US Vice President JD Vance will not travel to Switzerland on Friday for the planned signing of a memorandum of understanding with Iran, a White House spokesperson said, citing unresolved logistical issues. “The plans for the upcoming technical talks have not been finalized, and the US delegation ha»»»

Israel's ambassador to the United States has affirmed that Israel remains committed to the US‑brokered ceasefire with Lebanon, while warning that any violation by Hezbollah would be met with force. Ambassador Yechiel Leiter stated that Israel retains its right to respond to attacks and thwart threa»»»

Uzbekistan is seeking to transform its network of special economic zones (SEZs) from tax-friendly investment destinations into platforms for industrialisation, as policymakers and investors increasingly focus on how Central Asia can convert abundant natural resources into higher-value economic acti»»»

First Sermon (Khutbah One) All praise is due to Allah, the Possessor of Might and Majesty, who has made honouring the elderly one of the noblest qualities. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Proph»»»

TYRE, Lebanon: Adnan Kaour returned on Thursday to check on his home in southern Lebanon ‘s coastal city of Tyre — once known as an idyllic summer getaway spot — just a week after Israel issued warnings for all of its residents to evacuate.The warnings were followed by sweeping airstrikes, which Is»»»

LOS ANGELES: Canada thrashed nine-man Qatar 6-0 to secure their first ever World Cup victory on Thursday as Switzerland reignited their campaign with a resounding defeat of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Tournament co-hosts Canada had lost all six of their previous matches at the World Cup, at the 1986 and 20»»»

Dubai: Traffic is building across several of Dubai’s main roads on Friday morning as commuters head to work, with the busiest stretches reported on routes from Sharjah into the emirate, according to Google Maps. Heavy traffic is building on Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) from Al Nadha towards Abu Hail. Sl»»»

About 100 guerrillas surrendered their weapons in southern Colombia on Thursday under a peace deal with leftist President Gustavo Petro, AFP learned. Some 99 rebels from the National Coordinating Committee of the Bolivarian Army laid down arms in Putumayo province ahead of Sunday's presidential run»»»

The FIFA World Cup may be under way in the United States, but in New York on Thursday, all eyes were on basketball. Tens of thousands of fans packed the streets of Manhattan to celebrate the NBA champion Knicks as the team paraded through the city under tight security. FRANCE 24’s Juliette Montilly»»»

Co-hosts Mexico became the first team to secure a place in the World Cup knockout stage after a 1-0 victory over South Korea at a jubilant Guadalajara Stadium on Thursday. Luis Romo scored shortly after halftime, capitalising on a goalkeeping error, to seal Mexico's second straight win and confirm »»»

The US lifted its blockade of Iranian ports on Thursday after US President Donald Trump and Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian signed an interim peace deal to end the US-Israeli war on Iran. But uncertainty surrounded Friday's planned talks in Switzerland as both sides prepared for negotiations on Te»»»

Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev spoke at an international conference in St. Petersburg on strengthening cultural ties and developing creative and cultural industries. He noted that issues of cultural cooperation and support for creative industries now go far be»»»

EU leaders agreed on Thursday to strengthen trade defences against a surge of Chinese exports that Brussels views as a threat to European industry, while maintaining “constructive dialogue” with Beijing. The move reflects growing concern over the EU’s dependence on China, as the bloc’s goods trade »»»

Share: File – Suleiman Frangieh (L) is shown with former slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah . Franjieh was Hezbollah’s presidential candidate but was unable to secure the votes needed to be elected by the Lebanese Parliament WASHINGTON—Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of For»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s transportation sector has received fresh international recognition after Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) won two prestigious global awards for safety and risk management, while the International Air Transport Association (IATA) commended the Kingdom’s air traffic management perfo»»»

The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic is maintaining constant contact with commercial banks and monitoring their compliance with sanctions requirements. National Bank Chairman Almaz Baketaev announced during a session of the Zhogorku Kenesh on June 18. According to him, the regulator has prepare»»»

Kyrgyz swimmer Denis Petrashov won a gold medal at the international TYR Pro Series swimming tournament in the United States. Petrashov showed the best performance among 46 competitors in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke event. In the preliminary heats, he clocked 2:13.67, securing a place in the f»»»

West Jerusalem will cut “all contact” with EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas over her reported comparison of the country to apartheid-era South Africa, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has announced. Relations between the bloc and Israel’s far-right government have steadily deteriorated in the past »»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov received Kürsad Zorlu, Member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Deputy Chairman of the Justice and Development Party, and Head of the Department for Relations with Turkic States. The meeting took place in Cholpon-Ata. They discussed current issues of Kyrg»»»

The Senate Armed Services Committee advanced a fiscal year 2027 military spending bill that directs Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to submit information, including unedited videos, related to the strikes to the Senators. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo June 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. military»»»

QUNEITRA, Syria: Israeli forces carried out an overnight incursion into a village in Syria’s southern Quneitra province, raiding several homes before withdrawing, Syrian state media reported on Thursday, in the latest incident highlighting ongoing tensions along the frontier. According to the Syria»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told ​an EU summit on Thursday the future of Europe was being shaped by the defense of Ukraine and the best security guarantee for the bloc’s future would be to grant Kyiv fast-track membership. Zelensky said he told member states that Ukraine wanted the war a»»»

NEW YORK: In a stunning reversal, Luigi Mangione ‘s lawyers told a judge Thursday that he will no longer be asserting a psychiatric defense at his state murder trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The retraction came just a day after Mangione’s lawyers told Judge Gregory Car»»»

The US-Iran memorandum aimed at ending months of conflict across the Middle East has triggered a dramatic shift in global oil markets. Traders have rushed to unwind the geopolitical risk premium that sent crude prices soaring during the crisis, betting that millions of barrels of Middle Eastern oil»»»

Dubai: The UAE is set for another hot day on Friday, with temperatures expected to climb to as high as 46°C in inland areas, while generally fair conditions prevail across the country, according to the National Center of Meteorology (NCM). The weather forecast indicates clear to partly fair skies f»»»

US Vice President JD Vance has postponed a trip to Switzerland for talks that were originally slated for Friday to discuss next steps on the US-Iran agreement on ending the war in the Middle East, according to the White House. "The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictab»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Human Rights Commission concluded a five-day training-of-trainers program Wednesday on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the landmark UN treaty on gender equality. The program, held at HRC headquarters in Riyadh in cooperation wit»»»

WASHINGTON: Apple has agreed to work with Intel to design and manufacture its chips in the US, President Donald Trump said on Thursday, in what ​would be a major boost for the American chipmaker’s efforts to turn around its business. An Apple contract would lock in steady demand from one of the wor»»»

In an attempt to improve the quality of services provided and eliminate all forms of violation in care institutions (orphans, elderly, disabled and children at risk) in Egypt, the Ministry of Social Solidarity has launched “Beena Initiative” as an effective mechanism to encourage citizen participat»»»

WASHINGTON: Taiwan needs to purchase American weapons to ensure its self-defense in the face of a growing threat from Beijing, the island’s top diplomat in the US said, adding that he has seen no change in Washington’s policy toward the self-governing island that China claims as its own.A $14-billi»»»

WASHINGTON: US Vice President JD Vance has postponed a trip to Switzerland for talks that were originally slated for Friday to discuss next steps on the US-Iran agreement on ending the war in the Middle East, according to the White House. “The logistics of these negotiations have never been simple »»»

Ukraine hit a refinery near Moscow and other targets in Russia and occupied territories overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday, calling the strikes a "justified response" to Russia's own attacks. "For the second time this week, the Moscow oil refinery was hit. Targets we»»»

DUBAI: It took them two matches on home soil to get the result, but for the thousands of home fans packed into the BC Place stadium in Vancouver, Canada’s first-ever win at the World Cup was well worth the wait. A comprehensive 6-0 win over 9-man Qatar catapulted the host nation to the top of Group»»»

DAMASCUS: Syria is intensifying efforts to combat hate speech and promote responsible journalism, marking the UN’s International Day for Countering Hate Speech on June 18 with a series of measures anchored in a newly introduced media code of conduct. The Professional and Ethical Code of Conduct for»»»

Dubai: The Court of Cassation has ruled that a husband who proves serious marital harm may be exempt from paying certain divorce-related financial entitlements, such as waiting-period maintenance and compensation, but remains legally obligated to pay the deferred dowry unless it has already been se»»»

“Memorise this passage by heart.” It was a simple instruction, one that many parents have probably heard before. What surprised me was not the request itself, but the amount of time devoted to it. Nearly half of a learning session was spent asking children to repeat and memorise a passage, with par»»»

The suspect is allegedly involved in a series of shootings in the city, including one at the consulate. Toronto police on Thursday arrested a man who was allegedly involved with several shootings, including one at the U.S. consulate in the city. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo June »»»

BOSTON, Massachusetts: Scotland have hit ‌the ground running in the World Cup with an opening 1-0 victory over Haiti in Group C and with their Tartan Army of fans winning hearts in Boston, but their return to the city on Saturday to face Morocco could dampen their spirits. The North Africans, surpr»»»

CHICAGO: An attorney for Hollywood actor and comedian Ahmed Ahmed, 56 — who was seriously injured after being detained and beaten by police in California last year — told Arab News on Thursday that he was singled out and targeted “because he’s Arab and Muslim.” The Egyptian American is best known f»»»

NEW YORK: The Saudi permanent representative to the UN told the Security Council on Thursday that the Palestinian issue remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, warning that genuine peace cannot be achieved without ending Israel’s occupation. Speaking on behalf of the Arab Group at a counc»»»

ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD, United Kingdom: Counting was under way late Thursday in a historic UK by-election which could determine embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s future, as a Labour rival eyeing a leadership bid vies for a parliamentary seat. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, a veteran of »»»

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump gave the Medal of Award to three veterans on Thursday, honoring acts of heroism that saved lives and repelled enemy forces in Vietnam and Afghanistan. Trump bestowed the military’s highest honor on Marine Corps Maj. James Capers Jr. and Army Maj. Nicholas Dockery.»»»

Former US President Barack Obama opened his presidential center in Chicago on Thursday, calling for the defense of democracy in a star-studded event attended by three former presidents. “I hope this center will serve as an affirmation of how precious our democracy truly is,” Obama said, a»»»

Tens of thousands of New Yorkers packed Manhattan on Thursday for a heavily secured victory parade celebrating the New York Knicks' NBA Finals triumph, turning the city into a sea of blue and orange. Fans chanted "Let's go Knicks" as the procession moved through packed streets, with some paying hun»»»

DOHA: Qatar’s second World Cup 2026 group stage game saw them fall to host nation Canada 6-0 at BC Place in Vancouver on Friday. Qatar showed early promising signs when Homam Al Amin lobbed a well-weighted cross into the Canadian penalty box, but Edmilson’s follow-up effort ended up missing the net»»»

Tunis, June 19 (TAP) - Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries Ezzeddine Ben Cheikh on Thursday presided over the inauguration ceremony of the Sfax seawater desalination plant, which has a production capacity of 100,000 cubic metres...»»»

A powerful offshore earthquake that struck near the southern Philippines on June 8 has left at least 78 people dead, with 30 still missing, as search-and-rescue operations continue in devastated coastal and inland communities. The tremor, which the Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Ma»»»

Sweden has selected Rolls-Royce SMR to supply three small modular reactors (SMRs) for a new nuclear power project at the Varo Peninsula next to the Ringhals site. The decision was announced by Videberg Kraft — a nuclear venture backed by utility giant Vattenfall and industrial partner Industrikraft»»»

Uzbekistan’s plans to expand agricultural production, industrial output and exports are running into an increasingly uncomfortable reality: the country is running out of water. Officials, international organisations and industry executives gathered at the fifth annual Tashkent International Investm»»»

NEW YORK: The death of a young tourist who jumped from a runaway horse carriage in Central Park has intensified calls to ban the old-time attraction from one of New York City’s most recognisable destinations. Romanch Mahajan, 18, died after he got off of the four-wheeled carriage as its horse sprin»»»