KHARTOUM: Newly issued Sudanese pounds have begun circulating in territory controlled by a paramilitary group fighting the national army, raising questions about the source of the notes and potentially deepening the country’s de facto division. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — which cooperated with»»»

Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sheikh Naim Qassem addressed on Thursday the central Ashura council, highlighting the sublimity of the Resistance whose greatness cannot be matched. “What we see from the Resistance has astounded the world. When you watch the world, they say: What’s wrong wi»»»

Dubai: India is raising passport fees by up to 75 per cent starting July 1, according to a gazette notification issued by the country's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on June 20 under the Passports (Amendment) Rules. When Gulf News contacted the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, officials confirmed »»»

La Guaira, Venezuela: A pair of powerful earthquakes that rocked Venezuela have killed at least 164 people, the country's leader said Thursday as residents searched for loved ones trapped under rubble after many buildings were flattened within minutes. An international outpouring of aid quickly fol»»»

SHAHAT, Libya: In eastern Libya, a small group of passionate archaeologists are striving to safeguard the ancient ruins of Cyrene and Apollonia — sites first targeted by jihadist groups, then ravaged by Storm Daniel. The UNESCO-listed ruins were once at the heart of a unique network of Greek coloni»»»

Abu Dhabi has announced the start of construction on Dar al Funoon Abu Dhabi (House of the Arts), a landmark performing arts institution on Saadiyat Island that is set to become one of the region’s most advanced cultural venues when it opens in 2030. Announced by the Department of Culture and Touri»»»

Politicians reacted Thursday to the draft 2026 State Budget Act presented a day earlier by Finance Minister Galab Donev. The draft faced criticism by all parliamentary groups except the ruling Progressive Bulgaria and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms which has not commented on the topic. Progre»»»

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 »»»

Dubai: A 45-year-old businessman, who was previously arrested in a high-profile extortion and threat-letter case, was found dead at the Bengaluru apartment of Kannada actor Krishi Thapanda, police said on Thursday. The deceased, identified as Vaishak Upadhyay, was found hanging at an apartment in R»»»

It's a fact of life: heat is a "silent killer". And it's no longer a future climate risk. It is a present-day public health and economic threat. Many heat stress-driven fatalities, known as "excess death", occur indirectly through cardiovascular, respiratory and other health complications, as per t»»»

MELBOURNE: The last Australian woman held in a Syrian camp for families of Daesh group fighters has been given permission to return to Australia under strict conditions, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Thursday. The woman and her nine-year-old daughter had planned to return to Australia in Fe»»»

DHAKA: India will resume issuing tourist visas in neighboring Bangladesh, its envoy to Dhaka said Thursday, nearly two years after relations soured when New Delhi’s ally Sheikh Hasina was overthrown. India’s new high commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, told reporters that tourist visa proce»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) announced on Thursday, June 25, the reopening of applications for educational vouchers through the "Maarif" public services portal. The initiative stems from the Ministry's commitment to providing this opportunity to the largest po»»»

PARIS: Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, fresh from a spat with US leader Donald Trump, was set Thursday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron Thursday to tighten ties. One of Europe’s most prominent right-wing leaders will arrive in the resort of Antibes on the French Riviera for her first»»»

US President Donald Trump has now said out loud what had previously sounded like a trial balloon: he thinks Syria should take on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Speaking in June, Trump said that if Israel could not defeat Hezbollah “without killing everyone else,” then "I suggested to Israel to let Syria tak»»»

In recent days, the Syrian government has said that it has no intention of intervening militarily in its smaller neighbour, Lebanon, after a comment from US President Donald Trump provoked concern. At the G7 summit in Paris this month, Trump suggested Syria intervene in Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Venezuela: Death toll from Venezuelan earthquake rises to 164, with more than 900 injuries 25-06-2026 16:55 PM Latest News Urgent News Vene»»»

Rabitabank concluded a significant international cooperation agreement during the Private Sector Forum, held as part of the 51st Annual Meetings of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group in Baku from 16 to 19 June. The event was held under the patronage of His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, Presid»»»

The unrelenting heatwave pummeling France has turned the iconic zinc roofs of Paris into a nightmare and a health hazard for people living directly underneath in often cramped attic dwellings that retain the searing heat and are impossible to ventilate. Before the heat struck, Amelie Kenney could b»»»

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 »»»

Manila: Japan has opened its electronic visa (eVisa) system to eligible Philippine passport holders for the first time, marking a significant step toward streamlining travel between the two countries. Currently the programme comes with a major limitation: it is available only to tourists traveling »»»

The main source of financial anxiety this year remains the rising cost of living for 59% of respondents, followed by a lack of savings or the inability to set money aside (48%) and health problems (45%), the Allianz-Țiriac survey further reveals. Other major concerns for Romanians at this time are »»»

Former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov has sharply criticized Bulgaria’s draft 2026 state budget, describing it as a policy direction that sacrifices long-term stability for short-term political convenience. In a commentary published on his Facebook profile, Gyurov argued that the proposal r»»»

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has been accused by leading American AI-developer Anthropic of "illicitly" seeking to harvest the abilities of its Claude chatbot. Photo by Jessica Lee/EPA June 25 (UPI) -- AI firm Anthropic sought the assistance of Congress to crack down on alleged clandestine effo»»»

Dubai: Oman Air will launch a new daily direct service between Muscat and Abu Dhabi from July 9, adding another connection between two GCC capitals. The new route will provide travellers with direct flights between Oman and the UAE capital, while also offering onward connections through Abu Dhabi’s»»»

The Bulgarian government presented its draft budget for 2026 on Wednesday, setting a deficit of 5.7% of GDP, the highest figure in three decades, and immediately drew fire from opposition parties who accused the cabinet of repeating the same fiscal practices it once condemned. Deputy Prime Minister»»»

  Ukraine's expanding drone campaign against Russia's oil industry is testing the Kremlin. Can it keep the domestic economy functioning after more than four years of war as its cash cow industry takes a painful pounding. Successful strikes against the Kapotnya refinery in southeast Moscow earl»»»

Dubai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Thursday flagged off 300 new government buses, procured at an estimated cost of Rs127.21 crore, in a major boost to the state's public transport network. The new fleet comprises 164 diesel buses and 136 eco-friendly, low-emission CNG buses that co»»»

More than 300 women, 100 young volunteers, and over 100 partner organizations took part in the Rada Says No national anti-domestic violence project, project manager Maria Koleva said at a press conference here Thursday. The campaign's symbol, the Rada doll, carries a QR code linking to the "Help Me»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s hotel sector is expected to see visitor numbers recover before room rates return to pre-war highs, according to Accor. The company’s regional leadership said that like other regional markets, Dubai had been affected by the recent disruption to travel demand but expects international »»»

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Brigadier General Esmail Qaani issued a direct warning to ‘Israel’ on Thursday, advising the Zionist entity to withdraw from southern Lebanon immediately or face a future forced exit. “Leave Lebanon today by your own free will,” Qaani sa»»»

The Fiscal Council supports the government's proposal to gradually align social security contribution rules for civil servants and magistrates with those applying to other employees but opposes compensating them through higher salaries, the Council said in a press release on Thursday. Under the 202»»»

The Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) will withhold support the draft 2026 Public Social Insurance Budget Act for now, BIA Vice President Mariya Mincheva told reporters on Thursday before a meeting of the National Social Security Institute’s Supervisory Board. The draft reflects the parameters»»»

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 »»»

Shahat, Libya: In eastern Libya, a small group of passionate archaeologists are striving to safeguard the ancient ruins of Cyrene and Apollonia -- sites first targeted by jihadist groups, then ravaged by Storm Daniel. The UNESCO-listed ruins were once at the heart of a unique network of Greek colon»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron will aim to build on a nascent rapprochement with Italy's Giorgia Meloni when they meet for a bilateral summit on the French Riviera on Thursday, just days after Meloni's erstwhile ally Donald Trump mocked her for supposedly "begging" him for a photograph »»»

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, June 25: UK papers discuss the Nottingham maternity care scandal. Next: is there going to be another heatwave in Europe this summer? Also: the Euclid telescope took extraordinary photos of the Milky Way. Finally, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's upcoming wedding is getting b»»»

EAST RUTHERFORD, USA: Co-hosts the United States and Germany will bid to complete perfect World Cup group stage campaigns on Thursday, while the Netherlands and Japan look poised to join them in the last 32. The US have clinched top spot in Group D with a game to spare after wins over Paraguay and »»»

U.S. gasoline prices decreased an average of 49 cents a gallon in the last month as expectations rose for an end to the war with Iran. But they're not falling fast enough for President Donald Trump. Trump, who wants to stave off the economic fallout of the war ahead of midterm elections, is now poi»»»

RIYADH: A new holistic health resort set to open at the Red Sea’s Amaala project will use traditional wellness therapies in a luxury setting, its CEO told Arab News. Jayasom cofounder and CEO Karen Campbell said: “A hallmark of what we want to do is to create a very bespoke experience based on some»»»

Volunteers from Russia and Kazakhstan are joining the search for a 6-year-old boy who was swept away by a river current after a vehicle fell into the water in Kegeti Gorge. Russian blogger Ruslan Vildyanov announced on social media that he will soon travel to Kyrgyzstan with a group of like-minded »»»

JEDDAH: The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will begin a new chapter in electric motorsport when the revolutionary GEN4 era makes its competitive debut under the lights of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in December. Formula E and the FIA have confirmed the provisional calendar for the 2026-27 sea»»»

For the first time in two years, Hungary has convened a summit of the Visegrad Group – a format designed to allow four Central European nations to coordinate, debate current agendas, and work on their own dimension of European integration matters. In recent years, the forum has not spoken with a si»»»

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»»»

Hayes, United Kingdom: Fans in bedrooms, cold drinks, iced lollies under canopy cover in the garden: a UK care home has been doing what it can to keep vulnerable residents cool amid Europe's heatwave. Kingsley Court, in the west London suburb Hayes, houses 85 residents, some as old as 100, and most»»»

LUXEMBOURG: EU governments’ ministers gathered for a long day’s ​discussion of climate change policies on Thursday were surprised by a fresh-faced participant at their negotiating table: a three-month-old baby. Swedish climate minister Romina Pourmokhtari brought her son, Adam, to the EU council me»»»

June 24 (UPI) -- A drone camera captured footage when two paddleboarders found themselves stalked by a great white shark off the California coast. Kayla Ross said she and her paddleboarding partner went out to intentionally try to find the shark that had been spotted off the Santa Barbara coast. Ro»»»

Abu Dhabi: The trial operation of Etihad Rail’s passenger services between Abu Dhabi and Fujairah will commence on June 30, with a journey time of approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. Dubai Station and Al Dhaid Station are scheduled to open on September 30, 2026, while stations in the Al Dhafra reg»»»

Dubai: Three things have happened in the UAE financial infrastructure in the past 12 months that, taken together, mean something significant. VARA has created a licensing framework that institutional capital can point to. The Digital Dirham has moved from pilot to legal tender. And the institutiona»»»