Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parr denied a media report that Cuba obtained more than 300 military drones. File Photo by Hector Retamal/EPA/Pool May 18 (UPI) -- Cuba's foreign minister on Monday reaffirmed the country's right to "self-defense" against external aggression after a media repo»»»

The Tripoli based Libyan Ministry of Health announced today the launch and activation of the Central Emergency Response Room. The Ministry reported that the first phase officially commenced in Tripoli after conducting tests and inspections. This will be followed by the second phase targeting the we»»»

MAKKAH: Kidana Development Co. is continuing a series of infrastructure and service projects at the holy sites as part of efforts to improve pilgrim comfort, mobility and operational readiness during this year’s Hajj season. The company, the executive arm of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and»»»

Dubai: UAE residents planning summer holidays now have a narrow booking window to secure discounted Business Class fares from Abu Dhabi to destinations across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, after Etihad Airways launched a limited-time premium cabin sale covering peak summer travel dates. Get upd»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar's men's volleyball team will meet Bahrain on Tuesday in a decisive match to determine the gold medal winner at the 4th GCC Games Doha 2026. Both teams enter the final round level on six points, setting up a direct contest for the title at Aspire Hall. Qatar have already secured a»»»

Germany's armed forces will support Türkiye’s air defense capacities within NATO by deploying a Patriot air and missile defense task force to the ‌country from the ‌end of ‌next ⁠month, the defense ⁠ministry said on Monday. The Bundeswehr deployment, currently planned until September 2026, includes»»»

Four people were killed and another eight wounded when a gunman opened fire near the southern Turkish city of Mersin on Monday, the DHA and IHA news agencies reported. At least two people were killed when the assailant opened fire inside a restaurant with the two others killed elsewhere and the ass»»»

Dubai: The Indian rupee has fallen to its weakest level ever against the UAE dirham, pushing remittance values sharply higher for millions of Indian expatriates in the Gulf while raising concerns over inflation, rising import costs and prolonged pressure on India’s economy. Get updated faster and f»»»

A New York state judge ruled Monday that some items found in Luigi Mangione’s backpack at the time of his arrest will be excluded from evidence in his trial. Pool Photo by Jeena Moon/UPI | License Photo May 18 (UPI) -- A New York state judge ruled Monday that some items found in Luigi Mangione's ba»»»

President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House on Friday. On Monday, he told a federal court in Miami he wants to drop his lawsuit against the IRS. Photo by Eric Lee/UPI | License Photo May 18 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump and his two oldest sons droppe»»»

Dubai: India's Adani Enterprises agreed to pay $275 million to settle potential civil liability related to apparent violations of US sanctions on Iran tied to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports, the US Treasury Department said on Monday. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News ap»»»

ALKHOBAR: Long queues formed outside Swatch stores in Riyadh this week as customers waited for the latest Swatch and Audemars Piguet collaboration, turning a colorful plastic watch into one of Saudi Arabia’s most memorable retail moments. Videos shared across social media showed people standing in »»»

LONDON: Syrian authorities reported the crossing of the first transit convoy between Turkiye and Iraq on Monday through the Al-Yarubiyah-Rabia crossing, in the country’s northeastern region. The move is highly important as it revives transport and trade routes through Syria’s territory that were ab»»»

The death toll in the latest round of fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon has surpassed 3,000, Lebanon's health ministry said Monday. The ministry said the toll is now 3,020 in the fighting that has not stopped despite a fragile ceasefire, including 292 women and 211»»»

The organizers of a flotilla of aid vessels bound for Gaza said on Monday that Israeli forces had intercepted 28 of their boats in the eastern Mediterranean, while the remaining 26 ships were continuing to sail toward the enclave. Earlier on Monday, Israel's foreign ministry had said on X that it "»»»

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told an audience of local Catholics in the southwestern city of Wuerzburg that he no longer advises young people to travel to the United States for work and study, citing the rapidly changing “social climate” in the country. Merz, who has served as chancellor since »»»

Tehran could respond militarily to US naval forces enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports, a senior Iranian official has said, warning that the Gulf of Oman could become a “graveyard” for American warships. Speaking on Iranian state television on Sunday, Mohsen Rezaei, who serves on a senior advisor»»»

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla has accused the US of fabricating a pretext for a potential invasion following an Axios report claiming that the island had acquired attack drones from Russia and Iran. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump had suggested that Cuba could become»»»

Dubai: For more than two billion Muslims worldwide, the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are not just dates on the Islamic calendar, they are considered the most sacred days of the year. Marked by fasting, prayer, charity and the once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage of Hajj, these days are seen as a rare spi»»»

BAKU - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the World Urban Forum in Baku on Monday. "A substantial and friendly discussion with President Mirziyoyev about current global topics, as well as about further advancement of Serbia-Uzbekistan bilateral relatio»»»

Malé, Maldives: The bodies of four Italians who drowned in the Maldives' worst diving disaster were found in an underwater cave on Monday, Maldivian and Italian officials said, after an international recovery effort. The bodies were found four days after a group of five Italians failed to return fr»»»

Hungary’s opposition stronghold mayor Gergely Karácsony says former prime minister Viktor Orbán’s illiberal system has not merely lost power but collapsed, as the incoming government of the Tisza party promises to restore democratic norms after 16 years of Orbán rule. In an interview in Bratislava,»»»

Iran sent a new peace proposal to the United States with terms that appeared similar to offers Washington has previously rejected, although a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday that the US had softened positions on some issues. A Pakistani source confirmed that Islamabad, which has conv»»»

A source close to the Iranian negotiating team told Tasnim that Iran has submitted its latest text in 14 points through the Pakistani intermediary, who will present it to the Americans.The source said on Monday that the Americans had recently sent a text in response to Iran’s previous proposal, whi»»»

Ebony Parker faces eight counts of felony child abuse and disregard for life for allegedly ignoring concerns that a student brought a weapon Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va in January 2023, resulting in the shooting of a teacher. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo May 18 (»»»

RIYADH: Prominent Saudi adviser Hassan bin Youssef Yassin, who lived through the reigns of all the kings and served in several advisory roles, passed away on Sunday. His life was closely connected to the modern history and development of Saudi Arabia, during which he witnessed successive Saudi king»»»

German police said Monday they had shot dead a tiger that escaped from an enclosure run by a woman nicknamed the "Tiger Queen" after it attacked one of the keepers. Police told AFP that the animal had seriously injured a 72-year-old man, who was being treated in hospital after the attack in the eas»»»

“These manoeuvres are a critical step in developing our unmanned capabilities in the Arctic,” said Captain Jeremy Wheat, commander of a U.S. task force. Newly developed high-speed autonomous surface vessels have been seen operating in the fjord outside Ramsund Naval Base during an exercise that run»»»

Manila: Philippine Senators, led by Alan Peter Cayetano, took their oath Monday as the Senate formally convened as an impeachment court for the trial of Vice President (VP) Sara Duterte in a historic political showdown that could reshape the country’s leadership ahead of the 2028 elections. Wearing»»»

PoliticsGermanyGermany's housing crisis hits immigrants hardestSabine KinkartzThe German housing market crisis is deepening social inequality. Newcomers in particular are struggling to find affordable housing — with consequences for integration, education, and the labor market. https://p.dw.com/p/5»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has marked a milestone in advanced computing after Aramco and Pasqal activated the Kingdom’s first quantum computer in Dhahran, underscoring the country’s push to strengthen its position in emerging technologies and digital innovation. According to a press release, the ceremony»»»

The United Nations demanded Monday that Israel take measures to prevent acts of "genocide" in Gaza, and decried indications of "ethnic cleansing" in the Palestinian territory and in the occupied West Bank. In a fresh report, the UN rights office said Israel's actions in Gaza since the start of the »»»

At a forum dedicated to women’s role in society on Monday, Eurovision Song Contest 2026 winner Dara was given as an example for overcoming self-limitations and emotional barriers. The discussion, titled “Between symbols and reality: Women as subjects of power”, was organized by More Women in Power »»»

Nairobi, Kenya: Kenya's public transport system was paralysed on Monday, when protesters barricaded roads over fuel price hikes triggered by the Middle East war. One of many African countries dependent on fuel imports from the Gulf, Kenya has been heavily hit by Iran's effective closure of the Stra»»»

What is Ebola and why is stopping this outbreak so difficult? 9 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJames Gallagher,Health and science correspondent,Emery Makumeno,BBC Africa, KinshasaandHafsa Khalil Getty Images An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been declared a pu»»»

Oil prices turned lower in afternoon trading Monday and stock markets advanced after an Iranian media report said U.S. officials had agreed to suspend sanctions against its crude while talks on ending the war continue. The unconfirmed Tasnim report cited an unnamed source, but analysts said traders»»»

Dubai: Dubai Police has entered the Guinness World Records after hosting the world’s largest virtual meeting, bringing together 9,348 employees in an online gathering titled “Front Line Heroes”. The force surpassed the minimum requirement of 5,000 participants set by Guinness World Records for the »»»

Economic experts discussed unifying the Gulf market in order to maximize inflows of capital from abroad during a virtual meeting on Sunday. General Coordinator for Negotiations and head of the GCC Negotiating Team Dr. Raja Al-Marzoqi suggested completing the unified Gulf market and developing mecha»»»

Syria will take part in a closed-door session with G7 finance ministers and central bank governors in Paris on Monday, a person familiar with the matter said, in a sign of its growing status less than two years after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad. Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh is expected t»»»

Murmansk Governor Andrei Chibis is offering regional payments of up to 3.5 million roubles in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence to anyone who signs up to serve in the newly established drone units of the Northern Fleet. During a briefing with his cabinet on Monday, the Kremlin-loyal Murmansk»»»

Maldives National Defense Force military divers prepare to enter the water on Saturday amid a search for four Italian divers missing off the Vaavu Atoll. Staff Sergeant Mohammed Mahdi (2-L) was killed later the same day after sustaining decompression injuries, bringing the total death toll in the i»»»

Abu Dhabi: Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, stressed that the targeting of Barakah is a terrorist attack on a peaceful project, built to the highest safety standards, that powers homes, hospitals, and industries across the UAE. Al Jaber added that the aggress»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dropped on Monday, losing 11.84 points, or 0.11 percent, to close at 10,956.1. The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR4.62 billion ($1.23 billion), as 63 of the listed stocks advanced, while 195 retreated. The MSCI Tadawul Index also d»»»

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that he would do the "impossible" in order to stop the war with Israel, after a ceasefire and direct talks between the countries failed to end the fighting. Aoun's comments came as the Israeli army carried out a series of strikes in south Lebanon, while He»»»

Smartphones and weaker face-to-face relationships could be contributing to plunging birth rates worldwide, particularly among young people, as global fertility is declining at a record pace, the Financial Times has reported, citing researchers and demographic data. An analysis spanning population r»»»

US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with a new attack if Tehran doesn’t agree to make swift concessions to Washington. Indirect talks between the sides have remained stalled since a fragile ceasefire was established in early April after a month of hostilities initiated by the US and Israe»»»

Dubai: Pakistan has lifted nationwide restrictions on business closing hours that were introduced last month as part of emergency energy-saving measures during the Middle East crisis and the US-Iran war. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday approved an exemption allowing commercial centres acros»»»

Dubai: India has unveiled the first visual design of its much-awaited Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, offering an early glimpse of the country’s first high-speed rail service ahead of its planned launch in 2027. The image of the aerodynamic train was installed at Gate No. 4 of the Railway Mi»»»

Damascus, May 18 (SANA) Syria condemned a drone attack targeting Saudi Arabia through Iraqi airspace, stressing that such attacks threaten regional security and stability. The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates expressed solidarity with the Kingdom, describing the attack as a violat»»»

Representatives of local institutions, social services, clergy, non-governmental organizations and foster parents gathered at the National Press Club of the Bulgarian News Agency in Pernik for a discussion focused on foster care and support for children at risk. The event was part of the national "»»»