Israel's foreign minister said Thursday he was severing all contact with the European Union's top diplomat over reported remarks in which she allegedly compared Israel to apartheid-era South Africa.
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.
Brazilian police investigating a banking scandal carried out raids Thursday against targets including a senator allied with President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, bringing the affair closer to his government as he seeks reelection in October.
- Brutal Shinnecock winds blow away US Open contenders
- Leverkusen sign Portuguese talent Moreira from Lyon
Economy
Videos appearing to show people with Down syndrome and urging users to buy from their struggling businesses pull in millions of views, but many of them are AI-generated fakes.
June 18, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Cuts in development aid by wealthy countries tend to drive up displacement away from the world's poorest regions, the head of the UN's International Organization for Migration warned in an interview with AFP on Thursday.
June 18, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Fatima Sana will become the first Pakistani woman to play in The Hundred after being selected by the Birmingham Phoenix.
June 18, 2026
Three big Saudi oil tankers left the Gulf through the Hormuz Strait on Thursday, maritime trackers said, after leaders vowed to reopen the route under an agreement to end the US-Iran war.
June 18, 2026
Cuba's communist model needs "urgent changes" to overcome a major crisis which cannot be solely blamed on a crippling US oil blockade, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in his frankest admission yet of the need for radical reforms.
June 18, 2026
Politics
UK voters went to the polls on Thursday in a historic local election that could determine the future of beleaguered Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and shape the next government.
June 18, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Haitians living in New York -- some threatened by Donald Trump's immigration crackdown -- have found a rare reason for joy as their national men's team plays in its first World Cup since 1974, facing giants Brazil on Friday.
Rory McIlroy birdied two of his first three holes on Thursday to seize the early lead of the fog-hit US Open, while top-ranked Scottie Scheffler parred to began his bid for a career Grand Slam.
US President Donald Trump's deal with Iran has opened a rare breach with Republican hawks, who warn that the agreement falls far short of the sweeping victory he promised and could leave Tehran richer, stronger and still able to threaten the region.
Switzerland's parliament on Thursday approved a divisive government plan to build new nuclear power stations, overturning a 2018 ban and putting the country on course for a referendum.
June 18, 2026
Boulevard
Pre-sales of Grand Theft Auto VI, the feverishly anticipated video game release, will begin on June 25, Rockstar Games said on Thursday.
June 18, 2026
RECENT NEWS
The remains of Czech-French novelist Milan Kundera and his wife Vera were buried in the writer's native city of Brno on Thursday, the city hall said.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told NATO Thursday the Pentagon will review its force presence in Europe within six months, as he lashed out at allies over defence spending and their response to the Iran war.
Cuba's economy needs "urgent changes" to overcome a major crisis intensified by a US oil blockade, President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in a speech to Communist Party leaders broadcast on Thursday.
Greenland has recently been hit by localised wildfires, a rarity at this time of year that could be explained by global warming, a researcher at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources said Thursday.
June 18, 2026
- US Open resumes after two-hour fog delay
- The vaccines and treatments being developed for Ebola outbreak
- Spanish king to visit Mexican president on June 25 as ties improve
- Ton-up Phillips stars for New Zealand against England
- Wahi denied Canadian visa for Ivory Coast World Cup clash with Germany
- Swiss central bank holds interest rates, with eye on currency risks
- S.African sentenced in 'world's largest' rhino trafficking case
- Bank of England follows Fed in holding interest rate