Dubai: UAE borrowers waiting for cheaper mortgages, car loans and business finance may have to wait longer after the Central Bank of the UAE kept its Base Rate unchanged at 3.65%. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The decision, announced on June 17, followed the US Feder»»»

Islamabad: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Qatar's constructive efforts and participation in facilitating the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran, which he said would enter into force immediately. Sharif confirmed in a statement that the presidents o»»»

AMMAN — The value of outgoing transfers from e-wallets in Jordan reached JD3.09 billion since the beginning of 2026, carried out through nearly 63.7 million transactions, according to a report by the Jordan Payments and Clearing Company (JoPACC).The report showed that transactions via the JoMoPay e»»»

AMMAN — The value of bounced cheques in Jordan increased to JD103.6 million in May, up from JD72.4 million in April, according to figures released by the Jordan Payments and Clearing Company (JoPACC).A total of 18,600 cheques were returned during the month. Of these, 6,190 cheques, representing 33.»»»

DUBAI: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan voiced cautious optimism over a newly reached memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the United States and Iran, aimed at ending the current conflict and opening the door to broader diplomatic progress in the region. Speaking at a session ho»»»

Dubai: The US Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, but borrowers hoping for relief received a clear warning after nearly half of policymakers signalled support for at least one rate hike later this year. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The decisi»»»

Manila: After a powerful magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Mindanao on June 8, 2026, the first day back to school, something extraordinary emerged. It looked like the sea had "disappeared". Residents along parts of Sarangani and Davao Occidental in the southern Philippines now see beaches dramaticall»»»

Warsaw remains the undisputed centre of Poland's skyscraper boom, accounting for 74 percent of all high-rise buildings in the country, most of them offices, according to new figures from CBRE. While towers over 70 metres still make up just 2.5 percent of office stock across Poland's ten largest cit»»»

Ukraine's State Border Guard Service (DPSU) has confirmed that ammunition contracts worth 23 billion hryvnia — more than 1.8 billion zloty — with Polish supplier PHU Lechmar were executed in full, at prices among the lowest available on the market. DPSU spokesman Andrij Demczenko told Interfax-Ukra»»»

A new EY forecast warns that global tensions, especially the Middle East conflict, will slow eurozone growth to just 0.5 percent in 2026 before a gradual recovery. Poland is expected to keep outpacing its neighbours, with 2026 GDP growth projected at 3.6 percent on the back of strong domestic deman»»»

The World Bank Group's Board of Executive Directors has discussed a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Poland covering 2026 to 2031, designed to help the country build a more innovative, competitive economy, mobilise private investment, create better jobs and navigate its next stage of eco»»»

Poland's defense minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Germany's Boris Pistorius signed a new bilateral defense cooperation agreement in Warsaw on June 17, replacing a framework deal from 2011. The timing was deliberate: the signing fell on the 35th anniversary of the Polish-German Treaty of Good »»»

Elsewedy Electric Group has secured a significant engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for the development of Hungary’s largest combined cycle power plant (CCPP). This landmark project, awarded by MVM Matra Energia Zrt., a subsidiary of the Hungarian Electric Company (MVM), sig»»»

Toronto, Canada: Ghana scored a dramatic 1-0 victory over Panama in their opening World Cup Group L clash in Toronto on Wednesday. Caleb Yirenkyi bundled in the winning goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time, sending thousands of Ghanaians in Canada's largest city into a frenzy and settling an o»»»

Washington, United States: US President Donald Trump and Iran's president signed a deal Wednesday, June 17, 2026, meant to end the Middle East war, with Tehran agreeing to dilute its enriched uranium in return for large-scale economic relief. Trump put his signature to the memorandum of understandi»»»

The Bavarian Administrative Court of Appeal has given the local office of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency the green light to continue surveilling the state chapter of Alternative for Germany (AfD). The right-wing opposition party has consistently polled ahead of its mainstream rivals nationw»»»

Lawmakers in the Zhogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan introduced a bill that would allow parents to give their children double surnames at birth registration. The proposed amendments would be made to the law on civil status acts. The initiative was introduced by MPs Dastan Bekeshev, Seid Atambayev, Bolot »»»

Finnish lawmakers voted to overturn a Cold War‑era ban on nuclear weapons, allowing NATO allies to import, transport and store nuclear devices on Finnish territory. Finland insists it has no plans to become a nuclear state itself – but the change allows NATO's nuclear deterrent to be deployed in th»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s planned Gold Line is beginning to influence the investment case for some of the city’s busiest residential districts, with brokers and developers expecting the biggest lift in communities where property demand has grown faster than public transport access. Sign up for our daily busin»»»

Russia attacked Kyiv with missiles and Ukrainian drones hit Moscow’s refinery as both countries exchanged strikes hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with US President Donald Trump and European leaders. A Reuters witness heard explosions in Kyiv and authorities in the northeastern Ukrain»»»

SEOUL: South Korean police have questioned an executive of Starbucks operator Shinsegae in their investigation of a flopped promotional campaign that evoked a deadly 1980 crackdown, the group told AFP on Thursday. Starbucks Korea, which operates more than 2,000 stores nationwide under a licensing a»»»

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military announced on Thursday that one of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon the day before, in an incident that also wounded seven soldiers. Master Sergeant Alexander Filin, 29, “fell in combat,” the military said in a brief statement, adding that »»»

Euro news reported that London’s murder rate has surpassed New York for the first time after a man in his twenties was attacked and stabbed to death after leaving a bar in the southern borough of Wandsworth on Sunday. Attacks reveal a worrying trend. According to a report from Britain’s Sunday Time»»»

Dubai: As the UAE's summer break approaches and schools across the country prepare for the 2026–27 academic year, leading education providers are in the thick of teacher recruitment and many have already secured the bulk of their hires. With international schools following the British, American, an»»»

The Olympic Day sports event, originally scheduled for June 20, has been postponed indefinitely, the Bishkek City Hall announced. According to the municipality, the new date, time, and venue of the event will be announced later. The event was expected to include a run along Abdumomunov, Orozbekov, »»»

Dubai: Commuters are facing another busy morning on Dubai's roads, with traffic building across key highways from Sharjah into the emirate as rush-hour volumes continue to rise, according to Google Maps. Motorists travelling from Sharjah towards Dubai are experiencing delays on Sheikh Zayed Road (E»»»

Central Asia used to be thought of as sitting at the “navel of the world,” about as far away from everywhere as it was possible to be. Today that perception has changed as once again the region finds itself at the centre of things and a key link between east and west. Uzbekistan is the most populou»»»

Armenia's economy has entered a new phase following the establishment of peace with Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on June 16, linking stronger fiscal revenues, rising investment and demographic shifts to the 2025 peace process. He said the agreement reached last year marked a stru»»»

Dubai: Great Wall Motor (GWM) has strengthened its regional presence with the opening of its largest overseas showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road, one of Dubai’s most prominent automotive and commercial destinations. Opened by GWM’s UAE distributor, Saeed Juma Al Naboodah Group, the showroom displays mor»»»

Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Traffic has warned motorists against violating vehicle window tinting regulations, saying offenders could face fines ranging from SR500 to SR900. The authority said rear window tinting is permitted provided it does not exceed 30 per cent, a level intended to ba»»»

Cuba's former president Raul Castro on Wednesday backed sweeping economic reforms proposed by the government to revive the crisis-hit economy amid a longstanding US embargo. The measures would expand private investment, attract capital from Cubans abroad and reduce the state's role, with lawmakers »»»

Senior US officials on Wednesday disclosed the contents of a draft memorandum of understanding with Iran, ending days of secrecy ahead of a planned signing ceremony on Friday. The document outlines an immediate ceasefire, steps toward lifting US sanctions, the restoration of commercial shipping and»»»

State Republicans on Wednesday rejected Gov. Brian Kemp's call to consider redrawing the state's district maps. File Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI | License Photo June 17 (UPI) -- Georgia Republicans on Wednesday rejected GOP efforts to redraw the state's congressional and legislative maps amid a wid»»»

Share: President Trump defended a memorandum of understanding (MOU) released Wednesday that ends the war with Iran, even as he suggested it may not be “permanent” during a press conference from the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Évian-les-Bains, France. The president noted other G7 members backed th»»»

Saudi Arabia has reduced the maximum number of instant work visas available to newly established businesses to five, as part of measures aimed at regulating recruitment and encouraging compliance with labour market requirements, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's Qiwa platform»»»

President Donald Trump signed an agreement with Iran Wednesday that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and waives US-backed sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in a major concession from Washington, according to details release»»»

Share: File- Iranian Foreign ‌Minister Abbas Araqchi. He was reportedly never authorized by Lebanon to negotiate on its behalf with the US. Lebanon is reportedly seriously considering severing diplomatic ties with Iran because of its support for its proxy Hezbollah The continued presence of Israel »»»

ABU DHABI: Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Al Dhafra Region, received at Al Nakheel Palace in Abu Dhabi a delegation from Modon Holding Group, led by Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Department of Finance and Chairman of Modon Holding, to review the»»»

DAMASCUS: Syrian security forces have arrested 10 remnants of the deposed Assad regime in a series of operations across the country, the latest in an ongoing campaign reported by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) to pursue former officials accused of crimes and abuses committed during the former g»»»

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin hosted leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Wednesday as Russia seeks to bolster business and other ties with the nations of the regional bloc. The two-day meeting, being held in Kazan, is set to consider ways to expand Russia’s “strategic partne»»»

Dubai: UAE travellers are increasingly looking beyond popular social media destinations and seeking new experiences this summer, with flexibility and personalisation becoming bigger factors in holiday planning. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.According to recent resear»»»

For more than a century, the idea of a space elevator has belonged to the realm of science fiction: a colossal tether stretching from Earth into space, carrying cargo and people to orbit without the thunderous violence of rockets, their emissions, and residual debris. Today, however, scientists and»»»

Kyiv came under attack from missiles in the early hours of Thursday, according to AFP journalists in the Ukrainian capital. After an alert, the journalists heard the sound of a missile and two explosions, and saw people running in the direction of shelters. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download»»»

PARIS: Donald Trump explained the appeal in one sentence: “Versailles is not gold leaf — Versailles is the real deal.” For Emmanuel Macron, that was precisely the point. On Wednesday night, the French president threw open Louis XIV’s palace to his US counterpart for a private reception, show and di»»»

Israel has moved to reduce the powers of Palestinian authorities in Hebron, one of the most volatile cities in the occupied West Bank, in a step Palestinians say violates a decades-old agreement and advances annexation. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Tuesday that Israel has “abolish»»»

During 111 days of fighting, the US military has left Iran's oil facilities, fully-laden crude oil tankers and much of its infrastructure intact. They were deliberate moves. The US naval blockade and devastating strikes left much of Iran's military weakened and its economy reeling. And if the emerg»»»

Jackson Lahmeyer, a Republican candidate for the House of Representatives in Oklahoma, dropped out of the race Wednesday after President Donald Trump rescinded his endorsement and supported Lahmeyer's opponent. File Photo by Gary I Rothstein/UPI | License Photo June 17 (UPI) -- Shortly after Presid»»»

ARLINGTON, United States: Harry Kane scored twice in the first half as England eventually saw off Croatia 4-2 to launch their World Cup title assault in Texas on Wednesday. Jude Bellingham, immediately after half-time, and substitute Marcus Rashford with five minutes to go ensured a winning start f»»»

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Jamaica is in discussions with the United States to accept third-country deportees, a move that would add the island nation to a growing number of Caribbean countries working with the Trump administration on its immigration agenda. Jamaica's National Security Minister Dr. Horace »»»