Dubai: Domestic spending and government investment helped anchor business confidence in the UAE in June, even as the non-oil private sector recorded its weakest expansion in more than five years. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The seasonally adjusted S&P Global UAE Pu»»»

Toronto, Canada: Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic and Portugal's Roberto Martinez paid tribute on Thursday to Luka Modric, who almost certainly played his last World Cup match. After a gut-wrenching 2-1 loss to Portugal in Toronto, Croatia midfielder Modric, 40, shared a long exchange with 41-year-old Cr»»»

Toronto, Canada: Cristiano Ronaldo said it was a "coincidence of life" that Portugal's World Cup last-16 win against Croatia on Thursday came almost a year since the death of his late teammate Diogo Jota. Ronaldo and his teammates posed with Jota's number 21 jersey after their gripping 2-1 win agai»»»

ZTO Express, China’s largest logistics company, is in discussions with Airports of Kyrgyzstan OJSC to launch a new international cargo route. The project will enable cargo to be delivered from China via Manas Airport to European countries, reducing transit times between Asia and Europe. According t»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has expanded the activities of the state-owned enterprise Kara-Balta Distillery, allowing it to produce not only alcohol but also non-alcoholic beverages. According to amendments to the company’s charter, the enterprise will be permitted to manufacture, proces»»»

Los Angeles, United States: Portugal battled into the last 16 of the World Cup with a drama-filled 2-1 victory over Croatia on Thursday to set up a titanic showdown with European champions Spain. In another nerve-shredding World Cup classic, Goncalo Ramos headed Portugal into the lead in the fourth»»»

Construction of a modern Cultural Center on the site of the burned-down Chatyr-Kul cinema continues in Bishkek, the City Hall announced. According to the municipality, the reinforced concrete frame of the building’s basement has been completed, and construction workers have begun installing the fir»»»

VANCOUVER: Switzerland moved into the last 16 of the World Cup with a controlled 2-0 win against Algeria on Thursday. The Swiss will face the winners of Friday’s tie between Colombia and Ghana. The effervescent Johan Manzambi created the first goal in Vancouver, surging down the left wing before cr»»»

Dubai: XRG has completed the acquisition of an additional stake in Trains 4 and 5 of Rio Grande LNG in Texas, giving the Abu Dhabi-based company exposure across all five trains currently under construction at one of the world’s largest LNG export projects. Sign up for our daily business newsletter,»»»

July 3 (UPI) -- A man, identified by Tibetan exile media as a Tibetan activist, died Thursday evening after setting himself on fire outside the United Nations' headquarters in Manhattan, authorities said. Video of the incident posted online shows the man dressed in robes and holding a Tibetan flag,»»»

Despite severe fuel shortages across Russia, President Vladimir Putin appears unbothered by Ukraine’s increasing attacks on his country’s oil refineries. He has shrugged off the setback for one of the world’s leading oil producing nations as “not critical,” dismissed ceasefire proposals and insiste»»»

Manila: Typhoon Bavi strengthened over the Philippine Sea as forecasters warned the storm could rapidly intensify while tracking toward the Mariana Islands, including the US territory of Guam. Packing sustained winds of up to 200 km (124 miles) per hour, Bavi has reached the equivalent of a Categor»»»

President Sadyr Japarov signed a decree establishing a unified procedure for interaction between government agencies in the area of foreign policy. The ministry will also coordinate the interaction of all government agencies and local governments with foreign states, international organizations, an»»»

El Nino will quickly develop into a strong event between July and September, fuelling the likelihood of extreme weather, the United Nations' weather and climate agency warned Friday. The World Meteorological Organization said El Nino had already set in, and would quickly gain strength, as it warned»»»

The US Department of Homeland Security has slammed Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, for pardoning an illegal migrant convicted of sexually assaulting a ten-year-old girl. The DHS described the Minnesota Board of Pardons’ decision as “madness,” noting in a press release on Wednesday that the »»»

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has rejected US President Donald Trump’s demand for loyalty from other NATO members, insisting that no member state should impose its will on the others. Pistorius made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with Der Spiegel, which was published on Thursday»»»

US President Donald Trump claimed that Iran had agreed on almost everything the United States wanted during the negotiations. "We totally defeated them militarily. They have some missiles left. We could wipe them out too. I think they’ve agreed to just about everything we need," Trump said in an in»»»

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi told Sputnik that he will soon visit Kaliningrad for talks with Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom and Russian authorities regarding the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. "Very soon, very soon, I will be in Kaliningrad fo»»»

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) believes enriched uranium stockpiles are still located at Iran's nuclear facilities, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told Sputnik. "So, the general impression is that the material is still there. Of course, from our point of view, in order to affirm»»»

Poland will receive €180 million from the EU Modernisation Fund as part of a wider €2.5 billion disbursement for energy transformation projects across 11 member states. The funds are designed to support modernization of energy systems, energy-efficiency improvements and zero-emission transport in l»»»

Poland ranked first among OECD countries for labor-productivity growth, according to Bankier.pl’s report on the latest OECD productivity indicators. The data show Poland’s output per hour worked rising sharply over the long term, reflecting the country’s successful catch-up with richer Western econ»»»

Biedronka has opened its 18th distribution center in Poland, this time in Sokołów Małopolski, strengthening the retailer’s logistics network in the south-east of the country. The facility is expected to create around 500 jobs and serve up to 200 stores in the region. According to the company, as ma»»»

The Accounts Chamber of the Kyrgyz Republic reported the discovery of financial violations and deficiencies amounting to almost one billion soms at Kyrgyzneftegaz OJSC following its 2025 audit. It was reported that the results of the audit of one of the country’s largest strategic enterprises were »»»

The Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek explained the reasons for imposing probation supervision instead of prison sentences on defendants in the criminal case related to the so-called «Letter of 75.» According to the court, Kamchybek Tashiev, Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu, and Kurmankul Zulushev, as »»»

Eight footballers have left Kyrgyzaltyn team after criticism from the head coach, the official Telegram account of Kyrgyz Football reports. Following a heavy 0–7 defeat to Bars, the head coach Khakim Fuzailov stated that «8-10 players do not meet the level required for the Top League» and said the »»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed a law amending the Law «On the State Civil Service and Municipal Service.» Furthermore, heads of state bodies and local governments are required to adhere to employment quotas for individuals with disabilities. Appointments to vacant positions should be »»»

Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok held talks with members of the Venice Commission in Budapest on Thursday, after turning to the Council of Europe’s constitutional advisory body over what his office described as a constitutional conflict between Hungarian public law institutions following the electi»»»

TEHRAN: The body of Iran’s supreme leader who was killed in US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war arrived at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Friday ahead of his funeral, state media reported.Millions of people and a coterie of foreign dignitaries were expected to attend Saturday’s officia»»»

NEW YORK CITY: A man died after setting himself on fire outside the UN’s headquarters in New York on Thursday, police said, with activists and reports identifying him as a pro-Tibet campaigner. The New York Police Department told AFP that “at 1832 (2232 GMT) NYPD received a call... a male set himse»»»

WASHINGTON: Seven protesters who blocked traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge in a 2024 pro-Palestinian protest against Israel’s war in Gaza were convicted of misdemeanor charges by a San Francisco jury that remained deadlocked on the more serious charge of felony conspiracy. The jury convicted each o»»»

CARACAS: The death toll from Venezuela's twin earthquakes has risen to 2,595, Interim President Delcy Rodriguez said on Thursday, as rescue efforts increasingly shifted from finding survivors to recovering bodies from the rubble. Rodriguez told a press conference there were no plans for mass graves»»»

CATIA LA MAR: Venezuela’s US-backed acting President Delcy Rodríguez on Thursday issued a fiery defense of her government’s response to last week’s devastating earthquakes, lashing out at critics who say authorities reacted too slowly, pushing back on suggestions that the true death toll is far hig»»»

Dubai: It's another busy start to the day on Dubai's roads, with rush-hour traffic building on key routes from Sharjah into the emirate. While congestion is lighter than usual on some stretches, bottlenecks and reported accidents are slowing traffic on several major highways, according to Google Ma»»»

At 65, she feels younger than she did at 45. Dubai-based Anuradha Chatterjee feels that she is living her second life. "I've been a homemaker my whole life, looking after my husband and children, sending them off to college. My husband died a few years ago, and I was all alone at home. I was just l»»»

Tehran, Iran: A powerful general who leads Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps emerged from hiding Friday as Tehran prepared for days of funeral ceremonies for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Photos published by Iranian state media showed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi attending a meet»»»

François Picard is pleased to welcome Dr. Gershon Baskin, Middle East Director of the International Communities Organisation and former hostage negotiator. One thousand days after the outbreak of the Gaza war, Gershon Baskin shares a stark assessment of Israel's political and strategic trajectory. »»»

JEDDAH: The first edition of Saudi Water Week concluded in Jeddah on Thursday after five days of discussions that brought together more than 2,500 participants from over 80 countries and laid out a roadmap toward the 11th World Water Forum, which Saudi Arabia will host in Riyadh in 2027. The June 2»»»

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that at 125 people aboard a cruise ship reported symptoms during a norovirus outbreak. File Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA-EFE July 2 (UPI) -- More than 120 people aboard a ship operated by Princess Cruises reported symptoms of noroviru»»»

Dubai: Every month, countless expatriates across the UAE do the same thing before thinking about themselves, they send money home. For many, being the family's breadwinner is more than a financial responsibility. It's the reason they leave parents, siblings, or children behind. It's why they take o»»»

India’s passport has slipped to 80th place in the latest Henley Passport Index for July, despite offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 56 destinations. The ranking is down from 78th in May, although India had climbed to 75th globally in the Henley Passport Index 2026 released in February »»»

The final proposal for the 17th amendment to the Basic Law will be submitted to the National Assembly shortly — this week or at the latest at the beginning of next week — Péter Magyar announced at the government spokesperson's briefing on Thursday. The Prime Minister said the government had discuss»»»

The Pervomaisky District Court of Bishkek delivered its verdict in the criminal case related to the so-called «Letter of 75.» The verdict was announced publicly, although the trial itself was held behind closed doors. Presiding Judge Aziret Mederov read out the court’s decision. According to a corr»»»

Europe is enduring its most intense early summer heatwave on record, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in several countries and breaking local June records across southern and western Europe. But climate scientists warn that the continent's current ordeal could merely be a precursor to an even more »»»

The heatwave that seared much of Europe in late June is officially the most severe ever recorded in the region, according to a rapid-attribution study published on June 26. Worst of all, scientists warn: “Get used to it. This is going to be normal from now on.” Climate research released this week s»»»

Heat-related mortality in Europe has surged over the last couple of decades. This is according to the latest available data published by the Lancet Countdown 2025 Report, Statista reports. Between 2012 and 2021, 5.5 people per 100,000 population died of heat-related causes per year on the continent»»»

Region seen outpacing eurozone, but geopolitical risks and industrial weakness cloud outlook. The economies of Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe are expected to remain resilient despite elevated energy prices and a difficult global backdrop, although structural weaknesses and geopolitical risks»»»

Hungary's electricity consumption hit a new summer record on June 30 as temperatures climbed to 42°C under a heat dome that pushed large parts of the country above 40°C, state news agency MTI writes. Grid operator Mavir said evening demand reached 7,488 MW, surpassing the previous summer recor»»»

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurred at a depth of approximately 121 km, with epicentre 58 km west of Tobelo in North Maluku, Indonesia. Preliminary reports varied slightly in magnitude from 6.0 to 6.3 and depth from 109 to 127 km, sourced from agencies like USGS and GFZ. The event prompted widespre»»»

Africa's growing reliance on domestic borrowing is reducing exposure to exchange-rate shocks but shifting financial risks onto domestic banking systems, Bank of Ghana Governor Johnson Pandit Asiama has warned. The shift towards domestic debt has accelerated across sub-Saharan Africa since global in»»»

China has taken another step towards expanding the international use of the yuan in Africa by appointing Standard Bank Group (JSE: SBK) and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (SSE: 601398; HKEX: 1398) to operate the continent's first continent-wide renminbi clearing arrangement, reducing Afric»»»