RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack in Riyadh on Sunday, the Saudi Press Agency reported. During the meeting, the two officials discussed the latest developments in Syria and ways to support stability in the country. Views on issue»»»

The Central Bank of Libya (CBL) reported today that Numisma Bank pledged to supply record amounts of cash dollars to it in its Second Phase of cash injection to the Libyan market. The pledge came during the hosting by Naji Issa, the CBL Governor, of senior officials from Numisma Bank last Tuesday (»»»

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Mohammad Yousaf on Sunday directed officials to spare no effort in facilitating Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, stressing the need for smooth travel, accommodation and support services. Pakistan is expected to send more than 179,000 pilgrims fo»»»

THAHABAN: The third Hajj Health and Security Forum opened on Sunday under the patronage of Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz. Organized by the General Administration of Medical Services at the Ministry of Interior, the forum runs until May 19 and brings together min»»»

Asharq Al-Awsat has learned of a joint initiative by the Federation of GCC Chambers and the International Labor Organization to conduct a rapid assessment of the impact of the war on the private sector and labor markets across Gulf Cooperation Council countries. The initiative is expected to contri»»»

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva joined a host of Bulgarian politicians, artists and intellectuals in congratulating the singer Dara on winning the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. Georgieva said in a social media post: "I congratulate Dara on her victory in»»»

Damascus, May 17 (SANA) U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said recent developments in Syria marked significant progress, adding that the coming period could bring “tremendous progress for the Syrian people and lasting stability.” In a post on X on Sunday, Barrack said the “visionary meeting” »»»

"Bravo, DARA / Darina Yotova! We are proud of you and of your success!" wrote the Chair of Bulgaria's National Assembly, Mihaela Dotsova, on Facebook after Bulgaria won the Eurovision Song Contest. Bulgaria will host next year's edition of the contest after the singer Dara won the 2026 edition in V»»»

Dubai: Private landlords in the UAE can now request the credit scores of prospective tenants through a new digital screening service launched by Etihad Credit Bureau in collaboration with UAE PASS. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.The new “Tenant S»»»

NÜRBURG: Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen’s chances of victory in his 24-hour racing debut at the famed Nürburgring track have been ended by a mechanical issue with his car. Verstappen had been leading Sunday morning by over half a minute, sharing a Mercedes AMG GT3 car with experienced »»»

London: The British military's aerial display team and the Royal Navy, which was recently maligned by Donald Trump, will soon visit the US to mark 250 years of American independence, the UK government said Sunday. The Royal Air Force's Red Arrows will in June embark on a one-month "showcase tour" o»»»

TEL AVIV: ​Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said ‌he ‌was ​scheduled ‌to ⁠speak ​with US President ⁠Donald Trump on ⁠Sunday. Netanyahu ‌said that ‌in ​he ‌expected ‌to hear about ‌Trump's trip to China, while ⁠suggesting ⁠they would also discuss Iran.»»»

TEHRAN: Iranian media on Sunday said the United States failed to make any concrete concessions in its response to Iran’s proposal for negotiations to end the war. Fars news agency said Washington gave a five-point list which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and »»»

Paris, France: FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom described as "excellent" and "constructive" the meeting held on Saturday in Istanbul with the Iranian federation to ensure Iran's participation in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Iranians are scheduled to be bas»»»

Ali Akbar Velayati, Senior Advisor on International Affairs to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, has warned that Washington is “walking into a strategic trap” allegedly set by Israel, cautioning that another war on Iran would further erode US credibility in West Asia. In a post on X, Velayati—a»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Islamic Resistance fighters targeted gathering of Israeli soldiers and vehciles with a barrage of rockets: Hezbollah Military Media stateme»»»

CAIRO: Israeli strikes ‌killed at least four Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, health officials said. Medics said an Israeli strike killed one Palestinian near a police post in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said it killed a militant who posed an immediate thre»»»

Cannes, France: Peaky Blinders" creator Steven Knight, who is writing the next "Bond" movie, has strongly hinted that the ageing British spy is about to get really shaken and stirred. The writer said that Amazon has given him a licence to play with the legendary MI6 secret agent created by author I»»»

Cannes, France: Outspoken Spanish star Javier Bardem told AFP he was "getting more work than ever" despite his public campaigning against Israel's war in Gaza, something he attributed to "the narrative changing" around the conflict. At the last Oscars ceremony in February, the openly political star»»»

Large crowds have descended upon central London for an anti-immigration rally dubbed ‘Unite the Kingdom’. Videos and photographs circulating on social media on Saturday showed demonstrators with Union Jack flags, crosses, and other Christian symbols marching through the streets of the British capit»»»

Dubai: Having tested the world’s dependence on the Strait of Hormuz through wartime oil disruptions, Iran is now signaling it could target another critical global artery — the subsea internet cables carrying financial transactions, cloud services and digital communications between Europe, Asia and »»»

RIYADH: Jazan Industrial City will host a new green ammonia plant under a new agreement between Saudi Arabia Refineries Co. and China’s Ally Hydrogen Energy to establish a local hydrogen equipment manufacturing and assembly hub. The new non-binding memorandum of understanding will also include the »»»

Modena, Italy: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday visited people wounded by a driver with a history of mental health problems who ran over several pedestrians in a city centre in northern Italy. The driver, a 31-year-old Italian man of Moroccan heritage, hit several people before crash»»»

Germany, France, Australia and Canada are emerging as the top choices for students exploring international education, according to Clint Khan, Director at Y-Axis, Platinum Sponsor of Edufair. Speaking on the sidelines of Gulf News Edufair in Abu Dhabi, Khan said students are increasingly factoring »»»

The US-Israeli war on Iran has triggered a logistics shockwave — and the Gulf is now paying the price. The Strait of Hormuz squeeze has forced shipping companies to scramble to move cargo by land, reports the FT.Businesses now face exploding costs, delays stretching for months, and mounting supply »»»

Tunis, May 17 (TAP) — The International Food Industry Exhibition for Africa (IFSA Africa) will hold its next edition at the Kram Exhibition Centre in Tunis from June 9 to 11, 2026.According to the organizers, the event has become a leading reference...»»»

Tehran: Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who recently emerged as a chief negotiator in talks with the United States, has been appointed to oversee relations with China, Iranian media reported on Sunday. "Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has recently been appointed as a special representa»»»

Bulgarian musicians, actors and writers, including some of the brightest stars on the national entertainment and intellectual scene, congratulated Dara on winning the Eurovision Song Contest on the night of Saturday to Sunday with her song "Bangaranga". Bulgaria has won the contest for the first ti»»»

US dollar The US Dollar has crossed the LE 53 mark across several local Egyptian commercial banks. This upward movement is driven by a broader global rally of the greenback and intensifying geopolitical anxieties within the Middle East, Al-Mal reported. Global dynamics fueling the greenback This do»»»

Muscat, Oman: Data issued by the Statistical Center for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf revealed that the Council countries achieved a remarkable milestone in the field of immunization, as the coverage rate for essential vaccines reached 100 percent during 2024, compared to »»»

Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said that the capital is the best prepared city in Bulgaria to host Eurovision 2027. In an interview on Nova Television on Sunday, he said he is “extremely happy” about Dara's triumph at this year's edition of the song contest. “It is incredible that despite all the attem»»»

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he will no longer recommend the United States as a destination for his children to study or work, citing what he described as a worsening “social climate” in America. Speaking at a Catholic youth conference in Wuerzburg on Friday, the conservative leader sa»»»

PARIS: FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom described as “excellent” and “constructive” the meeting held on Saturday in Istanbul with the Iranian federation to ensure Iran’s participation in the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Iranians are scheduled to be based and p»»»

Sharjah: The Sharjah Consultative Council has approved a draft 2026 law regulating the use of drones after introducing a number of amendments during its 16th session of the third ordinary term of the 11th legislative chapter. The session was held at the council’s headquarters in Sharjah and chaired»»»

DUBAI: French Algerian actress Lyna Khoudri is at the Cannes Film Festival to promote her latest project, “In Waves.” The actress attended a screening of the film before she headed to a red carpet event for “Fatherland,” by director Pawel Pawlikowski. The film “centers on the relationship between t»»»

London: London police said Sunday officers arrested 20 people the previous day at a march organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson and 12 people at a counter-demonstration fused with a pro-Palestinian protest. The city's Metropolitan Police -- which had already disclosed making 43 arrests Sat»»»

Dubai Police have issued an urgent warning over a series of viral social media videos promoting the excessive consumption of energy drinks, cautioning that the online trends pose severe health risks to children and young people. The force’s Cybercrime Department, operating under the General Departm»»»

LONDON: Wes Streeting’s ambition to head the British government was one of the worst-kept secrets in UK politics. But if anyone was unaware, it’s now official — the former health secretary announced on Saturday his intention to oust Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “We need a proper contest with the be»»»

London: Chelsea appointed Xabi Alonso as the club's manager on Sunday on a four-year deal with the Spaniard the latest coach tasked with turning around the club's fortunes. The Blues lost the FA Cup final to Manchester City on Saturday and lie ninth in the Premier League with two games of the campa»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund maintained a $12 billion US equity portfolio in the first quarter of 2026, down from roughly $12.9 billion at the end of 2025, as it continued to recalibrate investments across global markets. A filing submitted by PIF to the US Securities and Exchange »»»

Moscow: A huge wave of almost 600 Ukrainian drones attacked Russia overnight, killing three people in the Moscow region and one in the Belgorod region, authorities said on Sunday. Air defences shot down 556 drones overnight across the country, Russia's defence ministry said, with another 30 drones »»»

The International Exhibition for National Security and Resilience (ISNR 2026), the biennial event dedicated to the national security and civil defence sectors, has announced the launch of five new flagship events as part of its ninth and largest edition to date, set to take place from May 19 to 21 »»»

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who recently emerged as a chief negotiator in talks with the United States, has been appointed to oversee relations with China, Iranian media reported on Sunday. "Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has recently been appointed as a special representative of »»»

Pakistan's interior minister arrived in Tehran on Saturday "to facilitate" the peace talks between Iran and the United States that have stalled despite a fragile ceasefire, Iranian media reported. "Mohsin Naqvi arrived today in the Islamic Republic of Iran on an official two-day visit as part of Pa»»»

Modena, Italy: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday will visit people wounded by a driver with a history of mental health problems who ran over pedestrians in a city center in northern Italy. The driver, an Italian of Moroccan heritage, hit several people before crashing into a shop wind»»»

TAIPEI: The expression “Taiwan independence” means the island neither belongs to nor is subordinate to Beijing and that only the Taiwanese people can decide their future, President Lai Ching-te said on Sunday. Lai’s comments, a reiteration of his views, come days after President Donald Trump met hi»»»

RIYADH: The Saudi Sports for All Federation, the national body responsible for advancing physical activity in Saudi Arabia, has concluded its participation in the 29th TAFISA World Congress in Prague. The world congress, held from May 13-17, brought together 500-plus delegates from more than 80 cou»»»

INCHEON, South Korea: North Korean women’s football club Naegohyang FC arrived in South Korea on Sunday for an Asian Women’s Champions League semifinal, marking the first visit by athletes from the isolated state to the South in eight years. The delegation of 27 players and 12 staff entered the cou»»»

DOHA: US Energy Secretary Chris Wright visited QatarEnergy’s Golden Pass liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Sabine Pass, Texas. In a statement, QatarEnergy explained that Secretary Wright’s visit included a tour of the project’s facilities and highlighted the growing role of LNG in driving glob»»»

Dubai: Saudi authorities have announced the completion of extensive preparations for this year’s Hajj season, deploying tens of thousands of workers, smart technologies and operational systems aimed at improving safety, cleanliness and services for pilgrims across the holy sites. The preparations a»»»