Gold is increasingly being weaponised by states, criminal networks and sanctioned regimes as a strategic financial tool, while regulatory systems are failing to keep pace with rapidly evolving illicit supply chains, according to a new report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organize»»»

FOXBOROUGH, USA: Scotland star Scott McTominay is ready for the team’s opening World Cup game against Haiti on Saturday after overcoming a stomach bug, coach Steve Clarke has said. “He is perfect and ready to go,” Clarke said when asked about the fitness of the Napoli man, Scotland’s star player. M»»»

Hungary and Ukraine have officially finalised what Prime Minister Péter Magyar has described as a “historic agreement” on the rights of the ethnic Hungarian community living in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region, marking a major breakthrough in a dispute that has strained bilateral relations for years»»»

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu hosted political representatives from across party lines on Thursday to discuss the issue of electoral interference ahead of the country’s 2027 presidential election. French authorities are sounding the alarm over the rapid advances in artificial intelligence»»»

DUBAI: Extreme heat is becoming a defining challenge for global food production, with the Middle East among the most exposed regions. A joint report by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Meteorological Organization warns that rising temperatures are no longer a seasonal issue but a»»»

The election of the Hungary's new centre-right prime minister, Peter Magyar, in April marked a particularly stinging defeat for Viktor Orban, whose government was widely regarded as one of the most anti-LGBTQ in the EU. Rights advocates expect legal changes but wonder about the timeline Magyar will»»»

With Europeans sizzling in a record-breaking heatwave in May, and lands and rivers facing severe drought conditions in April, the effects of extreme climate-related events are becoming increasingly obvious. We sit down with the EU's Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, Dutch politic»»»

GENEVA: The Ebola outbreak in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading into new areas, the World Health Organization warned on Friday. Much more needs to be done to get on top of the virus, the WHO said, with isolation bed capacity far below anticipated needs given its spread. Sin»»»

MADRID: Pope Leo has issued a stern warning to human traffickers and criminal groups who exploit desperate migrants ​trying to reach Europe through Spain’s Canary Islands, telling them to “repent” before God or face being sent to hell. On the final day of a week-long tour of Spain, in which the pon»»»

THE HAGUE: Danny van Dijk thinks that this time turning his street in The Hague completely orange is going to work, as the Netherlands again target a long-awaited first World Cup title. For 26 years, whenever the Dutch play in a major football championship, Van Dijk and other residents have turned »»»

Sharjah: A coded “pizza delivery” request made to Sharjah Police’s emergency line has led to the swift rescue of an expatriate woman who was unable to openly seek help while under threat at home, officials said. The incident unfolded by Captain Majid Al Bas, Head of the Communications Operations Br»»»

WASHINGTON: Despite not scoring in either of Portugal’s World ‌Cup tune-ups this month, 41-year-old captain Cristiano Ronaldo insists his fitness level is not a concern. “Physically? I’m fine,” the forward told reporters on Friday, per ESPN. “Have you not seen my matches?“ Ronaldo scored 28 times f»»»

KINSHASA: Violent clashes erupted Friday in Congo ‘s capital, Kinshasa, during a rally against a proposed constitutional change that opponents say could pave the way for President Félix Tshisekedi to seek a third term. The demonstration, organized by the opposition coalition C64, was dispersed by p»»»

Zurich: Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Khulaifi has highlighted the growing complexity of modern conflicts and the need for stronger international cooperation to support mediation and peacebuilding efforts. Speaking during a keynote dialogue se»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has provided support to strengthen the World Health Organization’s efforts to contain the spread of Ebola in Africa, following the directives from President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The assistance, channelled through the UAE Aid Agency, is part of the coun»»»

Los Angeles, United States: The United States begin their World Cup challenge on Friday, taking on a savvy Paraguay side in a high-stakes match in Los Angeles. The World Cup co-hosts know that they must avoid a banana skin at the futuristic SoFi Stadium in the first World Cup finals game on US soil»»»

Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev attended a meeting of the EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) in Luxembourg on Friday. During the meeting, the Council discussed the economic and financial impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Europe’s econom»»»

The American and British right want you to believe that the Belfast riots are a violent Irish uprising against mass immigration. In reality, the riots are steeped in the complex sectarianism of Northern Ireland, and the riot leaders don’t even consider themselves Irish. Read more Sudanese refugee a»»»

CALIFORNIA: Born in refugee camps to parents displaced by conflict in Africa, three players will show the changing face of Australian soccer at the World Cup and look to answer the nation’s call for goals. Coach Tony Popovic is putting his faith in attackers Mohamed Toure and Nestory Irankunda, two»»»

AMMAN: Jordan’s economy is expected to maintain steady growth over the next three years, reaching 3 percent by 2028 despite ongoing global economic uncertainty and regional geopolitical tensions, according to the latest World Bank projections. In its Global Economic Prospects report released on Thu»»»

ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Benjamin Netanyahu of “following the path of Hitler” on Thursday after the Israeli leader alleged he was an “antisemitic dictator” who had committed a “genocide” against the Kurds. The relationship between Israel and Turkiye has nosedived sin»»»

Global crude oil benchmarks fell sharply Friday, with Brent, WTI, and Murban crude all dropping below key psychological levels as traders unwound war-risk premiums that had pushed prices higher earlier in the week. According to market data, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell to $84.99 per barrel, d»»»

Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk announced sweeping reforms aimed at enhancing the country’s tax services by the end of the fiscal year. Speaking to the Republican People’s Party at the New Administrative Capital, Kouchouk emphasized a new era of collaboration and transparency with the Tax Authority»»»

Hungary’s Foreign Ministry has launched a fresh internal investigation after uncovering what officials describe as serious irregularities in the granting of Hungarian citizenship and diplomatic passports during previous administrations. György László Velkey, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Min»»»

Bulgaria’s economy expanded by 3.1% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, placing the country fifth in the European Union in terms of economic growth, according to data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI). Around 3.5 million people were employed during the period, NSI deputy chairman»»»

After months of war, multiple ceasefires, threats of renewed bombing and repeated claims that an agreement was imminent, the United States and Iran appear closer than ever to a formal deal. Or at least that is the message coming from Washington. US President Donald Trump has declared that a settlem»»»

Gold is increasingly being weaponised by states, criminal networks and sanctioned regimes as a strategic financial tool, while regulatory systems are failing to keep pace with rapidly evolving illicit supply chains, according to a new report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organize»»»

Gold is increasingly being weaponised by states, criminal networks and sanctioned regimes as a strategic financial tool, while regulatory systems are failing to keep pace with rapidly evolving illicit supply chains, according to a new report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organize»»»

The EU appears to be willing to sacrifice both the well-being of its people and its own fiscal stability for the sake of military buildup justified by an alleged Russian threat. The bloc’s members push forward with their defense budget increase plans despite record debt levels, with some of them al»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Djuro Macut met with Greek FM Giorgos Gerapetritis in Belgrade on Friday to discuss further strengthening of bilateral relations, stepping up of cooperation in many areas and Serbia’s European path. "Macut emphasised that Serbia and Greece are friendly and fraternal states and»»»

Doha The International Media Office (IMO) categorically rejects the allegations published by The Washington Post on 12 June. Any suggestion that operational decisions relating to energy production were – or have ever been – made in coordination with Iran, for Iran’s benefit, or to influence the cou»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, June 12: Papers discuss Mexico's "statement" World Cup win over South Africa and detail Raul Jimenez's triumph. Also: young women in New York choose to live with nuns to save on rent. Finally, for the first time, scientists have mapped the enormous scale of subterranean »»»

On the final day of his Spanish tour, Pope Leo XIV on Friday visited Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, where he urged migrants to do their part to integrate and host communities to welcome newcomers. "All of us are migrants", said the pontiff, urging communities to save people fleeing wa»»»

Bulgarian Armed Forces are conducting exercises to enhance operational interoperability, Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov said Friday at Cheshnegirovo Air Base during the Distinguished Visitors Day of the multinational special operations exercise Stealth Dagger 26. "We are in a period of inten»»»

Founder of NanoSpace research and educational center Ulan Salamatov told 24.kg news agency about plans to develop rocket engineering in Kyrgyzstan and eventually build the country’s own cosmodrome in At-Bashy district of Naryn region. According to him, the NanoSpace team is already developing civil»»»

Paris, France: ChatGPT and Claude are betting on Spain. Le Chat from France's Mistral reckons Les Bleus will clinch it. And China's DeepSeek and Qwen have a fondness for Argentina. The 2026 World Cup is the first with widely available generative AI chatbots, and fans and researchers alike are turni»»»

The reported Iran-US ceasefire memorandum, based on Tehran's previously disclosed 14-point proposal, is nearing completion but still requires final approval by Iran's competent authorities, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported. According to the report, the draft follows Iran's proposed two-stage»»»

BENGHAZI: A decade after fierce battles reduced much of the University of Benghazi to rubble, students at Libya’s oldest and largest university are once again looking to the future with optimism. After the 2011 uprisings that toppled and killed longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi, the university founded»»»

Doha, Qatar: The International Media Office of the State of Qatar categorically rejected the allegations published by The Washington Post on June 12. Any suggestion that operational decisions relating to energy production were – or have ever been – made in coordination with Iran, for Iran’s benefit»»»

The International Media Office of the State of Qatar has categorically rejected allegations published by The Washington Post on 12 June, describing them as “entirely unfounded”. The claims suggested that operational decisions on energy production were coordinated with Iran or influenced by the conf»»»

Dubai: Thick smoke rose over the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Tebnit on Friday after Israeli airstrikes hit buildings in the area, according to video footage circulating online and reports from the ground. The strikes are the latest in the escalating conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed»»»

Dubai's flagship carrier Emirates will screen every match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 live onboard its flights, allowing football fans to follow the tournament from take-off to touchdown. Emirates announced on Thursday, June 11 that passengers will be able to watch every FIFA World Cup 2026 match li»»»

BEIRUT: Hezbollah is confident that ‌Iran will insist on Lebanon being included in a deal with the United States, a leading Hezbollah politician said on Friday, as hopes grew for an agreement between Tehran and Washington.Hezbollah, founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982, entered the region»»»

Princess Bajrakitiyabha of Thailand, the eldest child of King Vajiralongkorn, died on Thursday after three years in a coma caused by a severe heart condition. She was 47. File Photo by Rungroj Yongrit/EPA June 12 (UPI) -- Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the eldest child of King Vajiralongkorn, died i»»»

Polish officials from the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party have urged the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia to rename a street honoring Stepan Bandera, the nationalist leader whose movement was responsible for the massacre of more than 100,000 Poles during World War II. Relations between Poland and Ukr»»»

The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and the Bulgarian Association of Recycling (BAR) signed a partnership agreement at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia. The agreement was signed by BTA Director General Kiril Valchev and BAR Board of Directors Chairman Zdravko Bikov. Valchev noted that with this agr»»»

The population remains unhealthy despite a significant increase in healthcare spending over the past five years, Health Minister Katya Ivkova told journalists on Friday. Presenting data for the 2021-2025 period, Ivkova said spending on hospital care increased by from BGN 2.6 billion in 2021 to BGN »»»

The Iran Cancer Center in Tehran has been launched even as the US and Israel kept raining bombs and missiles upon the Islamic republic. Despite the hardships caused by Western aggression and sanctions, Iranian doctors battle one of the worst diseases in the world using cutting-edge tech, advanced s»»»

Q Mobility has announced the timings and fees for Darb toll gates and Mawaqif parking services during the Hijri New Year holiday, with motorists set to benefit from free tolls and parking on Monday, June 15. The company said Darb toll charges at Sas Al Nakhl, Al Maqta, Rabdan and Al Saadiyat gates »»»

SAN CRISTOBAL: Pope Leo XIV renewed his support for migrants on Friday in the Canary Islands, saying “all of us are migrants” and urged newcomers to do their part to integrate, on the final day of a weeklong visit to Spain focused on migration issues. Calling integration a “reciprocal journey,” the»»»