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»»»

High-level negotiations in Switzerland seeking a permanent end to the Iran war have ended, while technical talks will go on there for the rest of the week. US and Iranian delegation met for high-level talks following the recent signing of a "memorandum of understanding". However, the Iranian tempor»»»

Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right lawyer and businessman who earned US President Donald Trump's support, on Sunday won Colombia's presidential runoff with 49.7 percent of the vote, beating his left-wing rival Ivan Cepeda with a one percent lead. Cepeda told supporters he would challenge results»»»

The first round of talks between the US and Iran has concluded in Switzerland. Iran has tied success in the talks to the end of the fighting in Lebanon, while US President Donald Trump has repeated his threats to resume attacks. FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert tells us more about the ongoing negotiatio»»»

Iran and the US agreed on Monday to set up communication lines to keep the vital Strait of Hormuz open and end fighting in Lebanon, mediators said, after "encouraging" talks in Switzerland over the weekend. Follow our live coverage for all the latest updates.  (FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reute»»»

GAZA CITY: Jerusalem’s Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa pledged Monday not to abandon Gaza’s Christian community as he visited the territory with his Greek Orthodox counterpart. Pizzaballa and Patriarch Theophilos III arrived for a pastoral visit aimed at supporting both Gaza’s smal»»»

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»»»

Bern, June 22 (SANA) Switzerland said on Monday that conditions are now in place for the immediate resumption of technical talks between Iran and the United States, following the first round of negotiations aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement between the two sides. In a statement cited by A»»»

Seoul, June 22 (SANA) Two South Korean vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz following an agreement between the United States and Iran, South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said on Monday. The ministry, cited by Yonhap News Agency, said the vessels, operated by South Korean shi»»»

Lucerne The first session of high-level talks under the framework of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) have concluded in Burgenstock, Switzerland, with the participation of representatives from the Islamic Republic of Iran, the United States of America, and the two mediating parties, »»»

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»»»

Shares in Christian Tour debuted on Monday on the Regulated Market of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), under the TRIP ticker symbol. Christian Tour is the first travel operator to be listed on the stock exchange’s main market. The initial public offering (IPO), which preceded the listing and thr»»»

There is an increased risk of wildfires in all areas of the country, WWF Bulgaria warned on Monday. Due to climate change, which is leading to increasingly higher average temperatures and more intense drought, the wildfire season is tending to start earlier and last longer, even outside the traditi»»»

The Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev ordered that from now on expenditures under the Road Safety Fund will only be made for activities directly related to improving the road traffic situation in the context of the priority of reducing victims and injured people in accidents, the press centre of t»»»

Britain's Keir Starmer on Monday announced his resignation as prime minister and 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. Follow our live blog for all the news and reactions.  »»»

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 Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced he is stepping down as head of the Labour party, after several days of mounting pressure following the election of his rival in a critical election Andy Burnham. He will remain prime minister until his successor is chosen. FRANCE 24's journalists tell us»»»

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned on June 22, paving the way for Britain to have its seventh prime minister in just over a decade. Andy Burnham, who won a special parliamentary election a few days earlier, is the front-runner to replace him as Labour leader. FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert tells »»»

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday said he was stepping down as leader of the governing Labour Party and will leave office within weeks after growing pressure to hand over to a new leader who can try and revive the government’s flagging fortunes. Here's a look at the next steps in Britai»»»

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»»»

A Chinese citizen has been detained and formally charged in Bulgaria over allegations of attempting to gather classified information for a foreign state, according to the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutors say the alleged activity took place in Sofia over an extended period, from an unspec»»»

A massive explosion and fire hit Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City on Sunday evening, with the authorities attributing the incident to a “technical malfunction” during operations at a local gas facility rather than an attack. Qatar’s Interior Ministry initially said an “internal explosion” occurre»»»

Bulgaria was added to the FATF grey list back in 2023. Since then, the government has gradually stepped up its compliance rules across key sectors. The most recent move sees Bulgaria establishing a dedicated AML task force embedded within the National Police.  Outgoing Interior Minister Daniel»»»

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»»»

Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker said that the Arab Executive Office of the Ministers of Electricity 31st meeting discusses the Arab electricity network. The Arab leaders pay great attention to the Arab power grid that has great economic feasibility, the minister added. Egypt suffered last ye»»»

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»»»

BELGRADE - We live in a world where all assumptions that have shaped the world economy in the past 30 years are collapsing and that is why we must change, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday in Belgrade at the opening of the 21st World Congress of the International Economic Associatio»»»

FM Logistic, a major international supply chain player, has announced the signing of an agreement to acquire a majority stake in the capital of German logistics group Schäflein. The current management, Achim and Bernd Schäflein, will retain an equity stake, thereby securing the continuity and famil»»»

Doha The Ministry of Interior (MoI) announced on Monday that the number of people injured in the incident at a factory in the Ras Laffan Industrial Area has reached 54. In a statement posted on its official account on X, the ministry said that the Qatari International Search and Rescue Group, affil»»»

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»»»

The transaction refinances the company’s existing facilities, originally signed in 2023, and extends the initial maturity from three to five years, while securing improved terms and conditions. The funds will be used primarily to support the modernization and digitization of Delgaz’s distribution n»»»

ROME: World leaders are “feeding” wars instead of the hungry, Pope Leo said on Monday, telling the UN food aid agency that global priorities were badly skewed. Leo, who has been more outspoken on political issues in recent months, urged governments to increase their spending to combat hunger and no»»»

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»»»

London, June 22 (SANA) Oil prices declined on Monday in global markets after the conclusion of U.S.–Iran talks in Switzerland, which were described as positive, and following reports that Tehran secured exemptions for oil and petrochemical exports, easing concerns over potential supply disruptions.»»»

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 »»»

The Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic announced the launch of an automated information system (AIS) «Single Window» starting July 1, 2026. As part of efforts to digitize public services and improve transparency and convenience for citizens, the »»»

OMV Petrom, the largest integrated energy producer in South-Eastern Europe, has commissioned a new aromatics unit at the Petrobrazi refinery, following an investment of around EUR 140 million. The project will allow the company to expand its production capacity for feedstocks used in the petrochemi»»»

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»»»