Ajman: Fatima, the twice-abandoned Filipina girl whose heartbreaking story of survival in the UAE had moved thousands of Gulf News readers, has died at the age of 15 after spending more than two years in a vegetative state. Her foster father, Syed Ali Moazzam from Pakistan, confirmed her death to G»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif received Iran’s Head of Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Alireza Rashidian. The Saudi minister, who is also the head of the Kingdom’s Supreme Hajj Committee, welcomed pilgrims arriving from Iran. He affirmed the commitment of King S»»»

Lithuania’s Social Democratic Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene apologised for failing to warn the public in a timely manner about an incoming drone on the morning of May 20 and pledged to provide more frequent updates on drone-related incidents and shelter instructions. Warnings of attack danger (red »»»

MEO had the pleasure to Chit chat with Dr. Najla Najib Psychologist and founder of Inside Out Counseling to uncover to our readers the effect of the economic crisis on the mental health and how to prevent the critical psychological drawbacks that could result in from facing various financial stress»»»

AMMAN — The Social Security Investment Fund (SSIF) and the Saudi Jordanian Investment Fund (SJIF) signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at accelerating investment cooperation and identifying strategic opportunities across priority sectors in Jordan.The agreement reflects growing efforts to exp»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump could meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit in China in November, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has said, while stressing that no talks are currently planned. Putin, who has just concluded his official two-day visit to China, told Chines»»»

The United States indicted former Cuban president Raul Castro in connection with a 1996 incident, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced on Wednesday, marking ​an escalation in the pressure campaign against the communist government in Havana. Castro faces charges including murder, conspirac»»»

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video on Wednesday of some 430 activists detained from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, many of them bound and kneeling, accompanied by the message: "Welcome to Israel." European governments and Israeli politicians were qui»»»

Tehran is floating the idea of charging the world’s largest tech companies – including Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon – for using the undersea internet cables crossing the Strait of Hormuz in a new attempt to exploit its control over the critical waterway to ratchet up economic pressure on the »»»

ABU DHABI: Renewed infrastructure investment and an absolute commitment to freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz are needed to enhance global energy resilience, according to Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO »»»

DUBAI: Louis Margueritte, Chief Executive Officer of Business France, the French national agency for international business development, affirmed that France and the UAE possess strong elements of economic complementarity. Speaking during a dialogue session hosted on Wednesday at the Dubai Press Cl»»»

Pope Leo XIV waves to supporters as he leaves after his visit in April to the Ngul Zamba orphanage in Yaounde, Cameroon. The Vatican will release the pope's first encyclical, a pastoral letter, on Monday. Photo by Alberto Pizzoli/EPA/POOL May 20 (UPI) -- Pope Leo XIV will release the first encyclic»»»

The Senate on Tuesday (May 19) took a first step toward debating limits on President Donald Trump’s authority to launch future military action against Iran, advancing a war powers measure in a 50–47 procedural vote that exposed rare bipartisan divisions over the role of Congress in matters of war. »»»

Tribune News Network Doha Under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani, Minister of Sports and Youth, the Ministry of Sports and Youth celebrated the winners of the fifth edition of the Sports and Youth Excellence Award for the 2025-2026 season during a distingu»»»

Tribune News Network Doha The FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 that took place from 1-18 December 2025 generated a total of QR2.89 billion of economic value for the local economy, the Local Organising Committee for Football Events (LOC) has announced. An economic impact assessment conducted in partnership »»»

QNA Doha The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, has approved a draft law regulating the practice of social professions in Qatar. Prepared by the Ministry of Social Development and Family as part of its strategy »»»

Tribune News Network Doha Qatar Charity (QC) has successfully carried out a humanitarian medical mission at Al-Waleed Hospital in Homs, Syria, targeting children suffering from congenital heart defects. With generous support from donors, the initiative aimed to alleviate their sufferings and improv»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Art Basel has announced the appointment of Iraqi curator Wassan Al-Khudhairi as Artistic Director of the 2027 edition of Art Basel Qatar presented in partnership with Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) and QC+. Al-Khudhairi succeeds Wael Shawky, artist and director of Qatar Mu»»»

LONDON: More than a year after Syrian rebels swept longtime ruler Bashar Assad from power, the Captagon empire that underpinned his regime has survived his fall. It has mutated into trafficking networks that stretch across a landscape of porous borders and fragmented authority. Determined to disman»»»

MAKKAH: For centuries, the Hajj pilgrimage has been a journey unlike any other, one in which the punishing demands of the road have been inseparable from the spiritual weight of the destination. The pilgrim caravans of the past paint a human and devotional canvas without parallel, faithfully chroni»»»

As part of its strategic vision for early investment in national talent, the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council (ETCC) incollaboration with the Nafis Youth Council has announced the launch of the second batch of the 'Alpha Program. ETCC has partnered with Emirates National Schools in Abu Dhabi »»»

Dubai: Dubai Police showcased its latest smart security technologies and future policing initiatives at the International Exhibition for National Security and Resilience (ISNR 2026) in Abu Dhabi, with Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri highlighting the force’s focus on a»»»

Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Spanish state-owned financial institution COFIDES have signed an agreement to launch a €300 million ($327 million) joint investment fund aimed at supporting strategic projects across Spain, with a focus on green transition, digital transformation and technologic»»»

JEMA: As day broke in a remote part of western Ghana, a priest, farmers and other residents combed through the forests, looking for signs of illegal gold mining.They have done this for the past year as part of a grassroots task force created to combat the mining that has poisoned rivers in one of t»»»

Turkiye is working with the United States and Arab mediators to secure safe passage for Hamas fighters who are holed up in tunnels in the Israel-controlled area of Gaza, a Palestinian source, a Hamas official and Turkish officials said on Monday.The fate of about 200 fighters has complicated effort»»»

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a new trade deal for the United Kingdom with six Persian Gulf countries. File Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo May 20 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday announced a trade agreement with six Persian Gulf countries that he»»»

LONDON: The Syrian Arab Army took part in the Efes 2026 land, naval and air forces drills in Turkiye alongside 50 countries from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Efes 2026 has been taking place since April 20 in the western Izmir province on the Aegean Sea and will conclude tomorrow. It fe»»»

AMMAN — Chairman of Jordanian Businessmen Association (JBA) Ayman Alawneh, and Hamad Al Matrooshi, Chargé d'Affairesat the UAE Embassy in Jordan, on Wednesday discussed prospects for economic, investment and trade cooperation between the two countries.According to a JBA statement, Alawneh stressed »»»

TOKYO: Saudi Ambassador Dr. Ghazi Faisal Binzaqr turned the Tokyo embassy into a lively celebration of the Kingdom’s culture for “Saudi Coffee Day,” welcoming Japanese guests to experience the warmth and flavor of the country’s coffee and dates. “Today, the embassy welcomed a distinguished gatherin»»»

PORT SUDAN: UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher held Tuesday what he called “constructive” talks with Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan to ensure life-saving aid reaches all corners of the war-ravaged country.Since April 2023, the war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support F»»»

The former president of Cuba Raul Castro attends a parade held to observe May Day, or International Workers' Day, in Havana on May 1, 2025. He now faces homicide charges accusing him authorizing the 1996 shootdown of aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue, a Cuban American exile organization. »»»

A Bulgarian parliamentary delegation, led by National Assembly Chair Mihaela Dotsova, will visit the Vatican and Rome for May 24, the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, marked as the Day of the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture, and Slavic Literature, Parliament's press centre said on Wedne»»»

Britain on Wednesday struck a long-awaited trade agreement with the six Gulf Cooperation Council states, the first such deal between the bloc and a Group of Seven country. The agreement with the GCC -- which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- is set »»»

National police agents gather confiscated files and material into a vehicle of the Spanish Central Operative Unit during a police raid at the office of former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in Madrid on Tuesday. Photo by Rodrigo Jimenez/EPA May 20 (UPI) -- Former Spanish Prime »»»

We condemn in the strongest terms the verbal and physical violence inflicted by an Israeli minister against the participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was unlawfully intercepted by Israel in international waters. The minister concerned, who is one of the key figures in the ongoing genocid»»»

Paris, France: A video posted by Israel's far-right national security minister showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla with hands bound and foreheads on the ground, sparked condemnation from numerous governments on Wednesday. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app»»»

RIYADH: The UK has become the first G7 nation to secure a trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, in a deal projected to add £3.7 billion ($5 billion) annually to the British economy. According to a UK government statement, the agreement with the six-member GCC bloc is also expected to g»»»

Ottawa, Canada and Doha, Qatar: As Canada prepares to co-host the FIFA World Cup 2026, Qatar’s Years of Culture initiative is bringing a summer-long cultural programme to cities across Canada, featuring exhibitions, fashion, public art, film, literature, and dialogue to cities across Canada. Markin»»»

JEDDAH: “For 35 years, I’ve been photographing in black and white analog. And this is my whole career.” With these words, Princess Reem Al-Faisal reflects on a lifetime devoted to the art of image-making, a journey that has evolved from shadow and light to a profound exploration of color, identity »»»

Dubai: Iraq has reiterated its rejection of any use of its territory or airspace to launch attacks against neighbouring countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, and pledged firm action against those responsible. According to a statement posted on the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Of»»»

Leaders of the G7 nations, from left, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, pose for»»»

DUBAI: The UAE’s new crude pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz is about 50 percent complete, the head of ADNOC said on Wednesday, adding that ​global oil flows may take at least four months to recover to 80 percent of pre-conflict levels after the Iran war ends. Tehran has largely kept the wate»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, jokingly, that he could try running for the post of the prime minister in Israel after his presidential term is finished, citing his popularity among the Israeli people. "Maybe after I do this I'll go to Israel and run for prime mi»»»

Washington May 20 (SANA) The Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United States of America condemned in the strongest possible terms the brutal terrorist attack that targeted an Islamic center in San Diego, California. The assault resulted in several casualties, including Syrian citizens resi»»»

Moroccan and French foreign ministers said on Wednesday the two countries are preparing to sign a treaty to strengthen ties during an upcoming state visit by King Mohammed VI to France. The treaty will be the first Morocco signs with a European country, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser ‌Bourita tol»»»

RIYADH: Walking through Koora Break’s new headquarters in Riyadh, one can quickly see how far the company has come since its launch in 2022. A mural stretching across one of the office walls documents every milestone in the company’s journey, while empty pentagonal spaces have been left open for fu»»»

Türkiye on Wednesday slammed the Israeli government after its National Security Minister, Itamar ‌Ben-Gvir, posted a video showing activists on an intercepted Gaza-bound flotilla kneeling and with their hands tied. The foreign ministry in Ankara said far-right minister Ben-Gvir "has once again open»»»

Israeli lawmakers voted on Wednesday to advance a bill submitted by the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which would dissolve parliament and pave the way for early elections. In a preliminary reading, 110 out of 120 lawmakers voted in favor and none against, while the rest did »»»

Doha, Qatar: The economic impact of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 exceeded 2.89 billion Qatari riyals (790 million U.S. dollars), according to figures released by The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, highlighting the tournament’s contribution to tourism, hospitality, transport, and media s»»»

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that negotiations with Iran were in the final stages, while warning of further attacks unless Iran agrees to a deal. Six weeks since Trump paused Operation Epic Fury for a ceasefire, talks to end the war have shown little progress so far. Trump has said t»»»