FLORIDA, USA: It’s halftime at the World Cup. Take a break, everyone. Wednesday marked the midpoint of the 104-match tournament — technically, just past the midpoint, with 54 matches now in the books and 50 remaining before a World Cup champion are crowned in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19»»»

Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov and German Ambassador to Bulgaria Irene Maria Plank discussed opportunities to expand military-technical cooperation between the two countries. They talked about projects for Bulgaria to acquire IRIS-T air and missile defence systems, prospects for additional finan»»»

The deadly heatwave sweeping France has once again exposed the structural problems of the country’s chronically overcrowded prisons, with groups of three or four detainees crammed into airless cells built to hold a lone prisoner. Analysts and prison staff alike have criticised a penal system that c»»»

At least 101 million Europeans will experience temperatures above 35C on Thursday, as Spanish and French authorities begin to tally the deaths linked to the heatwave. At least 101 million Europeans were forecast to swelter in temperatures of over 35C on Thursday, as scores of people were thought to»»»

A controversial move by the operator of a lakeside beach in Germany to refuse entry to swimmers who do not sufficiently speak German has sparked a fierce political row. The dispute erupted after the privately run Heidebad nature pool in Halle in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt announced earlier »»»

Mexico City Two powerful earthquakes striking within less than a minute have killed at least 164 people in Venezuela and left just under 1,000 injured, acting President Delcy Rodríguez told the VTV broadcaster on Thursday. According to data from the US Geological Survey (USGS), two quakes with magn»»»

A woman uses a fan to cool down at a park in London Thursday. Great Britain is bracing for its hottest June day on record, with temperatures forecast to rise above 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Photo by Andy Rain/EPA June 25 (UPI) -- The heat wave gripping Europe is still raging in the west but is moving»»»

PARIS: Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, fresh from a spat with US leader Donald Trump, was set Thursday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron Thursday to tighten ties. One of Europe’s most prominent right-wing leaders will arrive in the resort of Antibes on the French Riviera for her first»»»

„Over the past two years, we have invested more than €4 million in complex production line automation projects. As our products are custom-made, they present unique challenges that require solid technical expertise to identify the most reliable automation solutions. Success depends on an in-house t»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron will aim to build on a nascent rapprochement with Italy's Giorgia Meloni when they meet for a bilateral summit on the French Riviera on Thursday, just days after Meloni's erstwhile ally Donald Trump mocked her for supposedly "begging" him for a photograph »»»

EAST RUTHERFORD, USA: Co-hosts the United States and Germany will bid to complete perfect World Cup group stage campaigns on Thursday, while the Netherlands and Japan look poised to join them in the last 32. The US have clinched top spot in Group D with a game to spare after wins over Paraguay and »»»

BERLIN: A heatwave sweeping Europe was starting to peak in Germany on Thursday, with several open-air events canceled and temperatures expected to top 40C through the weekend. Large parts of the country are already under “severe to extreme heat stress” with temperatures soaring to around 37C, the G»»»

Paris, France: Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, fresh from a spat with US leader Donald Trump, was set Thursday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron Thursday to tighten ties. One of Europe's most prominent right-wing leaders will arrive in the resort of Antibes on the French Riviera for h»»»

Egypt is considering innovative debt swap agreements aimed at promoting clean energy and human development. During an interview at the World Economic Forum, Egypt’s Minister of Finance, Ahmed Kouchouk, revealed ongoing discussions with international partners to implement these swaps, though specifi»»»

Caracas, Venezuela: Offers of support and condolences poured into Venezuela on Thursday after two powerful earthquakes left at least 32 dead and hundreds injured. US, China 'willing' to help "The two major earthquakes that just hit the great people of Venezuela are both massive in scale and have le»»»

US President Donald Trump said he has been disappointed by most NATO members over their refusal to support the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran. The president made the remarks during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House on Wednesday. He singled out the UK, Fra»»»

This story was produced by the European Newsroom (enr), which Tanjug is a part of GDANSK/BRUSSELS – Ukrainian cities and regions risk being left out in deciding how billions in reconstruction funds are being used unless they are given a robust role in the planning, governance and implementation of »»»

Berlin: A heatwave sweeping Europe was starting to peak in Germany on Thursday, with several open-air events cancelled and temperatures expected to top 40C through the weekend. Large parts of the country are already under "severe to extreme heat stress" with temperatures soaring to around 37C, the »»»

PoliticsGermanyClimate change: Heat wave costs the German economy billionsSabine KinkartzNever before has a June been as hot in Germany as in 2026. This has consequences not only for people and nature, but also for businesses. Heat reduces productivity and causes illness, while cooling is expensive»»»

The international movement of highly skilled professionals fell sharply in 2025, with cross-border relocations dropping from 3.7 million to 3.3 million—a decline of 11.6% and roughly 430,000 fewer movers than the year prior, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found in its latest talent survey. Several E»»»

BusinessWhy is Germany taking a big stake in a major tankmaker?Arthur SullivanThe German government will buy a 40% stake in tankmaker KNDS. The deal is as much about control in the critical defense sector as it is about the Franco-German relationship. https://p.dw.com/p/5Fy8mKNDS presented its tank»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s trade surplus more than doubled to SR25.43 billion ($6.79 billion) in April as rising oil exports and lower imports strengthened the Kingdom’s external balance, official data showed. The surplus increased 100.8 percent from a year earlier, according to preliminary data releas»»»

RIYADH: Not many expected Saudi Arabia to still be in contention for a direct place in the Round of 32 heading into the final matchday of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Then again, few expected Group H to unfold the way it has. The expectation before the tournament was straightforward: Spain and Uruguay »»»

An international entomological expedition near the southwestern village of Vlahi in the Kresna Gorge area has already collected about 300 target butterfly species, whose genomes are set to be sequenced for the first time, said the National Museum of Natural History with the Bulgarian Academy of Sci»»»

Energy prices in Europe are too high and, in Romania, they are even higher when measured against purchasing power, President of the Federation of the Association of Utility Companies in Romania (ACUE) and E.ON CEO Volker Raffel told an industry event on Thursday."Energy prices in Europe are too hig»»»

This year’s St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia’s premier investment conference, was considered a flop as few international companies bothered to make the trip. However, thousands of delegates flocked to the northern capital from the Global South as the third stage of Russian»»»

Doha, Qatar: Germany and Ecuador meet in their final group-stage match with very different objectives. Germany have already secured their place in the knockout rounds and will look to complete a perfect group campaign by finishing top of the standings. Ecuador, meanwhile, know that only a victory w»»»

WASHINGTON: NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to calm tensions with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, using a mix ​of flattery and gentle pushback to argue that instances of allies’ reluctance to support the US war with Iran were limited to “isolated cases.” The NATO ch»»»

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 »»»

European leaders met Wednesday in Berlin ahead of next month's NATO summit in Ankarai to discuss European defence and security guarantees for Ukraine, following tensions with the United States and among the main European members. European leaders reaffirmed on Wednesday ⁠their commitment to ​a stro»»»

NEW YORK: “When I’m talking about them, I’m counting those numbers, reciting the numbers in the council. I have images of children in my mind,” Vanessa Frazier, the UN special representative for children and armed conflict, told Arab News, describing how she carries the toll of her own report — 38,»»»

Germany has pulled the plug on its largest naval shipbuilding project since the end of WWII, scrapping plans for a fleet of six F126 frigates first ordered under then-Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen. The plans to axe the project were first reported by Der Spiegel on Tuesday, which said the pr»»»

A framework agreement between Washington and Tehran has already pulled oil prices lower, but Erste Group's quarterly outlook warns the inflationary scar tissue from the conflict will outlast the crisis itself across the eurozone, the US and emerging markets alike. The third quarter of 2026 looks se»»»

Below is the text of an article by Russia’s veteran Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that was originally planned to be published in the Brussels-based Politico-Europe outlet, but according to reports was pulled at the last minute by editors. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently publis»»»

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 passenger walks on a railway platform in 2018 in Frankfort, Germany. The country's railway system is recovering after a nationwide outage late Tuesday that left travelers stranded for hours. Photo by Armando Babani/EPA-EFE June 24 (UPI) -- Deutsche Bahn, Germany's government-owned rail system ope»»»

BusinessGermanyGerman rail service resumes after nationwide breakdownWesley Rahn | Roshni Majumdar | Wesley Dockery with Reuters, AFP, AP, dpaGerman rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, said a communications system glitch brought nearly the entire network to a standstill for two hours. https://p.dw.com/p/»»»

A young man jumps from a bridge to cool off in the Canal Saint-Martin, in Paris, France, Saturday. An intense heatwave is gripping Western and Central Europe, breaking records around the continent. Photo by Yoan Valat/EPA June 24 (UPI) -- Massive power outages have put extra strain on France during»»»

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is set to hold talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, aiming to mollify the volatile US leader two weeks before the annual summit of the military alliance and as the Pentagon reviews the size of the US military footprint in Europe. NA»»»

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»»»

Tunis, June 23, 2026 (TAP) – In an exclusive op-ed published on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Ghorfa), Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ali Nafti called...»»»

PARIS: Cracked bones, humiliation, sexual assault: Pro-Palestinian activists recounted the abuse they say they suffered from Israeli authorities for taking part in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last month, which has sparked multiple investigations and international outcry. France, Italy and Australia h»»»

Berlin: French Open champion Mirra Andreeva fell in her first match since her Roland Garros victory, losing 6-3, 6-4 to Ekaterina Alexandrova at Bad Homburg, Germany on Wednesday. World number five Andreeva, playing her first match on grass in 2026, pulled out of last week's Berlin Open on the surf»»»

BERLIN: German police carried out searches Wednesday as part of an investigation into suspicions that Russia’s sale of Gazprom’s Berlin-based subsidiary was intended to sabotage Germany’s gas supply. The probe focuses on the weeks after Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when th»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic on Wednesday congratulated Serbian Armed Forces officers who are to assume the duties of Serbian defence attaches in Algeria, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Germany, Romania and the UK, and noted that the responsible and honourable duties required a hig»»»

LONDON: Syria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani met his Dutch counterpart, Tom Berendsen, in Damascus on Wednesday. The ministers discussed ways to boost cooperation between the two countries, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported. The visit was Berendsen’s first»»»

French Resistance fighter and pioneering historian Marc Bloch entered France's Pantheon on Tuesday, becoming the first historian to receive one of the nation's highest honours. The ceremony comes amid renewed political debate over his anti-nationalist legacy less than a year before France's preside»»»

In a bold statement, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly outlined Egypt’s ambitious targets to attract over $20 billion in Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) annually and elevate exports to more than $140 billion by the year 2030. “This is an achievable dream,” Madbouly confidently remarked during a rec»»»

TAIPEI: The de facto ​British, French and German embassies in Taipei issued a joint statement ‌on Wednesday expressing ‌concern ​about ‌recent ⁠Chinese ​activities off ⁠the east coast of Taiwan, where China has mounted ⁠coast guard ‌patrols. “We ‌have ​noted ‌with concern ‌novel Chinese activity in»»»

TAIPEI: The de facto ​British, French and German embassies in Taipei issued a joint statement ‌on Wednesday expressing ‌concern ​about ‌recent ⁠Chinese ​activities off ⁠the east coast of Taiwan, where China has mounted ⁠coast guard ‌patrols. “We ‌have ​noted ‌with concern ‌novel Chinese activity in»»»