Miami: Vinicius Junior made it four goals in three games at the World Cup as Brazil cruised to a 3-0 victory over Scotland on Wednesday, sealing progress to the last 32 as Group C winners and leaving their opponents in danger of another first-round exit. Real Madrid superstar Vinicius took advantag»»»

Miami: Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti hailed Vinicius Junior as "one of the best players in the world" after the Real Madrid forward continued his excellent World Cup form with a brace in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Scotland. Vinicius scored twice in the first half in Miami, including a header, to set B»»»

Atlanta: Morocco twice overcame the shock of conceding to Haiti to win a World Cup thriller 4-2 in Atlanta on Wednesday, but missed out on top spot in Group C to Brazil. Haiti bowed out with their first World Cup goals for 52 years as a Yassine Bounou own goal and Wilson Isidor's stunning strike tw»»»

RIYADH: Many Qatari fans will be left wondering what could have been had head coach Julen Lopetegui instructed the team to play with the same attacking intent they showed after going 2-0 down. The score might have been different. Qatar might have had a fighting chance to reach their first knockout-»»»

MIAMI: Vinicius Junior made it four goals in three games at the World Cup as Brazil cruised to a 3-0 victory over Scotland on Wednesday, sealing progress to the last 32 as Group C winners and leaving their opponents in danger of another first-round exit. Real Madrid superstar Vinicius took advantag»»»

VANCOUVER, British Columbia: Switzerland put a damper on Canada’s World Cup party in Vancouver. The Swiss got goals from Rubén Vargas and Johan Manzambi to beat Canada 2-1 on Wednesday and win Group B. Now Switzerland will get a week of rest before returning to the same city to face one of the eigh»»»

RIYADH: Questions will most certainly be asked of Mohamed Ouahbi’s Atlas Lions tonight. A 4-2 victory over Haiti may have been enough to confirm their spot in the Round of 32, but after an opening draw with Brazil and a valuable victory against Scotland, Moroccan fans will have felt top spot was th»»»

The efforts to bring the war in Ukraine to an end have stalled in the face of an escalating exchange of drone and missiles and the stalemated EU efforts to mediate. Diplomatically, both sides insist they remain open to negotiations. Militarily, however, they are escalating the conflict with mutual »»»

The UAE has always attracted particular kinds of leaders, ones that have the ability to think in decades. In recent weeks, we have seen orientation put to the test, and in ways that are less dramatic than headlines suggest. From my recent conversations with business leaders, the dominant mood is on»»»

Oil prices remained under pressure in early Asian trading Thursday after investors continued unwinding the geopolitical risk premium that had driven crude prices higher during the recent Israel-Iran conflict, with global benchmarks posting steep losses as of 8:37 am Thursday (June 25) Tokyo time. A»»»

Manila: The deadly school shooting in Tacloban City has triggered renewed calls from Philippine lawmakers for stricter regulation of children's social media use, stronger security in schools and a fresh review of the country's juvenile justice law, as officials debate how to prevent similar attacks»»»

Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius is anchored off the coast of the city of Praia on the island of Santiago, Cape Verde, on May 4 after three people died onboard from an acute respiratory syndrome, possibly hantavirus. File Photo by Elton Monteiro/EPA June 24 (UPI) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control»»»

Agencies/TNN Vancouver A successful strike from veteran Hassan Al Haydos just before half time raised hopes of a spirited Qatar comeback but later fortune failed to favour Al Annabi as a second-goal attempt from Pedro Miguel ended up in the ball getting deflected of the bottom left post before Bosn»»»

Manila: The Philippines remains Southeast Asia's most transparent country in terms of budget disclosure, according to the 2025 Open Budget Survey (OBS) released by the International Budget Partnership (IBP). Despite its strong performance in making budget information publicly available, however, ex»»»

DOHA: Qatar were eliminated from the FIFA World Cup 2026 after a 3-1 defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina in a must-win Group B clash in Seattle on Wednesday. Needing three points to stay alive in the tournament, Qatar fell short in their final Group B match at Seattle Stadium. Though Qatar looked an impro»»»

Coal-fired power plants across the Western Balkans emitted sulphur dioxide at more than six times legal limits in 2025, with dust pollution reaching its worst level since current emissions rules came into force eight years ago, according to a report published on June 23 by environmental watchdog Ba»»»

Bulgaria will continue to support Ukraine but has halted further military donations from its armed forces after reaching the limits of its capacity, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said on June 23. In a response to a parliamentary question, Radev said the decision reflects the need to preserve Bulgaria’»»»

Egypt’s banking sector has recorded an impressive 8% growth in brand value, positioning itself among Africa’s leading financial markets. According to Brand Finance’s Top 500 Banking Brands 2025 report, this growth contributes to Africa’s overall 22% rise in brand value, outperforming North America »»»

AMMAN — Oasis500 and SM Capital, a venture capital and investment advisory firm specialising in fintech, artificial intelligence, and strategic infrastructure, have signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening investment linkages between the Mediterranean, the Middle »»»

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene formally resigned on June 23, bringing an end to her Social Democrat-led administration as the country's ruling coalition prepares to install a new government, a government statement said. Lithuania’s ruling Social Democrats has formed a new government after»»»

Finance Minister Galab Donev presented Bulgaria’s draft 2026 state budget, setting a deficit at 5.7% of GDP, or about 7.2 billion euros, and outlining a series of fiscal and structural measures aimed at stabilizing public finances over the coming years. He said state debt is projected at 37.7 billi»»»

Bulgaria is among the European countries where residential space is used most efficiently, according to recent Eurostat data. While many parts of Europe face growing pressure from housing shortages and rising affordability concerns, Bulgaria reports one of the lowest rates of housing underutilizati»»»

Moldovan fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor has become one of the Kremlin's most important unofficial operatives in Moldova’s domestic politics. He is funded by some of Russia’s richest oligarchs, close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and is helping Russia circumvent the extreme sanctions regime, fin»»»

First and foremost, energy security for India trumps any claims on sanctions the US throws at New Delhi, and Russia for now is a key crude supplier to the subcontinent.   What: India is set to post record levels of Russian crude imports in June. Why: Out of options with the Strait of Hormuz ef»»»

Bulgaria will continue to support Ukraine but has halted further military donations from its armed forces after reaching the limits of its capacity, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said on June 23. In a response to a parliamentary question, Radev said the decision reflects the need to preserve Bulgaria’»»»

The great cities of the Silk Road have captivated travellers’ imaginations for centuries. Today, however, Uzbekistan is pursuing a far more ambitious goal than simply preserving its tremendous historic heritage. Backed by billions of dollars of investment, sweeping visa reforms and a drive to turn »»»

HOUSTON: Cristiano Ronaldo declared “I’m back” and said those “attacking” him should never write him off after making World Cup history in a 5-0 hammering of Uzbekistan on Tuesday in Houston. The 41-year-old, under pressure to deliver after a barren recent run at major tournaments, pounced after si»»»

Smoke rises in late May as a result of an Israeli strike in the south of Lebanon as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, Israel. The Israeli military says it has trapped dozens of Hezbollah fighters in an underground complex in southern Lebanon. Photo by Atef Safadi/EPA Ju»»»

DOHA: Curacao and Cote d'Ivoire will battle for a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout stages when they meet in their final Group E fixture at Philadelphia Stadium on Thursday. The match, scheduled for 11:00pm (Qatar time), could prove decisive in determining which teams advance from a competi»»»

A long road to powerThe 2026 presidential campaign in Peru could finally bring victory to Keiko Fujimori, daughter of Alberto Fujimori, the country’s former president (1990-2000) and leader of the Popular Force party. In Peru, opinions about Alberto Fujimori are highly divided: Some call him a hard»»»

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, speaks to the media about Ebola and global health issues during a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday. France reported its first ebola case Wednesday. Photo by Martial Trezzini/EPA June 24 (UPI) -- A docto»»»

Secretary of State Marco Rubio promised the United States' Gulf allies that Washington would protect their interests as it seeks to hammer out a final settlement of the Middle East war in talks with Iran. Rubio was on a regional tour to reassure the Gulf states, which were targeted by Tehran's miss»»»

SEATTLE, USA: Egypt and Iran both go into their final group game on Friday with good chances of progress, but geopolitical tensions between Iran and co-hosts the United States loom large over the match. A first World Cup win for seven-times African champions Egypt, 92 years after their debut, put t»»»

Baku: Speaker of the Shura Council HE Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim affirmed that the State of Qatar, under the leadership of the Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, continues its efforts to entrench the approach of dialogue and diplomacy, believing that disputes can only be resolved through n»»»

Bakhо Muratov, a seasoned financial analyst and auditor, has built his career helping major corporations navigate complex financial landscapes. From leading audits in Kazakhstan to advising clients at AlixPartners in New York, Muratov has developed a unique perspective on client engagement, team bu»»»

Earlier this week Andy Burnham, the popular former mayor of Manchester, forced Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign as leader of the Labour Party in a meticulously planned and well executed bloodless political coup. As a result, Burnham is now poised to become, in a few weeks, Britain’s seventh pr»»»

Global aquaculture production reached a record high, while Chile maintained its position as the leading supplier of salmon to the United States. File Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI | License Photo June 24 (UPI) -- Global aquaculture production reached a record high, while Chile maintained its position »»»

PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, June 24: Papers discuss the newest UN report that says Israel targeted and killed Palestinian children after the truce. Next: more than 40 people have drowned amid the heatwave in France. Also: France's national team coach Didier Deschamps will skip an important »»»

As France swelters under a deadly heatwave, thousands of labourers continue to work in the streets and construction sites of Paris with little respite from the stifling heat. From the near-deserted streets around Châtelet to the naked asphalt of the Champs-Élysées, FRANCE 24 spoke to the workers ke»»»

A power outage caused by a record-breaking heatwave left around 68,000 households without electricity in France's western Brittany on Wednesday as the national weather agency issued a red alert for extreme weather covering most of the country, including the northernmost region around Calais. Europe»»»

NEW YORK, USA: A ‌knee injury sustained during Monday’s loss to Norway has ​ruled out Senegal keeper Edouard Mendy from Friday’s World Cup match against Iraq, his national team said on Wednesday. Mendy suffered ‌the injury ‌while trying ​to ‌make ⁠a ​save, and ⁠he left the field in the 63rd minute »»»

Vladimir Zelensky will skip a major gathering of Kiev’s key backers in Poland to keep it free of “scandals,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has said. His absence is linked to Kiev’s honoring of Nazi-collaborators who murdered over 100,000 Polish men, women, and children during World War II. Tension»»»

Ten years ago, I was on a business trip in Brussels on the day of the Brexit referendum. Voting was already underway across the Channel, but in the European Quarter, the mood was almost serene. Journalists kept asking EU officials about Brexit, and the officials waved the questions away with jokes,»»»

Geneva: The global risk "remains low" from a deadly Ebola outbreak centred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization chief said Wednesday, after a case was confirmed in France. The Ebola case in France -- a doctor back from the DR Congo -- "is a reminder of the risks faced »»»

TYRE, Lebanon: Heavy equipment operator Bassam Khalil’s bulldozers and excavators are in high demand in south Lebanon’s Tyre these days, as the seaside city tries to pick up the pieces from the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. Residents of destroyed buildings are anxious to comb through the rubble in s»»»

Israeli forces have deliberately targeted and killed Palestinian children in Gaza and the West Bank, according to a UN inquiry, which says the attacks amount to war crimes and point to genocidal intent. Srinivasan Muralidhar, chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Oc»»»

Heavy equipment operator Bassam Khalil's bulldozers and excavators are in high demand in south Lebanon's Tyre these days, as the seaside city tries to pick up the pieces from the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. Residents of destroyed buildings are anxious to comb through the rubble in search of their »»»

ConflictsAsiaIran after the war — fragile peace, shattered economyShabnam von HeinThe US has temporarily allowed Iran to export oil and indicated it will provide billions to relieve the crisis triggered by the war. With ordinary Iranians at their limit, however, Tehran already fears new protests. h»»»

ConflictsAsiaIran enters fragile peace with economy near breaking pointShabnam von HeinThe US has temporarily allowed Iran to export oil and indicated it will provide billions to relieve the crisis triggered by the war. With ordinary Iranians at their limit, however, Tehran already fears new protes»»»

KYIV: Outbreaks of locust ​development have been detected in Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, the Ukrainian ‌state ‌service ​on ‌food ⁠safety ​and consumer protection said ⁠on Wednesday. Locust numbers currently stand at ⁠up to ‌40 ‌insects ​per square ‌meter, ‌the service said. Ukraine has»»»