Share: The Strait of Hormuz : More than 20,000 sailors are on vessels stuck in the Gulf. Iran has been effectively blocking the Strait of Hormuz and has been charging as much as $2 million per ship in tolls. European Union nations moved Friday toward imposing sanctions on Iranian officials and othe»»»

Doha, Qatar: As the first group of Qatari pilgrims arrive at Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, Hamad International Airport has extended additional support and care to pilgrims making the journey. HIA said that it had opened check-in counters at Rows 6 and 8, with early check-in allowed 24 hours before »»»

Voting has officially begun in Albania’s Democratic Party leadership election, with current chairman Sali Berisha running as the sole candidate for the party’s top post. Polling stations opened at 08:00 local time, with more than 90 voting centers operating across the country. Around 51,000 Democra»»»

Albania’s Democratic Party (PD) is facing a significant decline in membership amid growing internal divisions surrounding the leadership referendum organized by former Prime Minister Sali Berisha. According to figures confirmed by the party headquarters, the country’s largest opposition force curre»»»

Israel warned the residents of 10 villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes immediately to avoid planned air strikes against alleged Hezbollah targets. "In light of the terrorist Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire agreement, the army is compelled to act forcefully against it. The arm»»»

Narayanganj, Bangladesh: Crowds in Bangladesh are flocking to snap photographs with an unlikely social media star -- an albino buffalo with flowing blond hair nicknamed "Donald Trump" due to be sacrificed within days. Owner Zia Uddin Mridha, 38, said his brother named the 700 kilogramme (1,500 poun»»»

CAIRO: A Saudi-backed, big-budget action film shot largely in Riyadh, “7 Dogs” is positioning itself as one of the most ambitious productions to emerge from the region. Set for release on May 27, with a red carpet premiere in Cairo on May 22, the film brings together a major Arab ensemble featuring»»»

JEDDAH: The Ministry of Interior has announced the successful conclusion of the Makkah Route initiative for this year’s Hajj season, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. Operating across 17 ports in 10 countries, the logistical program facilitated the pre-clearance and arrival of 388,694 pi»»»

NEW DELHI: India’s power ministry urged careful use of electricity on Friday, a day after breaking records for power generation during an intense heatwave in the world’s most populous nation. Peak power usage this week has broken records for four straight days, with temperatures hitting 47°C, accor»»»

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Saturday that Tehran will not back down from its national rights especially as the United States has shown no honesty and cannot be trusted. “We will pursue our legitimate rights with intel»»»

BEIRUT: Israel kept up strikes on Lebanon on Saturday, hours after overnight raids on the country’s south and east, including one that damaged a hospital, its chief executive told AFP.Israel’s military has been pounding Lebanon despite an April 17 ceasefire, while Lebanese movement Hezbollah has al»»»

At the end of a quadrilateral meeting between Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Georgia, Bulgaria's Deputy Energy Minister Kiril Temelkov said that plans are in place to develop a roadmap to identify and accelerate activities related to the implementation of the Green Energy Corridor project betwe»»»

Five policemen were ​killed and several others wounded in an ‌Israeli ‌strike ​on ‌Saturday ⁠on ​a police position near ⁠the Sheikh Radwan area ⁠of northern ‌Gaza, Gaza’s ‌General ​Directorate ‌of ‌Police said. There was no immediate ‌comment from the Israeli ⁠military.»»»

London, May 23 (SANA)– The British government has proposed creating a single market for goods with the European Union in an effort to reintegrate its trade within the continent. The idea was rejected by the EU, reflecting the continued complexity of relations between the two sides since Britain’s d»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held a phone call with the President of the United States of America HE Donald Trump. During the call, the two sides reviewed the latest developments in the region, particularly regional and international efforts aimed at consolidating calm a»»»

CAIRO: The preamble and ceremonies for “Glory in Giza” concluded on Friday night at the Grand Egyptian Museum with the official weigh-in ceremony for the fighters competing in the highly anticipated card on Saturday night. The showcase event, part of Riyadh Season, will take place at the Pyramids o»»»

Doha: Qatar’s industrial investment volume reached QR270bn during the first quarter of 2026, marking a 0.13 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025, according to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI). The ministry said 32 factories were evaluated for readines»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has amended the regulations governing public procurement. According to the resolution, the list of cases in which goods, works, and services may be procured through a special procedure without standard competitive mechanisms has been updated. The changes also »»»

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food, through the Regional Agriculture Directorates, is providing full assistance to farmers affected by the floods in the regions of Veliko Tarnovo, Lovech, and Gabrovo, the Мinistry said in connection with the heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours. Teams from Irrig»»»

MINA: Ashmana Al-Sayed Suleiman, a 63-year-old Sudanese pilgrim, has told of the emotional fulfillment of a 15-year dream to perform Hajj, inspired by years of watching images of worshippers performing their rituals in Makkah. Suleiman, who lost a child during Operation Decisive Storm and Restoring»»»

MADINAH: Miqat Dhu Al-Hulayfah in Madinah witnessed heavy pilgrim movement on Friday as crowds departed for Makkah and the holy sites to begin their Hajj rituals. The large-scale movement was supported by a comprehensive operational plan that ensured smooth traffic flow and efficient transportation»»»

Dubai: A major real estate fraud case that promised luxury beachfront chalets and high-return resort investments in Egypt has ended with heavy prison sentences in Kuwait, after authorities uncovered one of the country’s most significant property scam operations in recent years. Kuwait’s Criminal Co»»»

A military source strongly warned enemies about possible move against Iran, saying the country’s Armed Forces are fully prepared to confront hostile moves. “The Iranian armed forces are fully monitoring the situation and have prepared new scenarios for confronting the US and its allies in case the »»»

Authorities across the UAE have announced free public parking during the Eid Al Adha holiday period as part of nationwide measures to ease mobility and support residents during the long break. The exemption applies across major emirates, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman, where public p»»»

Sharjah: Sharjah has introduced a new logistics facilitation measure exempting cargo trucks arriving from Oman through key border crossings from truck toll gate fees, as part of the emirate’s efforts to strengthen supply chains and enhance freight movement across the UAE. The initiative, launched t»»»

An International Youth Tourism Forum-Festival under the motto «Friendship, Unity and Cooperation» is being held in the city of Kadamdzhay in Batken region. The press service of the Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the region reported. According to the statement, the event aims to deve»»»

Setúbal, Portugal: A French woman suspected of abandoning her two young boys in Portugal and her partner arrived at court on Saturday for further questioning, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. The 41-year-old woman and the 55-year-old man could potentially be placed in pretrial detention f»»»

Taiwan's security chief said Saturday that China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in regional waters stretching from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and Western Pacific. The deployment happened in the past few days after US President Donald Trump's meeting with h»»»

MINA: The Saudi Data and AI Authority has activated its Mobile Operations Centers for the Hajj season. The centers are designed to support government agencies in the field by accelerating response times and enhancing decision-making through real-time data analysis and operational monitoring. The ce»»»

DUBAI: The United ​Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on Saturday it ‌received reports ‌from ​various ‌sources ⁠of ​suspicious activity within ⁠the Gulf of Aden. It said there ⁠had been ‌multiple reports ‌of ​vessels ‌being approached ‌by skiffs. UKMTO also said a ‌large skiff wi»»»

CANNES: “Ben’Imana” created history when it became the first film by a Rwandan filmmaker to premiere within the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival, which closed on May 23. Directed by Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo in her feature debut, the film focuses on the memories and emotional fract»»»

TAIPEI: Taiwan’s security chief said Saturday that China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in regional waters stretching from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and Western Pacific. The deployment happened in the past few days after US President Donald Trump’s meetin»»»

DOHA: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani held a phone call with Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptian Expatriates of the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt HE Dr Badr Abdelatty. During the call, the two si»»»

Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations has extended the weather alert for May 23–25. According to weather forecasters, unstable weather with localized heavy rains is expected in the foothill and mountainous regions of the republic. As a result, mudflows are possible, and river water levels a»»»

Twenty-seven countries have moved since the Iran war started to put in place crisis instruments that could quickly access funding from existing World Bank programs, according to an internal document viewed by Reuters. The World Bank document did not name the countries or the total amount of funds p»»»

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the British broadcaster BBC has officially declined to visit the site of the tragedy in Starobelsk, while the American company CNN is on vacation. “BBC has officially refused to visit Starobelsk. CNN is on vacation,” Zakharova wrote o»»»

A man once labelled China’s “most devoted fraudster” has reignited debate over healthcare costs and desperation after mainland media revisited the story of how he illegally secured life-saving dialysis for his wife. The case centres on Liao Dan, a former factory worker in Beijing whose family fell »»»

Sharjah: An Indian expat woman and her young daughter were found dead at a residential building in Sharjah, according to reports in Malayalam media. Several Malayalam news outlets on Saturday reported that the 35-year-old woman and her five-year-old daughter were found dead at an apartment building»»»

The Kyrgyz diaspora has proposed installing a monument to outstanding Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov in St. Petersburg in a park named in his honor, with the unveiling planned to coincide with the writer’s 100th anniversary. The press service of the Zhogorku Kenesh reported. According to the statem»»»

European Union countries will face large bills for defense, energy and pensions in the next 15 years, the International Monetary Fund told EU finance ministers on Saturday, suggesting a mix of reforms, consolidation and joint borrowing as a way to manage that. "If left unchecked, public debt will b»»»

Washington, United States: The Trump administration announced on Friday that most foreigners seeking a green card granting permanent US residency must apply from their home countries. "From now on, an alien who is in the US temporarily and wants a green card must return to their home country to app»»»

LUGANSK (Sputnik) - The death toll from the attack on a college in the Lugansk People’s Republic on Saturday rose to 11, while the whereabouts of 10 people remain unknown, Lugansk People's Republic head Leonid Pasechnik said. "As of midday on May 23, 11 victims of this monstrous crime have died: ei»»»

Bolivian riot police fired tear gas at anti-government demonstrators in La Paz on Friday as unions and Indigenous groups renewed demands for President Rodrigo Paz to resign amid a deepening economic crisis and mounting unrest. Bolivian riot police clashed with anti-government protesters in La Paz o»»»

Authorities in southern California ordered the evacuation of 40,000 people on Friday after a huge storage tank began leaking a hazardous chemical used to make plastic parts, posing the risk of an explosion.  Tens of thousands of people were ordered to leave their homes in California on Friday »»»

Mexico and the European Union signed a long-stalled free trade agreement on Friday as they seek to decrease dependence on the U.S. and partially insulate themselves from ​U.S. President Donald ‌Trump's tariffs.»»»

Tunis, May 23 (TAP)- "The Tunisian state demonstrated its capacity to manage several thorny issues, mainly illegal migration," Spokesperson for the National Guard Directorate General Brigadier General Houssem Eddine Jebabli said.The vast majority of...»»»

Tehran accused the United States of "excessive demands", Iranian media reported on Saturday, as US media reports suggested that Washington was mulling new strikes while Iran was considering the latest peace proposal. Read our liveblog for all the latest developments. (FRANCE 24 with Reuters, A»»»

Anahita Motazed Rad, Associate Fellow at the London School of Economics, is our guest.»»»

More than 80 workers were killed in a coal mine explosion in China, Xinhua reports. Rescue operations are ongoing, and the cause of the accident is being investigated. A gas explosion at a coal mine in Shanxi Province, northern China, killed 82 people. Another nine are still missing, according to a»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has reclassified 60 hectares of irrigated agricultural land in Kant, Chui region, into residential land designated for the construction of multi-story housing. The plot, part of the State Agricultural Land Fund and located in contour No. 3 in Kant, will be use»»»