Iran and U.S. negotiators will meet with intermediaries Wednesday to discuss the cease-fire agreement. Photo by Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA July 1 (UPI) -- Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and their Iranian counterparts are planning to meet with Qatari negotiators Wednesday for ongoing peace talk»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia retained the top global ranking in the 2026 Information and Communication Technology Development Index with a score of 99.8 out of 100, driven by continued investment in digital infrastructure and connectivity. The Kingdom ranked first globally for the second consecutive year i»»»

Dubai: Armenia has extended its temporary visa waiver programme for UAE residents and citizens of several Gulf countries until July 1, 2027, state news agency Armenpress reported. Armenia implemented a full visa-free entry regime specifically tailored to citizens and residents of the GCC region las»»»

DUBAI: A man charged with the attempted murder of five people after a car struck pedestrians in west London is due to appear at the Central Criminal Court later this month. Ahmed Timir, 34, of Grange Park, Ealing, appeared at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on June 29 charged with five counts of attem»»»

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Galab Donev said at a briefing on Wednesday that the Government has approved a draft State Budget, and that he expects "serious, responsible, and meaningful work and debate on it in the National Assembly.” Later in the day, the Council of Ministers' pre»»»

London: Serena Williams could be forced to pull out of the Wimbledon doubles event after the American legend suffered a knee injury in her first round singles defeat. Williams, playing her first singles match in four years, was beaten by Australia's Maya Joint in a three-set epic on Centre Court la»»»

Ajman has been ranked the world's safest city for residents' sense of security, while Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah secured second, third and fourth places respectively, according to the Numbeo Mid-Year 2026 report, highlighting the UAE's strong performance in global safety rankings. Dubai »»»

The European Union rolled out two measures to protect its steel industry and limit e-commerce small parcels on Wednesday as the 27-nation bloc grapples with its staggering trade imbalance with China. "Today's change is about restoring fairness for European businesses and better protecting our consu»»»

Doha, Qatar: Invest Qatar, the Investment Promotion Agency of Qatar, released its 2025 Annual Report today, marking a remarkable year for foreign direct investment (FDI) and reaffirming Qatar’s position as a leading destination for high value, impact-driven global investment. In 2025, Qatar attract»»»

A record 25.2 million young American adults (about 33%) under 35 have returned to the family nest as the cost of living has become prohibitive. There is a stereotype of Americans living at home with their parents as freeloaders, living in the basement and spending their ample free time playing vide»»»

Police raided offices connected to France’s largest opposition party on Tuesday, National Rally (RN) leader and presidential hopeful Jordan Bardella has said, claiming the searches were politically timed as the country moves closer to election season. The Euroskeptic and anti-immigration politician»»»

The Hague: The executive body of the International Criminal Court Wednesday voiced concern over the recent withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, saying it undermined the global pursuit of justice. The military-led West Africa states announced in September they were pulling out of the ICC, wh»»»

DUBAI: As Adidas unveiled the redesigned Golden Boot trophy for the FIFA World Cup 2026, another prize has emerged in one of the tournament’s most intriguing storylines. French striker Just Fontaine’s record of 13 goals in a single World Cup has stood since Sweden 1958. But with the expanded 48-tea»»»

THE HAGUE: The executive body of the International Criminal Court Wednesday voiced concern over the recent withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, saying it undermined the global pursuit of justice. The military-led West Africa states announced in September they were pulling out of the ICC, wh»»»

Parliament rejected a bill obliging the Council of Ministers to take action to terminate the ten-year cooperation agreement between Bulgaria and Ukraine, concluded on March 30, 2026, in Kyiv, signed by the then Bulgarian caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov. Ten MPs voted in favour of the bill, 16»»»

Foreign citizens and stateless persons who have violated Kyrgyzstan’s migration legislation will be allowed to voluntarily leave the country without fines from July 1 to July 31, the Ministry of Labor reported. Related news Illegal migrants given one month to voluntarily leave Kyrgyzstan The measur»»»

Paris, France: France on Wednesday launched new paid leave for both mothers and fathers, as President Emmanuel Macron seeks to boost the country's sluggish birth rate. In 2024, Macron unveiled a plan to combat infertility and the declining birth rate, saying it would help pave the way towards what »»»

The US Supreme Court on June 30 rejected President Donald Trump's bid to restrict birthright citizenship in a blow to one of his signature anti-immigration initiatives. This comes after Trump had signed an executive order on the first day of his presidency decreeing those born to parents in the US »»»

Broad market recovery coincides with renewed foreign appetite for Egyptian debt and diversified sovereign funding strategy Cairo — Egyptian equities staged a broad recovery on Tuesday, 30 June, as buying returned across the market after recent losses, with gains in both blue-chip and small-cap stoc»»»

France's National Rally was on Tuesday targeted as part of Europe-wide raids following suspicions of the misappropriation of European funds by the now-defunct Identity and Democracy (ID) group of MEPs, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said, onfirming a report in French daily»»»

President Xi Jinping on Wednesday stressed the importance of a "strong military" and swore to "uphold the party's absolute leadership" of the armed forces in a speech marking the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party. Fighting corruption was also a priority, Xi said, after a recent anti-»»»

Syrian authorities announced the names of 70 lawmakers on Wednesday ​appointed to a transitional parliament by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, paving the way to convene the body next week more than eight months after the process of forming it began. The 210-member chamber, two-thirds of which was chosen»»»

Syrian authorities announced the names of 70 lawmakers on Wednesday ​appointed to a transitional parliament by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, paving the way to convene the body next week more than eight months after the process of forming it began. The 210-member chamber, two-thirds of which was chosen»»»

France will hold the first round of its next presidential election on April 18, 2027, with a run-off set for May 2, an executive source said on Tuesday. The vote is widely seen as a pivotal test for Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally as President Emmanuel Macron prepares to leave office after»»»

The era of “fly and flop” holidays is fading, replaced by the “skilliday” as almost half of Europeans (48%) want to learn a new skill while travelling, according to a Mastercard survey of over 27,000 travellers across 28 European countries. More than a third (37%) have already booked a holiday this»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday he had discussed the future of the EU and Serbia's European path with the leaders of the EU and chief EU member states at a recent summit in Tivat, Montenegro. Vucic said this in response to an Informer TV request to comment on a repor»»»

The Council of Ministers has approved the draft state budget for 2026, with Finance Minister Galab Donev saying the proposal now moves to the National Assembly for detailed debate and amendments, where he expects “serious, responsible and meaningful work” on its final shape. Presenting the main par»»»

Bulgaria is launching a new phase in the management of its tourism sector, with the government and industry representatives beginning joint work on long-standing problems through a new reform framework. Speaking ahead of the inaugural meeting of the Council for Tourism Reforms at the Council of Min»»»

Steadily but surely, almost imperceptibly, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has in the past two years broken from his accommodation with Vladimir Putin. At least that’s the contention of a good many Turkey analysts as the country’s president prepares to host the July 7-8 Nato leaders’ summit that should at lon»»»

Steadily but surely, almost imperceptibly, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has in the past two years broken from his accommodation with Vladimir Putin. At least that’s the contention of a good many Turkey analysts as the country’s president prepares to host the July 7-8 Nato leaders’ summit that should at lon»»»

Tourists from Chattanooga check into beach resorts in Cancun. Canadian auto parts feed factories in the American Midwest – and vice versa. Happy Hour revelers raise glasses of Mexican tequila and mezcal at bars in Seattle. It adds up. The United States trades $1.9 trillion a year -- $5 billion a da»»»

Anthropic said on Tuesday it would restore global access to its most advanced AI models after the US government lifted export restrictions imposed earlier this month over national security concerns. The decision marks a reversal after the company worked with Washington to strengthen safeguards arou»»»

PARIS: France on Wednesday launched new paid leave for both mothers and fathers, as President Emmanuel Macron seeks to boost the country’s sluggish birth rate. In 2024, Macron unveiled a plan to combat infertility and the declining birth rate, saying it would help pave the way toward what he descri»»»

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon takes the oath of office during his inauguration ceremony at Seoul City Hall on Wednesday. Pool Photo by Yonhap Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon promised Wednesday to provide more opportunities for the younger generation, who are facing severe economic threats, including drastic change»»»

Over the five years leading up to 2025, Russia climbed to second place globally in household asset growth, according to the 2026 UBS Global Wealth Report. Wealth, as defined in the report, is the total value of financial and real assets minus all outstanding liabilities, with all figures adjusted f»»»

HEADLINES The leading topics across Bulgarian media on Wednesday are the government’s efforts to stabilize Lukoil Neftochim Burgas, the debate over road safety and guardrail contracts after recent fatal crashes, and criticism of the draft 2026 State Budget. Bulgarian National Television (BNT) and T»»»

The redevelopment of a public golf course, extensions to the White House and dreams of a triumphal arch: Donald Trump seems to have a growing spate of building projects on the boil in Washington. So what’s driving the president to remake the US capital in his image? For US President Donald Trump, g»»»

THESSALONIKI: Three pre-dawn firebomb attacks apparently targeting the residences of members of Greece’s governing conservative New Democracy party have left five people hospitalized, authorities said Wednesday. The attacks between 4 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. outside apartment buildings in the northern Gr»»»

Romania’s National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) has drafted an order amending the regulation on electricity supply to final customers, introducing several new requirements for suppliers, including a consumption alert that must be sent to customers when they reach a predefined threshold of up »»»

Hanoi, Vietnam: One year after lifting its long-standing two-child limit, Vietnam is offering incentives for people to have more babies as the communist country risks getting old before it gets rich. A new population law and regulations coming into effect Wednesday extend maternity leave from six t»»»

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that the first-ever GOP midterm convention will be held in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 9-10. File Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo July 1 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump has announced that the Republican Party will hold a midterm convention, an unpre»»»

János Hajdu, once the personal bodyguard of former prime minister Viktor Orbán and later head of Hungary’s Counter Terrorism Centre (TEK), is said by witnesses to have remained in constant contact with Orbán during the operation against a Ukrainian “gold convoy”. Hajdu stands accused of unlawfully »»»

Egypt’s parliamentary Economic Affairs Committee has called on the National Investment Bank (NIB) to submit a comprehensive development strategy—or a timetable for completing one—as lawmakers seek greater clarity over the institution’s future role in managing state-owned assets under the country’s »»»

The European Union’s obligation to ban trade with Israel’s illegal settlements is not in question, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. The watchdog’s Associate Director and EU Advocacy Claudio Francavilla stressed that the ban is an obligation “to comply with international law,” rather than an opti»»»

At a meeting held on Tuesday with representatives of Litasco, a critically important agreement for the future of the Burgas oil refinery was reached, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said at the start of the regular government meeting. Radev recalled that at the end of last year, Litasco imposed restrict»»»

MADRID: The 2026-27 La Liga season kicks off on Aug. 16 with the opening weekend having champions Barcelona taking on Athletic Club at Camp Nou, Real Madrid hosting Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu and Atletico Madrid welcoming Malaga to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. The Spanish top tier — of»»»

GlobalizationUnited States of AmericaHow the US shaped the world: 250 years of power and policiesPeter Hille | Gianna-Carina GrünThe United States declared its independence from Britain 250 years ago. Here's how the US's relations with other nations — and its global image — have changed since. http»»»

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio appear to be staking out differing approaches to carrying out President Donald Trump's national security agenda as the possible 2028 presidential rivals jostle for position in a divided Republican Party. With vastly different backgrounds an»»»

ORSAY, France: Ice. Urgently and in large quantities. At a Paris-region hospital, emergency medics needed it to plunge patients into cold-water baths to speedily bring down their temperatures so they wouldn’t join the growing tally of dead from a record-smashing heat wave. But lacking an ice-making»»»

Voters in Colorado headed to the polls on Tuesday to cast ballots in the state's primary elections. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 1 (UPI) -- Progressives had a big night in Colorado's primaries Tuesday, led by lawyer Melat Kiros, who was poised to unseat 15-term incumbent Rep. »»»