Dubai: For many expatriates, arriving in the UAE marks the beginning of an uncertain chapter. There are dreams to pursue, sacrifices to make, and countless challenges to overcome. When Filipino expat Francis Diesto Danganan landed in the UAE in 2003, he was carrying the same hopes shared by million»»»

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»»»

The US and Iran exchanged strikes for the first time since signing an interim peace framework on June 17. On Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces had struck missile, drone and radar sites in Iran in response to a drone attack on the Singaporean-flagged cargo ship Ever»»»

BEIRUT: Hezbollah supporters took to the streets of Beirut late Friday to protest an agreement between Israel and Lebanon, as a lawmaker from the Iran-backed group warned enforcing the deal risked sparking civil war. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that “Hezbollah supporters rode »»»

Arab Finance: Egypt is aiming to increase outsourcing service exports from around $5.2 billion to $6 billion by 2026 as part of broader efforts to strengthen its position as a regional and global hub for digital and business services, according to a new analysis issued by the Cabinet's Information »»»

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»»»

ABIDJAN: Burkina Faso’s ruling junta on Friday severed diplomatic ties with former colonial ruler France, accusing Paris of persistently acting against its interests. The military regime led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, in power since a coup in September 2022, is pursuing a policy repressive toward c»»»

BEIRUT: Hezbollah supporters took to the streets of Beirut late Friday to protest an agreement between Israel and Lebanon, as a lawmaker from the Iran-backed group warned enforcing the deal risked sparking civil war.The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that “Hezbollah supporters rode m»»»

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»»»

Morocco has officially converted the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) into a joint-stock company, completing a year-long reform designed to give the state-owned energy agency greater financial and operational flexibility as it prepares to support major strategic projects, including»»»

Hezbollah supporters took to the streets of Beirut late Friday to protest an agreement between Israel and Lebanon, as a lawmaker from the Iran-backed group warned enforcing the deal risked sparking civil war. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that "Hezbollah supporters rode motorbik»»»

The death toll from the twin earthquakes in Venezuela continued to rise on Friday, with at least 920 dead and more than 51,000 missing, as distress grew among Venezuelans. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes that struck late Wednesday left a landscape of devastation, with countless collapsed buildings»»»

Gavin Lee is pleased to welcome Germania Rodriguez Paleo, American-Venezuelan journalist and commentator, former US chief reporter for the Daily Mail. She offers a forceful political interpretation of Venezuela's earthquake disaster through the lens of institutional collapse and democratic illegiti»»»

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»»»

Toronto: Senegal kept their hopes of reaching the World Cup last 32 alive with a 5-0 victory over Iraq in their final Group Nine match. Habib Diallo, Ismaila Sarr, Pape Gueye, who scored twice, and Iliman Ndiaye were all on target as Senegal finished third in the group with three points and remaine»»»

Tunis, June 26 (TAP) - The Criminal Division of the Tunis Court of Appeal on Friday has upheld the one-year effective prison sentence imposed on Journalist Zied El Heni, a judicial source told TAP.The Court dismissed the appeal lodged by the...»»»

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said that Lebanese officials who signed a framework agreement with Israel on Friday in Washington could not enforce the deal without sparking a civil war. Lebanese "authorities will be unable to impose the implementation of the agreement signed in Washington unle»»»

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»»»

In tonight's programme, Togo’s switch to a parliamentary system is under scrutiny, after a regional court ruled the reforms: unconstitutional. Also once a jewel of Ethiopia’s tourism scene, Lake Tana is now caught in the shadow of conflict. And archaeologists are racing to preserve the ancient»»»

Lebanon, Israel and the United States on Friday signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at paving the way for a peace deal between the two long-time Middle East adversaries. The agreement -- which officials said includes a pilot effort in which Lebanese soldiers will take control of two areas»»»

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»»»

Tunis, June 26 (TAP) - The National Authority for the Prevention of Torture (INPT) on Friday reaffirmed its unconditional support for victims of torture, strongly condemningd these crimes.In a statement published on the occasion of the United...»»»

NEW YORK CITY: Saudi Arabia’s envoy to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, told the Security Council on Friday that there can be no military solution to the civil war in Sudan. He warned that the continued fighting in the country and arms support provided to the warring factions by other countries were wors»»»

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) »»»

Tunis, June 26 (TAP) - The Criminal Division of the Tunis Court of Appeal has upheld on Friday the first-instance judgment handed down against all the defendants in the case of the death of Jilani Dabboussi, a former MP prior to 2011, a judicial...»»»

Geneva, June 26 (SANA) Syria’s Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, in partnership with R-SEAT and the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations in Geneva, hosted a high-level roundtable on Syria’s recovery on Friday on the sidelines of the first Syria Mine Action Partners Confere»»»

Tunis, June 26 (TAP)-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ali Nafti together with Minister of Communication Technologies Sofiene Hemissi on Friday chaired a meeting with African Heads of Diplomatic Missions accredited...»»»

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»»»

The US military has conducted strikes against Iran in response to an attack on a commercial vessel near the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command has said. CENTCOM said US forces carried out the strikes on June 26, describing them as a “powerful response” to what it called Iran’s attack the previous»»»

The unprecedented heatwave that has been hitting Europe since the beginning of the week is spreading east and south across the continent, leading to the cancellation of events as temperatures exceed 35C and hospitals are becoming overwhelmed with demand. Health authorities across Europe were on hig»»»

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ali Nafti together with Minister of Communication Technologies Sofiene Hemissi on Friday chaired a meeting with African Heads of Diplomatic Missions accredited to Tunisia, as part...»»»

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»»»

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said a deal signed with Israel on Friday was a first step toward fully restoring his country’s sovereignty after the latest war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah. “The framework agreement signed today is a first step” that will enable Lebanese “to r»»»

NEW YORK CITY: The escalating conflict in Sudan’s North Kordofan state risks triggering a humanitarian catastrophe on the scale of last year’s siege of El-Fasher. The warning from UN officials to the Security Council on Friday came as drone strikes intensified around the city of El-Obeid, putting a»»»

Dust in the Caribbean on visible satellite Friday morning. (NOAA/CIRA) It's Saharan dust season in the Atlantic, the time of year when massive clouds of dust from Africa's Sahara Desert are carried westward by winds, sometimes traveling thousands of miles to the United States. Where is the dust now»»»

Lausanne: Senior Vice President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), President of the Olympic Council of Asia, and the President of the Qatar Olympic Committee HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani attended the 94th ANOC Executive Council Meeting, held today in Lausanne, Switzerla»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held separate telephone calls with his Jordanian and Omani counterparts on Friday to discuss the latest developments in the region and ongoing diplomatic coordination. During a call with Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign A»»»

June 26 (UPI) -- A Federal Emergency Management Agency official who claims he was once teleported to a Waffle House has been ousted from the agency, unnamed sources familiar with the situation told media outlets Friday. Gregg Phillips, who was appointed to lead the Office of Response and Recovery i»»»

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: Under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE has announced an urgent humanitarian response through the UAE Aid Agency to support those affected by the two earthquakes that struck off the northern coast near the city of Moron in Venezuela. 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»»»

Washington: Lebanon and Israel have signed a US-brokered framework agreement following several days of negotiations in Washington, marking what American officials described as an initial step towards peace. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two sides had reached the agreement after talks i»»»

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»»»

BEIRUT: Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said Lebanese ​authorities would not be able to enforce a framework agreement signed with Israel ‌in ‌Washington ​on ‌Friday ⁠unless, with ​US support, “they go ⁠to civil war,” Al Mayadeen reported on Friday, after talks ⁠aimed at ‌ending ‌fighting betwee»»»

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»»»