The rise of AI chatbots has triggered a technological gold rush unlike anything the internet has seen in decades. Companies are racing to build smarter models, faster assistants, and more human-like conversational systems. Behind that race sits one uncomfortable truth: these systems were built on a»»»

NEW YORK CITY: When Anandita Philipose, the UN Population Fund’s representative in Lebanon, visited a Beirut shelter in the first days of the crisis, she met a woman who was heavily pregnant, days from her due date, displaced, and entirely alone in a system she no longer recognized. “She didn’t kno»»»

PHILADELPHIA, USA: Ghana star Antoine Semenyo says his team needs ‌to “gang around the referee” more often after his side’s potential penalty shot against England on Tuesday went unreviewed. The Black Stars earned a historic 0-0 draw against the Three Lions in Group L. With a win or draw against Cr»»»

Abu Dhabi: Dr. Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, said the country's position on regional developments was reflected "clearly and transparently" during Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan's telephone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, reaffirming the UAE's suppo»»»

DURBAN: Thousands of Malawian migrants queued for processing at a makeshift camp in the South African city of Durban this week while hundreds of Zimbabweans slept on the pavement outside their consulate in Cape Town. All had the same goal: to leave South Africa before nationwide anti-immigrant prot»»»

JEDDAH: Rosie Stancer has completed her 2,000 km crossing with camels through the length of the Kingdom — from the southwest to northwest — in 69 days, entirely on foot. The British polar and endurance explorer chose this route as the setting for her most ambitious expedition to date, leading her a»»»

DUBAI: The flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz should not be interrupted, the UAE foreign minister told his Iranian counterpart on Friday, after a ship using a UN-approved corridor in the waterway came under fire. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed's comments came during a phone call with Iran's F»»»

The Cabinet is calling off all "outrageous public procurements" and a crash barrier contract for some EUR 500 million is among them, Prime Minister Rumen Radev told journalists on Friday, taking an opportunity to attack his predecessors. "We are ending all outrageous public procurements, we are end»»»

Abu Dhabi: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, has discussed with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi regional developments following the agreement and signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran. During a p»»»

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Rumen Radev has drawn political attention after comparing the roles of the Bulgarian Patriarch and Russia’s Patriarch Kirill, in remarks that sparked a broader debate about religion, sanctions, and foreign policy. The comments were made following earlier statements from Ra»»»

As Keir Starmer prepares to leave the UK’s highest office after less than two years, the media has lined up to explain why he failed to deliver on the enormous hype he received as opposition leader, and during his initial months in office. A repeated trope has been that Starmer was a “decent man,” »»»

There will be a full inspection of the guardrails on the section of Trakia Motorway where the severe crash occurred a few days ago, Prime Minister Rumen Radev told journalists on Friday. He specified that the inspection would focus on guardrails manufactured in 2024 during the large-scale replaceme»»»

Bulgaria should become a party to the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents, also known as the Tromso Convention, in order to broaden transparency, Access to Information Programme (AIP) Executive Director Alexander Kashumov said on Friday while presenting the organization's a»»»

Rainbow flags are expected to flutter across Seattle's stadium on Friday when Iran meets Egypt in the World Cup Group G match as the city marks its annual Pride parade. The two countries last year asked for Pride-themed celebrations to be cancelled, a request FIFA denied. Players and officials of b»»»

Prime Minister Rumen Radev told reporters on Friday in response to a question about criticism of the 2026 draft budget, which was published by the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday that the government had consulted leading economists who say there’s no way the deficit could drop sharply from 7.5% to»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Djuro Macut met with the Rabbi of the Jewish community in Serbia Isak Asiel on Friday to discuss the position of the Jewish community in Serbia, as well as the importance of cherishing inter-religious dialogue and a culture of remembrance. "Macut and Asiel pointed out the impo»»»

Prime Minister Rumen Radev said Friday after a meeting with Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil that what matters to him is that the religion of all Orthodox Christians be respected. "I made it clear that I am not interested in Patriarch Kirill as a person. What matters to me is th»»»

Abu Dhabi: Abdulaziz Mohammed Al Mulla, Director General of the Federal Tax Authority (FTA), has reaffirmed the Authority's commitment to increasing reliance on Emirati talent within the tax system. He said the FTA is implementing an integrated strategy to expand the pool of qualified national tax »»»

SEATTLE: Before coach Amir Ghalenoei or goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand answered any questions Thursday ahead of Iran’s World Cup match with Egypt, a FIFA official spoke up. Daniel Marin, FIFA’s executive director of public relations, read a statement in light of the teams meeting in a “Pride Match” »»»

SEATTLE: Before coach Amir Ghalenoei or goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand answered any questions Thursday ahead of Iran’s World Cup match with Egypt, a FIFA official spoke up.Daniel Marin, FIFA’s executive director of public relations, read a statement in light of the teams meeting in a “Pride Match” i»»»

The meeting between Prime Minister Rumen Radev and the Holy Synod on Friday will be his first such meeting and can be described as a protocol meeting, Bulgarian Patriarch and Metropolitan of Sofia Daniil told journalists on his way to the Synodal Palace. On Friday, the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian O»»»

Geneva: Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar in Geneva H E Dr. Hind Abdulrahman Al Muftah, participated in the Fifth States’ Consultation on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and Peace, held yesterday at the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva.»»»

Manama, Bahrain: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani yesterday participated in Manama in the joint ministerial meeting of Their Highnesses and Excellencies GCC foreign ministers, with the participation of Secretary of State of the U»»»

Dubai: The UAE will begin preparatory talks to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, marking a fresh step in its push to widen market access and deepen trade links with economies across Asia-Pacific and the Americas. Sign up for our daily business newslette»»»

A devastating road accident near Mezdra claimed the lives of two teenagers just one day after another series of fatal crashes in Bulgaria left two children and a father dead. The tragedy unfolded on the road between Mezdra and the village of Bodenets when a moped carrying a 17-year-old boy and his »»»

Dubai: Apple has raised MacBook prices in the UAE, with some models now costing hundreds of dirhams more than they did in March, as verified by Gulf News on Apple’s UAE website on June 26. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The biggest increase is on the 14-inch MacBook P»»»

Dubai: Dubai gold prices fell again on Friday morning, giving jewellery buyers a lower entry point after a volatile month that saw rates swing from record highs to their lowest levels in weeks. (Check latest UAE gold prices here, alongside prices in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and I»»»

Prime Minister Péter Magyar on Thursday called on the Chief Prosecutor to purge his office of members of the "Hungarian Cosa Nostra," saying that if he is unwilling or unable to do so, he should resign. At the government spokesperson's briefing, the Prime Minister also reported on the public consul»»»

MIAMI: The reach of the Supreme Court's decision allowing President Donald Trump's administration to end temporary legal protections for Haitian and Syrian immigrants may extend to many other countries. Thursday´s decision directly applies to about 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, but may be a s»»»

QNA Baku Qatar’s Shura Council and Azerbaijan’s Parliament held official talks in Baku on Thursday, focusing on ways to deepen bilateral relations and enhance parliamentary cooperation between the two countries. The talks were co-chaired by Shura Council Speaker HE Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim and»»»

Pro-Kremlin social media users are blaming Ukraine for a strike that led to a fire at the Dormition Cathedral in Kyiv, a UNESCO World Heritage site. However, the images they say constitute “proof” were actually AI-generated.  The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, an Orthodox monastic complex listed as a Un»»»

SEBASTIA, West Bank: An Israeli bill that would extend civil control over ancient sites in the West Bank has drawn criticism from Palestinians and Israeli rights groups who say it is tantamount to annexation of occupied land and would expand Jewish settlements. The “Heritage Authority in Judea and »»»

KYIV: Multiple explosions were heard as an air alert wailed in Kyiv, AFP journalists reported Thursday, minutes after authorities warned about Russian ballistic missiles heading toward the Ukrainian capital. The journalists also saw smoke traces in the skies above Kyiv. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko »»»

Israel said Thursday that it had set no timetable for withdrawing its forces from Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, as Israeli and Lebanese officials engaged in U.S.-brokered talks in Washington. The Israeli military has launched widespread airstrikes in Lebanon and sent troops into the country's south afte»»»

Baku: Qatar's Shura Council and Azerbaijan's Parliament held official talks in Baku on Thursday, focusing on ways to deepen bilateral relations and enhance parliamentary cooperation between the two countries. The talks were co-chaired by Shura Council Speaker HE Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim and Sp»»»

A landmark conference on Ukraine's post-war reconstruction opened on Thursday in Poland without President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is snubbing the event over a diplomatic row with ally Warsaw and weeks of squabbling over historical differences. Kyiv sent Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko instead »»»

There is a report by the State Agency for National Security (SANS) on the Varna illegal construction case and Ukrainian businessman Oleg Nevzorov, whose company, KYB, is linked to the project. The report has been submitted to the National Assembly's registry, said Rumen Milanov, chair of the Commit»»»

Dubai: Lebanon has cancelled this year's official secondary school examinations, known as the baccalaureate, because of the country's deteriorating security situation, Education Minister Rima Karami said on Thursday. Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, Karami said all students registered for the nati»»»

Police officers patrol a street after an attack on a public hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 2024. Armed individuals belonging to the Vivre Ensemble coalition attacked Port-au-Prince's General Hospital, killing at least two journalists and a policeman. File Photo by Johnson Sabin/EPA June 25 (»»»

A leaked prosecution document has reportedly placed former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán among the central figures whose potential criminal responsibility should be investigated in connection with the so-called “gold convoy” incident, one of the country’s most controversial law enforcement »»»

Head of Yemen’s Ansarullah Movement Sayyed Abdul Malik Badredddine Al-Houthi, renewed his emphasis on the rejection of the continuation of aggression, siege, and occupation against Yemen, stressing that the movement will continue within the framework of the just position, the just cause, and the ex»»»

Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc on Thursday called on the Lebanese authorities to seize what it described as a historic opportunity created by Iran’s support for Lebanon, while reiterating its opposition to direct negotiations with the Israeli enemy and urging the government to reject an»»»

The Ministry of Education has launched Project Nova, an AI-driven transformation programme aimed at improving decision-making, modernising education services, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing administrative workloads. According to information released by the ministry, Nova is designed »»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has announced plans to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office through a constitutional amendment, which will be the biggest political movement since the change of government. PM Magyar will remove Sulyok whatever it takes Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Ma»»»

Oman's Coast Guard has rescued four crew members after a wooden merchant vessel began sinking off the coast of Muttrah in Muscat Governorate, the Royal Oman Police said on Thursday. The Coast Guard Command responded swiftly after receiving a report that the vessel was taking on water while sailing »»»

Saudi Arabia has launched an electronic travel authorisation service for British citizens, allowing them to enter the kingdom multiple times and stay for up to 180 days in a year, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. The ministry said the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) service reflec»»»

A series of tankers made their way out of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday despite threats to shipping from Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, using a new route close to Oman's shore that has been promoted by a U.N. maritime agency. The development comes as Iran and the United States are incr»»»

Dubai: The UAE is strengthening market price monitoring at retail outlets as part of wider efforts to protect consumers, maintain market stability and bring commodity prices back to normal levels. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Economic Integration Committee revie»»»

Manama: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani participated on Thursday in Manama in the joint ministerial meeting of Their Highnesses and Excellencies GCC foreign ministers, with the participation of Secretary of State of the United St»»»

Three years after one of the worst natural disasters in modern Turkish history, Hatay is once again inviting the world to its table. Daily News Hungary was among a group of international journalists, content creators and experts invited to attend the second edition of Sofra ve Miras (“Table and Her»»»