Blink and you might miss the few stone walls that are all that’s left of the village that Yusuf Abu Hamam’s family was forced to flee when he was an infant in 1948. The village, al-Joura, was demolished by the Israeli military at the time. It has since vanished under neighborhoods of the southern I»»»

Guney was once a water-rich village fed by 50 springs in Türkiye's western Usak province, but since a gold mine opened 20 years ago, they have all dried up. "Before, you only had to drill 60 meters to find water," said Ugur Sumer, environmental activist and resident of Guney, which is about 170 kil»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed a law introducing amendments to the Code of Offenses, as well as the laws «On the Basics of Crime Prevention» and «On Silence.» The document introduces new mechanisms to address violations of noise regulations in residential areas. Under the new rules, r»»»

Israel's military said Friday that one of its soldiers died in combat in southern Lebanon, bringing its losses to 20 personnel since the war with Hezbollah began in early March. Staff Sergeant Negev Dagan, 20, "fell during combat in southern Lebanon", the military said, without providing additional»»»

The leaders of China and the United States have reached a consensus on maintaining stable trade relations and expanding cooperation in various fields, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday. "We have reached a consensus on maintaining stable trade and economic relations and expanding cooperati»»»

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani reopened on Thursday his country’s embassy in the Moroccan capital Rabat. The FM was on an official visit to the kingdom at the head of a ministry delegation. He met with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita, hailing the historic ties between their count»»»

NEW DELHI: Oil ​prices gained more than 1 percent after President Donald Trump said he would not be much more patient with Iran and as concerns persisted over ship attacks and seizures despite Tehran saying about 30 vessels had passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude oil futures rose $1.32»»»

Romania's fourth payment request under the NRRP, which includes complex reforms on sustainable forest management, decarbonisation, digitalisation and fiscal-framework revision, has been approved without financial corrections, and the implementation rate of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan »»»

Black Sea Defense and Aerospace (BSDA) 2026, the leading defense and security industry event in the Black Sea region, opened on Wednesday in Bucharest with official visits by Czech President Petr Pavel and Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, who arrived at the exhibition immediately after attending »»»

Iraqi lawmakers approved a new government on Thursday led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who vowed to ensure a state monopoly on weapons amid growing US pressure to dismantle Tehran-backed groups. Iraq has long walked a tightrope between the competing influences of its allies, neighboring Iran and»»»

Beijing: President Donald Trump said he had made "fantastic trade deals" with China's Xi Jinping, as the pair met on Friday at final talks of a superpower summit that according to the US leader has also reaped a Chinese offer to help open the Strait of Hormuz. Trump had arrived in Beijing seeking t»»»

Yemen's legitimate government and the Iran-backed Houthi militants agreed Thursday to free more than 1,600 detainees in the largest swap during Yemen's 11-year war. The deal was signed in Amman, Jordan, after 14 weeks of negotiations observed by UN officials and the International Committee of the R»»»

Asharq Al-Awsat collected harrowing testimonies from survivors of “deliberate liquidation” operations carried out against detained opponents at Tishreen Military Hospital in Damascus and other military hospitals during the years of the Syrian revolution. They described torture methods and killing t»»»

Energy prices were broadly higher in afternoon trading Friday (May 15, 2026), with benchmark crude oil futures posting gains as traders tracked shifting supply signals across global markets. As of 2:01 pm Friday in Tokyo, WTI was up $1.24 at $102.41, a 1.23% increase. Brent crude rose $1.24 to $106»»»

Dubai: Dubai gold prices fell sharply on Friday morning, tracking a broad global decline in bullion prices as investors moved away from safe-haven assets amid rising US bond yields, a stronger dollar and fading hopes of near-term US interest rate cuts. The Dubai 24K gold rate dropped to Dh556.50 pe»»»

DEIR AL-BALAH: Blink and you might miss the few stone walls that are all that’s left of the village that Yusuf Abu Hamam’s family was forced to flee when he was an infant in 1948. The village, Al-Joura, was demolished by the Israeli military at the time. It has since vanished under neighborhoods of»»»

Edward Lee Busby Jr. was executed by Texas Thursday night for the January 2004 abduction and murder of a 78-year-old woman. Photo courtesy Texas Department of Criminal Justice May 15 (UPI) -- Texas on Thursday executed a 53-year-old man for the 2004 murder of an elderly woman, marking the state's 6»»»

US President Donald Trump wraps up his visit to Beijing on Friday with a private meeting at Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s official residence before he departs for Washington. During a series of meetings and events on Thursday the two discussed divisive issues such as the Iran war, trade, technology a»»»

US President Donald Trump said his patience with Iran was running out after he discussed the costly and unpopular war with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday and a ship was reported seized by Iranian personnel off the United Arab Emirates. The White House said ​Trump and Xi had agreed during »»»

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi began a five-nation tour on Friday, heading to the United Arab Emirates before Europe, overshadowed by energy and supply-chain worries due to the Iran war. Disruptions around Gulf shipping routes and the Strait of Hormuz continue to drive volatility in»»»

Minister of Economy and Commerce of Kyrgyzstan Bakyt Sydykov held a meeting with Yüksel Çağrı Gürses, head of the Turkish company Zena Elektrik ve Enerji A.Ş., the ministry’s press service reported. The parties discussed the expansion of Kyrgyzstan — Turkey trade and economic cooperation, as well a»»»

Transparency, dialogue, and decisions no longer made in secret — this is what awaits Hungary’s cultural sphere as well, Minister for Social Relations and Culture Zoltán Tarr wrote on Facebook on Thursday after the so-called statute decree listing the responsibilities of individual ministries was pu»»»

The ministerial handover has been completed, and a comprehensive investigation will begin across all areas, Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Thursday at a press conference in Budapest. The prime minister said that all ministers of the Orbán government attended the governmental handover, alt»»»

China called on Friday for a lasting truce in the Middle East and for shipping lanes to be reopened "as soon as possible", as the strategic Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed during the war with Iran. Iran has largely blocked shipping through the vital strait since conflict broke out with»»»

Beijing: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has no love for Venezuela's deposed leader Nicolas Maduro, and says he doesn't take fashion inspiration from him. Flying with President Donald Trump to China, a picture of Rubio went viral as he was decked out in a grey Nike tracksuit. The suit -- in brand»»»

India’s National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced that the re-examination for the NEET-UG 2026 medical entrance test will be held on June 21, weeks after the May 3 exam was scrapped over alleged paper leaks and other irregularities that triggered nationwide outrage among students and parents. In »»»

China called on Friday for a lasting truce in the Middle East and for shipping lanes to be reopened "as soon as possible", as the strategic Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed during the war with Iran. Iran has largely blocked shipping through the vital strait since conflict broke out with»»»

A NASA spacecraft chasing a rare metal asteroid swings past Mars this week for a gravity boost, snapping thousands of pictures as practice for the main encounter in 2029. Named Psyche like the asteroid it’s after, the robotic explorer will slingshot past the red planet at 12,333 mph (19,848 kph) on»»»

The US Army abruptly scrapped the planned deployment of more than 4,000 soldiers from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, to Poland, American media reported. The decision reportedly caught Pentagon staff and European allies by surprise — especially since some troops and equip»»»

The United States cast Israel-Lebanon talks held in Washington on Thursday as "productive and positive" and a State Department official said more discussions aimed at ending their conflict will continue on Friday. A senior Lebanese official said earlier that Lebanon will demand that US ally Israel »»»

Ayman al-Zain watched on a recent afternoon as a bulldozer cleared the rubble of what used to be his sports clothing store, which was one of dozens of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes against the Hezbollah militant group. With a nominal truce in place that has reduced but not halted the fight»»»

SEOUL: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will make a two-day visit to South Korea from May 19 at the invitation of President Lee Jae Myung, Seoul’s presidential office said Friday. The trip comes as the two US-allied democratic neighbors seek to strengthen ties while facing shared challenges f»»»

CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Cuban officials in Havana on Thursday in a bid to improve dialogue between Washington and the communist-run island, the Cuban government said. The meeting took place “in a context marked by the complexity of bilateral relations,” Havana said.  The head of the CI»»»

The US Navy may have to cut training, routine operations and personnel by July unless Congress sends more money for Operation Epic Fury, American media reported. Naval Operations Chief Adm. Daryl Caudle admitted the fiscal 2026 budget did not account for the war against Iran.“We’re burning bright …»»»

A driver hit and killed five people in the village of Kashka-Suu. The accident occurred on May 14 at approximately 6:40 p.m., the press service of the Main Department of Internal Affairs of Chui region reported. According to preliminary information, the driver of a Honda Torneo, K.u.I., 22, was tra»»»

JEDDAH: Scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have engineered nanoscale particles capable of transporting six proteins into living cells, where they work together as a miniature “drug factory” to produce violacein, a bioactive compound under study for therapeutic use. The»»»

May 14 (UPI) -- A small plane crashed into a home in northeastern Ohio on Thursday evening, killing both occupants of the aircraft, authorities said. The Piper PA-28 crashed into a home in Akron around 3:45 p.m. EDT, according to a Federal Aviation Administration incident statement, which said two »»»

Dubai: Across the UAE, Eid Al Adha is not only marked by celebration and family gatherings, but also by a strong culture of giving, one that volunteers say is best reflected in initiatives like “Gift It Forward.” As residents prepare and look forward to the occasion, many are also choosing to spend»»»

Washington: The Trump administration’s Iran campaign came under intense scrutiny at a Senate hearing, with US military commanders claiming Tehran’s military capabilities had been severely degraded even as lawmakers warned of rising economic and regional risks. Appearing before the Senate Armed Serv»»»

US President Donald Trump suggested that hunting down Iran's enriched uranium was primarily for political optics, after Israel demanded it as a goal. "I just feel better if I got it, actually, but it's -- I think, it's more for public relations than it is for anything else," Trump told Fox News hos»»»

The head of the CIA visited Cuba on Thursday, an extraordinary step-up in contact between Washington and Havana as the communist-run island reels from US pressure, declaring that it is out of oil. The Central Intelligence Agency, at the heart of the decades-long struggle between the United States a»»»

The fuel market situation in Kyrgyzstan remains stable due to guaranteed fuel supplies from Russia. According to the Association of Oil Traders, current fuel reserves in the country are sufficient for 1 to 1.5 months, the Antimonopoly Regulation Service reported. According to it, Kyrgyzstan’s annua»»»

US President Donald Trump suggested that hunting down Iran's enriched uranium was primarily for political optics, after Israel demanded it as a goal. "I just feel better if I got it, actually, but it's -- I think, it's more for public relations than it is for anything else," Trump told Fox News hos»»»

Oklahoma executed Raymond E. Johnson on Thursday morning for killing his ex-girlfriend and their daughter in 2007. Photo courtesy of Oklahoma Department of Corrections/Website May 14 (UPI) -- The state of Oklahoma on Thursday carried out the death sentence of a 52-year-old Tulsa man for the 2007 mu»»»

Egyptian smallholders have seen their lives upended by the war in Iran, with soaring fertiliser and energy prices forcing many to lay off workers and reduce the amount of land they farm. Before the United States and Israel launched the war that would end up engulfing the region, Ashraf Abu Ragab cu»»»

Dubai: Dubai is about to get a lot more colourful underground. In one of the emirate's most ambitious urban art drives to date, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) have launched an open call inviting Emirati and UAE-based artists, designers, »»»

South Korea's benchmark Kospi index topped 8,000 points for the first time Friday, buoyed by an artificial intelligence-driven boom in the country's semiconductor industry. The index briefly rose above the milestone in morning trade before falling back into the 7,900 range later in the session. It »»»

BEIJING: US President Donald Trump suggested that hunting down Iran’s enriched uranium was primarily for political optics, after Israel demanded it as a goal. “I just feel better if I got it, actually, but it’s — I think, it’s more for public relations than it is for anything else,” Trump told Fox »»»

UNITED NATIONS: The Trump administration on Thursday announced $1.8 billion more toward UN humanitarian aid, saying it will be earmarked for lifesaving aid to victims of natural disasters, famine and “people who are truly in critical need” even as the US has cut foreign assistance overall. The mone»»»

A federal jury has awarded $49.5 million to the family of a 24-year-old global nonprofit worker killed in the 2019 crash of a Boeing 737 Max jet in Ethiopia while traveling to her first major assignment. The verdict, reached Wednesday after a trial in federal court in Chicago, resolves one of the l»»»