KARACHI: Pakistani fintech startup ABHI this week announced it has partnered with Saudi Arabia’s cloud-based Point of Sale platform to launch the Earned Wage Access service in the Kingdom, saying the move would promote financial inclusion. EWA is a financial solution allowing employees to withdraw »»»

A bill to amend and supplement the Protection of Competition Act, submitted by Progressive Bulgaria MP Yavor Gechev and a group of MPs, was adopted at first reading on Tuesday by the ad hoc parliamentary budget and finance committee with 17 votes in favour, two abstentions and two votes against. Th»»»

A total 79 more migrants have been rescued off small boats that ran into trouble south of Crete after crossing the Mediterranean Sea from north Africa, the Coast Guard said Tuesday, amid a surge in arrivals. Monday’s operations came after hundreds of people, mostly from the Middle East and Africa, »»»

The proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection Act and the Protection of Competition Act will not lead to lower prices and may even have the opposite effect, said Assen Vassilev, leader of the Continue the Change (CC) party, speaking to journalists on Tuesday after a meeting of the Ad Hoc Commi»»»

Dubai: A sharp rise in the number of vehicles on UAE roads and a surge in newly issued driving licences have contributed to a significant increase in road accidents in 2025, according to Ministry of Interior (MOI) open data analysed by RoadSafetyUAE. The country recorded 853,411 new vehicle registr»»»

The Sharjah Department of Human Resources announced on Tuesday that the Eid Al Adha and Arafat Day holidays for government departments, authorities and institutions in the emirate will begin on Monday, May 25, and continue until Friday, May 29. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf New»»»

Dubai: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) reported record first-quarter financial results on Tuesday, driven by higher electricity and water demand, growth in clean energy generation and expanded infrastructure capacity. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - si»»»

Washington, United States: President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced talk with Cuba, which has been suffering under Washington's fuel blockade for months following the US capture of Havana's ally Nicolas Maduro. In a post on Truth Social he described the communist-ruled island as "a failed countr»»»

Manama: Bahrain sentenced on Tuesday three people to life on charges of collaborating with Iran's Revolutionary Guard, while over 20 others were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison by a court in Bahrain, which was hard-hit by Iranian attacks during the war. A woman "accused of... collaborating wi»»»

Corporate wellness programs encourage healthy behaviors but fail to systematically identify which employees carry serious, undetected health risks. Vascuscreen, a preventive health screening company, argues this gap fundamentally limits meaningful health outcomes because silent conditions like vasc»»»

RIYADH: On the night of Paris Saint-German’s second-leg Champions League clash against Bayern Munich, football fans had taken over LDN Circus. Inside Riyadh’s first pub-style entertainment venue, giant screens flashed the game above rows of football jerseys, scarves and signed memorabilia brought i»»»

LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles is famous for its sun, sand and surf, celebrity sightings, and an endless variety of food and entertainment. It’s set to become a World Cup site again. The 1994 men’s final was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, which also hosted the 1999 women’s final. Los Angeles is hos»»»

BOGOTA: The number of people displaced by conflict in Colombia doubled year-on-year in 2025 as violence by armed groups rose to its highest level in a decade, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Tuesday. At least 322,688 people were displaced in 2025 as clashes between rival gu»»»

GENEVA: Conflict and violence drove more people to flee within their own countries last year than natural and manmade disasters for the first time on record, monitors said on Tuesday. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center and the Norwegian Refugee Council said in their annual report on the su»»»

Gold fell from a three-week high on Tuesday, as slim hopes of a US-Iran peace deal drove the dollar and oil prices higher, clouding the US interest rate outlook ahead of key inflation data. Spot gold fell 0.8% to $4,696.07 per ounce by 1117 GMT, after climbing to its highest since April 21 earlier.»»»

TUNIS, May 12, 2026 (TAP) - Tunisia’s trade deficit widened to TND 7,528.8 million at the end of April 2026, compared with TND 7,293 million during the same period in 2025, according to the monthly foreign trade report at current prices for April...»»»

Higher Colleges of Technology has launched a new solar energy project across its campuses in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ain as part of efforts to support sustainability and clean energy goals in the UAE. The project is being implemented in partnership with Three Eight Six through a solar energy agreem»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Football Association has announced a preliminary squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as the Gulf nation prepares for the tournament to be staged in North America from June 11 to July 19. The 34-player squad, selected by Spanish head coach Julen Lopetegui, combines experienced »»»

Kuwait arrested four men attempting to enter the country illegally by sea earlier this month who had confessed to belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), State News Agency Kuna said on Tuesday. The Ministry of Interior said that the suspects confessed that they were tasked wit»»»

MAKKAH: Journalists and media representatives from several countries toured key Hajj facilities and holy sites in Makkah on Monday as Saudi authorities continued preparations for the 2026 pilgrimage season. The two-day media tour, organized by the General Authority for Media Regulation in cooperati»»»

In a rapidly evolving global trade landscape, tensions between the United States, the European Union, and China have escalated into a full-fledged trade war. The imposition of tariffs by the US and EU on Chinese imports is a measure aimed at safeguarding their local industries from what they allege»»»

Israeli bulldozers tore down dozens of Palestinian shops on the edge of a town southeast of Jerusalem this week, clearing land ahead of a settlement-linked road project in the occupied West Bank. Israel says the demolitions are needed to make way for a road serving local Palestinian communities. Bu»»»

The anti-inflation measures proposed by the ruling majority create misleading public expectations and could ultimately lead to additional price increases, MP Martin Dimitrov of the Democratic Bulgaria parliamentary group told reporters after a meeting of the National Assembly’s ad hoc Budget and Fi»»»

Confusion is reportedly growing within the Israeli establishment over how to respond to the strategic challenges posed by the confrontation with Hezbollah, particularly among the political and military leadership. According to Israeli sources, Hezbollah has succeeded in imposing its own terms, leav»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a Merkava tank in the vicinity of Khirbet al-Manara, opposite the town of Houla, with a loitering glid»»»

Dubai: More than one million school pupils across the UAE, university students, resumed in-person learning on Monday morning, marking a confident return to the classroom after a week of distance learning prompted by renewed Iranian attacks on the UAE. Students at public and private schools nationwi»»»

Sharjah: Two expats risked their lives and leapt into the sea to rescue a trapped driver after his vehicle suddenly lost control, overturned and plunged into the water following a brake failure, according to Sharjah Police. The dramatic incident took place on Friday night at Al Mamzar beach in Shar»»»

Doha, Qatar: Iran should not use the Strait of Hormuz, which it has blocked since the start of the Middle East war, as a means to blackmail Gulf states, Qatar's top diplomat said on Tuesday. Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani was sp»»»

BELGRADE - National Bank of Serbia (NBS) gross FX reserves amounted to 28,156.3 mln euros at end-April 2026, declining by 329.5 mln euros from a month earlier. In a statement released on Monday, the NBS said the reserves covered "159.7 pct of money supply M1 and 6.5 months’ worth of the country’s i»»»

London: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told his top team Tuesday that he was getting on with governing, defying mounting calls from ministers and MPs to step down. The Labour premier also dared any leadership hopefuls to challenge him after Miatta Fahnbulleh become the first junior minister to resi»»»

Strikes targeted Tuesday afternoon al-Henniyyeh, Kherbet Selem, Qsaybeh, Harees, Tayrdebba, and Ras al-Ain south of Tyre, while Hezbollah claimed drone attacks on a soldier and a Merkava tank in north Israel near the border with Houla. The Israeli army renewed its warning to four villages in south »»»

Al Masar Al Shamil Education Company, one of the GCC’s largest specialized education groups and the owner of Middlesex University Dubai, has reported a strong start to 2026, with Q1 revenue increasing 22% year-on-year to Dh183.9 million (SAR 187.7 million) and EBITDA rising 30.5% to Dh85.3 million »»»

President Iliana Iotova presented the President's Badge of Honour for contributions to education, culture, the performing and musical arts, literature and librarianship on Tuesday. The award was presented to the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, named after actor Krastyo Sarafov, on the o»»»

A rescue operation on the east side of Mount Olympus has been called off after the two hikers thought to be missing contacted the authorities on Tuesday to say they were well. The two men, aged 28 and 29, said they had no phone signal for part of the hike but had not experienced any problems on the»»»

Dubai: Filipino students in the UAE who aspire to build careers in medicine and healthcare now have a new opportunity, as the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi has announced the opening of applications for the “Fallen Heroes Scholarships,” a programme funded by the UAE government. The initiative offe»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Calendar House has announced that Monday (May 18) is expected to mark the beginning of Dhu Al-Hijjah 1447 AH, according to astronomical calculations, with Eid Al-Adha forecast to begin on Wednesday (May 27). Dhu Al-Hijjah is the twelfth and final month of the Islamic lunar calend»»»

RIYADH: The Gulf Radio and Television Organization hosted the “Gulf Achievements Forum,” at GCC headquarters in Riyadh on Monday to showcase the milestones of joint Gulf action, enhance public awareness of regional achievements and explore the strategic future of Gulf integration. The event aimed t»»»

RIYADH: Dr. Abdullah Al-Moallem, head of the health and environmental aid department at Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian agency KSrelief, recently met with the personal envoy of the UN secretary-general for Sudan, Pekka Haavisto, in Riyadh. During the meeting, the officials discussed ways to strengthen »»»

Calls for mutual respect dominated the Africa Forward Summit on Tuesday as French President Emmanuel Macron announced new investments and said sovereignty will be key in the new partnership that France hopes to build with Africa. Investments worth 23 billion euros ($27 billion) will fund various se»»»

LONDON: Google has signed deals with the national football federations of Iraq and Morocco, making its Gemini artificial-intelligence assistant the official technology sponsor of the teams for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The partnership, announced Tuesday, will focus on fan engagement rather than on-p»»»

Tunis, May 12 (TAP)- The direct flight between Baghdad and Tunis will resume on May 21, Tunisia's embassy in Baghdad said on Tuesday. The weekly flight (every Thursday) is operated by Iraqi Airways. The flight is set to depart from Baghdad...»»»

Doha, Qatar: QatarEnergy signed a memorandum of understanding with TotalEnergies, ConocoPhillips, and the Syrian Petroleum Company for cooperation in oil and gas exploration offshore the Syrian Arab Republic. The agreement covers technical review by the partners to evaluate the potential of Block 3»»»

Amid preparations for the third round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations in Washington, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam clarified that "at the top of our agenda is solidifying the ceasefire." "Our demands are well-known: a timetable for the Israeli withdrawal, the release of prisoners and their return to »»»

Tunis, May 12 (TAP) — Prime Minister Sara Zaafrani Zenzri took part on Tuesday in the opening session of the Africa–France Summit, held under the theme “Africa Forward: Partnerships between Africa and France for Innovation and Growth” at the...»»»

Protesters demonstrating outside the Knesset on Monday holding up the faces of some of the 46 hostages killed by Hamas and demanding accountability for alleged security failures that led to Oct. 7. The banner reads: "The massacre and abandonment government - GO HOME. A state commission of inquiry n»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, met on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, with HE Hakan Fidan, Foreign Minister of the sister Turkish Republic, who is currently visiting the country. During the meeting, the two sid»»»

Uganda's president sworn in for record seventh term 10 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleBasillioh RukangaandSwaibu Ibrahim,BBC Africa, Kampala Government of Uganda/XYoweri Museveni is the only president many Ugandans have lived under Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, 81, has been swo»»»

TUNIS, May 12, 2026 (TAP) - Tunisia’s trade deficit widened to TND 7.528 billion at the end of April 2026, compared with TND 7.293 billion during the same period in 2025, according to the monthly report on external trade at current prices for April...»»»