »»»

WARSAW: When Ewa Lutka-Krawczyk was diagnosed with gallbladder cancer, her first thought was for Gaja, a shelter dog she took in three years ago. She asked her doctor to assure her she would live a few more years so the deeply attached Gaja “wouldn’t be left behind.” But the prognosis was grim, and»»»

Climate change is increasingly acting as a threat multiplier in the Lake Chad Basin, exacerbating insecurity, displacement and competition over natural resources across the central and western African region, according to research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and »»»

US President Donald Trump signs a voting-related executive order in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC on March 25, 2025. On Wednesday, a judge permanently blocked key provisions of the order. File Photo by Shawn Thew/UPI | License Photo June 25 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Wednes»»»

The women’s volleyball team of Kyrgyzstan (U18) secured its first victory at the international tournament in Thailand. The Volleyball Federation reported. The Princess Cup tournament is currently underway in Nakhon Ratchasima, with eight teams participating, divided into two groups. On June 24, in »»»

Dubai: Morning traffic across the Sharjah–Dubai corridor is showing a mixed flow, with several key highways moving steadily while a few busy stretches are slowing down during peak hours, according to the live Google map. The E11 Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Al Ittihad Road stretch between Sha»»»

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday assured Gulf allies that Washington would protect their interests as it pursues a final settlement with Iran. President Donald Trump said talks were progressing well, while requesting nearly $88 billion in supplemental funding for the Pentagon after Congr»»»

Poland and Turkey used high-level talks in Ankara to reinforce economic and strategic cooperation ahead of next week's NATO summit, underscoring how the relationship between the two countries has evolved beyond security concerns into a broader commercial partnership. Officials highlighted that bila»»»

Polish fintech Autopay is refocusing its international expansion on Europe after concluding that its strongest growth opportunities lie in digital payments and mobility services rather than wider global markets. The Sopot-based company generated PLN 1.3 billion in revenue in 2025, up 10 percent yea»»»

Hungary’s Monetary Council cut the key interest rate by 25 basis points to 6%, as widely expected. This is the second rate cut of the year, following the first in February. The move had been anticipated because the inflation rate remained below the Hungarian National Bank‘s 2–4% target range at 1.8»»»

Fidesz said that Prime Minister Péter Magyar, his brother Márton Magyar, and the online news portal Kontroll.hu, which he founded, lied throughout the campaign and deceived the public. In a statement sent to MTI on Wednesday, the country’s largest opposition party said that “the public was shocked »»»

The British higher education evaluation institute Quacquarelli Symonds has once again ranked the University of Szeged among the world's top universities, placing it 633rd globally. The QS World University Rankings 2027 include around 340 more institutions than the previous edition. A total of 8,808»»»

Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry of Kyrgyzstan Rustam Baltabaev attended the opening of a new fish processing complex in the village of Ak-Zhol in Sokuluk district. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the facility provides a full cycle of fish processin»»»

Mexico City: Co-hosts Mexico cemented top place in World Cup Group A with a perfect record as they defeated the Czech Republic 3-0 in the Estadio Azteca on Wednesday. Mexico move on to a last-32 match in the same stadium on June 30 while the Czechs return home after finishing bottom of the group. M»»»

Monterrey, Mexico: South Africa beat South Korea 1-0 on Wednesday to reach the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time in their history -- an astonishing turnaround after a dismal opening defeat. The Bafana Bafana, playing at the tournament for the first time since they hosted it in 2010, were»»»

Modern residential buildings will be built in the high-mountain village of Zardaly in Batken region. Daiyrbek Orunbekov, head of the Presidential Administration’s Information Policy Service, reported. According to him, in the past, remote and sparsely populated villages were often overlooked due to»»»

The wait for Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming to an end, soon. After years of fan theories, leaked rumours and endless online debates, Rockstar Games has finally revealed how much players will pay for the next chapter in its blockbuster crime franchise and when fans can lock in their copy. For gamers i»»»

A Filipino-American nurse practitioner accused of orchestrating one of the largest healthcare fraud schemes uncovered in the US is facing allegations that she used taxpayer-funded healthcare reimbursements to bankroll a lavish lifestyle that included luxury cars, high-end jewelry and even a multimi»»»

Miami: Vinicius Junior made it four goals in three games at the World Cup as Brazil cruised to a 3-0 victory over Scotland on Wednesday, sealing progress to the last 32 as Group C winners and leaving their opponents in danger of another first-round exit. Real Madrid superstar Vinicius took advantag»»»

Miami: Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti hailed Vinicius Junior as "one of the best players in the world" after the Real Madrid forward continued his excellent World Cup form with a brace in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Scotland. Vinicius scored twice in the first half in Miami, including a header, to set B»»»

Atlanta: Morocco twice overcame the shock of conceding to Haiti to win a World Cup thriller 4-2 in Atlanta on Wednesday, but missed out on top spot in Group C to Brazil. Haiti bowed out with their first World Cup goals for 52 years as a Yassine Bounou own goal and Wilson Isidor's stunning strike tw»»»

Caracas: Venezuela's interim leader declared a state of emergency Wednesday as two massive earthquakes caused buildings in the capital to crumble and forced the closure of the country's main airport. Delcy Rodriguez said 20 aftershocks had followed the earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5, which st»»»

RIYADH: Many Qatari fans will be left wondering what could have been had head coach Julen Lopetegui instructed the team to play with the same attacking intent they showed after going 2-0 down. The score might have been different. Qatar might have had a fighting chance to reach their first knockout-»»»

TOKYO: A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Japan on Thursday, the country’s weather agency said, adding that there was no tsunami warning. There were no immediate reports of major damage. The quake occurred off the northern region of Iwate, with the depth of the epicenter at 50 kilometers, t»»»

MIAMI: Vinicius Junior made it four goals in three games at the World Cup as Brazil cruised to a 3-0 victory over Scotland on Wednesday, sealing progress to the last 32 as Group C winners and leaving their opponents in danger of another first-round exit. Real Madrid superstar Vinicius took advantag»»»

VANCOUVER, British Columbia: Switzerland put a damper on Canada’s World Cup party in Vancouver. The Swiss got goals from Rubén Vargas and Johan Manzambi to beat Canada 2-1 on Wednesday and win Group B. Now Switzerland will get a week of rest before returning to the same city to face one of the eigh»»»

RIYADH: Questions will most certainly be asked of Mohamed Ouahbi’s Atlas Lions tonight. A 4-2 victory over Haiti may have been enough to confirm their spot in the Round of 32, but after an opening draw with Brazil and a valuable victory against Scotland, Moroccan fans will have felt top spot was th»»»

WASHINGTON: NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to calm tensions with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, using a mix ​of flattery and gentle pushback to argue that instances of allies’ reluctance to support the US war with Iran were limited to “isolated cases.” The NATO ch»»»

WASHINGTON, United States: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky — whom he previously said lacked the “cards” to win — is doing well in the war against invading Russian forces. “He’s doing pretty well. He’s holding his own, at least. A lot of peo»»»

CARACAS, Venezuela: Back-to-back powerful earthquakes struck off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday evening, causing widespread damage, collapsing buildings and sending panicked residents into the streets. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes roiled the region, with buildings evacuated in cities »»»

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump faced pointed criticism over the Iran war on Wednesday in a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans, shortly ​before his administration asked Congress for tens of billions of dollars to pay for the conflict.Several Republicans in the closed-door meeting sai»»»

Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday advised citizens to remain vigilant after an earthquake with its epicentre off the coast of Iwate Prefecture occurred, and a strong shaking with a maximum seismic intensity of 6-upper was observed in Hashikami Town, Aomori Prefecture. Takaic»»»

The UAE is expected to see a mix of showers, blowing dust, lower temperatures and humid conditions over the coming days, with rain forecast for eastern and southern areas and mist likely to form over parts of the country during the weekend, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said. The NCM sai»»»

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Commerce has shut down 12 water bottling plants in Jeddah after inspectors uncovered serious violations that authorities said posed risks to public health. The ministry said the facilities were closed immediately following joint inspection campaigns carried out in coordin»»»

President Donald Trump speaks about Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting with Mark Rutte, secretary general of NATO, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo June 24 (UPI) -- Democratic lawmakers accused the »»»

The efforts to bring the war in Ukraine to an end have stalled in the face of an escalating exchange of drone and missiles and the stalemated EU efforts to mediate. Diplomatically, both sides insist they remain open to negotiations. Militarily, however, they are escalating the conflict with mutual »»»

Back-to-back major earthquakes of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 rocked Venezuela on Wednesday evening. The quakes are likely to cause widespread damage and mass casualties, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Image courtesy of UPI June 24 (UPI) -- Two major earthquakes -- magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 -- hit near t»»»

Dubai: Kunal Shah’s appointment to lead WhatsApp has added a new name to the growing list of Indian-origin executives running some of the world’s most influential companies. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Until recently, Shah was best known within India’s startup and »»»