While cracking India’s fiercely competitive engineering and medical entrance exams remains a daunting challenge, students from the UAE are increasingly securing seats in reputed institutions, including IITs, NITs and government medical colleges, at fees that are often lower than monthly school tuit»»»

Muna Easa Al Gurg has been named in the 2026 TIME100 Philanthropy list, in recognition of her efforts to support women and girls across the Middle East and North Africa. The annual list by TIME highlights influential figures shaping the future of philanthropy and social impact. Get updated faster a»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Katz Enforces “Execution Law” for Palestinian Prisoners in West Bank 18-05-2026 12:23 PM Israeli DM Yisrael Katz with Israeli military and »»»

The Cabinet of Ministers allocated additional funds to support small and medium-sized businesses and the garment industry. The First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Daniyar Amangeldiev, told journalists as part of the Open Cabinet project. According to him, suppo»»»

RYIADH: The second edition of the Argaam Summit 2026 concluded last Tuesday, bringing together CEOs of leading companies, market and sector specialists, investors, and policymakers to discuss Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation a decade after the launch of Vision 2030. The summit was anchored by»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani held a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia HH Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud. During the call, they reviewed »»»

Jakarta, Indonesia: Indonesia will continue boosting its defence capabilities, President Prabowo Subianto said Monday, citing uncertain times as he presented new military hardware, including six French-made Rafale jets, to the air force. The Southeast Asian nation, which pursues a policy of diploma»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The largest number of foreign mercenaries in the ranks of the Ukrainian armed forces have been spotted in the Kharkov and Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) directions, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large on the Ukrainian regime's crimes, Rodion Miroshnik, told Sputnik. "The»»»

MINSK (Sputnik) - Military units of Belarus for the combat use of nuclear weapons and nuclear support have started military drills, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Monday. "Today, in the interests of increasing the readiness of the armed forces for the use of modern weapons, including speci»»»

HARBIN, China (Sputnik) - Russia's Rostec is working on a new super-heavy engine and will unveil it in the coming years, Viktor Kladov, the state corporation's director of international cooperation, told Sputnik. "We are working on a super-heavy, super-powerful engine to replace the products of [th»»»

BEIJING (Sputnik) - Beijing and Moscow intend to continue to promote bilateral relations to an even higher level, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday. "Taking this opportunity, the parties intend to further advance bilateral relations to a deeper and higher level, bringing »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine has confirmed that hantavirus is widespread among the military personnel of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Sumy direction, Russian law enforcement agencies told Sputnik. "Kiev doctor Irina Semenova stated that hantavirus is widespread among the military personnel of th»»»

Intesa Sanpaolo Group delivered net income of €2.8 billion in the first quarter of 2026, the best quarterly result in the Bank’s history (+6% vs. Q1 2025). Q1 operating income reached a record €7.2 billion, driven by balanced growth across net interest income, commissions, insurance activities and »»»

The recent rise in the exchange rate, amid political instability, has reduced the overvaluation of the Romanian leu, but it still persists, according to an analysis by the Romanian Commercial Bank (BCR), which has increased its forecast for the EUR/RON level. Analysts also note a shift in the Natio»»»

The number of voluntary home insurance policies concluded last year rose by 7%, covering around 128,000 additional homes in a single year, the National Union of Insurance and Reinsurance Companies of Romania said in a statement."This development confirms an essential fact: having voluntary home ins»»»

Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group signed today in Bucharest an agreement with Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) to acquire approximately 10% of the shares of Carpathia Pensii. A strategic partnership aimed at strengthening Romanians’ trust in private pensions. The majority shareholder »»»

ING Bank Romania is expanding the RoPay functionalities available in Home’Bank with the launch of the Payment Request option, which allows users to send and receive instant payment requests using only a phone number, without entering an IBAN. ING Bank is expanding the functionalities offered throug»»»

BRD – Groupe Société Générale announces its voluntary accession to the Collective Labor Agreement negotiated at the level of the banking sector, recently concluded between the Council of Banking Employers in Romania (CPBR) and the representative trade union federations FSIF and FSAB. The document, »»»

Romania’s economy remains in recession. The first quarter of this year recorded a decline both compared to the end of last year and to the same period in 2025. Annual Romania’s economy remains in recession. The first quarter of this year recorded a decline both compared to the end of last year and »»»

Fitch Ratings has taken rating action on Romania's CEC Bank following the publication of its updated bank rating criteria.Thus, Fitch Ratings upgraded CEC Bank's long-term issuer rating (IDR) from BB to BB+, with a stable outlook, and assigned long- and short-term deposit ratings at 'BBB-' and 'F3'»»»

In its meeting of 15 May 2026, the Board of the National Bank of Romania (NBR) decided the following: to keep the monetary policy rate at 6.50 percent per annum; to leave unchanged the lending (Lombard) facility rate at 7.50 percent per annum and the deposit facility rate at 5.50 percent per annum;»»»

Kuwaiti authorities have reiterated strict penalties against individuals involved in transporting illegal residents or operating unlicensed passenger transport services, warning that violators could face jail terms of up to three years. According to local media reports, authorities said drivers usi»»»

Dubai: Born amid conflict, Dubai Safari Park’s baby rhino Salam quickly became an unlikely symbol of hope for many residents across the UAE. Named after the Arabic word for peace, the endangered southern white rhino calf arrived at a time in April beginning when conflict dominated headlines across »»»

A meeting dedicated to the development of grassroots and amateur football in Kyrgyzstan was held in Bishkek as part of the FIFA Amateur Event. The event brought together representatives of the Kyrgyz Football Union, regional football organizations and leagues, as well as FIFA specialists. FIFA Regi»»»

TEHRAN: Iran’s national football team was headed to Turkiye on Monday to play a final friendly match and apply for visas to fly to the United States for the 2026 World Cup, Iranian media reported.The team plan to participate in the tournament despite co-host Washington having launched a war against»»»

MADRID: Spain’s ​High Court has acquitted Colombian singer Shakira of ‌tax ‌fraud ​and ‌ordered ⁠the Treasury ​to reimburse ⁠her with over 60 ⁠million euros ($69.8 million) ‌in ‌fines ​she ‌had ‌paid plus interest, according to ‌a court document seen by ⁠Reuters ⁠on Monday.»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani received a phone call from HE Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates of the Arab Republic of Egypt. During the call, they reviewed bilate»»»

Israeli forces were intercepting a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on Monday after it set sail from Türkiye last week, with organizers saying one of the vessels was stopped west of Cyprus. "Military vessels are currently intercepting our fleet and Israeli forces are currently boarding the first of our boat»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran has conveyed its comments to the United States in response to Washington's adjustments to the conflict resolution plan, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday. "Despite the fact that the United States has explicitly stated that it rejects this [Iran»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The US would need to deploy 7,800 satellites costing $743 billion over 20 years to intercept a limited raid of 10 simultaneous missiles as part of a space-based layer of the proposed Golden Dome system, Sputnik found based on analysis of the system by the US Congressional Budget »»»

Iran said Monday it had responded to a new US proposal aimed at ending the war, adding that exchanges were continuing despite Iranian media reports describing Washington's demands as excessive. "As we announced yesterday, our concerns were conveyed to the American side," foreign ministry spokesman »»»

The Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan overturned the decisions of two previous courts in the case of former Zhogorku Kenesh deputy Omurbek Bakirov and fully acquitted him. Sources close to Bakirov reported. In December 2023, the Nookat District Court found Omurbek Bakirov guilty of vote-buying in the 202»»»

A meeting of journalists with Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Daniyar Amangeldiev, is taking place today, May,18, at Yntymak Ordo as part of the Open Cabinet project. When asked by 24.kgnews agency whether Kyrgyzstan is considering closing sanctioned banks to address West»»»

RIYADH: 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 Assad. Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh is expe»»»

DUBAI: An Iranian state TV presenter has drawn criticism after shooting at a United Arab Emirates flag during a live television segment promoting firearms training. The broadcast, which aired on Iran’s state-run Ofogh channel this week, featured a masked member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Co»»»

MANILA: Philippine lawmakers were on Monday sworn in to serve as judges in the trial of impeached Vice President Sara Duterte, the second attempt since last year to force her from office. Sixteen votes in the 24-seat Senate would be needed to convict the daughter of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, an»»»

Israeli strikes targeted Monday Tebnine, Majdal Selem, Harouf and Deir al-Zahrani in south Lebanon, after a midnight strike on an apartment in Baalbek killed an Islamic Jihad commander and his 17-year-old daughter.»»»

GAZA: In a small sewing workshop in southern Gaza, Nisreen Al-Rantisi pulls ​fabric from a pile and reshapes worn wedding dresses, trying to keep a fading tradition alive amid war and soaring costs. Families said they have been struggling to find new wedding dresses and many search instead for plac»»»

Building on the codeshare partnership launched in June 2025, Qatar Airways and Philippine Airlines are unlocking more than 40 new destinations for global travellers Doha, Qatar: Qatar Airways and Philippine Airlines are expanding their strategic partnership by enhancing the connectivity between bot»»»

A Russian drone hit a Chinese cargo ship in the Black Sea overnight, Ukraine said Monday, a day before Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to Beijing to meet Xi Jinping. Kyiv routinely announces Russian attacks on civilian vessels near the port of Odesa -- a vital maritime hub for Ukrainian agri»»»

Belarus, which hosts Russian nuclear weapons, said on Monday it was conducting training in their use. "The aim of the exercise is ‌to improve ‌the personnel's ‌level of ⁠training, to test ⁠the Airborne Forces' readiness to carry out their tasks, and to organize combat ⁠operations from ‌unplanned ar»»»

Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) will become the first American medical institution to open a clinic for adolescents seeking to reverse gender-related medical treatments, the US Department of Justice said. The move comes as part of a settlement of a years-long probe by the DOJ and Texas Attorney Gen»»»

South Korea's Unification Ministry on Monday released a new white paper focusing on peaceful coexistence with North Korea. This photo shows the Unification Bridge in Paju, across the border from the North, on Oct. 26, 2025. File Photo by Yonhap The Lee Jae Myung government has shifted its focus to »»»

Tehran, Iran: Iran's national football team headed to Turkiye on Monday to play a final friendly match before flying to the United States for the 2026 World Cup, Iranian media reported. "The Iranian national football team... departed this morning for Antalya, Turkiye to play its final friendly matc»»»

The ninth edition of the International Exhibition for National Security and Resilience (ISNR 2026) is set to bring together 253 local and international companies at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from May 19 to 21, marking the largest edition in the event’s history. Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh »»»

ISTANBUL:The ‌organizers of a flotilla of aid ships bound for Gaza said on Monday ​that Israeli forces had boarded one of their vessels and that contact had been lost with another of the vessels in the eastern Mediterranean. Earlier on Monday, Israel’s foreign ministry had said on X that it “will ‌»»»

ABU DHABI: The world’s leading mixed martial arts organization, Ultimate Fighting Championship, has announced its return to the region alongside Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism. UFC Fight Night Abu Dhabi will take place on Saturday, July 25 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. Tickets will »»»

Saudi authorities have confirmed a ban on the entry and use of liquefied gas cylinders of all sizes at pilgrim hospitality centres and government facilities within the holy sites during the Hajj season. The restriction came into force on Monday, the first day of Dhu Al Hijjah, corresponding to May »»»

Nigeria and the United States have carried out fresh strikes against ISIS extremist militants in northwest Nigeria, the US military said on Monday. The strikes were conducted on Sunday, US Africa Command (Africom) said in a statement. "Intelligence confirmed the targets were ISIS militants. Complet»»»