BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday in Belgrade Serbia had registered the fourth-highest economic growth rate in Europe in Q1 2026 and could climb to the third position by the end of the year and added that, according to an IMF forecast, it could take the number one positio»»»

Abu Dhabi: Emirati inventor and Abu Dhabi Award recipient Fatima Ali Al Kaabi has paid tribute to her father on International Father's Day, describing him as the driving force behind the values that have shaped her life and achievements. Speaking to Gulf News, Al Kaabi said her father played a key »»»

Burgenstock Resort, Switzerland: The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, met on Monday, June 22, 2026, at the Burgenstock Resort in Switzerland with HE Jean-Noël Barrot, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs. During the me»»»

Sidra Capital and Four Directions have announced the signing of an MoU representing an investment framework exceeding SR450 million ($121.7 million), to support the development of the “Fashion District” project. This distinctive urban destination will position Riyadh as a regional and global hub fo»»»

Kamakura, Japan: Sticky, translucent strings dangle from Wesley Smith's chopsticks as the American tourist relishes his natto, the loved-and-hated Japanese fermented soybean superfood going global one slimy mouthful at a time. The latest trade statistics show Japan's exports of the highly nutritiou»»»

Dubai: A shopping mall in Ningbo, eastern China, was transformed into a muddy rice paddy as contestants competed in a rice transplanting challenge. The event brought a key agricultural tradition into an unexpected urban setting, drawing shoppers and visitors eager to watch the action. Participants »»»

Dubai: An Egyptian man has died after allegedly being set on fire by a suspect following an attempt to break up a dispute outside his furniture showroom in Qalyubia governorate, security sources and local media reported. The incident began when a quarrel broke out among several young men in front o»»»

Andy Burnham is a political insider turned outsider who is the current frontrunner to replace Keir Starmer as Britain’s next prime minister. After losing two bids for the Labour Party leadership, Burnham focused on Greater Manchester, where he served as mayor and earned a “King of the North” monike»»»

UK is about to get his seventh prime minister since the Brexit vote after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation on June 22nd. The favourite is Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester who's win in the Makerfield byelection increased pressure on Starmer. FRANCE 24's Clovis Ca»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Shura Council held its regular weekly session on Monday at Tamim bin Hamad Hall under the chairmanship of HE Speaker Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim. The Council praised Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's participation in the G7 Summit, at the invitation of President of the Fr»»»

Dubai: Kuwait's Court of Cassation, the country's highest judicial authority, has sentenced former lawmaker Saleh Ashour and another defendant to three years in prison with immediate effect after convicting them of misappropriating funds belonging to others, Al Rai Arabic daily reported. The ruling»»»

Uzbekistan is preparing to launch an ambitious new legal jurisdiction aimed at attracting international technology companies. The idea is to utilise legal certainty and regulatory flexibility rather than tax incentives in building a digital economy. In an exclusive interview with bne Inte»»»

GAZA CITY: Carrying their boards past tents and bombed-out buildings, a group of Gazan surfers headed for the sea, seeking solace in the waves despite the risk of Israeli attacks. On the beach in Gaza City, the trio laid out their boards on the sand while they warmed up their limbs and readied thei»»»

Visually impaired citizens pointed out accessibility gaps in the Sofia Metro during an inspection at the Serdika metro station on Monday, part of the Step Forward with Confidence campaign organized by the Commission for Protection against Discrimination (CPD) and Union of the Blind in Bulgaria. Par»»»

The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan issued a weather alert for the period from June 22 to June 25. According to the ministry, hot weather is expected across the country in the coming days, while some regions may experience heavy localized rainfall. Rescue services are urging resident»»»

Mardin, Turkiye: In a dimly lit room illuminated by a pair of red lamps, eight-year-old Zeynep waits to see photographs she has taken, now trapped as shadows and silhouettes on a roll of film. "How big is your curiosity?" asks her mentor, 40-year-old photographer Amar Kilic, as he develops the nega»»»

Paris, France: Thirteen people died by drowning in searing temperatures in France over the weekend, with the heatwave set to intensify from Monday across much of Europe, forcing warnings and special measures. The latest hot spell that has left the continent sweltering has seen outdoor events cancel»»»

RIYADH: Makkah and Madinah’s hospitality sectors demonstrated resilience in early 2026, weathering regional travel disruptions as the Kingdom continues to expand accommodation capacity for religious visitors, according to Knight Frank. The consultancy’s Saudi Hospitality and Religious Tourism Repor»»»

Abu Dhabi: New business licences issued in Abu Dhabi rose by 21 per cent in the first three months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, officials announced Monday. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Abu Dhabi Registration Authority (ADRA), the business reg»»»

Two Palestinians were martyred and several others wounded on Monday in an Israeli airstrike targeting a vehicle in central Gaza City, the latest in a series of ceasefire violations that continue to shatter the fragile truce. Local sources reported that Israeli warplanes conducted at least three str»»»

Doha, Qatar: Director of Projects Affairs at the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), Eng. Khalid Saif Al Khayareen affirmed Ashghal's commitment to implementing the ban on work in open areas during the specified period from 10am until 3:30pm from June 1 to September 15 of each year, while monitoring »»»

Not a single topic dominates Monday’s news media. The coverage focuses on the presidential race, with parties weighing possible candidates before the autumn 2026 election, Bulgaria’s position on the EU’s planned new sanctions package against Russia, and the pressure on public finances. Other major »»»

Seoul: A Korean Republic court sentenced a former justice minister to 25 years in prison on Monday for his role in ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol's brief and disastrous declaration of martial law in 2024. Park Sung-jae was found guilty of involvement in "insurrection" by the Seoul Central District Cour»»»

Dubai: HSBC has launched its Tokenised Deposit Service in the UAE, giving eligible corporate and institutional clients a new way to move money instantly across domestic and cross-border accounts. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The service allows companies to transfer »»»

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said partnerships between the Egyptian private sector and investors from sisterly countries reflect growing confidence in the Egyptian economy and underscore the market’s ability to attract more high-quality investments that support sustainable development goals. Mad»»»

Seoul: A South Korean court sentenced a former justice minister to 25 years in prison on Monday for his role in ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol's brief and disastrous declaration of martial law in 2024. Park Sung-jae was found guilty of involvement in "insurrection" by the Seoul Central District Court, »»»

RIYADH: Oman’s consumer prices rose 3.8 percent year on year in May, with transport and miscellaneous personal goods and services recording the sharpest increases, official data showed. According to the National Center for Statistics and Information, the average inflation rate for the January-May p»»»

Dubai: Emirates passengers travelling to or through Dubai this summer can get a complimentary stay at the five-star JW Marriott Marquis, along with access to hundreds of city discounts through My Emirates Pass. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The airline has launched a»»»

This photo, taken Monday, shows the trading room of Hana Bank in Seoul as South Korean stocks closed above the 9,100-point mark on a semiconductor rally and optimism over a U.S.-Iran deal. Photo by Yonhap South Korean stocks finished at an all-time high Monday on a continued rally in semiconductor »»»

Others are looking for something more exclusive. They use their bank more often, want greater cashback rewards, invest regularly, or simply have different expectations from their banking relationship. For them, Salt Bank is introducing Salt Everyday and Salt Premium, two plans that build on the Sal»»»

Dubai: Most filmmakers, after delivering the biggest Malayalam blockbuster of the year, would probably have Mohanlal, Mammootty and every major Indian star on speed dial. But acclaimed South Indian filmmaker Chidambaram S Poduval did something stranger. Instead of cashing in his Manjummel Boys good»»»

ROME: The leaders of Europe’s top military powers will meet Wednesday in Berlin, Italy said on Monday, as Europe aims to play a bigger role in trying to end the Ukraine war. The government said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni would attend the meeting with her British, French, German and Polish counte»»»

President Joseph Aoun discussed Monday in a phone call with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Senior Advisor to the U.S. President Jared Kushner, and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, the Lebanon ceasefire, after the U.S. and Iran agreed to set up a "de-conflict»»»

Mamyrzhan Rakhimov, Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic in Batken region, inspected the construction of Beles Resort tourist complex, which is being built in Beles Gorge, part of the city of Sulyukta in Batken region. The head of the region noted the importance of»»»

The Snow Leopard EcoFest Chon-Kemin 2026 environmental festival will be held on July 11, 2026, at the hippodrome in the village of Shabdan in Chon-Kemin Valley. The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Kyrgyz Republic announced. This year’s festival theme is «Snow Leopard: Eco-Education — the Found»»»

Dubai: 10X Properties successfully hosted a Private Investor Business Meet at the iconic Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, reinforcing its commitment to driving investment opportunities across the region. The exclusive gathering brought together investors, real estate professionals, and industry leaders fr»»»

Dubai: For decades, Dubai has been admired for achieving what many thought impossible.It transformed itself from a regional trading hub into a global city, built one of the world’s most advanced infrastructure networks, created an economy that attracts talent and investment from every continent, an»»»

South Korea's military on Monday called North Korean border fortification work along the Military Demarcation Line a violation of the armistice agreement that ended fighting in the Korean War. This June 2023 photo shows a South Korean military guard post near Paju. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | Lic»»»

Hong Kong: Oil prices fell Monday on optimism over US-Iran talks, with mediators flagging a "roadmap" to a final agreement, while equities were mixed. The negotiations finally got underway Sunday in Switzerland with teams led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran's Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Trader»»»

A 31-year-old Austrian citizen was injured in an incident at the Veliki Preslav National Historical and Archaeological Reserve near the northeastern town of Shumen, said the Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry. At around 3:40 a.m. on Sunday, the man fell about three metres from an old sto»»»

Remember Taurusgate? When several German officers, including its former air force head, were caught making insane and childish plans for plastering Russia with German missiles but from Ukraine? That and the amateurish manner in which these grand strategists in prankster mode let themselves be caugh»»»

BURGENSTOCK: Following a first round of talks in Switzerland between Tehran and Washington toward ending the Middle East war, Bern said Monday that conditions were set for technical discussions to follow immediately. Teams led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf opened»»»

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday after fewer than two years in office in a term characterised by policy U-turns and deep public unpopularity. "Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of t»»»

Bishkek celebrated the International Day of Yoga on June 21. The event took place near the monument to Kurmanjan Datka. According to the press service of the Bishkek City Hall, the event was attended by representatives of the municipality, the Embassy of India in Kyrgyzstan, the United Nations, cit»»»

In 2026, at least 67.2 percent of participants in Kyrgyzstan’s Nationwide Testing surpassed the traditional threshold of 110 points. Chinara Batrakeeva, director of the Center for Educational Assessment and Teaching Methods, said on Birinchi Radio. According to her, the average score this year is 1»»»

The Ministry of Health of Kyrgyzstan continues to monitor the sanitary and epidemiological situation in areas of Batken, Osh, and Talas regions affected by mudflows on June 19–21. According to the ministry, sanitary and epidemiological service specialists are conducting preventive and anti-epidemic»»»

Friends of Israel are getting creative at designing new policies in Washington to strengthen the Jewish state, despite growing American public resentment after the war against Iran sent fuel prices soaring. The existing aid agreement, which expires in 2028, provides Israel with $3.3bn annually, ena»»»

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he is stepping down as leader of the governing Labour Party. Starmer says he will remain caretaker prime minister until a new Labour leader is chosen in the next few weeks. Starmer made the announcement after facing growing pressure to hand over to a new lea»»»

An explosion tore through Qatar's key natural gas export terminal Sunday night as workers tried to resume operations there after Iran bombed it during the war, causing a fire that hurt at least 54 people as another 18 were still missing hours later. The blast at the Ras Laffan industrial area could»»»

Ten years after Britain voted to leave the European Union, the UK could once again be facing a dramatic change in leadership. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under mounting pressure amid growing speculation about his political future, with reports suggesting support within his own party is weakening»»»