LOS ANGELES: European champions Spain and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal aim to book their places in the last 16 of the World Cup on Thursday as Algeria look to salvage some pride for African football. Spain take on Austria in Los Angeles, where a win will keep them on course for a potential meeting »»»

BELGRADE - Compared to Pope Leo XIV, Pope Francis had more understanding for Serbia regarding Kosovo-Metohija and was more open to hearing Serbia's positions on the matter, says Jovan Palalic, head of a Serbia-Holy See friendship group in the Serbian parliament. Even though it might still be too ea»»»

Kinshasa: The official death toll in an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo now exceeds more than 400, according to official figures released on Thursday. The highly infectious disease has claimed 438 lives among the 1,406 people confirmed infected -- a fatality rate of just over 31 »»»

KINSHASA: The official death toll in an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo now exceeds more than 400, according to official figures released on Thursday. The highly contagious disease has claimed 438 lives, with 1,406 people infected since the outbreak was declared in northeastern I»»»

Speaking in the parliamentary lobby on Thursday, Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov said that the party will request a meeting with Patriarch Daniil regarding a bill on the introduction of the subject Virtues and Religion in Bulgarian schools, which was rejected on Wednesday by the parliamentar»»»

Parliament on Thursday tasked the National Audit Office with carrying out three audits related to public finance management, covering the social sector, the Finance Ministry and the Road Infrastructure Agency. In a unanimous 155-0 vote, MPs instructed the National Audit Office to audit social benef»»»

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank (WB) has urged Pakistan to overhaul the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award by revising both the vertical and horizontal revenue-sharing formula and adopting a fiscal equalisation model based on provinces’ spending needs and revenue capacity. According to The News, the»»»

RIYADH: The King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Foundation for Houbara Conservation to support national efforts to protect the endangered bird and reintroduce the houbara bustard into its natural habitats, c»»»

Democratic Bulgaria and Vazrazhdane on Thursday called on Constitutional Court Judge Desislava Atanasova to resign. "When will Desislava Atanasova resign as a Constitutional Court judge?" Democratic Bulgaria MP Ivaylo Mirchev said, calling on the former GERB parliamentary group chair to step down. »»»

Algeria is holding parliamentary elections on July 2, seven years after the pro-democracy Hirak protests. But turnout is expected to be low. After the protests, only 23% of voters showed up to the polls, with many refusing to vote to show discontent with the political offer and several opposition p»»»

One month after Congolese authorities officially declared a new Ebola outbreak, the virus is still spreading in the east of the country and the death toll continues to rise. There are now more than 1,000 confirmed cases and more than 250 confirmed deaths. FRANCE 24's Aurélie Bazzara-Kibangula repor»»»

DR Congo's World Cup dream has come to an end after the Leopards lost to the Three Lions during a nail-biting game on July 1. Despite having a 1-0 lead in the first half of the game, DR Congo was disqualified after England's Harry Kane scored two goals in the second half. But fans aren't too disapp»»»

Iran's joint military command warned Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a "forceful response," again ratcheting up tensions over a waterway crucial for international energy supplies. The strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf»»»

The search for 11-year-old Natalia Asenova from the Varna village of Konstantinovo continued for a third day as her mother described the terrifying events that, she says, led to the girl's abduction by her former partner, 40-year-old Asen Simeonov. Speaking through tears, Natalia's mother, Dora Pet»»»

Dubai: The UAE is restoring crude oil exports to near-record levels following disruption caused by the recent regional conflict, with alternative export routes and infrastructure helping maintain supplies to rest of the world. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply»»»

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stressed Thursday that the framework agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel "opens the door to restoring a functioning state and ending the chronic conflict that has drained Lebanon for decades." "It also establishes a clear equation based on a complete Isra»»»

ABUJA: Hunger across Nigeria’s conflict-hit north is at levels not seen in a decade as violence spreads and aid shrinks, the UN’s World Food Programme warned Thursday, with more than three million people “acutely food insecure.” The country has been battling a jihadist insurgency centered in the no»»»

ROME: US President Donald Trump’s attacks on Italy’s premier have had an unintended consequence. After Trump questioned Italy’s reliability as a wartime ally and claimed Giorgia Meloni had groveled for his attention, European leaders rallied to Meloni’s side, thawing what had been a frosty relation»»»

Every year, he does a little countdown. Dubai-based Safia Youssef’s 10-year-old loves a football summer camp more than he loves home, she says. “He waits to register. He enjoys it so much, because he has made more friends at camp than he made in school,” she says. He comes home with such a beaming »»»

Dubai: After months of lesson planning, grading papers, and supporting students, teachers across the UAE are finally pressing pause. While students eagerly count down to the holidays, educators are looking forward to something just as important, time to rest, reconnect with family, and return to th»»»

Members of a parliamentary committee attempt to enter the Olympic Park Handball Gymnasium in southern Seoul on Thursday to investigate ballot shortages in the June 3 local elections. Photo by Yonhap Members of a special parliamentary committee investigating ballot shortages that marred the June 3 l»»»

A U.S. House Judiciary Committee report released Wednesday accuses Seoul of discriminating against American companies, particularly e-commerce giant Coupang. In this photo, a Coupang sign is seen near a distribution center in Seoul in December 2025. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI SEOUL, July 2 (U»»»

Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) Chair Delyan Peevski said on Thursday that Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev had illegally investigated his private life in connection with flights that he said were paid for by himself and his family. Speaking to reporters in the corridors of Parliament afte»»»

Thursday's media coverage was dominated by disputes over the draft State Budget for 2026, fiscal policy, and public spending, with politicians, economists, and government representatives clashing over deficits, expenditure priorities, and the sustainability of public finances. STATE BUDGET In an in»»»

Caraballeda, Venezuela: Andrea Canonico focused on her breathing to stay calm as she lay trapped under a building that had crumbled during the two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week. Just 23 years old, Canonico spent almost 48 hours in the same position before being pulled out -- »»»

A longtime aide to Bill Clinton who once claimed the former US president had visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island has now said he cannot remember why he made the allegation. Doug Band, one of Clinton’s closest advisers after he left the White House, told Vanity Fair in 2020 that the former pres»»»

US health authorities are struggling to identify the source of a foodborne illness that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration. At least 145 people across 17 states have tested positive for the cyclospora cayetanensis parasite. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has acknowledged t»»»

German prosecutors have charged the Ukrainian suspect in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines with a “war crime,” according to local media reports. The indictment was served on the suspect, identified by the media as former Ukrainian special forces member Sergey Kuznetsov, this week. »»»

In a steadfast decision, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has opted to maintain its current interest rates for the seventh consecutive time, marking a significant stance in its first assembly of 2025. The overnight deposit rate remains at 27.25%, the overnight lending rate at 28.25%, and the main op»»»

LONDON: YouTube has rolled out supervised children’s accounts across the Middle East and Turkiye as regulators and governments increase scrutiny of social media platforms’ impact on young people’s wellbeing. The Alphabet‑owned platform on Wednesday unveiled a package of parental controls designed t»»»

A wrong-way driver from Csenger drove for more than three kilometres against the traffic on Hungary’s M6 motorway near Bátaszék, in southern Hungary, after failing to follow a diversion sign at roadworks, according to Tolna County Police. The 69-year-old motorist was travelling towards Budapest whe»»»

As it repels Russian aggression, Ukraine suddenly found itself at loggerheads with its western neighbour and strategic ally Poland. A quarrel morphing into systemic confrontation was caused by a significant shift in Ukraine’s memory policy, underway since former military intelligence (HUR) chief Ky»»»

Russia's manufacturing sector returned to modest growth in June after more than a year of stagnation, as improving domestic demand offset a renewed deterioration in export markets, although businesses remained cautious over the outlook amid weak consumer purchasing power and continued logistical di»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s largest listed banks posted 3.9 percent deposit growth in the first quarter of 2026, boosting liquidity and reinforcing the sector’s resilience, a new analysis showed. Customer deposits outpaced loan growth during the three months ended March, with aggregate net loans and adv»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The German Federal Public Prosecutor's Office said on Thursday that it had charged a Ukrainian citizen in the case of the terrorist attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines. "On June 30, 2026, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office of Germany charged a Ukrainian citizen ... The ac»»»

Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) MP Kalin Stoyanov said on Thursday that Democratic Bulgaria lawmaker and Co-Chair of Yes, Bulgaria! Ivaylo Mirchev had publicly disclosed classified information during the parliamentary debate on the election of a deputy governor of the National Health Insuran»»»

Robinson Beach has received the international Blue Flag award for the second consecutive year, recognizing its high standards of cleanliness, safety, environmental management, and visitor services, Simeon Tsvetkov, Chair of the Association for the Development of Sea Beach Management Activities, sai»»»

The search for 11-year-old Natalia Slavova Asenova from the village of Konstantinovo continues today as police, local authorities, and volunteers intensified efforts to locate the missing child, who disappeared on June 30. According to the Ministry of Interior, the girl is believed to be with »»»

Eurozone inflation eased further in June, falling to 2.8% from 3.2% in May, according to preliminary Eurostat data. The reading came in below market expectations of 3.0% and marked the lowest level since March. In Bulgaria, annual harmonized inflation also declined, dropping to 5.3% from 6.3% in th»»»

On June 30, 2026, the six-month window for free conversion of levs into euros through commercial banks officially ended, marking a key phase in Bulgaria’s currency transition process. According to data released by the Bulgarian National Bank, a total of 29.4 billion leva had been exchanged into eur»»»

Revolut Bank, one of the leading digital banks in Hungary and across the European Economic Area, today announced the successful completion of the migration of more than 2 million eligible Hungarian retail customers to the local branch and can now access Revolut’s Hungarian bank accounts. As part of»»»

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Wednesday defended the framework agreement that Lebanon has signed with Israel, saying that if it gets implemented, it should lead to an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. It would also "allow our displaced people to return to their villages and homes in a safe and digni»»»

TAICHUNG: Taiwan ​needs a “hornet’s nest” of drones to help deter conflict and provide security, the top US diplomat to the democratically governed island said on Thursday. The United States, Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, »»»

A ceasefire sounds straightforward: Fighting stops. Negotiations ensue. Ordinary citizens get a break from fighting — and some time to rebuild. That's not what's happening in the volatile Mideast, where ongoing fighting still resembles a war long after ceasefire agreements were announced and Presid»»»

Doha, Qatar: Every FIFA World Cup creates new heroes, but it also signals the end of an era for others. When Portugal and Croatia meet in the Round of 32, the spotlight will once again fall on Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric. Two of football’s greatest players have defined a generation, and this »»»

Every year, he does a little countdown. Dubai-based Safia Youssef’s 10-year-old loves a football summer camp more than he loves home, she says. “He waits to register. He enjoys it so much, because he has made more friends at camp than he made in school,” she says. He comes home with such a beaming »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, represented by its Department of Da’wah and Religious Guidance, has organised the “Knowledge Circles” (Majalis Al Ilm) programme as part of the Da’wah and Islamic Sciences Institute’s training and qualification initiatives, aimed at equipping »»»

Almost a quarter of Romanians over the age of 65 are at risk of poverty and social exclusion, with Romania being above the European Union average for this indicator, according to Eurostat figures for 2025, analysed by the Social Monitor, a project of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation."Almost one in fo»»»

Dubai: Emirates Global Aluminium has restarted 89 reduction cells at its Al Taweelah site in Abu Dhabi, marking early progress in the restoration of one of the world’s major aluminium production complexes after it sustained significant damage in March. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Che»»»

Doha, Qatar: Spain head into today’s FIFA World Cup Round of 32 clash against Austria as overwhelming favourites, but the European champions are taking nothing for granted as they bid to extend their unbeaten run and book a place in the last 16. Luis de la Fuente’s side arrived in North America amo»»»