DPA Mexico City World Cup co-hosts Mexico got off to the perfect start with goals from Julian Quinones and Raúl Jiménez sealing a 2-0 win over nine-man South Africa in the tournament opener on Thursday. Yaya Sithole’s mistake - from a risky pass by keeper Ronwen Williams - allowed Erik Lira to squa»»»

Mexico City: Mexico ignited their World Cup party with a dominant 2-0 victory over nine-man South Africa on Thursday as the biggest ever edition of the global footballing showpiece kicked off at the iconic Estadio Azteca. Julian Quinones scored the opening goal of the tournament and veteran striker»»»

RIYADH: The Iran war has delivered the broadest economic shock to the Middle East and North Africa in at least half a century of regional upheaval, according to an analysis produced by Asharq Business with Bloomberg. Its report, based on analyzing International Monetary Fund data dating back to 198»»»

RIYADH: The Iran war has delivered the broadest economic shock to the Middle East and North Africa in at least half a century of regional upheaval, according to an analysis produced by Asharq Business with Bloomberg. Its report, based on analyzing International Monetary Fund data dating back to 198»»»

JEDDAH: The FIFA World Cup kicked off late last night and fans across the Kingdom gathered to celebrate at local cafes that have prepped for the event weeks in advance to welcome football enthusiasts. With the tournament being held in the US, Mexico and Canada, most games will start late at night o»»»

Among the companies positioned to benefit from revised licensing rules in Venezuela are are U.S.-based Chevron, Spain's Repsol, Italy's Eni, France's Maurel & Prom and Britain's BP. File Photo by Chico Sanchez/EPA June 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. Treasury Department, through its Office of Foreign Assets C»»»

US President Donald Trump withdrew his threat to launch a more devastating wave of bombings against Iran on Thursday and promised instead that he would soon be able to announce the signing of a deal with Tehran to end the war. As the World Cup opening ceremony got underway in Mexico, Trump posted n»»»

The current debate in Canada over Indigenous rights, language revitalization, and the restoration of original place names, especially in British Columbia, is deeply rooted in historical truth, constitutional reality, and the lived experience of Indigenous peoples who have survived centuries of syst»»»

Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will run for office again in the election later this year, his Likud party has announced. On Tuesday, ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl claimed that US President Donald Trump told him he was not sure if Netanyahu shoul»»»

The Education Ministry's draft 2026 budget was presented at a meeting of the Sectoral Council for Tripartite Cooperation in Preschool and School Education on Thursday, the Education and Science Ministry said. Diyan Stamatov, head of the Union of Employers in the Public Education System in Bulgaria,»»»

The Israeli army pushed forward again on Thursday around the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, seeking to reach the strategic Ali al-Taher heights, an area it has pounded with dozens of strikes over the past two years. Lebanese security assessments suggest the aim is to reach tunnels and faciliti»»»

US President Donald Trump on Thursday named prosecutor Jay Clayton as his new intelligence chief, after a backlash from Republicans over his bid to install an inexperienced ally in the post. Trump's naming of loyalist housing official Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence earlier t»»»

The summer of 1938 in France was no ordinary one for Hungarian goalkeeper Antal Szabó. He was contesting the World Cup with his national team for the second time, and with Hungary’s forwards scoring freely and propelling the nation towards the final, it meant that he was idle for long stretches bet»»»

Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova said Bulgarian citizen Iva Mihaylova cannot receive adequate medical treatment in the Republic of North Macedonia. Speaking at a meeting of the Committee on Policies for Bulgarians Abroad on Thursday, Petrova said Mihaylova already has a scheduled admission to the»»»

The EU’s controversial deportation bill is heading for a crucial vote next week at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, as lawmakers make last-minute efforts to amend legislation that would allow member states to deport rejected asylum seekers abroad. The bill is likely to sail through at Wednesd»»»

PARIS: Leading European nations and their G7 allies will seek to narrow differences with Donald Trump at a summit from Monday chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron but expected to be dominated by the US leader’s presence. Leaders will be looking to put the fizz back into relations with the Un»»»

CAIRO — Gold prices extended their decline this week as investors reassessed the implications of escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, shifting their focus from geopolitical risk to the prospect of higher interest rates and persistent inflation. The move highlights an increasingly»»»

Addis Ababa: The Ebola outbreak in Uganda is "under control", the African Union's health agency said Thursday, praising its contact-tracing efforts. The World Health Organization has declared an international health emergency over the outbreak in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, which has»»»

Some countries in the Middle East are advancing proposals to forge a regional alliance involving Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, aimed at preventing further regional turmoil, Jordan's former Minister of Social Development and political science professor Amin Al-Mashaqba tells Sputnik. The g»»»

Prime Minister Péter Magyar has defended his government’s plans to tighten restrictions on guest workers, insisting that Hungary’s labour shortages should be addressed through higher wages and better working conditions rather than increased reliance on foreign labour. PM Magyar says companies shoul»»»

The International Monetary Fund cut its growth forecast for the euro zone on Thursday and raised its expectation for inflation because of the US-Israeli war on Iran, adding that the economic situation could worsen if high energy prices persisted. In its regular report on the economy of the 21 count»»»

Doha, Qatar: Hamad Port, Qatar’s Main Gateway to World Trade, has climbed three spots to rank 8th globally and 2nd in the Gulf region in the 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), developed by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence. This milestone reflects Hamad Port’s high operat»»»

Doha Hamad Port, Qatar’s main gateway to world trade, has achieved a major milestone in global maritime logistics, rising three places to rank 8th worldwide and second in the Gulf region in the 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), according to Mwani Qatar. The ranking, developed jointly by»»»

GENEVA: Somali referee Omar Artan who was barred by the United States from the World Cup was picked on Thursday for the showcase UEFA Super Cup game in August. European soccer body UEFA said Artan will referee the Aug. 12 game between Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa, the»»»

BELFAST: Police blasted water cannons Wednesday at protesters in Northern Ireland who set small fires and hurled bricks, rocks and bottles at them during a second night of violence over a brutal stabbing on a Belfast street. Demonstrators wearing masks tore bricks from the walls outside homes and s»»»

The global economy is entering an extremely sensitive phase in 2026 amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which have cast a heavy shadow over the fragile global recovery and reshaped the global credit and financial landscape. At the heart of these turbulent developments, Gulf Co»»»

LE MANS, France, Thursday: Team Qatar’s debut entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans began in earnest on Wednesday with a busy day of on-track action. With five hours of practice over two sessions and a 30-minute qualifying session, the team completed a total of 47 laps and secured progression into Hyper»»»

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday visited Spain's Canary Islands, the once-notorious centre of the European migration debate, where he threw a bouquet of flowers in the sea in tribute to the migrants who perished trying to reach the Atlantic archipelago. The pontiff made a plea for "human dignity" and conde»»»

BAGHDAD: For centuries, Baghdad’s Mutanabbi Street was a zenith for book lovers, boasting titles from all corners of the world, such that it gave birth to the Arab adage: “Cairo writes, Beirut publishes, Baghdad reads.” But on a quiet summer morning in June, traces of that rich history appeared to »»»

CAIRO — Egypt’s economic outlook received a vote of confidence from Standard Chartered, which expects the Egyptian pound to strengthen to around EGP49 per US dollar by the end of 2026, supported by ongoing economic reforms, resilient capital inflows and easing external pressures. The forecast, high»»»

Dubai: The strategic development of relations between the UAE and India over the past decade represents an unprecedented diplomatic success story, Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, said. In a post on his X account, Gargash attributed the transformation to the ambi»»»

China announced on Thursday sanctions against the Philippines' defence minister over "irresponsible remarks", escalating tensions between Beijing and Manila as they grapple with maritime disputes. Gilberto Teodoro and his spouse and child will be banned from entering China's mainland, Hong Kong and»»»

Omar Artan, who was set to become the first Somali to referee a FIFA World Cup match but was denied entry by the US, has been honored as a national hero upon his return home. The 34-year old was detained for some 11 hours by US immigration officials before being sent back to Istanbul, despite havin»»»

WASHINGTON: While millions of soccer fans cheer or groan over World Cup matches spanning North America, health officials will be on high alert for germs. A heat wave may be the most obvious health threat. But infectious diseases can spread in a crowd, and experts are set to scrutinize wastewater, h»»»

BEIJING: China announced on Thursday sanctions against the Philippines’ defense minister over “irresponsible remarks,” escalating tensions between Beijing and Manila as they grapple with maritime disputes. Gilberto Teodoro and his spouse and child will be banned from entering China’s mainland, Hong»»»

Damascus, June 11 (SANA) Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh met representatives of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) to discuss financing for development projects and potential support for the government’s “Syria Without Camps” initiative, the Finance Ministry said on Thursday. The tal»»»

France's Charlie Dalin has died from cancer at the age of 42, his family announced on Thursday, one year after he sailed to a spectacular victory in the Vendée Globe. Dalin won the round-the-world race weeks after being diagnosed with a rare form of gastrointestinal cancer. Renowned French yac»»»

Dubai: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Higher Committee for Future Technology Development and the Digital Economy, chaired a meeting of the Committee.»»»

The US has carried out strikes in Iran for the second consecutive day as President Donald Trump seeks to pressure Tehran into accepting his peace terms. Explosions and impacts were reported across southern and central Iran hours after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said US Central Command (CE»»»

CHICAGO: Arab and Muslim American leaders have accused the Customs and Border Protection agency and FIFA World Cup officials of targeting players from the Arab and Muslim worlds. Even before the tournament began, the US began denying entry to prominent players and referees from Arab and Muslim nati»»»

Dubai: A majority of UAE organisations have lost more than $500,000 from operational disruptions over the past two years, exposing gaps between confidence in business continuity plans and actual recovery performance. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.New research from Op»»»

Dubai: Fresh exchanges of fire between the United States and Iran have pushed the conflict into its most dangerous phase yet and raised a question that goes far beyond the latest battlefield developments: Can President Donald Trump bomb Iran into accepting a peace deal? The Trump administration app»»»

The latest Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain are part of a wave of cautious escalation between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, even as Washington and Tehran appear close to agreeing on a final formula to halt the war, at least according to US President Donald Tru»»»

President Donald Trump on Thursday said the U.S. would hit Iran "VERY HARD TONIGHT," threatening in a social media post to "assume total control" of Iran's oil and gas industries, including the key Kharg Island, in the "not too distant future." The post come after the U.S and Iran traded strikes fo»»»

Milan, Italy: Carbon dioxide removal experts have sounded the alarm in Milan this week over a shortfall in research and investment in the nascent sector viewed as essential for mitigating climate change. Still marginal and costly, CO2 removal, known as CDR, consists of extracting the greenhouse gas»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar launched a sharp attack on Fidesz and the KDNP during Thursday’s official government press conference, accusing the former governing parties of obstructing anti-corruption reforms and jeopardising billions of euros in European Union funding. The press conferenc»»»

Dubai: Global investors are increasing their focus on UAE capital markets as Abu Dhabi and Dubai report stronger trading activity, higher foreign participation and sustained demand for listed opportunities despite regional volatility. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Fo»»»

Dubai: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Supervisory Committee of Rashid Villages, chaired the second meeting of the Supervisory Committee of Rashid Villages, reviewing progress on the project and follow-up work across its different phases. The meeting f»»»

President Joseph Aoun said Thursday that he would always choose the state and that Lebanon will not pull out of negotiations with Israel despite pressure. "Our choice remains the State, as it protects us all, and we must be convinced that we are a sovereign nation," Aoun said. "We will continue (to»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia is concerned about a new round of escalation around Iran and calls on the parties to exercise restraint, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. "We are concerned about this, and we call on all parties to this conflict to exercise restraint," Peskov told reporter»»»