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»»»

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»»»

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 »»»

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»»»

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 »»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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.»»»

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»»»

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»»»

JACKSON, Mississippi: The fatal shooting of a 1-year-old boy by police who were responding to a shoplifting call this week has ignited simmering tensions between police and Black residents in the small town of Senatobia, Mississippi. The death of Kohen Wiley is the latest in a series of troubling e»»»

Three Saudi-flagged very large crude carriers (VLCCs), previously “dark” for more than two months, have reappeared on automatic identification system (AIS) tracking, signaling a cautious return of vessel visibility in the Strait of Hormuz. Data from MarineTraffic shows the tankers Jaham, Shaden, an»»»

NEW YORK CITY: Seven months after the Security Council adopted Resolution 2803 in support of the US peace plan for Gaza, the ceasefire in the territory remains fragile and the humanitarian recovery is dangerously incomplete, the UN’s aid chief warned council members on Thursday. Palestinians are st»»»

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»»»

Panic broke out in the heart of Manhattan on Thursday afternoon after gunfire erupted in Times Square, sending tourists, commuters, and street vendors scrambling for cover in one of the world’s busiest tourist destinations. The shots were fired shortly before 4pm near West 44th Street and Seventh A»»»

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»»»

For Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), Retail Treasury Bonds (RTBs) are among the safest ways to build long-term peso savings. Another upside, it supports the Philippine government's infrastructure and development programmes. Because they are backed by the National Government, RTBs carry very low de»»»

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»»»

WASHINGTON, United States — US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh recently vowed wide-ranging reforms at the central bank, as its rate-setting committee held rates steady but projected a rate hike by year-end to counter surging inflation.The Fed decided to hold rates steady at 3.50 to 3.75 per cent »»»

PARIS, France — A French-flagged LNG tanker left the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, a tracking platform said, as an agreement to end the US-Iran war paved the way for the key passage's reopening.The liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel Mraikh, owned by the Nantes-based subsidiary of N»»»

The death rate in US immigration detention centres have more than doubled during President Donald Trump's second term, a Reuters analysis found, as authorities expanded arrests. Advocates linked the rise to overcrowding and strained medical services. A Vietnamese man with cardiovascular problems co»»»

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»»»

Israel is reacting in disbelief after Washington and Tehran inked an agreement meant to end the war. The initial deal re-opens the Strait of Hormuz - but only starts a 60-day negotiating clock to address Iran's nuclear program. Israelis across the political spectrum have called the deal a disaster»»»

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Vali Nasr, professor of Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University and former adviser to the US State Department, explained that "the war is ending in Iran's favour" and that "the outcome is definitely not favourable to Israel". "It's very difficult not to »»»

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»»»

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»»»

Russian artist and dissident Semyon Skrepetsky was famous for his audacious, even malicious, caricatures of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Skrepetsky was shot and killed on Tuesday in the eastern Polish town of Biała Podlaska at the age of 44.   Severa»»»

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%, »»»

DOHA: Qatar face a crucial Group B showdown against Canada as both sides seek their first victory of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Al Annabi opened their campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Switzerland, while Canada were also held to a 1-1 draw by Bosnia and Herzegovina, leaving all qualificati»»»

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»»»