Vancouver: Belgium defeated New Zealand 5-1 to book their place in the knockout rounds of the World Cup on Friday, securing their first win of the tournament to finish on top of Group G in Vancouver. A double strike from Arsenal's Leandro Trossard and goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and A»»»

Support for Hungary joining the eurozone is exceptionally high, at around 70–75%, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said at a press conference in Budapest on Friday following talks with Kyriakos Pierrakakis, president of the Eurogroup, the finance ministers' body of the eurozone. He stressed that meeting»»»

The Budapest Police Headquarters is fully prepared for Saturday's Budapest Pride march and has taken every possible measure to ensure the event proceeds without disruption, Budapest's newly appointed police chief, Norbert Tamás Baricska, said at Friday's meeting of the Budapest General Assembly. Th»»»

Houston: World Cup debutants Cape Verde will face reigning champions Argentina in the knockout rounds after drawing 0-0 with Saudi Arabia on Friday to extend their fairytale journey. The stalemate in Houston and Spain's 1-0 win over Uruguay meant the team ranked 67 finished runners-up behind Spain »»»

From the moment the referee blew the opening whistle of the FIFA World Cup 2026, the players were not the only ones competing. During the 39-day competition, billions of dollars will be wagered across smartphone apps, betting platforms, and data centres scattered across the globe. In London, a fan »»»

The G7 summit held in the French town of Évian-les-Bains was far more than another routine gathering of the leaders of the West’s major economies. It offered a glimpse of how artificial intelligence is reshaping power itself, bringing the executives of the companies building the world’s most advanc»»»

Dubai: After years of participating in Big Ticket draws with friends, Abu Dhabi resident Ilanzhsuriyan Vijayakumar has decided to buy a ticket on his own for the first time. The decision has paid off, with the 45-year-old architect winning Dh25,000 in Big Ticket's third weekly e-draw for June. Orig»»»

Guadalajara, Mexico: Uruguay bowed out of the World Cup as goalkeeper Fernando Muslera's howler gifted Spain a 1-0 win in Guadalajara to secure top spot in Group H. Alex Baena's weak shot slipped through Muslera's grasp for the only goal as Spain avoided a last-32 showdown against Argentina. The Eu»»»

A punishing heatwave that has suffocated large parts of France for days is now shifting east. With highs of 38 degrees Celsius forecast for cities like Paris, Strasbourg and Lyon. With hospitals overwhelmed, authorities have banned evening alcohol sales and public consumption in the capital, while »»»

When Hezbollah began attacking Israel on 2 March shortly after Israeli and American bombers killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Israel hit back. Their sparring, which has continued ever since, is nothing new—the pair are sworn enemies who have fought several wars in recent decades. What was »»»

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia exited the World Cup at the group stage for the third tournament in a row, after a goalless draw with Cabo Verde at Houston Stadium on Friday. Cape Verde (0-0-3, 3 points) are now the smallest nation ever to reach the second phase, finishing second in the group above Saudi Arabi»»»

RIYADH: Startups across the Middle East and North Africa region secured multiple funding rounds and attracted several notable acquisitions across diverse sectors last week, highlighting the region’s continued appeal to global investors. This momentum builds on a record-breaking 2025, when MENA star»»»

Kyrgyzstan ranked 82nd out of 194 countries in the international KidsRights Index 2026, improving by five positions compared to last year, when it placed 87th. The ranking covers countries that have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The assessment is based on five k»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE is expected to see fair to partly cloudy weather on Saturday, with low clouds appearing over eastern areas and humidity rising overnight and into Sunday morning, the National Centre of Meteorology said. There is a chance of fog or mist forming over some coastal and internal areas»»»

Starting July 1, Gazprom Kyrgyzstan LLC will begin disconnecting gas supplies to customers who are in arrears for their gas consumption. The company explained that gas supply is not disconnected during the fall and winter to avoid leaving people without heating and access to gas. Therefore, gas sup»»»

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela: Venezuelans took the search for missing loved ones into their own hands Friday in the aftermath of back-to-back earthquakes, citing the scarcity of government rescuers, as the human toll of the disaster climbed to at least 920 dead and more than 51,000 missing. Citizens diggin»»»

LOS ANGELES: Ousmane Dembele scored a first-half hat-trick as France powered past Norway 4-1 to clinch top spot in World Cup Group I on Friday as Senegal kept their hopes of a last-32 spot alive with a thumping victory over Iraq. Paris Saint-Germain’s reigning Ballon D’Or winner Dembele scored in t»»»

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia exited the World Cup at the group stage for the third tournament in a row, after a goalless draw with Cabo Verde at Houston Stadium on Friday. For their African opponents, it was a historic evening as they progressed to the knockout stages at the first finals they have ever qual»»»

Warm milk. Warm food. The bottle of water that you placed at 7 am is still lukewarm by the end of the day, ruining your hopes of an ice-cold drink after battling traffic for an hour. Warm, warm, and warmer. Well, the universe isn’t against you, but your refrigerator is waving a white flag. In 45 de»»»

A wildfire that started in Beaver, Utah, has prompted the National Weather Service to issue warnings about its potential spread. Photo by Google Maps June 26 (UPI) -- The National Weather Service on Friday evening issued its first Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning in the history of Salt Lake Cit»»»

Dubai: Indian expatriates travelling home for the holidays are getting some relief after a short drop in airfares on UAE-India routes, as airlines restore capacity and more flights return to the market. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Travel agents said fares, which ha»»»

DUBAI: Iraq bowed out of the 2026 World Cup on Friday with a 5-0 loss to Senegal at Toronto Stadium that left them bottom of Group I with no points from their campaign. The result rounded off three heavy defeats in which Iraq conceded 12 goals and scored only one. Senegal now sit on three points in»»»

The rise of AI chatbots has triggered a technological gold rush unlike anything the internet has seen in decades. Companies are racing to build smarter models, faster assistants, and more human-like conversational systems. Behind that race sits one uncomfortable truth: these systems were built on a»»»

LONDON: European allies need to ‌overhaul their war-fighting capabilities for a new era of combat, senior military officials from the region said, while warning of the potential threat Russia poses. Speaking at a defense conference ​in London this week, NATO’s deputy supreme allied commander in Eur»»»

Below is the full text of the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement brokered by the Trump administration as published by Axios journalist Barak Ravid: TRILATERAL FRAMEWORK BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE STATE OF ISRAEL, AND THE REPUBLIC OF LEBANON The Government of Israel and the Government»»»

BOSTON, Massachusetts: Germany may not ‌be too worried by their 2-1 loss to Ecuador on Thursday as they had secured top spot in Group E beforehand, but it was a timely wake-up call ​ahead of the World Cup knockout stage for the four-time world champions. Germany made it out of their group for the f»»»

KANSAS CITY, Missouri: Netherlands coach Ronald ‌Koeman was taking nothing for granted after his side sealed top spot in Group F with a 3-1 win over Tunisia on Thursday, warning that next opponents Morocco would provide a formidable ​test in the World Cup round of 32. The Dutch finished the group s»»»

President Donald Trump on Friday threatened a 100% tariff against any country that levies digital services taxes, which he considers to be an attack on U.S. companies. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo June 26 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to impose a 100% tariff on»»»

June 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday increased its response level to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. In an update to reporters, Satish Pillai, the Ebola response incidence manager at the CDC, said public health officia»»»

⁠US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday a framework agreement between ‌Israel ⁠and Lebanon ‌following talks held ⁠in Washington. Nada Hamadeh, ambassador of Lebanon to the United States described the framework as "a first step on the road of restoring Lebanese sovereignty and terri»»»

Foxborough, United States: Ousmane Dembele scored one of the earliest hat-tricks in World Cup history on Friday as the Ballon d'Or winner starred in France's 4-1 win over a second-string Norway, while Erling Haaland watched on from the bench. Paris Saint-Germain forward Dembele opened the scoring i»»»

The District of Columbia and ACLU on Friday settled a lawsuit brought by a man who was arrested in September 2025 for protesting the presence of National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C., by playing Darth Vader's theme near them. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo June 26 (UPI) »»»

While France confirmed its first case of Ebola, reports of people successfully treated for the condition are also emerging from Mongbwalu, the epicentre of the epidemic in the eastern part of the DRC. Although successful treatments are sparking hope among teams on the ground, health professionals r»»»

NEW YORK CITY: When Anandita Philipose, the UN Population Fund’s representative in Lebanon, visited a Beirut shelter in the first days of the crisis, she met a woman who was heavily pregnant, days from her due date, displaced, and entirely alone in a system she no longer recognized. “She didn’t kno»»»

PHILADELPHIA, USA: Ghana star Antoine Semenyo says his team needs ‌to “gang around the referee” more often after his side’s potential penalty shot against England on Tuesday went unreviewed. The Black Stars earned a historic 0-0 draw against the Three Lions in Group L. With a win or draw against Cr»»»

Washington, June 26 (SANA) Syrian Consul Ahmad al-Malati met with officials from the U.S. State Department‘s Bureau of Consular Affairs and Office of the Legal Adviser to discuss the legal and procedural arrangements for resuming consular services, including the authentication and verification of o»»»

As Europe confronts increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves, the conversation around climate adaptation is shifting from environmental policy to public health, education, and social infrastructure. Haxie Meyers-Belkin is pleased to welcome Caradee Wright, Chief Specialist Scientist at the »»»

Abu Dhabi: Dr. Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, said the country's position on regional developments was reflected "clearly and transparently" during Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan's telephone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, reaffirming the UAE's suppo»»»

The TSA said on Friday that it expects roughly 18.7 million people to be screened at U.S. airports during the July 4 holiday week, with more than 3 million people expected to travel on July 2 alone. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo June 26 (UPI) -- The Transportation Security Administr»»»

Dubai: More than 25 million illicit and controlled pills and 1.1 tonnes of narcotic substances were intercepted by Saudi customs authorities over the past year, Okaz newspaper reported. The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) said customs officers seized 25,112,378 narcotic and prohibited pill»»»

MAKKAH: As Saudi Arabia expands saffron cultivation across regions including AlUla, Tabuk and Al-Baha, scientists are exploring ways to improve the productivity and quality of one of the world’s most valuable crops. Prof. Salim Al-Babili, associate vice president for research for plant science at K»»»

RAMALLAH: The Central Committee of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, known as Fatah, held a meeting chaired by Deputy Chairman Hussein Al-Sheikh to discuss the latest political developments and internal organizational affairs. During the meeting, the committee reviewed current political»»»

As the on-again, off-again fighting continues between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia has revealed its deadly FPV drone fleet: small quadcopters equipped with light explosives. Analysis of videos of the attacks suggests the Israeli army has turned to a Second World War-era trick to»»»

People enjoy the beach at the Strait of Hormuz in the Arabian Sea off Muscat, Oman, in May. President Donald Trump accused Iran of violating the cease-fire Friday. File Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo June 26 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran has attacked ships in th»»»

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem seen in June 19, 2024. He spoke in a televised speech Friday, marking Ashura, the culmination of a 10-day mourning period observed by Shiite Muslims. Photo by Wael Hamzeh/UPI BEIRUT, June 26 (UPI) -- Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem said »»»

Sharjah: In Khorfakkan, a mango is never just a mango. It is the result of months of care, irrigation, patience, and planning. It is also a competition entry, a source of income, a family project, and, for many growers, a livelihood rooted in the land. From today, June 26, that story has unfolded p»»»

Often called the “grandfather” of modern African music, Highlife was born a century ago in the port cities of Ghana. Blending colonial brass with traditional rhythms, it became the soundtrack of West African independence. Now, the genre has been officially recognized by UNESCO as part of the world’»»»

A Strawberry moon sets just before sunrise behind the Statue of Liberty in New York City on June 4, 2023. The next full moon is Monday. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo The first full moon of the summer will rise on Monday evening, and it will also be one of the smallest full moons »»»

The disruption to global energy markets caused by the conflict in the Middle East has triggered an unexpected resurgence in coal demand, as energy security fears outweigh Climate Crisis commitments. Coal prices and consumption both rose following disruptions to natural gas supplies from the Gulf, r»»»

PARIS: Stan Wawrinka announced Friday he will throw a farewell party for fans on December 19 in Geneva with former tennis stars Roger Federer and Andy Murray on the card of the “One last backhand” event. The 41-year-old three-time Grand Slam champion said on Instagram that after more than 20 years »»»