The disruption to global energy markets caused by the conflict in the Middle East has triggered an unexpected resurgence in coal demand, as energy security fears outweigh Climate Crisis commitments. Coal prices and consumption both rose following disruptions to natural gas supplies from the Gulf, r»»»

The EU has effectively separated the accession trajectories of Ukraine and Moldova, with each country now expected to advance towards membership at its own pace after the opening of the first negotiating cluster, reported European Pravda. The shift reflects a more explicitly “merit-based” approach »»»

Quito: Ecuador President Daniel Noboa declared Friday a holiday after the national team reached the World Cup knock-out stages by beating four-time champions Germany 2-1 in their final group match. "Thank you to the players and to the coach (Sebastian Beccacece) who, in spite of the critics, insult»»»

DURBAN: Thousands of Malawian migrants queued for processing at a makeshift camp in the South African city of Durban this week while hundreds of Zimbabweans slept on the pavement outside their consulate in Cape Town. All had the same goal: to leave South Africa before nationwide anti-immigrant prot»»»

In Brief Mongolia’s dependence on Russian fuel gives it short-term supply stability but leaves it structurally exposed. Russia’s temporary petrol export ban spared Mongolia through bilateral arrangements, underscoring the strength of the relationship while revealing the risks of relying on Moscow. »»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE announced the success of a new mediation effort between Russia and Ukraine that resulted in the exchange of 320 prisoners, with 160 Russian and 160 Ukrainian captives released. The latest exchange brings the total number of prisoners swapped through UAE-mediated efforts between t»»»

CALIFORNIA, USA: The United States only wanted to get through their final World Cup group stage match Thursday night without an injury or a red card, while Turkiye were playing for a face-saving victory to end a dismal tournament. Both teams got what they wanted most out of their meaningless meetin»»»

Tensions in the Kremlin are rising as the economy tanks and trust in the president is starting to wane. There is a growing consensus it’s high time to end the war in Ukraine. Two factions have appeared and are vying for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attention: the doves that want to freeze the»»»

The Central European University (CEU) could once again offer degree programmes in Budapest, nearly eight years after relocating its US-accredited courses to Vienna. University representatives say CEU is preparing to become a dual-campus institution, with accredited programmes operating in both Aust»»»

LONDON: As governments move to tighten rules around children’s access to social media, Saudi users appear to be sending a different message: not rejection, but growing caution, selectiveness and a demand for stronger guardrails. In the Arab world, the discussion has become more visible following re»»»

Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov said that Bulgaria has an interest in restoring its full membership in the Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy, where most Bulgarian experts in nuclear sciences received their education. During Friday's Question Time in Parliament, Hristo said that th»»»

In Brief Mongolia’s dependence on Russian fuel gives it short-term supply stability but leaves it structurally exposed. Russia’s temporary petrol export ban spared Mongolia through bilateral arrangements, underscoring the strength of the relationship while revealing the risks of relying on Moscow. »»»

The Russian government has been hit by a double whammy, forced to boost crude exports just as prices tumble following the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, due to sustained Ukrainian drone strikes on key facilities reducing its refining throughput. Russia is exporting crude oil at its fastest pace»»»

Germany’s new military registration program has fallen disastrously short of the numbers expected by the Bundeswehr, Die Zeit has reported, citing data from the Defense Ministry. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in April that the size of the German military should increase from the current 184»»»

LOS ANGELES, USA: A mouthwatering duel between in-form goalscorers Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland will take center stage at the World Cup on Friday as France face Norway in a crucial Group I decider. Real Madrid star Mbappe and Manchester City striker Haaland have started the tournament in bliste»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated suggestions that Syria’s new leader, Ahmad Sharaa, can better curb Iran-backed Hezbollah than Israel have alarmed Lebanon and Syria. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 26 (UPI) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated suggestion»»»

As Keir Starmer prepares to leave the UK’s highest office after less than two years, the media has lined up to explain why he failed to deliver on the enormous hype he received as opposition leader, and during his initial months in office. A repeated trope has been that Starmer was a “decent man,” »»»

Ukraine will seek to secure more than €1.5bn in reconstruction agreements at this week's Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2026) in the Polish city of Gdańsk, with railways, ports, energy infrastructure and private investment expected to dominate the agenda as Kyiv looks to strengthen the economy aga»»»

Doha, Qatar: The 2026 FIFA World Cup has become the highest-scoring edition in the tournament's history, surpassing the previous record of 172 goals set during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The milestone was reached during the tournament's 59th match, the Group D clash between the United States»»»

Los Angeles: A mouthwatering duel between in-form goalscorers Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland will take centre stage at the World Cup on Friday as France face Norway in a crucial Group I decider. Real Madrid star Mbappe and Manchester City striker Haaland have started the tournament in blistering »»»

Bulgaria has recorded the sharpest increase in the cost of building new homes among all European Union member states over the past decade, according to data cited from Eurostat and included in the 2026 edition of the report Key European Business Indicators. The figures show that between 2015 and 20»»»

LUXEMBOURG - Serbia is among the central, eastern and southeast European states with particularly robust and highly profitable banking sectors, according to an European Investment Bank (EIB) CESEE Bank Lending Survey for the first half of 2026. "The banking sector in Central, Eastern and South-East»»»

Hungary’s new government has confirmed its ambition to join the eurozone by around 2030, with Prime Minister Péter Magyar arguing that adopting the euro would bring greater economic stability and prevent future governments from repeating what he described as the fiscal mistakes of Viktor Orbán’s ad»»»

King Charles III salutes members of the Brtish armed forces at the annual Trooping the Color at Horseguards Parade in London on June 13. On Thursday he became the first ever monarch to reveal how much tax he pays. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo June 26 (UPI) -- Britain's King Charles II»»»

Rainbow flags are expected to flutter across Seattle's stadium on Friday when Iran meets Egypt in the World Cup Group G match as the city marks its annual Pride parade. The two countries last year asked for Pride-themed celebrations to be cancelled, a request FIFA denied. Players and officials of b»»»

As negociations are underway to end the war launched by Israel and the United Stated against Iran, talks have lagged over the subject of Iran's nuclear programme. The UN's nuclear chief emphasized Friday the need for a "very strong verification system" to ensure the country does not develop nuclear»»»

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday Washington would not accept any Iran deal allowing Tehran to impose fees on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, warning it would cause "total chaos". His remarks came after an attack on a vessel forced the United Nations to suspend mariner evacu»»»

In much of the world, rabbits are seen as harmless, fluffy pets. But in Australia, they’re an economic and environmental disaster. Introduced for sport hunting by British settlers in the mid-19th century, rabbits faced no natural predators. As a result, their population exploded across the continen»»»

PP-DB MP Stoyu Stoev has argued that the latest amendments to Bulgaria’s Judiciary Act do not amount to genuine judicial reform, claiming instead that they preserve existing political influence over the composition of the Supreme Judicial Council. Speaking on BNT, Stoev said that proposals aimed at»»»

The United States and Iran have entered a new phase of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program, but the most difficult questions have only been postponed. High-level delegations from the two countries have been meeting in Switzerland, with Pakistan and Qatar acting as mediators, after the signin»»»

DUBAI/LONDON: Iran reasserted its right on Friday to control shipping in the Strait of Hormuz ​and warned Gulf states against siding with the US, a day after an attack on a ship near Oman highlighted the fragility of a preliminary deal to end the Iran war. Tehran was responding to what it called an»»»

The sustainable development of Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan, requires large-scale investments in energy, transport, water infrastructure, and logistics. This was stated at the session «Investing in Central Asia: Opportunities and Partnerships» at the EDB International Forum. Today, internatio»»»

Nearly six in ten Poles now oppose Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, up from four in ten a year ago, according to two IBRiS opinion polls cited by Polish media. The latest survey, conducted for Radio ZET, found that 59.7% of respondents oppose Ukrainian membership. Last year, an IBRiS poll»»»

Parliament on Friday adopted final amendments to the Judicial System Act requiring the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to organize elections for members from the judges', prosecutors' and investigators' quota by October 17, 2026. To meet the deadline, the SJC will be allowed to shorten statutory dea»»»

Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Anita Orbán, has announced the recall of 37 heads of diplomatic missions as part of what she described as a comprehensive renewal of the country’s foreign service. In a video published on Facebook on Friday, the minister said the Foreign Ministry was beginning a huge ove»»»

Iran delivered a blistering rebuke on Friday, denouncing a joint United States-Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) statement as “interfering, irresponsible, and provocative,” while urging regional states to break free from what it described as Washington’s destabilizing, divide-and-rule machina»»»

On June 27, 2026, one of the largest environmental cleanups of the year will take place in Ton district of Issyk-Kul region: a cleanup of Issyk-Kul Lake shoreline. The event is organized by the public association Kyrgyzstan Motorboat Federation, the State Agency for Tourism Development under the Ca»»»

Storeys Real Estate has achieved a remarkable series of milestones, further strengthening its position as one of the UAE’s fastest-growing real estate brokerages. The company has been ranked #1 with Aldar Properties, secured the #4 position with Arada, and earned recognition as the 4th Best Real Es»»»

The second edition of the EY Entrepreneurship Barometer 2026 shows that entrepreneurs across wider Europe are shifting from strategic ambition to disciplined execution as they navigate a complex environment shaped by rising costs, regulatory pressure and macroeconomic uncertainty. Based on insights»»»

A clear majority of Hungarians would support replacing the forint with the euro, according to a new Medián survey, with around three in four respondents backing the introduction of the common European currency. The findings also reveal political divisions, as supporters of the opposition Fidesz par»»»

The relay carrying the flag of the F1H2O Grand Prix of Kyrgyzstan Issyk-Kul 2026 in powerboat racing has officially started in Kyrgyzstan. The first stop of the route was Tort-Gul aiyl okmotu in Batken region, where an official ceremony welcoming the championship flag took place. According to the S»»»

Russia's brief fiscal reprieve from the Gulf war is already coming to an end. A surge in oil prices in the last months looked like it would bail the Kremlin out which is increasingly struggling to pay for the war in Ukraine. But those hopes look short lived as oil prices are already dropping just a»»»

Los Angeles, United States: Tunisia's miserable World Cup campaign ended with zero points and a minus-10 goal difference after three Group F games following a 3-1 defeat by the Netherlands on Thursday. Here, AFP Sport takes a look at the previous teams to rack up a minus goal difference of double d»»»

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back speaks during a press briefing on drone and counter-drone policy at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Seoul on Friday. Photo by Yonhap SEOUL, June 26 (UPI) -- South Korea unveiled a sweeping plan Friday to rapidly expand the military's drone and counter-drone capabi»»»

U.S.-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon that were slated to end Thursday will go on for another day, the U.S. State Department said. It said this fifth round discussions that began this week will resume Friday morning (Washington time). "Israel and Lebanon talks remain ongoing as we continue»»»

Trust in the Cabinet in June is 45% and mistrust is 30%, according to a MarketLinks/bTV poll whose results were made public Friday. One and a half months after the Radev cabinet took office, the first visible signs of waning public enthusiasm for the new government and the majority party supporting»»»

Doha, Qatar:The FIFA World Cup group stage has delivered drama, surprises and unforgettable moments, but few fixtures have generated as much anticipation as Norway’s clash with France today. When the draw placed The Vikings and Les Bleus in the same group back in December, football fans immediately»»»

Hungary’s OTP Bank has achieved a major international breakthrough, entering the world’s top 400 most significant publicly listed companies for the first time, according to the 2026 Forbes Global 2000 ranking. The Hungarian financial institution placed 398th, marking a new record-high position for »»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s second successive FIFA World Cup group-stage exit may have brought a disappointing end to their campaign in North America, but head coach Julen Lopetegui believes the tournament has laid another important foundation for the future of Qatari football. Al Annabi bowed out after a»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) index ended the week down 2.18 percent, losing 229.11 points to close at 10,281, weighed down by declines across all sectors. The industrial sector posted the biggest loss, falling 3.29 percent, followed by telecommunications at 2.44 percent and transport»»»