Los Angeles,: Super subs Johan Manzambi and Ruben Vargas fired Switzerland to a 4-1 win over 10-man Bosnia-Herzegovina in a late rush of goals in Los Angeles on Thursday. The result gave the Swiss a strong chance of reaching the knockout round as one of the top two teams in Group B. They had been c»»»

Share: File- Smoke billows from southern Lebanon, following Israeli strikes, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, June 4, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer The United States and Iran inked a long-awaited provisional ceasefire deal on June 17, 2026. After months of uncertainty, the people of the Gulf region can, po»»»

ROME: Stronger-than-expected results from Ramadan and Hajj visitors helped ease the impact of the disruption caused by the war in Iran, Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb said on Thursday at the FII Priority Europe summit in Rome. Discussing the status of the country’s tourism sector, Al-Khate»»»

The US-Iran war appears to have ended after 108 days, costing American taxpayers over $100 billion, according to estimates gathered by the independent Iran War Cost Tracker. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran, with Tehran also confirming the electro»»»

Egyptian pound keeps sliding against dollar in black market recording 10.50 for purchasing and 10.70 for selling. This comes despite the Central Bank's devaluation decision, which pushed the official pound value in banks to 8.85 and 8.87 respectively against dollar. Moreover, the bank has chann»»»

A second spring heatwave sweeping France killed a 30-year-old man near Paris on Thursday and forced transport disruptions and school adjustments nationwide. Authorities warned the intense, prolonged spell would peak early next week with temperatures reaching up to 40°C in some areas. A 30-year-old »»»

Even as Washington hailed the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Tehran, much of the real negotiation is now taking place behind closed doors. According to CNN, the United States and Iran are quietly working on a series of confidential proposals that would spell out how the agreement w»»»

Manila: "Maharlika", a pre-colonial term, means "royalty" or "nobility", freeman. The Marharlika Highway in Samar is a stark contrast to its name. The Maharlika Highway in the mineral-rich island is a symbol of the Philippines' infrastructure crisis: a road that is supposed to connect communities, »»»

The combined wealth of Hungary’s 100 richest individuals rose by HUF1.56 trillion (€3.9bn) over the past year to a record HUF12.6 trillion (€36bn), according to the latest edition of The 100 Richest Hungarians annual ranking, Index.hu writes. The increase represents annual growth of 14%, »»»

Top, from left, Hong Kyu-dok, Yoo Ho-yeol, moderator Son Gi-woong, Cho Gap-je, Lee Hoon and Lee Myung-kwon take part in a conference on South Korea’s unification policy at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on Wednesday. Bottom, panelists and attendees pose for a group photo after the conference. Cour»»»

CAIRO: Three Palestinians were killed and several others injured on Thursday after an Israeli drone strike targeted a civilian vehicle in the Al-Rimal neighborhood west of Gaza City, according to medical sources. The sources said the attack struck a civilian car near Abu Khadra Mosque in western Ga»»»

BUENOS AIRES: As Argentina legend Lionel Messi makes history at the ‌World Cup, his father is experiencing a “health situation” that prompted family members to release a statement Thursday. Jorge Messi is “under medical supervision” as he continues to recover from a medical condition that was not r»»»

Share: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was silent on Wednesday as President Trump released and signed a deal that Israeli officials see as a strategic and political disaster. Why it matters: Netanyahu promised the Israeli public “total victory” in Iran. He had to settle for Trump’s memora»»»

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei says Iranian officials have made extensive efforts out of compassion and goodwill to reach a memorandum of understanding with the US, while the American president has used various leverage points out of desperation. “The passionate »»»

ATLANTA: South Africa scored a penalty seven minutes from fulltime as they fought back to draw 1-1 with the Czech Republic at the World Cup on Thursday after falling behind early in the Group A clash. The result effectively left the two sides, who both lost their opening fixtures, likely requiring »»»

DOHA: Mutaz Barshim has spent more than a decade redefining the limits of the high jump, collecting Olympic medals, world titles, and establishing himself among the greatest athletes in the sport’s history. His achievements include Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020, silver in London 2012 and Rio 2016, and»»»

The European Parliament approved a resolution calling for the immediate suspension of political dialogue and cooperation agreements with Cuba. File Photo by Orestis Panagiotou/EPA June 18 (UPI) -- The European Parliament approved a resolution Thursday calling for the immediate suspension of politic»»»

Atlanta: Teboho Mokoena's penalty kept South Africa's dream of reaching the World Cup knockout stages for the first time alive after a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic in Atlanta on Thursday. Michal Sadilek's early opener had the Czechs on course for just their second World Cup win as an independen»»»

TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that he had approved a deal with the United States to end the Middle East war despite having a “different view,” without elaborating. “In principle, I had a different view (about the memorandum of understanding), but I issued»»»

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas is accused of comparing Israel to South African apartheid. File Photo by Thomas Traasdahl/EPA June 18 (UPI) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced Thursday that he is cutting all contact with Kaja Kal»»»

Washington, United States: The US on Thursday lifted a blockade of Iranian ports imposed during the Middle East war after President Donald Trump signed a deal to end the conflict, as uncertainty surrounded planned talks in Switzerland aiming to take the accord further. The signing of the deal by Tr»»»

Argentina is preparing to launch South America's first citizenship-by-investment program. File Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo June 18 (UPI) -- Argentina is preparing to launch South America's first citizenship-by-investment program, an initiative that would allow foreign nationals to app»»»

The Hungarian forint came under pressure on Thursday as a powerful rally of the US dollar swept through global currency markets following the US Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting. Hungarian currency weakens against both the US dollar and the euro While investors continue to monitor geopolitic»»»

ROME: Saudi Transport Minister Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser said the contingency measures activated during the Iran crisis were the result of years of planning, and not reactive. “What we have been doing is not a reaction to what has happened,” Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser said during a panel discussio»»»

The ruling Socialist Party is set to convene an expanded meeting of its parliamentary group and government officials on Saturday at the Palace of Brigades in Tirana, according to information obtained by local media. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m., with party members informed throug»»»

Head of Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc, Hajj Mohammad Raad called on the Lebanese authorities to carefully read the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding and draw out the facts and prospects that will weigh heavily on the reality of the region and the world, including Lebanon. MP Raad also »»»

TORONTO: Egypt midfielder Emam Ashour scored the fastest goal in the first round of group-stage games at 2026 FIFA World Cup. Data captured by the “Connected Ball” technology inside the official Adidas tournament ball revealed that his strike against Belgium reached a speed of 123.4 kph, surpassing»»»

LOS ANGELES: Mexico and South Korea will aim to punch their ticket to the World Cup knockout rounds on Thursday when they meet in Guadalajara knowing a win would guarantee a last 32 berth. The Group A rivals head into the fixture at the Estadio Akron fresh from respective victories over South Afric»»»

US Vice President JD Vance spoke at a White House press briefing on the interim agreement with Iran on Thursday, saying that some ​12.5 ‌million ⁠barrels ‌of oil have flowed ⁠through the Strait of ​Hormuz following ‌the overnight signing of ‌a memorandum ​of understanding between the United States »»»

Rail services across several important routes in Hungary were severely disrupted on Thursday afternoon after a passenger train derailed near the town of Újszász. Although no one was injured in the incident, the accident has caused significant transport restrictions and prompted an immediate investi»»»

Russia’s income inequality reached its highest level since 2007 in 2025, with the official Gini coefficient rising to 0.422 from 0.410 in 2024, according to Kommersant daily citing Rosstat. As followed by IntelliNews, demographics and equality were main national goals in the economic platform prese»»»

Fiscal decentralization, regional development, investment, infrastructure, social services and the absorption of European Union funds were among the key topics discussed at a National Meeting of Local and Central Executive Authorities in Sofia on Thursday. The forum highlighted both the challenges »»»

The Philippines is a unique nation. It has more than 116.8 million people inhabiting a huge land area (300,000 km2), 10 times bigger than Belgium, spread across 7,641 islands. The country has nearly four times the population of Canada, living across vastly different geographic and developmental cha»»»

BEIRUT: Lebanon has received assurances from Syria that it will not interfere in Lebanese affairs, Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri told Arab News on Thursday, rejecting suggestions that Damascus could play a role in confronting Hezbollah as fighting between Israel and the group continues. Mitri’s»»»

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks at an education roundtable on June 11. The department announced Tuesday that it's moving four segments to other agencies. Photo by Daniel Heuer/UPI | License Photo June 16 (UPI) -- The Department of Education will shift two of its major departments, civil»»»

Education Minister Georgi Valchev on Thursday warned of widening disparities across Bulgaria's education system, describing the growing gap between high-performing schools and those failing to provide adequate preparation as one of the sector's most serious challenges. Speaking at the National Meet»»»

Bulgaria is among the European countries where Austrian tourists get the highest value for their money, with EUR 1 buying around 70% more goods and services than at home, according to Bank Austria’s annual analysis of the so-called holiday euro, quoted by APA on Thursday. In some tourist destinatio»»»

RIYADH: As Saudi Arabia’s fashion sector expands, designers are increasingly drawing inspiration from the Kingdom’s diverse landscape and heritage. This was evident at the Arts and Skills Institute’s 13th cohort showcase, held under the theme “Beyond the Horizon,” where emerging designers reinterpr»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday that Israel's "struggle" is not over yet, and that more challenges lie ahead, after the U.S. and Iran signed an MoU to end the war between them, which also inlcudes a clause about stopping the conflict in Lebanon and respecting its sovere»»»

Rewind almost a century, to the 1930s, and the FIFA World Cup had no need to produce an official song or fashion a unified sonic identity. This was a purely sporting event, shaped by the era's politics and communication methods. Match results were printed in newspapers, and fans followed the games »»»

As the FIFA World Cup 2026 gets underway in the US, Canada, and Mexico amid mounting controversy, aspects of the world’s most popular sport are under increasing scientific and medical scrutiny. Beyond the questioning of Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein, the denial of entry to Somali referee Omar Abdulka»»»

Belgrade: A Serbian court on Thursday found the parents of a teenage school shooter guilty of his neglect and abuse, reinstating a lengthy jail sentence after a high-profile retrial. The killings of nine students and a security guard in the Belgrade elementary school on May 3, 2023, shocked the Bal»»»

With the quiet force of history turning a page, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared that the United States and Iran—adversaries locked in decades of hostility—had reached an agreement that promises not just a cessation of hostilities but a redefinition of the strategic landscape of th»»»

Senegal’s former prime minister Ousmane Sonko has indicated he is open to discussing a debt restructuring with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), signalling a possible breakthrough in efforts to resolve a fiscal crisis that has disrupted relations between Dakar and the lender. The country’s par»»»

The parliamentary group of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) announced Thursday that it has submitted a package of draft laws concerning the rights of representatives of the Turkish and Muslim communities, including those who were affected by the so-called “Revival Process” of forcible ass»»»

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told a group of NATO defence ministers Thursday that Washington will carry out a sweeping review of its military presence in Europe. The Pentagon chief slammed some European allies for failing to provide US forces access to bases in Europe during the US-Israeli war»»»

CAIRO: The number of Palestinians ‌killed by Israeli fire in Gaza has reached more than 1,000 since a US-brokered ceasefire last October, the enclave’s health ministry said ​on Thursday, as at least three people were reported killed in the latest strike. Medics said an Israeli strike hit a vehicle »»»

The parliamentary group of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) has submitted a package of draft laws concerning the rights of representatives of the Turkish and Muslim communities, including those who were affected by the so-called “Revival Process” (an internationally condemned assimilation»»»

Improving transport connectivity across Bulgaria will help place all regions on an equal footing and reduce long-standing regional disparities, Regional Development and Public Works Minister Ivan Shishkov said on Thursday. Speaking at a National Meeting of Local and Central Executive Authorities in»»»

Dubai: Abu Dhabi’s residential property market recorded its strongest first quarter on record, with Dh38.1 billion worth of sales across 8,100 transactions between January and March, according to Cavendish Maxwell. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The total value of hom»»»