Jakarta: Indonesia's economy grew 5.6 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, the national statistics agency said Tuesday, topping the government's own forecast despite pressures of the Middle East war. The reading exceeded the 5.4 percent recorded in the final three months of 2025, Stat»»»

Sydney: Australia's central bank hiked its key interest rate Tuesday, citing soaring fuel prices that are stoking inflation. The Reserve Bank of Australia said it had lifted its cash rate 25 basis points to 4.35 percent, pointing to economic pressure stemming from turmoil in the Middle East. "As ex»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Tourism has announced that the Hayya platform has been awarded the Silver Stevie Award in the Innovation in Public Administration category at the 2026 Middle East & North Africa Stevie® Awards, recognising its role in transforming travel, tourism and event management through adva»»»

Dubai: Dubai gold prices edged slightly higher on Tuesday morning, offering a small rebound for shoppers after rates pulled back from the highs seen at the start of the month. (Check latest UAE gold prices here, alongside prices in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and India.) Sign up for»»»

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew arrived in Athens on Monday, meeting with Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens before receiving an “Environmental Heritage Protection” honor from the city. On Tuesday, 27 years after his first address to Greece’s Parliament in 1999, Bartholomew will speak before a Special»»»

The Egyptian Exchange (EGX) closed last Thursday’s trading sessions on a strong note, buoyed by significant buying activity from Arab and foreign investment funds, counterbalancing the sell-off pressure from local institutions and some Arab investors. The day’s performance saw the market capital su»»»

WASHINGTON: US intelligence assessments indicate that the time Iran would need to build a nuclear weapon has not changed since last summer, when analysts estimated that a US-Israeli attack had pushed back the timeline to up to a year, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The assessm»»»

Abu Dhabi: Abdulaziz Al Ghurair, Chairman of Abdulla Al Ghurair Group, warned business owners and investors against selling assets during a crisis, saying panic decisions can destroy long-term value at the exact moment when opportunities begin to appear. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download th»»»

India has issued a strong response after the attack in Fujairah that injured three Indian nationals, calling the incident “unacceptable” and urging an immediate end to violence targeting civilians and infrastructure. The statement comes amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran in the»»»

In an interview with 24.kg news agency, Omurbek Tekebayev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kyrgyzstan to Germany, noted the importance of public holidays, singling out August 31, Independence Day, and May 5, Constitution Day of the Kyrgyz Republic. «Dear compatriots! I congratulate »»»

AMMAN — Chief Executive Officer of the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) Mazen Wathaifi, said Sunday that net profits after tax attributable to shareholders of listed companies rose to JD620.7 million in the first quarter of 2026, compared with JD564.8 million in the same period of 2025The ASE net profit »»»

AMMAN — President Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC) Khalil Haj Tawfiq, held discussions in Cairo with Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Mohamed Saleh, on ways to enhance economic, investment and trade cooperation, and to expand ties between the two countries’ business communities.Acc»»»

AMMAN — The Aqaba company for transport and logistic recorded an unprecedented figure of 416,000 commuters in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 277,000 in the same period of 2025, with a growth rate of 51 per cent.The company also reported 202,000 commuters in April, the highest monthly figu»»»

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday said a security deal and an end to Israeli attacks were needed before any meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sought by Washington. Aoun’s office said in a statement that the president “reiterated his view that the timing is not a»»»

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist party has wrested control of the opposition stronghold of West Bengal in a key state election. The Election Commission of India released partial results Monday showing the Bharatiya Janata Party won at least 124 seats in the »»»

The Pentagon says it has reached agreements with eight AI companies to use their technology in classified defence settings. The military will have access to resources provided by Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, Oracle, OpenAI, SpaceX, and the startup Reflection. Absent from the list is Anthropic»»»

Roughly two million people filled Rio's Copacabana beach Saturday night for a free mega-concert thrown by Colombian pop queen Shakira. Latin pop queen Shakira kicked off her free mega-concert on Rio's famed Copacabana beach under a full moon Saturday, with drones forming the image of a she-wolf&nbs»»»

Shakira gave a free concert on Saturday night at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, drawing an estimated two million people, according to the city’s mayor, to one of the world’s most iconic waterfronts. Camille Corcoran reports.»»»

US carriers are stepping in after Spirit Airlines announced on Saturday that it had cancelled all flights and was winding down operations. The budget airline said soaring fuel costs were a major factor, after a last-minute White House rescue package failed to materialise. American Airlines, Delta A»»»

Three people have died aboard a cruise ship crossing the Atlantic after an outbreak that includes a confirmed case of hantavirus, the World Health Organization said Sunday, raising concerns about a rare but potentially severe infection at sea. Three people have died on a cruise ship in the Atlantic»»»

A Dutch cruise ship carrying 149 people of 23 nationalities is awaiting urgent assistance off Cape Verde after a suspected hantavirus outbreak left three passengers dead and others seriously ill. Health authorities and the World Health Organization are investigating as the vessel remains under stri»»»

He's spent more than two decades documenting the realities of war, including years working alongside US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. But photographer Peter van Agtmael's work goes beyond the battlefield. He's equally interested in how those wars echo back home, and that's the focus of his»»»

Monday the Met Gala is happening in New York. This year, the star-studded event is being sponsored and co-chaired by the billionaire Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos. That has prompted a series of unique protests against the affair, including a proposed boycott. FRANCE 24's Monte Franc»»»

Three people have died and three others are ill ⁠after a Netherlands-based cruise ship in the Atlantic was hit by a suspected outbreak of hantavirus. The virus is transmitted to humans through infected wild rodents, such as mice or rats, which shed the virus in their saliva, urine and droppings. In»»»

TOKYO: Japan has taken delivery of its first stockpile of oil from Russia since global supplies were choked off by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the Iran war, reports said. A tanker carrying crude that was produced as part of a Sakhalin-2 natural gas development project reache»»»

TAIWAN: Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said on Tuesday the democratic island has the “right to engage with the world,” after he returned from a trip to Eswatini, Taipei’s only African ally. “Taiwanese people are people of the world; Taiwanese people have the right to engage with the world,” Lai t»»»

Dubai: UAE non-oil companies raised selling prices at the fastest pace in nearly 15 years in April, after higher oil and transport costs, shipping disruption and weaker customer demand put fresh pressure on business margins. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply c»»»

Israel on Saturday said it had brought two Gaza flotilla activists in for questioning after having intercepted the aid operation in international waters Thursday. Spain slammed the detention of one of its nationals as “illegal”.   Two activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla, arrested off the»»»

Israel carried out air strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday, killing one person and wounding eight others, including four rescue workers, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said. The attack took place beyond the Israel-controlled area designated as a “security zone” and despite the ceasefire between »»»

Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila were brought before an Israeli court Sunday after Israeli troops seized them from a flotilla attempting to bring humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip. Avila told his lawyers that he had been beaten so badly in Israeli custody that h»»»

Religious groups have documented a rise in harassment and violence against Christians in parts of Israel. One of the main flashpoints is Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. The Old City of Jerusalem is home to some of the holiest sites in the world for Jews, Christians and Muslims. »»»

Seven OPEC+ countries including Russia and Saudia Arabia increased their oil production quotas on Sunday, the organisation said. Analysts say the decision is aimed at projecting stability following the United Arab Emirates' sudden departure from the bloc effective Friday.  Saudi Arabia, Russia»»»

Israel has carried out fresh air strikes in southern Lebanon. Officials there said at least one person was killed and four others were wounded.The strikes came after the Israel Defense Forces issued new evacuation warnings on Sunday for residents in more than ten villages and towns, including the c»»»

Tehran said Sunday the United States would have to choose between an “impossible” military operation or a “bad deal” in the Middle East conflict, after US President Donald Trump warned that he might reject a new proposal from Iran to restart peace talks. Negotiations between the two countries have »»»

A new round of missiles launched from Iran targeted various areas across the United Arab Emirates on Monday following multiple threat alerts from authorities warning people to take cover. Three of the missiles “were successfully engaged over the country’s territorial waters, while one fell at sea”,»»»

An Israeli court on Sunday extended by two days the detention of two foreign activists seized from a Gaza-bound flotilla as a legal battle intensified over their arrest in international waters and allegations of abuse in custody.  An Israeli court on Sunday extended for two days the detention »»»

Back in March, Lebanon was pulled back into conflict amid escalating regional tensions linked to Iran, as Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel. Israel responded with waves of air strikes and later ground operations in the south, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. While early exchanges relie»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Monday, May 4, 2026: Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's birthday cake sparks widespread condemnation. But first, The Washington Post tells the story of a Ukrainian soldier trapped in the "kill zone". Also, Amsterdam becomes the first capital city to ban meat »»»

The ceasefire in the Iran war abruptly faced its most perilous moment Monday after the United States began trying to open the Strait of Hormuz to allow hundreds of stranded commercial ships sail out. The United Arab Emirates said it came under attack for the first time since the early April ceasefi»»»

Fire ​broke out at a major UAE oil industry zone on Monday after a ​drone attack originating from Iran, authorities said, as the Gulf state's military separately intercepted three Iranian missiles over its waters and a fourth crashed into the sea. Hoda Abdel Hamid reports for FRANCE 24 from Doha.»»»

Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Emma Salisbury, Senior Research Fellow on the National Security Programme at the Foreign Policy Institute, says that "America has confirmed everything that Iran has been telling its population", explaining that "the Iranian regime tell their population constantl»»»

Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz escalated Monday after US President Donald Trump announced Washington was beginning "Project Freedom," to help "guide" ships stranded by Iran's closure of the crucial waterway. Iran said the US had "disregarded" its warning shots and that it had struck a US frigate »»»

François Picard welcomes Peter Apps, Global Defence Commentator, who writes a bi-weekly column for Reuters on national security, conflict, international affairs, and technology. Rather than casting the current state of US–Iran tensions as a binary shift between war and peace, Apps outlines a m»»»

François Picard welcomes Peter Apps, Global Defence Commentator, who writes a bi-weekly column for Reuters on national security, conflict, international affairs, and technology. Rather than casting the current state of US–Iran tensions as a binary shift between war and peace, Apps outlines a m»»»

US forces opened a passage through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after sinking Iranian boats and escorting merchant ships, as fresh attacks struck vessels and facilities in the United Arab Emirates. The escalation has raised fears over global energy supplies and risks derailing a fragile regional »»»

President Donald Trump's campaign to politically punish Republicans who stand in his way moves through Indiana on Tuesday, when seven state senators face Trump-backed primary challengers. In neighbouring Ohio, primaries for US Senate and governor will lock in the candidates for two major races with»»»

As Mali's military struggles to maintain control amid a growing jihadist insurgency, a number of its own soldiers have been arrested, accused of collaborating with al Qaeda-linked militants in coordinating widespread attacks. The Islamist group JNIM, alongside separatist Tuareg rebels, has reported»»»

​The leader of Mali's military government, Assimi Goïta, has taken over as defence minister after the military officer who previously ​filled ‌the role was killed in coordinated attacks ⁠on April 25 by al Qaeda-linked militants and Tuareg separatists, state television reported ‌»»»

Two members of the US Armed Forces participating in the African Lion joint military exercises have been reported missing near the city of Tan Tan in southern Morocco, the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said on Sunday. A US defence official said the soldiers went missing while on a hike after the day's»»»

Up to 40,000 people gathered for an illegal rave at a former military site in France. Local officials said bomb disposal experts had to intervene after a shell was discovered near a road running through the party site. Camille Corcoran reports.»»»