Doha, Qatar: The final round of Group G fixtures sees Iran face Egypt in a match with major implications for qualification to the Round of 32. With Egypt already through, attention turns to whether Iran can secure a place in the knockout stage. The crucial match will be played on Saturday (6am, Qat»»»

YANGON: Thick clouds of black smoke billowed into the sky on the outskirts of Myanmar’s largest city Friday as authorities burned more than 50 tons of heroin, opium, ketamine, methamphetamine, marijuana and crystal meth — some $600 million of confiscated illegal drugs destroyed nationwide. Myanmar,»»»

VIENNA: Drug use around the world is rising, including a worrying increase of new potent and dangerous synthetic drugs, a UN watchdog warned on Friday. An estimated 331 million people used a drug in 2024, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC) said in its 2026 World Drug Report. This i»»»

The hybrid films developed by a research team at St. Petersburg Polytechnic University can become a much more effective version of the existing adhesive patches. How it works:The films are a combination of polyvinyl alcohol and HKUST-1 copper-based metal-organic frameworksThe materials exhibit cons»»»

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw tests of new weapons to bolster firepower along the inter-Korean border, state-run media reported Friday. In this May 2024 photo, Kim views a 240mm multiple rocket launcher system. File Photo by KCNA/EPA-EFE SEOUL, June 26 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jon»»»

The first meeting of members of the Kyrgyz Marketing Association, established by representatives of the industry, was held in Bishkek. The organization will unite the country’s marketing specialists. The association’s mission is to develop globally relevant local marketing specialists. To achieve t»»»

It is proposed to tighten penalties for delayed payment of wages, pensions, allowances, stipends, and other social benefits in Kyrgyzstan. The law was signed by President Sadyr Japarov. The amendments are being made to documents regulating labor relations, social security, the pension system, and e»»»

Abdumalik Bekzat, a descendant of Alymbek Datka, has been granted citizenship of Kyrgyzstan. Taalaybek Sarybashov, a member of the Zhogorku Kenesh, reported. According to him, the country’s president provided direct support to Abdumalik Bekzat in obtaining Kyrgyzstan’s citizenship. «At one time, du»»»

Egypt and the European Union (EU) signed last Sunday a memo of understanding to improve efficiency in water and agricultural sectors. The memo aims at offering EU’s technical and financial assistance to improve water resources management mechanism in Egypt. Water Resources Minister Hossam Moghazi, »»»

Has Trump whispering run its course? Ask the departing Keir Starmer who famously brought that letter of invitation from the king to the Oval Office or Hungary’s ousted leader Viktor Orban. And how about the very public breakup with the only European leader invited to Donald Trump’s second»»»

Bulgaria's Constitutional Court has struck down Parliament's decision that required the Council of Ministers to submit legislation for the country's accession to the Charter of the Board of Peace, a new international initiative launched by the United States. The ruling was issued under constitution»»»

A protester from Chicago shows his point of view with his sign in front of the entrance to Alligator Alcatraz located at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport is seen on August 6, 2025, in Ochopee, Florida. On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the facility's closure. File Photo By Ga»»»

Former finance minister and current “We Continue the Change” (PP) leader Asen Vassilev sharply criticized Bulgaria’s draft Budget 2026, calling it fundamentally misleading, legally questionable, and economically harmful. He argued that the fiscal plan contradicts the Public Finance Act and is based»»»

President Sadyr Japarov signed a decree on a one-time legalization campaign for foreign citizens and stateless persons staying in Kyrgyzstan in violation of migration laws. According to the document, from July 1 to July 31, 2026, such foreigners will be able to voluntarily leave Kyrgyzstan without »»»

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: Lebanese comedian John Achkar is still slightly stunned by what his latest milestone represents for stand-up in the Arab world. His hour-long Arabic stand-up special, “Aam Jarrib” — or “Tryin’” — which began streaming on MBC Shahid on May 27, is, according to a press release, the first full-»»»

BOURG-SAINT-PIERRE: At the Great St. Bernard Pass high in the Swiss Alps, the eponymous dogs still walk the same mountain paths their ancestors patrolled for hundreds of years to find travelers buried beneath the snow. Down in the valley, a living museum honoring the Swiss national dog’s history — »»»

Indian expatriates in the UAE are set to face a series of important changes affecting travel, documentation and consular services in the coming weeks. From higher passport fees to a new service delivery system and additional pre-boarding requirements for travel to India, the updates will impact rou»»»

SANTA CLARA: Australia qualified for the World Cup knockout rounds on Thursday after battling to a 0-0 draw with Paraguay in Santa Clara to claim second place in Group D. The Socceroos, who defeated Turkiye in their opening match before losing to the United States, were never seriously threatened o»»»

KANSAS: Herve Renard said Thursday he had no regrets about taking on the job as Tunisia’s emergency coach at the World Cup despite the North African nation’s catastrophic campaign. Tunisia were beaten 3-1 by the Netherlands in Kansas City on Thursday, following a 5-1 defeat against Sweden and a 4-0»»»

TOKYO: A “very strong” verification system is needed in Iran following the Middle East conflict to ensure that the country does not develop nuclear weapons, the UN atomic watchdog chief said Friday. “I think the objective of this (recent US-Iran) agreement is to ensure that there is no development »»»

LONDON: Serena Williams will find out who she’s facing in the first round at Wimbledon — for her first singles match in nearly four years, and at age 44 — when the draw is held Friday.The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion accepted a wild-card entry to the grass-court Grand Slam, where she’ll al»»»

East Rutherford, United States: Ecuador upset Germany to squeeze into the last 32 of the World Cup on Thursday while the Netherlands, Japan and the Ivory Coast advanced safely as the draw for the knockout rounds began to take shape. The Netherlands wrapped up their first round campaign with a 3-1 v»»»

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»»»

In May 2026, the average number of employed persons aged 15–74 was 4 million 654 thousand. The number of unemployed persons was 209 thousand and the unemployment rate was 4.3%. In the period March–May 2026, the average number of employed persons aged 15–74 was 4 million 640 thousand, 33 thousand fe»»»

A proposed amendment adopted by Parliament's Legislative Committee on Thursday stipulates that the president and deputy presidents of the Sovereignty Protection Office will not be entitled to severance pay. The committee also supported dissolving the authority by merging it into the ministry headed»»»

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»»»

Parliament is expected to continue the second-reading debate and voting on the amendments to the Judiciary Act. On Thursday, MPs were unable to adopt all of the proposed provisions because the parliamentary session ended before the debate was completed. Work on the bill will therefore continue at t»»»

Los Angeles, United States: Turkiye beat a heavily changed United States 3-2 with a late Kaan Ayhan winner in an action-packed dead-rubber clash that gave the World Cup co-hosts their sternest test so far ahead of the knockout rounds. Already crowned Group D winners, the US arrived in Los Angeles s»»»

US President Donald Trump claimed that Washington will use Iran's unfrozen assets to purchase American agricultural products, alleging that Iran is "having a hard time with food." “We're going to be taking some of their money, and we'll spend it, and we're going to be buying wheat, soybeans, and co»»»

Arlington, United States: Japan will face Brazil in a World Cup last-32 clash after drawing 1-1 with Sweden on Thursday to send both teams through behind the Netherlands in Group F. A game in front of 70,000 in Texas burst into life in the second half, Daizen Maeda giving Japan the lead after the b»»»

Santa Clara, United States: Australia qualified for the World Cup knockout rounds on Thursday after battling to a 0-0 draw with Paraguay in Santa Clara to claim second place in Group D. The Socceroos, who defeated Turkiye in their opening match before losing to the United States, were never serious»»»

Kansas City: The Netherlands overcame sorry Tunisia 3-1 on Thursday to top World Cup Group F, avoiding a tricky encounter with Brazil in the last 32. Ronald Koeman's men flew into a two-goal lead in soggy Kansas City thanks to some shoddy defending from the North African side. First, Ellyes Skhiri »»»

The women’s volleyball team of Kyrgyzstan (U18) lost to the Philippines at an international tournament in Thailand. The Volleyball Federation reported. The Princess Cup tournament is currently underway in Nakhon Ratchasima, with eight teams participating. On June 25, the final round of the group st»»»

A new European Commission convergence report published this week confirms that Poland still does not meet four of the five Maastricht criteria required to adopt the euro. The two most glaring failures are an elevated public finance deficit and long-term interest rates averaging 5.4 percent against »»»

Four major rail manufacturers filed applications on June 25 for PKP Intercity's landmark tender to supply Poland's first fleet of high-speed trains capable of 320 km/h. The contenders are Alstom Polska, Spain's Patentes Talgo SL, Siemens Mobility, and a consortium of Japan's Hitachi Rail with Polan»»»

WASHINGTON: US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon that were slated to end Thursday will go on for another day, the State Department said. It said this fifth round discussions that began this week will resume Friday morning. “Israel and Lebanon talks remain ongoing as we continue to facilitat»»»

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - The death toll from a devastating earthquake in Venezuela has risen to 235, Health Minister Carlos Alvarado said. "As of 19:00 today, we have provided assistance to more than 4,300 injured people. Most of them suffered minor injuries, but there are also patients in moderate »»»

Dubai: Sometimes, the biggest difference between despair and hope is a community that refuses to look away. For Claire Francis, a Dubai teacher battling stage four cancer, that community has stretched from classrooms and rugby pitches across the UAE to specialist clinics in Germany. This month, she»»»

Talant Skanderbekov, Deputy General Director of Kyrgyzkomur OJSC, has been fired for financial violations at Kara-Keche branch amounting to 24.9 million soms. The joint-stock company announced. According to the company, an internal audit revealed gross violations of cash discipline at the Kara-Kech»»»

The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is one of the most significant infrastructure projects in the region and will reduce freight delivery times between Asia and Europe by almost a third. Alexey Skatin, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), said on the s»»»

DIB, the largest Islamic bank in the UAE by assets, has launched its Unlocking Sustainable Finance series, a new sector-focused platform designed to support priority industries in accelerating their transition towards a more sustainable and resilient economy. The inaugural edition, Transitioning Re»»»

On June 25, during a working visit to Jalal-Abad region, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov participated in the official capsule laying ceremony at the construction site of Kazarman Cascade of Hydropower Plants in Toguz-Toro district. The presidential press service reported. In his speech, he no»»»

INGLEWOOD, Calif: Christian Pulisic came on as a second-half substitute in the United States’ final World Cup group match against Turkiye on Thursday night. The Americans sent out nine new starters for this meaningless game with their knockout-round place already secured, but Pulisic replaced Tim W»»»

London: King Charles III has paid more than GBP30 million ($39.6 million) in personal taxes since becoming monarch in September 2022, Buckingham Palace announced Thursday, in the first such disclosure by a reigning British sovereign. The palace, which had confirmed at the weekend that it would make»»»

RIYADH: Saudi authorities have seized more than 1.4 million amphetamine pills concealed inside a rock-crushing machine in the Northern Borders Region, marking the latest in a series of major anti-narcotics operations carried out during June, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The General Direct»»»

Traffic congestion has been reported across key routes in Sharjah and Dubai during Friday morning peak hours, according to live Google Maps data, with multiple major corridors experiencing slow-moving traffic. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.Sharj»»»

ARLINGTON, Texas: Daizen Maeda gave Japan the lead and Anthony Elanga took it away six minutes later, helping Sweden to a 1-1 draw Thursday night that sent both teams to the knockout round of the World Cup. Elanga’s impressive left-footed strike from just outside the right corner of the box in the »»»

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela: Venezuelans searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings Thursday and rescue teams raced to northern areas rocked by a pair of powerful earthquakes that officials say killed around 235 people and left at least 4,300 people injured. “Unfortunately we have received around »»»

DUBAI: The Netherlands marched into the 2026 World Cup Round of 32 as Group F winners after a 3-1 win over a Tunisian side that heads home from the tournament with no points, 12 goals conceded and only two scored. The sacking of coach Sabri Lamouchi, replaced by former Saudi Arabia coach Herve Rena»»»