Come freely. Go safely; and leave something of the happiness you bring. After an evening with Madame Vo, this particular Bram Stoker quote comes to mind. Lisa Vo, the mind behind the popular Dubai supper club, has built her entire concept around a simple idea: There's no such thing as a lonely meal»»»

PHILADELPHIA: Substitute Amad Diallo struck in the 90th ‌minute to give Ivory Coast a deserved 1-0 win over Ecuador in both teams’ Group E opener on Saturday night. Diallo’s first-time strike of Wilfried Singo’s cross gave ​the Ivorians their first-ever World Cup victory over South American opposit»»»

Manila: German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected to land here on Monday for a state visit aimed at strengthening political, economic, and security ties between Manila and Berlin, the Presidential Communications Office said. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is will formally welcome»»»

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday welcomed the US-Iran peace deal with its permanent ceasefire and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as a “critical step” toward resolving the war in the Middle East. “The Secretary-General hopes that the parties will build on this new m»»»

Houston The German national football team opened its 2026 World Cup campaign on Sunday with a 7-1 victory over Curaçao in the first round of Group E play at NRG Stadium. The tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, runs through July 19. Group E also includes Côte d'Ivoire and»»»

HOUSTON: Germany began their World ‌Cup campaign with a thumping 7-1 victory over debutants Curacao on Sunday in a match where history was made on several fronts and the one-sided result could not overshadow the occasion ​for the island nation. Germany’s Felix Nmecha scored the fastest goal of the »»»

GENEVA: Protesters in Geneva threw stones and firecrackers at the police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons during a demonstration Sunday against the G7 summit in nearby Evian. Thousands had turned out in the Swiss city, to protest against the gathering of top world leaders, which start»»»

Four-time winners Germany thrashed World Cup debutants Curacao 7-1 in their first group game on Sunday. Kai Havertz got two goals and Nico Schlotterbeck, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav also scored in Houston to secure Germany's first opening-match win at a World Cup since their succ»»»

Qiddiya City: Saudi Arabia’s surfing community came together this weekend for the inaugural Red Bull Pool Clash, the Kingdom’s first-ever pool surfing competition, held at Surftopia within Aquarabia Qiddiya City. Bringing the excitement of surfing from the ocean into a controlled wave environment, »»»

Coffee pricing patterns in Sofia are raising questions about how Bulgaria’s hospitality sector compares with established European markets, particularly in high-traffic tourist zones such as Vitosha Boulevard. In central Sofia, a standard espresso or milk-based coffee now typically costs between 3.5»»»

On the eve of the G7 summit in Evian, France, neighbouring Geneva is expecting thousands of protesters to converge on the city on Sunday, under close police surveillance, more than 20 years after the violence that marred the 2003 G8 summit. The "No-G7" coalition of associations, unions, and left-wi»»»

Swiss police on Sunday fired tear gas at demonstrators protesting the upcoming Group of Seven summit in France after some protesters started targeting buildings linked to the United Nations in Geneva. Swiss ​police fired ​tear gas as protesters opposed to ​a ‌G7 ⁠summit across ‌the border in France»»»

RIYADH: The Saudi Data and AI Authority, in partnership with the World Bank, has concluded a five-day international program held in Belgium and Germany. The program aimed to review leading international experiences in data governance, artificial intelligence, and digital policy frameworks. It also »»»

Tunis, June 14 (TAP) - The investment climate in Tunisia, opportunities and incentives for investors – especially members of the Tunisian community living in Germany – took centre stage at an information day held Saturday at Tunisia's Consulate...»»»

CAIRO: US President Donald Trump is set to hold talks with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France this month, the Egyptian presidency said on Sunday. In a statement, the presidency said El-Sisi is expected to hold a series of meetings with world leaders d»»»

Magura, Bangladesh: Across Bangladesh, football fans have decked out their rooftops with the flags of Brazil and Argentina -- the most popular teams in a country that has never qualified for the World Cup. However, one man stands out not only for choosing a less-favoured team, but also for the shee»»»

Bulgaria's resorts are ready for tourists, but there are no tourists, Tourism Minister Ilin Dimitrov told Bulgarian National Television on Sunday. He cited Eurostat data published a few days ago showing that Bulgaria ranked last in the European Union in terms of tourist growth during the January-Ap»»»

Doha, Qatar: Germany will begin their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against debutants Curacao tonight, with the four-time champions aiming to make an immediate impact in Group E and take an important step towards the knockout stages. The match, scheduled to kick off at 8pm at Houston Stadium, marks »»»

Qatar lost all three of its matches as a World Cup host four years ago and appeared to be headed toward another in its 2026 opener against Switzerland. Boualem Khoukhi changed his country’s course at the last possible moment, scoring a tying goal on a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time to»»»

Doha, Qatar: The FIFA World Cup is only just beginning, but for the Netherlands and Japan, the margin for error already feels slim. When the two nations walk onto the pitch at AT&T Stadium in Dallas tonight (11pm, Qatar time) they will not simply be opening their World Cup campaign. They will be ta»»»

PARIS: From the outset, China wasn’t included when major powers gathered in 1975 at a chateau outside Paris to fix the slumping global economy, the first of what have become annual summits by the G7 club of wealthy nations to forward their interests. No surprise there. Imagining Chinese revolutiona»»»

ATLANTA: Pedri watched his heroes Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta conquer the world from his family’s bar as a boy, now Spain’s latest midfield maestro is chasing the same dream. The 23-year-old has already proven to be a fitting heir to Xavi and Iniesta at club level with Barcelona, winning thre»»»

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will meet leaders from the Middle East and join a working session with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during next week's Group of Seven summit in France, senior US administration officials said on Saturday. Trump is scheduled to travel to Evian on Monda»»»

BERLIN: Saudi Arabia’s climate envoy and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir met Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Carsten Schneider in Berlin recently. The pair discussed ways to coordinate bilateral efforts on c»»»

BOSTON: Haiti fans ‌brought their Carnival groove to downtown Boston on Saturday ahead of their team’s first World Cup match since 1974, competing with the bagpipes of Scotland’s Tartan Army which has set up camp in the city. A traditional rara band of bamboo trumpeters and thumping percussion play»»»

Russian Chargé d’Affaires in Egypt Yuri Matveev said that his country has long regarded Egypt as a strategic partner, noting that the two nations share common positions on most regional and international issues. He highlighted cooperation in several major projects, including the construction of Egy»»»

ATLANTA: Spain midfielder Marc ‌Cucurella, who set up Mikel Oyarzabal’s late winner against England at the Euro 2024 final, is hoping that his lucky charm — a pyjama top worn by his wife during that European triumph — will bring him good fortune at the World Cup as well. The 27-year-old Chelsea pla»»»

FRANKFURT: France ‌could exit the Franco-German tank project MGCS, the CEO of Rheinmetall , one of the initiative’s shareholders, was quoted as saying on Saturday, in what could be the latest blow to defense cooperation on the continent. “There is always a risk, but nothing ‌has been ‌decided yet,”»»»

Foreign direct investment projects in Poland rose 10% y/y in 2025 to 285, while Europe as a whole recorded a 7% decline, according to EY’s investment attractiveness report. Poland outperformed major economies such as France, Germany and the UK, which saw double-digit drops in project numbers, altho»»»

Empires tend to last about a hundred years, and true to form the Pax Americana has passed its peak. What follows is several decades of instability and lower growth as the leading countries of the world vie to fill the void. The Interregnum has started.  The Chinese, Dutch, Portugese and B»»»

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for Europe on Saturday to participate in the Group of Seven Summit, where India is expected to call for unrestricted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz following US attacks on vessels carrying Indian seafarers. Modi will be visiting France and S»»»

Washington: Little is known about what President Donald Trump's intentions are for the G7 summit in Evian, France next week, except maybe the obvious: the American president will impose his schedule and his mood. The latter may depend largely on the peace agreement discussions with Iran, which were»»»

MEXICO CITY: Shakira, Mana, Andrea Bocelli and a surprise appearance by Salma Hayek lit up the World Cup opening ceremony ahead of Mexico’s 2-0 victory over South Africa on Thursday. Shakira performed “Dai Dai,” the tournament’s official song, with Burna Boy. The Colombian star had a hit with “Waka»»»

FOXBOROUGH, USA: Scotland star Scott McTominay is ready for the team’s opening World Cup game against Haiti on Saturday after overcoming a stomach bug, coach Steve Clarke has said. “He is perfect and ready to go,” Clarke said when asked about the fitness of the Napoli man, Scotland’s star player. M»»»

MAKKAH: When the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off at Mexico City’s legendary Azteca Stadium, fans looked up and saw a piece of Saudi Arabia. FPC Industries, a subsidiary of FIPCO, supplied more than 4,000 sq. meters of PVC fabric for the venue’s new “Red Crown” — the sweeping canopy that rings the to»»»

LOS ANGELES: When Iran kick off their World Cup campaign next week in Los Angeles, Iranian-American businessman Ehsan Shafi will be in the stands cheering on Team Melli, a rare chance to welcome the national side he adores to his adopted home. Instead of a moment of pure sporting celebration, howev»»»

France and Germany are discussing proposals for a radical overhaul of the EU’s 15-year-old diplomatic service and cutting the powers of EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, in an attempt to improve the bloc’s response to geopolitical crises, the Financial Times reported on June 11. Paris, Berlin an»»»

China and the EU have crossed the threshold beyond which population decline is mathematically irreversible — no matter what fertility policy is adopted. Now they simply don’t have enough women of childbearing age to produce enough children to keep the population stable, irrespective of what happens»»»

The EU appears to be willing to sacrifice both the well-being of its people and its own fiscal stability for the sake of military buildup justified by an alleged Russian threat. The bloc’s members push forward with their defense budget increase plans despite record debt levels, with some of them al»»»

BERLIN: The humpback whale that kept Germany spellbound for months likely lived for roughly five days after the final controversial rescue attempt failed to guide it back to its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean, officials said Friday. The whale, nicknamed “Timmy” and “Hope” by German media, wa»»»

Paris, France: Massive cuts to international aid have put the world's response to HIV "in peril", the UN's top AIDS official warned Friday, as a new report revealed the scale of disruption to HIV prevention efforts. Last year, the new administration of US President Donald Trump --- with help from t»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Finland will not become a nuclear power, but will take part in NATO nuclear planning, President Alexander Stubb said. "Finland will participate in NATO nuclear planning, but Finland will not become a nuclear power," Stubb told Yle, commenting on French President Emmanuel Macron's»»»

The ambassadors of France, Germany and the UK have requested a meeting with Russia’s foreign ministry following an E3 London summit at which the three European leaders issued a five-point list of demands aimed at persuading Moscow to begin ceasefire negotiations over the war in Ukraine. Russian For»»»

Over 240 uniformed officers, supported by specialized equipment, will take part in intensified road traffic control across Burgas Region during the summer, chief commissioner Nikolay Nenkov of the Burgas Regional Police Directorate said Friday. He spoke at a briefing after a midnight specialized op»»»

Bulgaria's State Agency for Refugees (SAR) is ready to implement the requirements of the European Union's Pact on Migration and Asylum, which entered into force on Friday, SAR Chair Ivan Ivanov said, as quoted by the agency's press office. Ivanov explained that the pact introduces a border procedur»»»

BAWI is an established provider in the field of railway infrastructure, with comprehensive expertise along the entire value chain – ranging from construction and modernisation services to specialised works and its own component production. The company employs around 240 people and generated output »»»

Doha, Qatar: The FIFA World Cup 2026 is already guaranteed to be unlike any previous edition of football’s biggest tournament. With a record 48 participating teams, 104 matches, three host nations and an expanded knockout stage, the tournament will rewrite several chapters of World Cup history. Yet»»»

A vote in Sweden’s parliament could force public sector workers to report undocumented people to authorities. The bill, popularised as the ‘snitch law’, will be voted in on Monday (15 June), as part of a greater policy of migration deterrence by the right and far-right Swedish government. The Swedi»»»

IRVINE: The long-awaited World Cup opener on home soil Friday promises to contain deep shades of red, white and ‌blue for the United States men’s national team. Manager Mauricio Pochettino might be from Argentina and goal-producing forward Folarin Balogun grew up in England after he was born in New»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Cultural Village Foundation -Katara, in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy in Qatar, hosted a screening of the Maria Montessori documentary at the Drama Theatre yesterday evening in honour of one of the most influential Italian women of the 20th century and one of the most impor»»»