RIYADH: Abundant winter rainfall followed by widespread spring showers has transformed large swaths of Saudi Arabia’s landscape, turning desert expanses green and reviving valleys, ravines, and open plains across the Kingdom. The seasonal rains have highlighted the country’s ecological diversity, w»»»

In a week that an interim peace agreement WAS signed between the US and Iran bringing a temporary end to the conflict and the beginning of a sixty day window to negotiate the many unresolved issues.  President Trump signed the Memorandum of Understanding over a dinner at the Palace of Versaill»»»

Poland's nationalist President Karol Nawrocki said Friday that he was revoking the country's highest award from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after he infuriated Warsaw by naming a Ukrainian unit after a World War II insurgent militia that massacred Poles. Polish Prime Minister Donald»»»

Uzbekistan and South Korea have agreed to establish industrial clusters, expand infrastructure cooperation and elevate investment partnerships across multiple sectors based on a series of agreements and memoranda signed at the Uzbekistan-Korea Business Forum in Tashkent. The forum was held on »»»

Damascus, June 20 (SANA) The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates announced that it has followed up the case of German national Eva Maria Michelmann since her identity and nationality were confirmed, in coordination with the relevant national authorities and the Embassy of the Federal»»»

Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire on Friday, a US official said, following the resurgence of strikes in Lebanon that are already testing Wednesday's interim deal between Tehran and Washington to end the war in the Middle East. Israeli strikes have killed 47 people since Thursday night,&nbs»»»

LONDON: When President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018, Barack Obama, who as his predecessor had forged the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, warned that doing so “without any Iranian violation of the deal is a serious mistake.” The US, Obama added, “could even»»»

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem delivers a televised speech during a gathering in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 27, 2025. Analysts say southern Lebanon could remain a battlefield and a bargaining chip in regional negotiations despite a preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran. Photo»»»

LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday he would not walk away, ​vowing to fight any challenge from his leading party rival, Andy Burnham, and potentially ushering in a new bout of political instability. Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, won a decisive victory for Labour to »»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke on the phone on Friday, the Saudi Press Agency reported. During the call, the crown prince welcomed the agreement between the United States and Iran to end military operations and commended Pa»»»

BERLIN: A German court on Friday handed a three-year jail term to a man who published online "death sentences" with calls to kill politicians, said to include former chancellors Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz. The 50-year-old German-Polish man, partially named as Martin S., admitted to operating an »»»

LONDON: A fixture of London’s Arab cultural scene for decades, Lebanese restaurant group Maroush, has entered administration. The business, opened in 1981 by Lebanese couple Marouf and Houda Abouzaki, operates restaurants in London neighborhoods popular among Arabs. The administration notice, publi»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said at a closed-door meeting at the EU summit that it was high time to consider providing a mandate for EU negotiations with Russia, Euronews reported on Friday, citing sources. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedl»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US intelligence agencies are warning that Israel is likely to try derailing the final peace deal between the United States and Iran, The Washington Post reported on Friday, citing current and former officials. On June 14, Iran and the United States confirmed that work on a me»»»

EU leaders have cautiously welcomed Donald Trump's signing of an interim agreement with Iran, after nearly four months of war in the Middle East. But it is only a Memorandum of Understanding, and Europeans know the US president too well to celebrate prematurely. The conflict has led to the most sev»»»

Hezbollah Secretary General, His Eminence Sheikh Naim Qassem, affirmed in his speech at the central Ashura council that “Al-Hussein is our approach, a standard of victory, rejection of injustice, and jihad for defense, a standard of victory. We do not fear death and there are no limits to sacrifice»»»

Polling station officials count votes on Election Day in Medellin, Colombia,on May 31. Conservative businessman Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist Sen. Iván Cepeda will face off in a runoff to determine the country's next president on Sunday. File Photo by Stringer/EPA June 19 (UPI) -- Colombia w»»»

Prime Minister Péter Magyar has announced that the European Commission has recommended Hungary’s revised Recovery and Resilience Plan for approval, potentially unlocking billions of euros in EU funding. Speaking after the European Council’s two-day summit in Brussels, Magyar said the Commission had»»»

The Rotherham rape gang scandal exposed a profound civilizational betrayal at the heart of modern Britain: a once-cohesive nation, shaped by centuries of shared history and identity, is now undermined by universalist delusions and forced to confront harsh tribal realities, incompatible loyalties, a»»»

International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan walked with Asaad al-Shaibani, right, in Damascus, Syria, in 2025. Khan has been suspended from the British bar over sexual misconduct allegations. File Photo by SANA/UPI. | License Photo June 19 (UPI) -- Karim Khan, chief prosecutor for the Intern»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke on the phone with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa on Friday, during which the two leaders reviewed the latest developments in the region. The call focused on ongoing efforts to enhance security and stability across the region, according t»»»

The news that the talks between US and Iran are postponed has cast a shadow over the EU summit, as EU leaders hoped that the memorandum of agreement would bring attention back to the conflict in Ukraine. But the Middle East is not totally set aside, with EU leaders set to discuss whether to severe »»»

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a video posted on X Friday that she was "frankly stunned" by US President Donald Trump's claim that she "begged" him for a photo during the G7 summit. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he was cancelling a visit to the US planned for June»»»

EU leaders are meeting in Brussels to talk about the bloc's next seven-year budget, set to go on for the next six months. The European Commission proposed last July a two-trillion-euro seven-year spending plan for the 27-country bloc -- which so-called frugal countries immediately made clear was t»»»

The electronic ink was barely dry, and Israel already knew what it thought about the emerging agreement. "Bad deal," read the main headline of Yediot Aharonot on 14 June, in two blunt Hebrew words that captured the national mood with the economy of a tombstone inscription. There is a reason for Isr»»»

1 of 3 | European Council President Antonio Costa, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, U.S. President Donald Trump, Kenya's President William Ruto, French President Emmanuel Macron»»»

MANILA: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Russia have agreed to deepen energy cooperation, as the region works to secure supply amid the global crisis sparked by the US war on Iran. Many Southeast Asian nations rely on the Middle East for crude oil imports, making them among the hardes»»»

MOSCOW: Russia said on Friday it was open to dialogue with European countries but would not accept ultimatums, as signs increase that the EU may seek talks with Moscow after largely shunning contacts since the start of the war in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said common sense dictated t»»»

Berlin, June 19 (SANA) The Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced Friday that Syria has been selected as the partner country for the next edition of the Arab-German Business Forum, a move that reflects growing economic engagement and renewed integration into Arab-European cooperatio»»»

Bulgaria will not support EU sanctions against Russian businessman Vagit Alekperov, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said after a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on Friday, arguing that such a move would harm Bulgaria's national interests. "We will not allow the sanctions package to pass in t»»»

The fighting raged on in Lebanon with a wave of deadly of Israeli strikes overnight killing 18 people in Nabatieh district in the south while four Israeli troops were killed in a Hezbollah ambush in the same area. File photo by Atef Safadi/EPA June 19 (UPI) -- At least 18 people were killed and 33 »»»

US President Donald Trump unexpectedly signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran during a state dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at Versailles on Wednesday. The move surprised ministers and guests who had expected a formal signing ceremony in Switzerland later this week. At a »»»

US-Iran negotiations scheduled to take place in Switzerland on Friday have been postponed, one day after the signing of a memorandum of understanding outlining a roadmap toward peace. Israel has said it will not comply with the terms of the document and has continued military operations in Lebanon.»»»

It is day two of the EU leaders' summit, where the bloc's next seven-year budget is being discussed. According to the European Commission's proposal, the 2028-2034 budget should ⁠be €2 trillion. But leaders are set to clash after both net contributors and beneficiaries criticised that initial propo»»»

Dubai: Dubai Municipality invites investors, operators, and entrepreneurs to take part in shaping Al Mamzar Beaches, one of Dubai’s most attractive family beach destinations and a landmark addition to the emirate’s leisure and tourism landscape, redefining the beachfront lifestyle experience. For t»»»

Dubai: The UAE is set to experience its longest day of the year on Sunday as the summer solstice marks the official start of astronomical summer in the Northern Hemisphere, bringing nearly 14 hours of daylight and signalling the approach of the region's hottest period. The summer solstice will occu»»»

In a move set to expedite the remittance landscape, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) is gearing up to introduce the “Instapay” application, facilitating money transfers from Egyptians living overseas. This initiative, expected to launch within the next two months, aims to streamline the remittance p»»»

Abu Dhabi is accelerating its push into advanced aviation, setting out plans to build a complete ecosystem for the design, manufacturing and operation of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) systems as it looks to strengthen its position as a global centre for innovation and future industries. The move form»»»

Share: A displaced Lebanese is shown in front of her destroyed house in South Lebanon. Hezbollah’s entry into the war against Israel in support of Iran resulted in the displacement of over 1.2 million Lebanese , mostly Shiites At least 18 people have been killed in southern Lebanon following a seri»»»

Dubai: ClearTax UAE, a leading global tax compliance technology company and Federal Tax Authority (FTA)-approved Accredited Service Provider (ASP), released the UAE E-Invoicing Readiness Index 2026, a comprehensive nationwide study of more than 500 CFOs, Tax Directors and Financial Controllers. The»»»

ROME: The Italian government on Friday slammed US President Donald Trump’s claim that Premier Giorgia Meloni had “begged” for a photo with him during the recent G7 summit, a pushback that suggested the longtime US ally had had enough of Trump’s boasting. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani abru»»»

Dubai: The UK’s decision to ease its travel advice for the UAE is expected to give a boost to tourism bookings, business visits and investor confidence, several industry representatives, including travel agents and business leaders, told Gulf News. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques»»»

In today's edition: Leaders from Africa and the Caribbean meet in Ghana for a landmark conference on reparatory justice. Also, Taiwan has accused Kenya of bowing to Chinese pressure to sideline Taiwanese officials who were meant to take part in an international oceans forum that wrapped up in »»»

Ghana is taking the growing call for reparations over the transatlantic slave trade a significant step further towards concrete action. Weeks after the UN called it the 'gravest crime against humanity", leaders from around the continent and the Caribbean were in Accra for a conference on reparatory»»»

MAKKAH: When Taif claimed the top spot among Saudi Arabia’s apricot-producing regions it was no statistical fluke — it was the payoff of a long apprenticeship; generations of farming knowledge passed down, paired with an unusual fit between what the land offers and what its people are willing to pu»»»

The Hungarian government has lifted restrictions on Ukrainian news outlets that were blocked by the previous administration in 2025, Minister for Social Relations and Culture Zoltán Tarr announced on Facebook. According to Tarr, the decision was taken jointly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs an»»»

US Vice President J.D. Vance has criticized Israeli hardliners opposed to US President Donald Trump’s Iran deal, warning that the country cannot “kill” its way out of every security problem. Vance’s comments came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to withdraw troops from the count»»»

Labour's Andy Burnham won the Makerfield parliamentary by-election on Friday, defeating Reform UK candidate Rob Kenyon and returning to Westminster after years as Manchester mayor. The victory strengthens Burnham's position as a potential successor to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as speculation gro»»»

Arab Finance: Prices of basic commodities and vegetables varied on Wednesday, June 17th, according to data from the Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC). The price of a kilogram of rice hit EGP 34.6, down 0.6% on a daily basis. Meanwhile, the price of packaged flour increased by 1.5% to r»»»

JEDDAH: Late-night and early-morning 2026 World Cup broadcasts are severely disrupting football fans’ routines and habits in Saudi Arabia, with matches from the US, Mexico and Canada airing as late as 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. To cope with this, enthusiasts are adjusting their sleep schedules, taking naps, »»»