PARIS: Leading European nations and their G7 allies will seek to narrow differences with Donald Trump at a summit from Monday chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron but expected to be dominated by the US leader’s presence. Leaders will be looking to put the fizz back into relations with the Un»»»

The United States issued sanctions against Cuban state oil company Unión Cuba-Petróleo (CUPET), the Treasury Department website showed on Thursday. The action freezes any US assets of the ⁠company and generally bars ⁠Americans from dealing with it. "Today, I am designating Cuba's state-owned oil an»»»

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has sent a message to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa calling for stronger ties and closer security and economic coordination. The move reflects Baghdad’s push to rebuild regional relations while, at home, working to bring weapons under state control and prepare f»»»

EU member states could seek to curtail the powers of the bloc’s diplomatic service, headed by Kaja Kallas, amid concerns among officials that the body is “dysfunctional,” the Financial Times has reported. The European External Action Service (EEAS) was launched in 2010 as a kind of collective forei»»»

The son of a Hamas co-founder said that Israeli authorities released his father in the occupied West Bank on Thursday after holding him without trial for more than two years. Hassan Yousef, 71, was "freed near the southern West Bank city of Hebron" and taken to a hospital in Ramallah where he resid»»»

Doha, Qatar: The US Embassy Doha hosted a FIFA World Cup Opening Day Reception at the 3-2-1 Olympic and Sports Museum on June 11, bringing together Qatari government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, journalists, civil society leaders, and exchange alumni to mark the opening of the 2026 F»»»

Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, continues to play a central role in supporting Arab national teams competing at the FIFA World Cup 2026, taking place from 11th June to 19th July across the United States, Mexico and Canada. As part of its ongoin»»»

Some countries in the Middle East are advancing proposals to forge a regional alliance involving Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, aimed at preventing further regional turmoil, Jordan's former Minister of Social Development and political science professor Amin Al-Mashaqba tells Sputnik. The g»»»

LONDON: Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League and chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, met in London with Islamic religious leaders and businessmen from across the UK, to discuss topics related to concerns of Muslim communities in non-Muslim countries. Atten»»»

LONDON: Around 1.3 million people returned to Syria in 2025, marking one of the largest refugee return movements in the world in that year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The number of Syrian refugees has now dropped to 4.9 million as more people have returned to their homes fo»»»

Arab Finance: The Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) has received the mandatory tender offer (MTO) submitted by UAE-based Black Caspian Logistics Holding Limited to acquire a 90% stake in Alexandria Container and Cargo Handling Company, according to a bourse filing. The transaction, announced in »»»

The global economy is entering an extremely sensitive phase in 2026 amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which have cast a heavy shadow over the fragile global recovery and reshaped the global credit and financial landscape. At the heart of these turbulent developments, Gulf Co»»»

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday visited Spain's Canary Islands, the once-notorious centre of the European migration debate, where he threw a bouquet of flowers in the sea in tribute to the migrants who perished trying to reach the Atlantic archipelago. The pontiff made a plea for "human dignity" and conde»»»

Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC), affirmed that the Arab and Gulf regions are passing through a critical and pivotal stage in their contemporary history that requires strengthening joint Arab action and consolidating the foundations of security, stability and development.»»»

LONDON: French ‌music platform Deezer has launched a free online tool to detect AI-generated tracks in playlists, available ​to users of all major streaming platforms, it said on Thursday. The company is also licensing its AI-detection technology to the wider music industry, building on earlier dea»»»

BAGHDAD: For centuries, Baghdad’s Mutanabbi Street was a zenith for book lovers, boasting titles from all corners of the world, such that it gave birth to the Arab adage: “Cairo writes, Beirut publishes, Baghdad reads.” But on a quiet summer morning in June, traces of that rich history appeared to »»»

Doha Speaker of the Shura Council HE Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim has underscored the importance of strengthening joint Arab action and enhancing coordination among Arab nations to safeguard regional security, protect national resources and preserve development achievements. Addressing the 39th se»»»

Dubai: The strategic development of relations between the UAE and India over the past decade represents an unprecedented diplomatic success story, Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, said. In a post on his X account, Gargash attributed the transformation to the ambi»»»

MOSCOW: British, French and German ambassadors to Russia held talks Thursday in Russia’s foreign ministry, several days after a London summit with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. The UK hosted Zelensky and the leaders of France and Germany earlier this week, supporting Kyiv’s call for direct talks wi»»»

Arab Finance: Egypt has approved a six-month extension of exceptional customs facilitation measures for transit shipments passing through its ports, Minister of Finance Ahmed Kouchouk announced. Per the decision, transit shipments will continue to be cleared through Egyptian ports without requiring»»»

Doha Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani conferred on Thursday with Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management of the Syrian Arab Republic HE Raed Al Saleh on the sidelines of the conclusion of the Joint Tr»»»

New York The State of Qatar reaffirmed its readiness to work closely with the UN Security Council and all international partners to strengthen dialogue and mediation efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace in the Middle East, while continuing to expand its bilateral and international humanitarian »»»

NEW DELHI: Fears of American attacks are growing among thousands of Indian seafarers on duty near the Strait of Hormuz, their union said on Thursday, after three were killed in a US strike off the coast of Oman. Twenty-four Indian crew members were aboard the Palau-flagged MT Settebello, which was »»»

Doha Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani on Thursday attended the conclusion of the joint trilateral exercise in urban search and rescue, with the participation of specialized teams from the State of Qatar, th»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani Thursday attended the conclusion of the joint trilateral exercise in urban search and rescue, with the participation of specialized teams from the State of Qata»»»

Dubai: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Future Technology Development and the Digital Economy, chaired a meeting of the Committee.»»»

CHICAGO: Arab and Muslim American leaders have accused the Customs and Border Protection agency and FIFA World Cup officials of targeting players from the Arab and Muslim worlds. Even before the tournament began, the US began denying entry to prominent players and referees from Arab and Muslim nati»»»

Dubai: Fresh exchanges of fire between the United States and Iran have pushed the conflict into its most dangerous phase yet and raised a question that goes far beyond the latest battlefield developments: Can President Donald Trump bomb Iran into accepting a peace deal? The Trump administration app»»»

The latest Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain are part of a wave of cautious escalation between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, even as Washington and Tehran appear close to agreeing on a final formula to halt the war, at least according to US President Donald Tru»»»

President Donald Trump on Thursday said the U.S. would hit Iran "VERY HARD TONIGHT," threatening in a social media post to "assume total control" of Iran's oil and gas industries, including the key Kharg Island, in the "not too distant future." The post come after the U.S and Iran traded strikes fo»»»

DUBAI: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday reiterated his position related to ongoing negotiations and efforts to end state hostility between Lebanon and Israel. In a meeting with a delegation from the Culture and Freedom Foundation chaired by former justice minister Ibrahim Najjar, Aoun sai»»»

TORONTO: As the FIFA World Cup 2026 gets underway across North America, thousands of Arab football fans are preparing to follow Iraq’s journey on football’s biggest stage. For many, Toronto could become one of the tournament’s most welcoming destinations. Tomorrow, Canada will kick off their campai»»»

Arab Finance: Polaris Parks, a developer of industrial parks in Egypt, has launched Polaris Homes, its residential real estate development arm, with the introduction of its first projects, Özel Villas and Özel Residences, in Sheikh Zayed City, as per an emailed press release. The move marks the com»»»

Dubai: In kitchens, factories and specially designed studios across India, thousands of workers are helping train the next generation of AI-powered robots — machines that could eventually perform many of the same tasks they do today. Using head-mounted cameras, smartphones and motion sensors, worke»»»

RIYADH: Skywatchers, astrophotographers and astronomy enthusiasts are expected to flock to the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve, as the skies above the 91.5 sq. meter site are set to witness a number of astronomical events in June. The vast desert landscape and low light pollution levels of th»»»

A second night of unrest in Northern Ireland has deepened concerns about rising anti-immigrant sentiment after a stabbing in Belfast sparked riots, attacks on homes and clashes with police. Police deployed water cannons against masked protesters who hurled bricks, rocks and bottles at officers, whi»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani conferred on Thursday with Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management of the Syrian Arab Republic HE Raed Al Saleh on the sidelines of the conclusion of the »»»

Equity Market Retreats as Treasury-Bill Demand Highlights Confidence in Egypt’s Macroeconomic Outlook Cairo — Egyptian equities posted their sharpest decline in weeks on Wednesday as widespread selling pressure erased much of the market’s recent gains, even as foreign investors continued to increas»»»

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates has condemned in the strongest terms the renewed hostile missile and drone attacks by Iran that targeted the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply cli»»»

Dubai: What does it take to build a stronger, more inclusive society? For Dubai’s Community Development Authority (CDA), the answer is to invest in people, empower communities, and turn vision into measurable impact. That approach has now earned the authority four prestigious awards from the Dubai »»»

Israel is expected to approve on ‌Thursday the allocation of 1 billion shekels ($337.8 million) to build new settlements and connect them to infrastructure in the occupied West Bank, Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said. The plan is being promoted by Israel's far-right finance minister Beza»»»

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed 12 people on Wednesday, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Lebanese citizens to join Israel's fight against Hezbollah. A border town said two municipal employees detained by Israeli forces were later releas»»»

Azerbaijan’s opposition leader Ali Karimli, a former secretary of state, goes on trial in Baku on Wednesday for an alleged "attempted coup". Karimli spoke to FRANCE 24 from prison, where he slammed the charges against him as "entirely fabricated and politically motivated" and warned that he risked »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Israel plans to allocate over $350 million to establish 61 settlements on the West Bank of the Jordan River, Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported on Thursday, citing a government directive he reviewed. "The Israeli cabinet is expected to approve on Thursday a plan to fund the de»»»

There is a map that used to hang in the offices of Soviet central planners in Moscow, showing the five republics of Central Asia as a single administrative unit — roads pointing inward toward Russia, railways terminating at Russian junctions, pipelines flowing north. The region was designed, quite »»»

According to NASA, there is “unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate”, Statista reports. Data from Copernicus, the European Earth Observation program for the European Space Agency, shows that July 22, 2024, was the world’s hottest daily global average temperature since t»»»

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (C) is walking with Ursula von der Leyen (R), president of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, ahead of their summit in Brussels on Wednesday. Photo by Yonhap SEOUL, June 11 (UPI) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung»»»

Who is going to pay for rebuilding Ukraine after the war is over? Now the EU has raised a €90bn two-year loan to keep the country in the fight against Russia, attention has started to turn to what comes next. The European Commission (EC) has drawn up a draft recovery plan for 2028-2034 but it falls»»»

Doha, Qatar: As wars disrupt vital shipping lanes, sanctions redraw global energy trade flows, cyberattacks target critical infrastructure, and intensifying heatwaves, floods, droughts, and wildfires expose the growing fragility of energy systems worldwide, the foundations of the global energy orde»»»

The Iranian military has been “completely defeated,” US President Donald Trump has claimed, warning Tehran it will “pay the price” for delaying a deal with Washington. The warnings came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced missile and drone strikes on American military fa»»»