LONDON: Around 1.3 million people returned to Syria in 2025, marking one of the largest refugee return movements in the world in that year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The number of Syrian refugees has now dropped to 4.9 million as more people have returned to their homes fo»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Marko Djuric met with Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood Gert Jan Koopman in Belgrade on Thursday, noting that it was important to keep the EU enlargement policy one of the priorities of EU institutions a»»»

Ankara, June. 11 (SANA) Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, inaugurated on Thursday the Syrian consulate in the city of Gaziantep, southern Türkiye. MZN»»»

The first meeting of the organizing committee to run and coordinate the preparation and holding of the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest took place at the Council of Ministers, the Government press service said on Thursday. Bulgaria will host the contest after Dara won 2026 Eurovision Song Contest with »»»

Military personnel have destroyed parts of an unmanned aerial vehicle found by fishing vessels, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday. A specialized team from the Burgas Naval Base carried out reconnaissance of parts of a drone located 14 nautical miles east of Cape Kolokita. The drone debris had b»»»

Western Balkan countries are unlikely to complete their sections of the European Union's core transport network by the bloc's 2030 target date because of persistent project delays, weak oversight and concerns over long-term sustainability, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said on June 9. The re»»»

Washington, United States: Part of the Pentagon went into lockdown on Thursday, a spokesman said, in response to what a local fire department described as a "hazardous materials incident" at the US military headquarters. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said a "shelter-in-place order" had been issue»»»

RIYADH: Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, adviser at the Royal Court and general supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, met with Carl Skau, acting executive director of the UN World Food Programme, in Riyadh on Thursday. The two sides discussed matters of mutual interest related t»»»

DAMASCUS: Syria has said it is investigating a cyberattack that leaked sensitive information from the foreign ministry, with internal documents appearing on messaging app Telegram. In a statement carried by Syria’s official SANA news agency, the ministry said it had begun “taking the necessary meas»»»

Interdepartmental consular consultations between the Kyrgyz Republic and China were held in Bishkek to discuss the issue of extradition. The Kyrgyz side asked their Chinese counterparts for further assistance and to expedite the consideration of applications for the extradition of citizens of Kyrgy»»»

A hazardous materials incident put the Pentagon on lockdown on Thursday as fire officials investigated the air quality issue, defense and fire officials said. "The Pentagon has sophisticated systems to ensure the safety of the building and its occupants. Those systems have detected an air quality i»»»

Egypt signed an agreement on Thursday with Taqa Arabia to transfer ownership of a stake in 172 state-owned Wataniya fuel stations through a newly established company, Quick Fuel, according to a ⁠cabinet statement. Under the ⁠agreement, Taqa Arabia will acquire a 10% stake in Quick Fuel and will als»»»

Doha, Qatar: Hamad Port, Qatar’s Main Gateway to World Trade, has climbed three spots to rank 8th globally and 2nd in the Gulf region in the 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), developed by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence. This milestone reflects Hamad Port’s high operat»»»

Arab Finance: The Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) has received the mandatory tender offer (MTO) submitted by UAE-based Black Caspian Logistics Holding Limited to acquire a 90% stake in Alexandria Container and Cargo Handling Company, according to a bourse filing. The transaction, announced in »»»

President Iliana Iotova signed a decree appointing Nikolay Nenovsky as a member of the Governing Council of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), effective June 13, the President’s Press Secretariat said on Thursday. Iotova will attend the official ceremony for Nenovsky’s inauguration, which will take»»»

The discussion "The Future of Regional News", organized by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and the Council for Electronic Media (CEM), took place in Sofia on Thursday. All regional journalists, regardless of their media outlet, were invited to the event. At the opening of the discussion, BTA Direct»»»

Paris, France: A leather bag made from Tyrannosaurus rex cells will be auctioned off on Thursday by Paris auction house Giquello, estimating the "one-of-a-kind" piece could sell for more than $500,000. Unveiled in the spring in Amsterdam, the bag was created from traces of collagen from the femur o»»»

Doha Hamad Port, Qatar’s main gateway to world trade, has achieved a major milestone in global maritime logistics, rising three places to rank 8th worldwide and second in the Gulf region in the 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), according to Mwani Qatar. The ranking, developed jointly by»»»

DHAKA: Bangladesh speedster Nahid Rana has been recalled to the T20 squad for a three-match home series against Australia after a nearly year-long absence, selectors announced Thursday. The 23-year-old Rana, who played his only T20 international against the UAE in May 2025, has been impressive in o»»»

HONG KONG: Just hours before the World Cup kicked off, Hong Kong authorities announced they seized 230,000 suspected counterfeit items worth an estimated $20 million, including jerseys tied to the tournament. The seizure included about 30,000 jerseys, some so finely made that they’re hard to distin»»»

MARIB: Almost 500 people in Yemen benefited from services provided by the prosthetics and rehabilitation center project in Marib governorate in May. The project, supported by Saudi aid agency KSrelief, delivered 1,559 services during the month. Of the total number of patients, 67 percent were male »»»

1 of 2 | Racing pigeons, like this one in Portugal, participate in contests that range from 62 miles to more than 800 miles, testing speed and stamina across vast distances. Photo by Nelson Ferreira June 11 (UPI) -- As tourists in Portugal's historic city of Tomar dodge pigeons swooping for pastry »»»

Washington, United States: World Cup matches in the 11 US host cities will be "very secure," the country's top official overseeing tournament security said Thursday, though he voiced concern over lone wolf attacks, especially in public areas. "We feel like we're as safe as we can possibly be. But w»»»

JEDDAH: Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have developed a coating that allows solar panels to clean themselves while simultaneously capturing moisture from the air. Dust accumulation is one of the most significant challenges facing solar energy systems, particularly»»»

GENEVA: Somali referee Omar Artan who was barred by the United States from the World Cup was picked on Thursday for the showcase UEFA Super Cup game in August. European soccer body UEFA said Artan will referee the Aug. 12 game between Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa, the»»»

WASHINGTON: Firefighters ​were investigating a hazardous materials incident ‌at ‌the ​Pentagon ‌on Thursday, ⁠Arlington ​County fire ⁠and rescue officials ⁠said ‌in a post ‌on ​X. The ‌building ‌was under lockdown ‌with people evacuated from several ⁠floors, ⁠CNN reported, citing unidentified sourc»»»

BELFAST: Police blasted water cannons Wednesday at protesters in Northern Ireland who set small fires and hurled bricks, rocks and bottles at them during a second night of violence over a brutal stabbing on a Belfast street. Demonstrators wearing masks tore bricks from the walls outside homes and s»»»

LONDON: The Palestinian Authority denounced an Israeli plan to build an educational complex north of East Jerusalem on a site that has housed a vocational training college operated by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine. The site is situated in the Kafr Aqab neighborhood, directly opposite»»»

Israeli authorities on Thursday denied entry to French reporter Alice Froussard, who covers the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for FRANCE 24's sister station Radio France Internationale (RFI) and Radio France. Froussard was deported hours after landing at Tel Aviv airport, said Israeli officials»»»

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States may take control of Iran’s oil and gas industries like it did in Venezuela earlier this year. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo June 11 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States may take control of Iran's»»»

The global economy is entering an extremely sensitive phase in 2026 amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which have cast a heavy shadow over the fragile global recovery and reshaped the global credit and financial landscape. At the heart of these turbulent developments, Gulf Co»»»

LE MANS, France, Thursday: Team Qatar’s debut entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans began in earnest on Wednesday with a busy day of on-track action. With five hours of practice over two sessions and a 30-minute qualifying session, the team completed a total of 47 laps and secured progression into Hyper»»»

JAZAN: Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom Abdul Aziz Ahmad visited the Jazan Chamber on Wednesday to discuss ways to strengthen economic and trade relations. The two sides discussed enhancing economic partnerships and exploring investment opportunities in Jazan region, as well as prospects for co»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Djuro Macut met with Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood Gert Jan Koopman in Belgrade on Thursday. Speaking to Tanjug after the discussions, Macut said the meeting had been very constructive and important »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government has been pushing for confrontation with Russia to divert public attention from its failed probe into the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage and other shortcomings, Alice Weidel, co-chair of the opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) part»»»

Russian desalination technology could prove extremely valuable for Balochistan and western Sindh — areas beyond the Indus reach, an expert believes. Russia can help Pakistan solve one of the country's most pressing problems: the lack of water supply.Pakistan, where agriculture accounts for about 23»»»

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday visited Spain's Canary Islands, the once-notorious centre of the European migration debate, where he threw a bouquet of flowers in the sea in tribute to the migrants who perished trying to reach the Atlantic archipelago. The pontiff made a plea for "human dignity" and conde»»»

Rumen Radev said that Turkey is not only a neighboring and friendly country, but also a key partner for Bulgaria in several strategic areas, including security, migration, energy, and transport connectivity. He also highlighted emerging fields with strong potential for cooperation, such as hig»»»

Mongolia: Mongolia has recovered a rare dinosaur skeleton and a trove of fossils illegally exported two decades ago, authorities said Wednesday, concluding years of efforts to return the palaeontological treasures. The collection includes a Tarbosaurus bataar skeleton, estimated to be more than 50 »»»

Paris, France: Somali referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States for the World Cup, was on Thursday named to officiate UEFA's Super Cup, European football's governing body announced. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin poured praise on the Somali referee in a statement released a f»»»

Montmeló, Spain: Home favourite and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso said Thursday this weekend's Catalunya Grand Prix might be his final Formula One race in Barcelona. The Aston Martin driver, who turns 45 next month, has not announced any plans to retire, but with Barcelona set to alternat»»»

RIYADH: The King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives, also known as Darah, has strengthened its presence through partnerships and cooperation agreements with 23 archival institutions worldwide. The foundation has continued to collect, preserve, restore, digitize, and provide access to so»»»

Mumbai: India’s aviation accident probe agency is facing renewed criticism from pilot groups ahead of the anniversary of the 2025 Air India Boeing-787 crash in Ahmedabad, which killed 260 people. Families of the victims had expected a final report by Friday to explain the cause of the disaster - ex»»»

An investigation is underway into the assets of Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) Chair Delyan Peevski, said Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev at a briefing on Thursday. Part of the investigation will look into expenses that Peevski made personally or that were made by other people but ultima»»»

1 of 2 | Vance Luther Boelter, the man suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers, is planning to plead guilty Thursday. Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety/Facebook June 11 (UPI) -- Vance Boelter, the man accused of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband, will plea»»»

Dubai: Dubai Police has achieved a major international milestone in child protection by becoming the first law enforcement agency in the Middle East and North Africa — and the second globally after Norway — to join the European Barnahus Network. The membership was secured by the Child and Woman Pro»»»

Tunis, June 11 (TAP) - Seven new digital studios operating with Internet Protocol (IP) audio transmission technology were inaugurated on Thursday at the Tunisian Radio. These facilities serve National Radio, Radio Tunis Chaîne Internationale (RTCI),...»»»

Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC), affirmed that the Arab and Gulf regions are passing through a critical and pivotal stage in their contemporary history that requires strengthening joint Arab action and consolidating the foundations of security, stability and development.»»»

TOULOUSE: Authorities in the French city of Toulouse on Thursday announced a curfew for under-16s during “high risk” World Cup matches, after unrest marred celebrations of the recent Paris Saint-Germain Champions League victory. The matches in question are those involving France, games played by Mo»»»

WARSAW: Polish ‌lawmakers voted on Thursday to crack down on so-called ‘trash streaming’, imposing jail terms of up to five years for online broadcasts of crimes like rape and murder as well as cruelty to animals and violence aimed at humiliating people. The move is part of a broader ‌push by ‌Pola»»»