The Bank of England held its benchmark interest rate at 3.75 percent Thursday, opting against an increase despite elevated inflation after the US-Iran war pushed up energy prices.
In the darkness of a market in the central Gaza Strip, where power outages are a part of daily life, a brightly lit screen showing a World Cup match holds everyone's gaze.
US President Donald Trump lashed out at critics of his agreement with Iran on Thursday, calling those who accused him of offering concessions to end the war "fools", ahead of negotiations in Switzerland on implementing the deal.
- New heatwave disrupts trains, schools in France
- German chemical company to cut 3,200 jobs as crisis worsens
Politics
UK voters went to the polls on Thursday in a historic local election which could determine the future of beleaguered Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
June 18, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Taiwan's president said Thursday he hoped the United States would approve a $14 billion arms sale "as soon as possible", reiterating that the democratic island "rejects unification" with China.
June 18, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Almost 50 fires have ripped through Kenyan schools this year, 16 schoolgirls have died, and more than 100 schools have temporarily closed. Everyone knows there is a crisis, but few have solutions.
June 18, 2026
A string of west African countries have outlawed same-sex relations in recent months, further eroding LGBTQ rights on a continent where they were already under attack.
June 18, 2026
Quick to build and able to power a small city, the Oriv wind farm in western Ukraine is exactly the kind of project Kyiv hopes will backstop its power grid against routine Russian strikes.
June 18, 2026
Economy
France's move Tuesday to drop Palantir from its intelligence services is the latest sign of European unease with the American data-mining firm -- a company that has grown from a CIA-backed startup into one of the most powerful technology players of the Trump era.
June 18, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Millions of New Yorkers are expected to turn out for a heavily guarded victory parade Thursday for the city's Knicks basketball team after it won the NBA Finals at the weekend.
From Lionel Messi rolling back the years to full stadiums and a Cape Verde team that shocked Spain, here is what we learned after the first round of games at the World Cup:
Racing 92's New Zealander centre Joey Manu has no fear of dominant Toulouse before meeting the record 24-time champions in the French Top 14 semi-finals on Friday in Marseille.
Drastic restrictions on cross-country travel took effect Thursday in cash-strapped Cuba, with spaces on ever scarcer trains and buses now reserved for the sick, people traveling for funerals and other emergencies.
June 18, 2026
Boulevard
In excruciating pain from a debilitating neurological condition, South Korean Lee Myung-shik had reluctantly given up on assisted death in Switzerland when he learned his daughter risked prison time if she helped him.
June 18, 2026
RECENT NEWS
The Cuban Communist Party on Wednesday approved a package of reforms aimed at opening up more sectors to private investment as the island, under pressure from Washington, undergoes a major economic crisis.
On India's hot plains, scorching summers have become increasingly harder to endure, requiring adaptations and forcing life into the hours of dark before the sun turns punishing.
Recently retired Australia prop forward James Slipper is set for a shock international comeback, with the 37-year-old eyeing a fifth Rugby World Cup on home soil next year.
EU leaders will grapple on Thursday over whether the bloc needs new beefed-up trade defences to curb the surge of Chinese exports deemed an existential threat to European industry and jobs by Brussels.
June 18, 2026
- Tartan Army takes over Boston as Scotland fans relish World Cup return
- Comedian Jordan Klepper wishes satire was harder in age of Trump
- Robots pour cocktails and run marathons, but still can't multitask
- Birthright citizenship helps spark US World Cup run
- Ghana beat Panama 1-0 in World Cup opener after injury-time winner
- Castro gives crucial backing to Cuba reforms
- Driving the World's Leading Supply Chains: 9 OMP Customers Named to The 2026 Gartner Top 25
- U.S. Polo Assn. Unveils Spring-Summer 2027 Collection at the 110th Edition of Pitti Immagine Uomo