It’s been a tumultuous week for Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is facing a leadership crisis. Following a chaotic week in which nearly 90 Labour MPs called on Starmer to resign, along with a series of ministerial resignations, the prime minister is clinging on to power. Read moreWho are»»»

The hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius on Monday reached the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection as authorities prepared quarantine arrangements for remaining crew and medical staff following an outbreak that has killed three people and triggered global monitoring. The hantavirus-hit cruise»»»

Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Chiara Sangiorgio, Amnesty International's Death penalty specialist. In Amnesty International’s latest global report on the death penalty, 2025 emerges as a grim landmark year: at least 2,707 executions were recorded across 17 countries, the highest figure documen»»»

Russia launched hundreds of drones and nearly two dozen missiles at Ukraine overnight wounding more than 30 people in the cities of Odesa and Dnipro. A Russian drone also hit a Chinese cargo ship in the Black Sea, a day before Russian President Vladmimir Putin is meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing.»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Monday, May 18, 2026: First, Ukraine's drone attacks on Russia may mark a turning point in the war. Next, Venezuela's post-Maduro era is conflicting for locals. Also, there's more drama at the Cannes Film Festival as Canal+ hits back at filmmakers. Finally, Gen Z find new ways o»»»

The MV Hondius has arrived in Rotterdam, where the crew will disembark and the ship will be disinfected. Despite fears of a widespread outbreak, the World Health Organisation has maintained its assessment of this hantavirus outbreak is of low risk. Disease specialists say a global pandemic of the d»»»

A British photographer who lives in Kyiv has told FRANCE 24 how he doesn't believe the war in Ukraine is coming to an end. Mark Neville takes his photographs to tell the real stories of the Ukrainian people as they fight for their country against the Russian invasion. Amid the latest more positive »»»

France's justice minister Gérald Darmanin is in Algeria to discuss improving cooperation and the fate of a detained French journalist. The visit is a sign of warming ties between the two countries, after a diplomatic spat triggered among other things by Paris's official backing Moroccan sovereignty»»»

At the start of May, Jordan launched several airstrikes into neighbouring southern Syria, targeting facilities it deemed key assets for drug smugglers operating along the Syrian-Jordanian border. Jordanian warplanes struck warehouses and even residential buildings believed to shelter stockpiled dru»»»

Bulgaria’s Regional Development Minister Ivan Shishkov has announced that all payments linked to construction projects using the old indexation methodology will be suspended, marking a significant shift in infrastructure financing policy. Speaking to Nova TV, Shishkov said the decision follows the »»»

Bulgaria’s Finance Ministry has formally launched the budget procedure for 2026, with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev outlining a broad package of austerity and restructuring measures that he said would put an end to what he described as years of “financial acrobatics” and un»»»

The history museum in Karakol will be completely reconstructed, the Ministry of Construction reported. The project is being implemented using the republican budget, with a total cost of 159 million soms. The work is being carried out by the state-owned enterprise Kyrgyzkurulush. ​​Dismantling work »»»

Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings has improved Bulgaria’s credit outlook from “stable” to “positive,” while confirming the country’s long-term and short-term foreign and local currency ratings at “BBB+/A-2,” according to information released by the Finance Ministry. The agency said the revised o»»»

On a sunny May 15, Bulgaria’s solar generation briefly reached a level where photovoltaic production alone could match the country’s instantaneous electricity demand, "Capital" reported. Around midday, solar plants delivered more than 3.7 GW, while system consumption stood at roughly 3.2 GW, accord»»»

President Iliana Yotova visited an industrial facility near Baku that was fully financed by Bulgarian investment, as part of a broader visit to Azerbaijan focused on economic cooperation and urban development initiatives. The plant is located in the Sumgait industrial free economic zone, around 25 »»»

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev has stated that any decision on a potential state buyback of the Lukoil Neftokhim refinery must be preceded by a detailed assessment of its value, risks, and long-term benefits for the country. Responding to a question about how such an acquisi»»»

Poland ranks as the sixth most complex country in Europe and 19th globally for doing business, according to TMF Group’s 2026 Global Business Complexity Index. The report, which covers 81 jurisdictions representing more than 90% of the global economy, compares 292 indicators across accounting and ta»»»

Poland's Defence Ministry dispatched two deputy ministers — Cezary Tomczyk and Paweł Zalewski — to Washington on Monday for emergency consultations at the Pentagon. They carry a message from Prime Minister Donald Tusk that Poland is ready to host a larger American military presence, in direct respo»»»

BEIRUT: The death toll in the latest round of fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon surpassed 3,000, Lebanon’s health ministry said Monday. The ministry said the toll is now 3,020 killed in the Israeli strikes, including 292 women and 211 children. Fighting began on Ma»»»

A former boss of a notorious Libyan prison faces three days of hearings at the International Criminal Court from Tuesday, accused of war crimes including murder, rape and torture. Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, 47, is suspected of 17 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committ»»»

New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) In a significant breakthrough against rising street crime and mobile snatching incidents, the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of the South District Police apprehended a mobile phone snatcher on Tuesday. It recovered six stolen and snatched mobile phones from his possession, an»»»

LOS ANGELES: Billie Jean King raised her right arm in triumph. Not for another victory on the tennis court. This time, she was celebrating earning a college degree 65 years after she first took classes. The 82-year-old sports and equality icon received her bachelor's of art in history from Cal Stat»»»

A shooting Monday at a mosque complex in southern California killed three people, with two suspected teenage gunmen later found dead in a car from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, police said. Police said emergency response teams found the victims outside the sprawling Islamic Center of San »»»

Kurman Ait will be celebrated in Kyrgyzstan on May 27, 2026. The Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan (SDMK) reported. The date of one of the most important Muslim holidays is determined according to the lunar calendar and changes every year. Kurman Ait marks the completion of the Hajj pi»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov spoke at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 18. The presidential press service reported. The head of state is participating in the forum at the invitation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Around 20 heads of state»»»

People look at a mural depicting Colombian-Venezuelan businessman Alex Saab in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday, a day after he was extradited to the United States. On Monday, Saab made his initial appearance in a Miami courtroom. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez/EPA May 18 (UPI) -- Alex Saab, a billionaire »»»

BEIJING: Russian President Vladimir Putin is traveling to China to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping less than a week after US President Donald Trump wrapped up his own trip to Beijing. Putin is scheduled to be in China on Tuesday and Wednesday in a visit likely to be closely watched as Beijing s»»»

Saudi Arabia’s National Centre for Meteorology (NCM) has forecast hot to extremely hot weather, accompanied by dusty winds, in Mecca and the holy sites during the 2026 Hajj season, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 47°C. The NCM said strong surface winds could stir up dust and sand, pa»»»

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has completed large-scale road and infrastructure upgrades in Mecca and the holy sites for the 2026 Hajj season as part of efforts to improve mobility and reduce congestion for pilgrims. The ministry said the works included the implementation of»»»

The United States said Monday it had approved the sale of more than $4 billion in military helicopters to South Korea, which has vowed to buy more US weapons as it defends against the North. The State Department said it had given its approval for South Korea to spend $3 billion on 24 "Romeo" Seahaw»»»

Starbucks Korea's chief executive has been dismissed following backlash over the launch of a line of reusable drinkware, the company said Tuesday. The furore centred on the company's use of the words "Tank Day" to promote a series of coffee cups known as "Tank tumblers", which were launched on May »»»

The UAE is expected to see generally fair weather this week, with fluctuating temperatures and active winds of up to 40 km/h causing blowing dust and rough sea conditions, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). The NCM said the country is being affected by an extension of a weak sur»»»

Dubai: Born in Abu Dhabi, forced to leave the UAE as a child, and returning years later on a bus from Jordan with almost nothing in his pocket, Ali Al Najjar transformed hardship into one of the UAE’s most inspiring corporate success stories. Speaking to Gulf News, Jordanian expatriates Al Najjar s»»»

THE HAGUE: A former boss of a notorious Libyan prison faces three days of hearings at the International Criminal Court from Tuesday, accused of war crimes including murder, rape and torture. Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, 47, is suspected of 17 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes allege»»»

Oslo: India and Norway on Monday marked a significant upgrade in bilateral ties with the signing of 12 agreements and initiatives during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to the Nordic country, signalling a broad expansion of cooperation across climate, technology, maritime, and scienti»»»

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Monday endorsed former San Francisco City Manager Connie Chan in the race to take her seat in Congress. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo May 18 (UPI) -- House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi on Monday endorsed San Francisco City Supe»»»

Unidentified gunmen opened fire on pedestrians in the Egyptian town of Abnoub in Assiut province late on Monday, leaving 10 people dead and wounded in what witnesses described as a chaotic attack. The shooting took place near Al Central Street, where residents said armed men travelling in a black J»»»

Egypt’s Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, has unveiled an ambitious plan to propel the nation’s economic landscape by listing 11 state-owned enterprises on the stock market by 2025. This strategic movement is a part of Egypt’s expansive Initial Public Offering (IPO) program, designed to optimize st»»»

TOKYO: Russia ​has downed a drone headed for ‌Moscow, ‌city ​Mayor ‌Sergei ⁠Sobyanin ​said on ⁠the Telegram messaging app ⁠on ‌Tuesday. Emergency ‌services ​have ‌been deployed ‌to the area ‌where the drone has ⁠fallen, the ⁠post added.»»»

GENEVA: The Middle East war is undermining wages and working conditions worldwide, according to a new report. The conflict could cost millions of jobs and force earnings down in 2026 and 2027, with a particular risk for migrant workers who send home remittances, the UN’s International Labour Organi»»»

Oil prices fell sharply in early Asian trade, extending losses after recent volatility tied to disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz began to ease and tanker traffic showed tentative signs of recovery. Market data at 9:27 a.m. Tokyo time showed: WTI crude at $102.5, down $1.87 (-1.79%) Brent crud»»»

Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, is shown in April at a subcommittee hearing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. On Monday, Zeldin announced the EPA will roll back some protections on chemicals called "forever toxins" in drinking water. Photo by Annabelle Gordon»»»

Dubai: For UAE residents worried about global inflation and rising prices worldwide, the country’s latest economic outlook points to something increasingly valuable: stability. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.The UAE is projected to maintain one o»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting the Chinese capital at the invitation of Xi Jinping as part of the joint efforts to promote the entire range of relations between the two countries and unlock their truly limitless potential. "Today, Russia-China relations have reached a truly unpreceden»»»

WASHINGTON: Statistically, attending a weekly worship service is a remarkably safe thing to do. Global annual attendance totals many billions; the number of people killed in attacks on individual houses of worship in any given year is generally less than a few hundred. Killings in the US are even m»»»

ANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Pep Guardiola is set to bring his trophy-laden decade in charge of Manchester City to an end this weekend, according to multiple reports on Monday. Guardiola, 55, has won six Premier League titles and City’s first Champions League among 20 trophies since arriving in Engla»»»

After weeks of near-standstill traffic through the world’s most critical energy chokepoint, maritime movement through the Strait of Hormuz suddenly spiked — offering a glimmer of normalisation amid one of the most disruptive conflicts in recent global trade history. Data from maritime intelligence »»»

US President Donald Trump has posted a glitchy AI-generated image of himself alongside a shackled alien in his latest flurry of space-themed Truth Social posts on Sunday. The post came just over a week after the US War Department declassified a batch of government files on unidentified flying objec»»»

Elon Musk on Monday lost a lawsuit against OpenAI after they formed a for-profit division to what had originally been a non-profit because he had waited too long to file the suit. Fil Photo by Francis Chung/UPI | License Photo May 18 (UPI) -- A jury on Monday threw out Elon Musk's lawsuit against O»»»

ABU DHABI: The Muslim Council of Elders, under the chairmanship of His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, strongly condemned the targeting of the vicinity of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra region of the United Arab Emirates by a drone, noting that no casualties w»»»