NEW YORK: Champion ‌eater Joey Chestnut successfully defended his title on Saturday despite consuming fewer hot dogs than a year earlier. Battling not only other competitors but also extreme heat at the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City’s Coney Island, Chestnut scored h»»»

HOUSTON: Morocco produced a patient and professional performance to sweep past World Cup co-hosts Canada 3-0 in their round-of-16 clash on Saturday. A second-half brace from Azzedine Ounahi and a late Soufiane Rahimi strike on the break saw the Atlas Lions overpower their opponents, who offered lit»»»

BARCELONA: Jonas Vingegaard took an early ​lead in his quest for a third Tour de France title as the Visma-Lease ‌a Bike ‌rider ​recorded ‌the ⁠fastest ​time in ⁠stage one — a 19.6-km team time trial in Barcelona — with a ⁠finish in ‌21 ‌minutes and ​47 ‌seconds on Saturday. Italian ‌Filippo Ganna »»»

ERFURT: Tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded a German city on Saturday, blocking major roads and disrupting public transport, but failed to halt a congress of the far-right AfD party. Many Alternative for Germany — AfD — delegates arrived at the conference center in Erfurt in the early hours,»»»

SEATLE, USA: Belgium winger Jeremy Doku ‌deserves more support at the World Cup if he is going to prove decisive for his country, teammate Dodi Lukebakio said on Saturday. Doku had been touted as a potential talisman for Belgium before the tournament but has been largely ineffective despite their p»»»

President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order on vehicle repairs in the Oval Office on June 29. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo July 4 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump pardoned 11 people, including nine Clean Air Act violators, claiming they were just "fixing their car." T»»»

Several members of the Hungarian government, led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, attended the United States Embassy’s Independence Day reception in Budapest this week, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The event brought together Hungarian politicians, diplomats»»»

DOHA: Cabo Verde arrived at the 2026 FIFA World Cup as one of the tournament's biggest underdogs. A nation of just over half a million people making its first-ever appearance on football's grandest stage, few expected the Blue Sharks to leave much of a mark. Instead, they left with something far gr»»»

Paris: Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in several French cities Saturday to protest against sexual violence, the latest manifestation of outrage that has been sparked by the rape and killing of an 11-year-old girl. The body of the girl, named as Lyhanna, was found last month after she went»»»

Konstantinovka was the southernmost linchpin of Ukraine’s last major urban defense cluster in Donbass, former Swedish armed forces officer Mikael Valtersson tells Sputnik. This line stretched from Slavyansk in the north through Kramatorsk and Druzhkovka, he notes.By seizing Konstantinovka, Russian »»»

Dubai: Several participants have walked away with cash wins in the latest UAE Lottery Lucky Day draw held on Saturday. In Lucky Day Draw No. 260704, the winning numbers in the Days section were 18, 28, 14, 20, 2, 22, while the winning number in the Months section was 4. Three lucky participants hav»»»

Johannesburg: The South African government has moved to strengthen its migration policies as the country grapples with a crisis linked to anti-immigration violence, which has led to the repatriation of citizens from several African countries amid controversy. To ease tensions following anti-immigra»»»

RIYADH: Teams from the Saudi-backed Masam Project for Landmine Clearance in Yemen, in cooperation with the Executive Mine Action Center’s branch in Mukalla, destroyed 724 landmines and explosive remnants of war during an operation last week. The destroyed items included 29 anti-personnel mines, one»»»

Changes to social security contribution rules will not reduce the salaries of judicial employees, and claims that around 2,000 jobs will be cut are unfounded, Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov said in an interview with Bulgarian National Television. Naydenov said judicial employees and magistrates »»»

Dubai: Several participants have walked away with cash wins in the latest UAE Lottery Lucky Day draw held on Saturday. In Lucky Day Draw No. 260704, the winning numbers in the Days section were 18, 28, 14, 20, 2, 22, while the winning number in the Months section was 4. Three lucky participants hav»»»

Hungary’s main opposition party, Fidesz, has sharply condemned the government’s proposed 17th amendment to the Fundamental Law, with parliamentary group leader Gergely Gulyás describing it as “the end of constitutional democracy and the beginning of authoritarian rule in Hungary.” The statement cam»»»

Tunis, July 4 (TAP) - The weather Saturday night will be partly cloudy over most regions, getting very cloudy in central-western regions, according to forecasts from the National Institute of Meteorology (INM). The wind will blow north-west in the...»»»

DOHA: As part of its first anniversary celebrations, Rosewood Doha introduces a month-long culinary programme in collaboration with two award-winning female chefs, each bringing her own distinctive expression of flavour, craft and storytelling to the occasion. Taking place throughout July, the prog»»»

Beirut: The cumulative death toll from the Israeli armed aggression against Lebanon since March 2 has reached 4,303, with 12,202 others injured, the Public Health Emergency Operations Center at the Lebanese Health Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Lebanon and Israel have signed a US-brokere»»»

With its superior industrial base and ability to maintain larger numbers of trained soldiers, Russia can maintain pressure on both Ukraine and its backers until either of them cracks, USMC veteran and geopolitical analyst Brian Berletic tells Sputnik. Russia has been able to hit highly expensive an»»»

stc group's journey beyond its telecom roots started long before corporate venture became a regional talking point. stc ventures, its independently managed fund launched in 2011, led Careem’s seed round as its first institutional investor. Uber’s subsequent acquisition of Careem remains one of MENA»»»

TEXAS, USA: Zlatan Ibrahimovic ‌showed his warmer side by sending words of encouragement to Australian teenager Lucas Herrington after his penalty miss against Egypt in the World Cup round-of-32 shootout. The 18-year-old center back struck the crossbar with Australia’s fourth spot-kick, leaving Hos»»»

CAIRO: A well-preserved Byzantine-era residential city in the western desert is one of two major archaeological finds announced by Egypt on Saturday. The recent discoveries at the Dakhla Oasis and at the Marina el-Alamein archaeological site, near Alexandria, are the latest findings which the Egypt»»»

JEDDAH: The Culinary Arts Commission has launched the second Academic Culinary Arts Program to prepare a new generation of Saudi chefs and culinary professionals through specialized education and practical training. The initiative supports broader efforts to strengthen the Kingdom’s creative econom»»»

After the liberation of Konstantinovka in DPR, Russia is ready to conduct a humanitarian operation to hand over the bodies of deceased Ukrainian servicemen in the area. Russia expects Ukraine to respond to the proposal for a pause in fighting by Sunday noon, the Russian Defense Ministry said.Russia»»»

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»»»

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 »»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»