Arab Finance: The prices of building materials and fertilizers in Egyptian markets climbed on Thursday, June 25th, according to data from the Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC). The price of a ton of ammonium sulfate hit EGP 20,314, reflecting a daily increase of 4.2%. A ton of ammonium»»»

From 1 July, new EU customs rules will take effect in Hungary, making low-value imports from outside the bloc more expensive. Goods ordered from platforms such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress with a value below €150 will incur a €3 customs charge, according to Szilvia Linczmayer, spokesperson for the»»»

La Guaira, Venezuela: The death toll from twin earthquakes in Venezuela rose Friday to 920, with tens of thousands reported missing as international rescue teams boosted a desperate and slow-moving search for survivors. Caracas residents jeered interim leader Delcy Rodriguez during her visit to a d»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia has introduced tighter anti-money laundering regulations requiring travellers entering or leaving the Kingdom to declare gold bullion, precious metals, gemstones and jewellery valued at SAR40,000 ($10,700) or more, lowering the previous declaration threshold from SAR60,000. Unde»»»

As the EU flushes its first $3.7 billion tranche from a roughly $105 billion set to be funneled over the next two years to Ukraine, Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev offers up the hard math. This EU “generosity” announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen - along with the ov»»»

Pontelagoscuro, Italy: Seawater is seeping into Italy's longest river as the waterway starts to run dry in the heatwave, hitting a farming heartland that produces the milk for Parmesan cheese. The Po River has never fallen this low so early in the year, raising fears of a devastating drought in Jul»»»

GUADALAJARA: Uruguay bowed out of the World Cup as goalkeeper Fernando Muslera’s howler gifted Spain a 1-0 win in Guadalajara to secure top spot in Group H. Alex Baena’s weak shot slipped through Muslera’s grasp for the only goal as Spain avoided a last-32 showdown against Argentina. The European c»»»

La Guaira: The death toll from twin earthquakes in Venezuela rose Friday to 920, with tens of thousands reported missing as international rescue teams boosted a desperate and slow-moving search for survivors. Caracas residents jeered interim leader Delcy Rodriguez during her visit to a devastated n»»»

First published in Respekt. A portrait of the Danish prime minister who has found an unusual recipe for keeping her country on a liberal course. When, around the turn of the year, Politico drew up a ranking of politicians who would have the greatest impact on events in Europe this year, the podium »»»

Venezuela's twin earthquakes killed nearly 1000 people, with tens of thousands reported missing on Friday as international rescue teams boosted a desperate and slow-moving search for survivors.  The death toll from twin earthquakes in Venezuela rose Friday to nearly 1,000, with tens »»»

Dubai: For Jayakrishnan Kannan, a 31-year-old rigger from Kerala working in Saudi Arabia, buying a Big Ticket has become a shared tradition with friends. This week, that tradition has paid off when their group won Dh25,000 in Big Ticket's third weekly e-draw for June. Kannan has been one of four wi»»»

From June 27 until July 12, foreign military personnel and equipment will transit through Bulgaria as part of NATO's Alliance Wall Exercise, the Defence Ministry's press service said. Convoys carrying troops and military equipment from the armed forces of France and Poland will use Bulgaria's natio»»»

Dubai: After years of participating in Big Ticket draws with friends, Abu Dhabi resident Ilanzhsuriyan Vijayakumar has decided to buy a ticket on his own for the first time. The decision has paid off, with the 45-year-old architect winning Dh25,000 in Big Ticket's third weekly e-draw for June. Orig»»»

Guadalajara, Mexico: Uruguay bowed out of the World Cup as goalkeeper Fernando Muslera's howler gifted Spain a 1-0 win in Guadalajara to secure top spot in Group H. Alex Baena's weak shot slipped through Muslera's grasp for the only goal as Spain avoided a last-32 showdown against Argentina. The Eu»»»

Hungary’s temporary fuel price cap comes to an end on Saturday, with motorists once again paying market prices for petrol and diesel. The government says the measure is no longer necessary as global energy markets have stabilised, although new legislation leaves the door open for price controls to »»»

RIYADH: Startups across the Middle East and North Africa region secured multiple funding rounds and attracted several notable acquisitions across diverse sectors last week, highlighting the region’s continued appeal to global investors. This momentum builds on a record-breaking 2025, when MENA star»»»

U.S. wireless carrier AT&T Inc (T.N) said on Monday it would buy Straight Path Communications Inc (STRP.A), a holder of licenses to wireless spectrum, for $1.25 billion in an all-stock deal. The No.2 U.S. carrier said it would offer $95.63 per share, a premium of 162.1 percent to Straight Path’s Fr»»»

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela: Venezuelans took the search for missing loved ones into their own hands Friday in the aftermath of back-to-back earthquakes, citing the scarcity of government rescuers, as the human toll of the disaster climbed to at least 920 dead and more than 51,000 missing. Citizens diggin»»»

Warm milk. Warm food. The bottle of water that you placed at 7 am is still lukewarm by the end of the day, ruining your hopes of an ice-cold drink after battling traffic for an hour. Warm, warm, and warmer. Well, the universe isn’t against you, but your refrigerator is waving a white flag. In 45 de»»»

A wildfire that started in Beaver, Utah, has prompted the National Weather Service to issue warnings about its potential spread. Photo by Google Maps June 26 (UPI) -- The National Weather Service on Friday evening issued its first Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning in the history of Salt Lake Cit»»»

Dubai: Indian expatriates travelling home for the holidays are getting some relief after a short drop in airfares on UAE-India routes, as airlines restore capacity and more flights return to the market. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Travel agents said fares, which ha»»»

The rise of AI chatbots has triggered a technological gold rush unlike anything the internet has seen in decades. Companies are racing to build smarter models, faster assistants, and more human-like conversational systems. Behind that race sits one uncomfortable truth: these systems were built on a»»»

Below is the full text of the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement brokered by the Trump administration as published by Axios journalist Barak Ravid: TRILATERAL FRAMEWORK BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE STATE OF ISRAEL, AND THE REPUBLIC OF LEBANON The Government of Israel and the Government»»»

The death toll from the twin earthquakes in Venezuela continued to rise on Friday, with at least 920 dead and more than 51,000 missing, as distress grew among Venezuelans. The 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude quakes that struck late Wednesday left a landscape of devastation, with countless collapsed buildings»»»

BOSTON, Massachusetts: Germany may not ‌be too worried by their 2-1 loss to Ecuador on Thursday as they had secured top spot in Group E beforehand, but it was a timely wake-up call ​ahead of the World Cup knockout stage for the four-time world champions. Germany made it out of their group for the f»»»

MAKKAH: As Saudi Arabia expands saffron cultivation across regions including AlUla, Tabuk and Al-Baha, scientists are exploring ways to improve the productivity and quality of one of the world’s most valuable crops. Prof. Salim Al-Babili, associate vice president for research for plant science at K»»»

PARIS: Pope Leo XIV will hold a mass on Sept. 26 on the Place de la Concorde and adjoining Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris during a state visit, the French capital’s archbishop Laurent Ulrich said on Friday. The pope will be in France from Sept. 25 to 28 for the first official state visit by a ponti»»»

Sharjah: In Khorfakkan, a mango is never just a mango. It is the result of months of care, irrigation, patience, and planning. It is also a competition entry, a source of income, a family project, and, for many growers, a livelihood rooted in the land. From today, June 26, that story has unfolded p»»»

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»»»

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela: More than 50,000 people were missing Friday after twin earthquakes in Venezuela, the United Nations' aid chief told AFP as international rescue teams and sniffer dogs arrived to join a desperate search for survivors. Interim president Delcy Rodriguez said the death toll was no»»»

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»»»

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake rattled the Dominican Republic on Friday. Hours after, another 5.2 earthquake struck western Nicaragua, capping a week marked by intense seismic activity across several countries. File Photo by Stringer/EPA June 26 (UPI) -- A magnitude 5.8 earthquake rattled the Dominican»»»

US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to slap a 100 percent tariff on European countries that impose a digital services tax, adding that existing trade deals would be scrapped. "Any Country that imposes such a Tax will immediately be met with a 100% TARIFF on any and all Goods sent to the »»»

Jonathan Rinderknecht pleaded not guilty to three charges related to the setting of the Palisades Fire in 2025. File Photo courtesy of Acting United States Attorney Bill Essayli | License Photo June 26 (UPI) -- A federal judge declared a mistrial Friday after a jury said it couldn't reach a verdict»»»

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. »»»

Beltone Financial expects SODIC, 6 October Development & Investment, to hit its sales target of 2016, worth EGP 5bn. SODIC’s recent implementation of Caesar project worth EGP 300m is believed to be the reason behind its sales boom, according to Beltone Finacial report. The company will also propose»»»

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»»»

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»»»

The Cabinet is calling off all "outrageous public procurements" and a crash barrier contract for some EUR 500 million is among them, Prime Minister Rumen Radev told journalists on Friday, taking an opportunity to attack his predecessors. "We are ending all outrageous public procurements, we are end»»»

Sharjah: The UAE has moved its Electronic Invoicing System (EIS) from planning into practical testing, with the Ministry of Finance launching the pilot phase of the system’s five-corner model. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The pilot phase, announced during an awarene»»»

Caracas: The latest death toll from the twin earthquakes that rattled Venezuela on Wednesday stands at 235, and foreign nationals have been confirmed among the dead. Here is what we know about the identities of the overseas victims: Nine Portuguese Nine Portuguese nationals have been killed in the »»»

MAGDEBURG: A German court on Friday convicted a Saudi psychiatrist and sentenced him to life in prison for driving an SUV in a deadly rampage through a crowded Christmas market in 2024. Taleb Jawad Al-Abdulmohsen, 51, killed six people and injured more than 300 when he sped the vehicle through the »»»

Manila: A highly anticipated rematch between boxing legends Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao has been postponed indefinitely, Pacquiao's camp in the Philippines said on Friday. The news followed ESPN reporting that a planned Mayweather exhibition in Greece had been called off after an events com»»»

In a statement to Al-Ahram, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tariq Al-Mulla said that Egypt production of natural gas increased by 60 percent since the beginning of 2016, rising from 3.8 billion cubic feet per day to 5.1 billion cubic feet per day. Al Mulla added that the increase came f»»»

The heatwave sweeping Europe this week is raising questions about whether existing workplace protections are fit for a warming climate – prompting trade unions and health experts to call for binding EU rules to protect workers from extreme temperatures. Large parts of Europe have recorded unusually»»»

More than 8.51 million Romanians were enrolled in mandatory private pension funds, known as Pillar II, at the end of March 2026, while total assets reached RON 212.55 billion, up by around 33% compared with the same period last year, according to a report published by the Financial Supervisory Auth»»»

Vienna: Drug use around the world is rising, including a worrying increase of new potent and dangerous synthetic drugs, a UN watchdog warned on Friday. An estimated 331 million people used a drug in 2024, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in its 2026 World Drug Report. This »»»

Arab Finance: Copper for Commercial Investment and Real Estate Development turned profitable at EGP 21.310 million in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, compared to net losses of EGP 3.166 million in Q1 2025, according to the financial results. Earnings per share (EPS) hit EGP 0.041 at the end of Marc»»»

La Guaira, Venezuela: Rescuers used heavy machinery and their bare hands on Friday in a race to save survivors of deadly twin earthquakes in Venezuela that killed at least 235 people, hurt thousands and flattened scores of buildings. International rescuers and aid have begun arriving to help a nati»»»