From intensifying drone warfare between Ukraine and Russia to mounting fears of a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan, anti-immigration protests in South Africa and a landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court, this week has been shaped by conflicts over power, identity and international law. In Russia,»»»

Lithuanian lawmakers have introduced a constitutional amendment to scrap the country’s ban on hosting nuclear weapons. The proposal, backed by 51 of the Seimas’ 141 members – enough for it to be formally registered – would repeal Article 137 of the constitution, which prohibits weapons of mass dest»»»

Newly appointed US ambassador to New Zealand and several Pacific island nations Jared Novelly has made securing access to the Cook Islands’ critical minerals one of his top priorities. Located in the South Pacific Ocean, the self-governing territory, which is in free association with New Zealand, b»»»

by Maye Kabil: Gulf countries played an important role in supporting the Egyptian economy after 30 June, either by financial, fuel aids and facilities or by directing more investments to Egypt. Their latest contributions were in the economic conference held in Sharm El Sheikh last March 2015, where»»»

U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 helicopters provide an aerial view of the flooding of the Guadalupe River near Kerrville, Texas, on July 5. File Photo courtesy U.S. Coast Guard | License Photo As America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, with many marking Independence Day with fireworks and barbecue»»»

Arlington, United States: Hossam Abdelmaguid scored the decisive penalty as Egypt beat Australia 4-2 on penalties after they finished level at 1-1 following extra time on Friday to reach the World Cup last 16. Egypt's players celebrate after winning the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match bet»»»

Prime Minister Rumen Radev said during Parliament's Question Time on Friday that he had proposed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Bulgaria and Ukraine jointly build the Belene Nuclear Power Plant with European funding. Radev said the proposal was made during a meeting with Zelenskyy »»»

Peru has become one of South America’s clearest political contradictions. Presidents fall, parties fragment, voters withdraw, and Congress repeatedly turns constitutional procedures into instruments of self-preservation. At the same time, the economy continues to project a level of discipline that »»»

People pump gas at a gas station in Washington, D.C., on May 30. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 3 (UPI) -- The Justice Department on Friday called on states to investigate whether businesses and individuals are artificially inflating gas prices amid complaints from President Don»»»

MOSCOW: Russia on Friday said it had captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostyantynivka, a key post on the road leading to the last major cities in the Donbas region under Kyiv’s control. The battle for this city, which had around 78,000 inhabitants before the war, has been taking place since la»»»

NEW YORK: A team of UN human rights investigators is on the ground in Lebanon collecting evidence on violations committed by all parties to the conflict since March 2, after Beirut granted guarantees for the mission’s deployment, a spokesman for the UN Human Rights Office told Arab News. “Our team »»»

LONDON: On the occasion of its 250th birthday this July 4, amid the usual fireworks, state fairs, battle re-enactments, parades and backyard barbecues that define Independence Day celebrations, America is a country reflecting on its founding ideals in an era of division and reinvention. In a sense,»»»

Prime Minister Rumen Radev said here Friday that the government aims to introduce the Virtues component of the Virtues and Religion school subject in the 2027/2028 school year. He was speaking during Parliament's Question Time in response to a question from Vazrazhdane MP Angel Yanchev. Radev said »»»

Skopje: The State of Qatar has participated in an economic forum in the Republic of North Macedonia focused on turning sustainability into a competitive advantage and building resilient institutions in an uncertain global environment. The forum, held in Skopje on Friday, was organized by the Minist»»»

Singapore: Minister of Labour HE Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri today held a series of meetings with senior officials from Singapore's Ministry of Manpower responsible for employment, national policies and regulatory frameworks, workforce training and skills development, and social protection. The mee»»»

NEW JERSEY: Brazil’s Raphinha returned to training on Friday to give coach Carlo Ancelotti a welcome boost before their World Cup last-16 clash with Norway, but the Barcelona forward may find his place on the right wing is no longer guaranteed. Brazil held their penultimate session before Sunday’s »»»

NAIROBI: The African Union called an emergency meeting on its military mission in Somalia after Washington announced it would end critical funding over the lack of progress against violent extremists. Somalia has been battling the Al-Shabab insurgency for around two decades, but the group still con»»»

Geneva: The Ebola disease outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus (BVD) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had claimed 452 lives among 1,460 confirmed cases as of July 1, with transmission continuing to spread into new health zones, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Friday.»»»

The document is one of only 11 known copies of the so-called Exeter printing of the Declaration of Independence. Photo courtesy the British National Archives July 3 (UPI) -- A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence printed in 1776 has been found in London, making it the only known example of »»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin was briefed by Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov on the current situation in the special military operation zone, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Key points:Commanders of assault units from Konstantinovka briefed Putin on the situation in the city an»»»

Dubai: Employers in the UAE have been advised to provide essential heat protection measures for outdoor workers during the summer months. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation said companies must ensure that workers are protected from heat stress by providing the necessary safety and pr»»»

BEIRUT: More than 640,000 displaced people in Lebanon have returned home, according to the International Organization for Migration, as clashes between Hezbollah and Israel have wound down following a deal to end the Middle East war. Lebanon was drawn into the regional war on March 2 when Hezbollah»»»

BRUSSELS: NATO leaders, including US President Donald Trump, are set to affirm an “ironclad commitment” to ​collective defense under the alliance’s Article 5 pact at a summit in Ankara next week, according to a text approved by NATO ambassadors on Friday and reviewed by Reuters. NATO members are al»»»

People attend the "Great American State Fair" on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. The Freedom 250-backed event was temporarily shut down Friday due to extreme heat. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 3 (UPI) -- The Great American State Fair was temporarily shut down F»»»

Hungary and Czechia have begun preparations for a joint meeting of their governments, which could take place as early as October, according to Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka following talks in Budapest with Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán. Speaking to Czech journalists on Friday, Macink»»»

“Asa: The Girl Who Turned into a Pair of Chopsticks” by Natsuko Imamura, published by Faber & Faber in 2024, is a collection of three strange stories with a beating heart that is rooted in the human experience. Translated from the Japanese by Lucy North, the collection dissolves the boundary betwee»»»

PARIS: Former Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou has joined Al-Nassr on a two-year deal, linking up with star forward Cristiano Ronaldo, the Saudi League champions announced on Friday. Postecoglou, 60, has been out of work since being sacked by Nottingham Forest in October after just 39 days and eigh»»»

The head of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs, Socialist MP Ulsi Manja, has voiced support for a proposal to extend the mandate of prosecutors within Albania’s Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), aligning himself with a request put forward by Chief Prosecut»»»

Tehran: Shura Council Speaker HE Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim has led a Qatari delegation to attend the funeral of former Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ali Khamenei. During the funeral service in Tehran on Friday, HE Al Ghanim conveyed the State of Qatar's condolences to HE Presid»»»

Doha: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has sent a cable of congratulations to HE President Aleksandr Lukashenko of the Republic of Belarus on the occasion of his country's Independence Day.»»»

ALULA: Film AlUla, the film agency of the Royal Commission for AlUla, continues to implement year-round specialized programs and initiatives aimed at developing Saudi talent for careers across the film industry. The initiatives seek to build an integrated film production ecosystem, strengthen AlUla»»»

As the United States of America is set to mark 250 years as a nation, François Picard is pleased to welcome Fanny Lauby, Associate Professor of Political Science at Montclair State University. Professor Lauby observes some striking trends as the US reaches its Semiquincentennial: Recent Supreme Cou»»»

Hundreds of people gathered on Friday at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex where the late Ali Khamenei's funeral will be held over the weekend, AFP said. Officials and foreign dignitaries including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf»»»

Iranian officials and international dignitaries paid their respects to Iran's former leader Ali Khamenei on Friday as he lay in state in Tehran. Meanwhile mourners gathered outside the vast Grand Mosalla religious complex where his casket is on display, ahead of its opening to the public »»»

The UN on Friday warned that a "human rights catastrophe" was unfolding in Sudan's El-Obeid where experts have warned the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) may be about to stage an offensive. Civilians in the city have already been subjected to "siege-like conditions" for the past 18 months,&nbs»»»

Gavin Lee is pleased to welcome Jan Pospisil, Sudan Affairs Analyst at the Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform. He says the siege has been going on for almost a year, and the RSF seems committed to seizing el-Obeid. While Pospisil explains that Sudan's civil war is not a proxy war in th»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji on Thursday received Political Director at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany Dominik Mutter in Riyadh. During the meeting, the two officials reviewed cooperation and discussed regional and international developments, as well as ef»»»

Author: Julian Lighton In an era of workplace volatility and shifting professional identities, Julian Lighton’s “Navigating Your Next” emerges as a guide for professionals seeking meaningful career transitions. The book is anchored in the belief that most professionals spend roughly 90,000 hours of»»»

NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia participated in the recently held UN Counter-Terrorism Week, organized in New York. The Kingdom was represented by a delegation from the Presidency of State Security headed by Gen. Abdulhamid Al-Badr, with the participation of the Permanent Mission of Saudi Arabia to the UN. »»»

BURAIDAH: Qassim region continues to reinforce its position as one of the Kingdom’s leading agricultural areas, with grapes emerging as a promising crop that helps in diversifying agricultural production and enhancing economic returns, supported by the region’s favorable natural conditions, promoti»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji on Thursday received Political Director at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany Dominik Mutter in Riyadh. During the meeting, the two officials reviewed cooperation and discussed regional and international developments, as well as ef»»»

DAMASCUS: Syrian Health Minister Musab Al-Ali visited victims of Thursday’s terrorist bombing in Damascus who are receiving treatment at Damascus Hospital, reaffirming the government’s commitment to providing comprehensive medical care. During the visit on Friday, Al-Ali toured hospital wards, met »»»

JENIN: Funding for 106 development projects in the Jenin governorate valued at more than $32 million has been secured, the Palestinian government said on Friday. The government is also preparing to rehabilitate partially damaged homes and continue strategic investments in water, electricity and inf»»»

MOSCOW: Russian attacks ‌killed six people on Friday in three different areas of Ukraine, regional officials said. A series of more than 50 strikes by drones, artillery and bombings killed three in southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, including two near Nikopol, a town on the opposite bank of the Dn»»»

BOSTON, USA: The expanded 48-team World Cup has made giant-killings significantly more likely, according to experts, but the longer and more demanding tournament still favors the traditional heavyweight sides best equipped to sustain their level through five knockout rounds. FIFA expanded the tourn»»»

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»»»