Melbourne, Australia: Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has killed an estimated 13,000 southern elephant seal pups on Australia's remote Heard Island, scientists said, marking the first detection of the virus in an Australian external territory. Researchers from the Australian Antarctic Progra»»»

Jerusalem: Israel’s military said Friday its forces struck targets throughout southern Lebanon overnight as Hezbollah reported intense fighting in the area, threatening the nascent agreement between Iran and the United States to end their war. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported at le»»»

KINSHASA: Ebola is spreading again in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where conflict, mistrust and the lack of a vaccine have made the outbreak hard to contain. The virus, transmitted through close contact and bodily fluids, can cause a fatal haemorrhagic fever and has killed more than 15»»»

TIJUANA: The Iranian football federation said Thursday it will lodge a complaint with FIFA claiming its team is being subjected to travel restrictions during the World Cup in North America. Iran wanted to fly from their base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, to the United States two days before their next m»»»

Ajman: Thumbay Medicity welcomed Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, UAE to its Ajman campus on Friday. It marked the Minister’s first visit to one of the region’s largest integrated hubs for medical education, healthcare and research, and it set the tone for a closer conversa»»»

Israeli airstrikes killed 16 people overnight in the Nabatieh region of southern Lebanon, state media reported Friday, despite a peace deal in the Middle East war that includes Lebanon. Lebanon's National News Agency said "the enemy committed several massacres" with a series of airstrikes after mid»»»

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Friday presented his maiden State Budget, unveiling an economic roadmap centred on governance, welfare, investment and long-term growth. Holding the Finance portfolio alongside the Chief Minister’s office, Satheesan tabled the revised 2026»»»

Israeli airstrikes killed 16 people overnight in the Nabatieh region of southern Lebanon, state media reported Friday, despite a peace deal in the Middle East war that includes Lebanon. Lebanon's National News Agency said "the enemy committed several massacres" with a series of airstrikes after mid»»»

Prime Minister Rumen Radev held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the European Council meeting in Brussels, in what both sides described as a substantive discussion focused on energy security, bilateral cooperation and future industrial projects. According to the»»»

Romanian tourism demand for Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast has shown signs of slowing, although industry representatives say there is no evidence of a major decline in visitor numbers. Romania remains one of Bulgaria’s most important source markets, supported by geographic proximity, transport links, a»»»

Guadalajara, Mexico: Co-hosts Mexico became the first team to reach the knockout rounds of the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Republic of Korea at a delirious Guadalajara Stadium on Thursday. After a dreary first period, Luis Romo's goal just after half-time thanks to a goalkeeping error put Mexico »»»

1 of 5 | President Donald Trump awards the Medal of Honor to Major James Capers Jr. during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, June 18, 2026. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo June 19 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump has awarded the Medal of Hon»»»

Dubai: When Pedro Bruno Neto recalls the early years of his career in Brazil, he does not talk about success. He talks about survival. The 33-year-old Brazilian personal trainer, now based in Abu Dhabi, says his journey was shaped as much by rejection and doubt as it was by ambition and discipline.»»»

Prime Minister Péter Magyar has announced what he described as the revival of the Visegrád Cooperation (V4), revealing that the prime ministers of Poland, Czechia and Slovakia have accepted his invitation to meet in Hungary later this month. In a Facebook post published on Thursday, Magyar said the»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

NEW YORK: Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper has become a star at this World Cup, and a Senegal teenager scored in his tournament debut. Here’s a look at some of the oldest and youngest players as the 48-team tournament enters its second week. Elder statesmen No better place to begin than the 41-y»»»

DPA Inglewood (California) Substitutes Johan Manzambi and Ruben Vargas were on fire as Switzerland stunned 10-man Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-1 at the World Cup on Thursday to boost their hopes of reaching the knock-out stages. The pair came on in the 72nd minute with the score 0-0 and were an instant hit»»»

Hezbollah said its fighters were engaged in fresh clashes with the Israeli military on Thursday, hours after Lebanese state media reported that Israeli strikes in the south killed three people. The fighting came a day after the United States and Iran signed an agreement to end the Middle East war o»»»

Los Angeles,: Super subs Johan Manzambi and Ruben Vargas fired Switzerland to a 4-1 win over 10-man Bosnia-Herzegovina in a late rush of goals in Los Angeles on Thursday. The result gave the Swiss a strong chance of reaching the knockout round as one of the top two teams in Group B. They had been c»»»

Share: File- Smoke billows from southern Lebanon, following Israeli strikes, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer The United States and Iran inked a long-awaited provisional ceasefire deal on June 17, 2026. After months of uncertainty, the people of the Gulf region can, po»»»

ROME: Stronger-than-expected results from Ramadan and Hajj visitors helped ease the impact of the disruption caused by the war in Iran, Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb said on Thursday at the FII Priority Europe summit in Rome. Discussing the status of the country’s tourism sector, Al-Khate»»»

The US-Iran war appears to have ended after 108 days, costing American taxpayers over $100 billion, according to estimates gathered by the independent Iran War Cost Tracker. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran, with Tehran also confirming the electro»»»

Egyptian pound keeps sliding against dollar in black market recording 10.50 for purchasing and 10.70 for selling. This comes despite the Central Bank's devaluation decision, which pushed the official pound value in banks to 8.85 and 8.87 respectively against dollar. Moreover, the bank has chann»»»

A second spring heatwave sweeping France killed a 30-year-old man near Paris on Thursday and forced transport disruptions and school adjustments nationwide. Authorities warned the intense, prolonged spell would peak early next week with temperatures reaching up to 40°C in some areas. A 30-year-old »»»

Even as Washington hailed the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Tehran, much of the real negotiation is now taking place behind closed doors. According to CNN, the United States and Iran are quietly working on a series of confidential proposals that would spell out how the agreement w»»»

Manila: "Maharlika", a pre-colonial term, means "royalty" or "nobility", freeman. The Marharlika Highway in Samar is a stark contrast to its name. The Maharlika Highway in the mineral-rich island is a symbol of the Philippines' infrastructure crisis: a road that is supposed to connect communities, »»»

The combined wealth of Hungary’s 100 richest individuals rose by HUF1.56 trillion (€3.9bn) over the past year to a record HUF12.6 trillion (€36bn), according to the latest edition of The 100 Richest Hungarians annual ranking, Index.hu writes. The increase represents annual growth of 14%, »»»

Top, from left, Hong Kyu-dok, Yoo Ho-yeol, moderator Son Gi-woong, Cho Gap-je, Lee Hoon and Lee Myung-kwon take part in a conference on South Korea’s unification policy at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on Wednesday. Bottom, panelists and attendees pose for a group photo after the conference. Cour»»»

CAIRO: Three Palestinians were killed and several others injured on Thursday after an Israeli drone strike targeted a civilian vehicle in the Al-Rimal neighborhood west of Gaza City, according to medical sources. The sources said the attack struck a civilian car near Abu Khadra Mosque in western Ga»»»

BUENOS AIRES: As Argentina legend Lionel Messi makes history at the ‌World Cup, his father is experiencing a “health situation” that prompted family members to release a statement Thursday. Jorge Messi is “under medical supervision” as he continues to recover from a medical condition that was not r»»»

Share: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was silent on Wednesday as President Trump released and signed a deal that Israeli officials see as a strategic and political disaster. Why it matters: Netanyahu promised the Israeli public “total victory” in Iran. He had to settle for Trump’s memora»»»

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei says Iranian officials have made extensive efforts out of compassion and goodwill to reach a memorandum of understanding with the US, while the American president has used various leverage points out of desperation. “The passionate »»»

ATLANTA: South Africa scored a penalty seven minutes from fulltime as they fought back to draw 1-1 with the Czech Republic at the World Cup on Thursday after falling behind early in the Group A clash. The result effectively left the two sides, who both lost their opening fixtures, likely requiring »»»

DOHA: Mutaz Barshim has spent more than a decade redefining the limits of the high jump, collecting Olympic medals, world titles, and establishing himself among the greatest athletes in the sport’s history. His achievements include Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020, silver in London 2012 and Rio 2016, and»»»

The European Parliament approved a resolution calling for the immediate suspension of political dialogue and cooperation agreements with Cuba. File Photo by Orestis Panagiotou/EPA June 18 (UPI) -- The European Parliament approved a resolution Thursday calling for the immediate suspension of politic»»»

Atlanta: Teboho Mokoena's penalty kept South Africa's dream of reaching the World Cup knockout stages for the first time alive after a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic in Atlanta on Thursday. Michal Sadilek's early opener had the Czechs on course for just their second World Cup win as an independen»»»

TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that he had approved a deal with the United States to end the Middle East war despite having a “different view,” without elaborating. “In principle, I had a different view (about the memorandum of understanding), but I issued»»»

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas is accused of comparing Israel to South African apartheid. File Photo by Thomas Traasdahl/EPA June 18 (UPI) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced Thursday that he is cutting all contact with Kaja Kal»»»

Washington, United States: The US on Thursday lifted a blockade of Iranian ports imposed during the Middle East war after President Donald Trump signed a deal to end the conflict, as uncertainty surrounded planned talks in Switzerland aiming to take the accord further. The signing of the deal by Tr»»»

Argentina is preparing to launch South America's first citizenship-by-investment program. File Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo June 18 (UPI) -- Argentina is preparing to launch South America's first citizenship-by-investment program, an initiative that would allow foreign nationals to app»»»