Taiwan has carried out the maiden torpedo test firing for its first domestically developed submarine, a major milestone in a project aimed at strengthening deterrence against the Chinese navy and protecting vital sea lanes in the event of war. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has ma»»»

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has dismissed the country's military chief and a finance minister who had been in post for less than three months, state media reported late on Wednesday. The dismissals were the latest of frequent ‌changes in the top ‌ranks of Kiir's government ‌in ⁠recent years »»»

DOHA: The Department of Meteorology has forecast hot daytime conditions inshore until 6pm on Thursday, accompanied by slight dust in some areas and intermittent cloud cover. Offshore conditions are expected to be hazy at first, with clouds appearing at times. A marine warning has been issued due to»»»

Iran denied any involvement by its armed forces in damage to a South Korean vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, its ‌embassy in Seoul ‌said on ‌Thursday ⁠in a statement, adding ⁠that safe passage through the waterway requires strict adherence to Iranian regulations. On ⁠Monday, a Panama-flagged ‌ship ‌»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s first-quarter 2026 budget performance figures showed the government remained firmly committed to development and social spending, with total expenditure surging 20 percent year on year to about SR387 billion ($103.2 billion), compared with SR322 billion in the same period a y»»»

BusinessGermanyCOVID pioneer BioNTech: The fall of Germany's pandemic heroNik MartinBioNTech, once celebrated for its COVID-19 vaccines, is grappling with falling demand, restructuring and the departure of its founders. Can its ambitious cancer trials turn it from a one-hit wonder into a biotech gi»»»

The EU’s turn to American ‘identity politics’ was the product of a legitimacy crisis facing the bloc in the aftermath of the 2008-2009 financial crisis, argues Frank Furedi, executive director of MCC Brussels, a conservative think-tank. Questions about European identity are now at the heart of a cu»»»

Sydney, Australia: Solomon Islands Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele lost power in a no-confidence vote held Thursday in the South Pacific nation's parliament, ending months of political uncertainty. Parliament was adjourned to allow the governor general to make arrangements for the election of a new »»»

People watch a live TV broadcast at Seoul Station on Thursday showing the appeal hearing of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. The court reduced Han's sentence to 15 years over his role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law.. Photo by Yonhap An appeals court on Thursd»»»

AMSTERDAM: Countries worldwide scrambled on Thursday to trace people ​who had left the cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak before it got marooned off the coast of Cape Verde, in an effort to prevent further spread of the disease. Three people — a Dutch couple and a German national — died in th»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military struck Beirut's southern suburbs on Wednesday, targeting a top Hezbollah commander. "The Israeli army has struck in Beirut to target the commander of Hezbollah's Radwan force, in an attempt to neutralize him," a joint statement issued by N»»»

Iran denied on Thursday attacking a South Korean cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz this week, as U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal to end the war was "very possible" but warned Washington would resume bombing if talks failed. Tehran's embassy in Seoul said it "firmly rejects and categoricall»»»

BOSTON: At IBM Think 2026 in Boston, IBM’s bet on Saudi Arabia went beyond expanding its role in AI infrastructure. The US technology company sought to position itself as a partner in a tougher phase, turning that investment into large-scale industrial and institutional execution. That message came»»»

National Intelligence Service chief Lee Jong-seok (C) attends a plenary session of the intelligence committee at the National Assembly in Seoul on Thursday. Pool photo by Yonhap North Korea has significantly tamped down its hostility toward South Korea in its recently revised constitution, while ma»»»

LONDON: British voters cast ballots Thursday in midterm local and regional elections that could shake up the country’s politics and deliver a heavy blow to embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer.Starmer’s center-left Labour Party is bracing for big losses in polls that will choose about 5,000 local »»»

SYDNEY: A group of women linked to Daesh terrorists face arrest when they land in Australia on Thursday, returning home years after allegedly sneaking into Syria to join the group’s self-declared caliphate. Four women and nine children — all Australian citizens — are due to land on Thursday evening»»»

JUBA: South ‌Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed the country’s military chief and a finance minister who had ​been in post for less than two weeks, state media reported late on Wednesday. The dismissals were the latest of frequent changes in the top ranks of Kiir’s government in recent years»»»

Iranian football chief Mehdi Taj said on Wednesday he will have a meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the next three or four days at which he would seek assurances that his country will be respected at the World Cup in the United States.Canada, which is co-hosting the June 11 to July 19»»»

Abu Dhabi: UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar. At the start of the meeting, Jassim Al Thani conveyed to Sheikh Mohamed the UAE President the »»»

RIYADH: Medical teams of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program on Thursday began the complex procedure of separating 18-month-old Tanzanian twin girls Nancy and Nice. The surgery is taking place at King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital in Riyadh. Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, advisor to the royal co»»»

Australia will look to stave off energy shortages by forcing major gas companies to reserve 20 percent of their exports for domestic use, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said Thursday. The country is one of the world's largest exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG), a key fuel source in hot demand as»»»

Dubai: The Emirates Group has announced a remarkable 20-week salary bonus for its employees following a record performance in the fiscal year 2025-2026 after the group achieved historic highs in net profits, revenues, and cash balances. Dubai's flagship airline recorded these earnings despite the o»»»

On May 7, 1915, a German U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania off the coast of Ireland, killing nearly 1,200 people. 1 of 6 | On May 7, 1915, a German U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania off the coast of Ireland, killing nearly 1,200 people. File Photo by Library of Congress May 7 (UPI) -- O»»»

A total 268 migrants have reached the southern island of Crete over the past 24 hours, as arrivals in small boats from north Africa have picked up again following a brief hiatus. According to the Coast Guard, a total 142 people were rescued off three small boats overnight and taken to a temporary r»»»

The medical and surgical teams of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program (SCTP) began on Thursday the complex procedure of separating 18-month-old Tanzanian twin girls, Nancy and Nice. The surgery is taking place at King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital (KASCH) at King Abdulaziz Medical City of »»»

Damascus, May 7 (SANA) Syrian Economy and Industry Minister Nidal al-Shaar met Wednesday with an Emirati business delegation led by businessman Mohamed Alabbar to discuss investment opportunities and economic cooperation between Syria and the United Arab Emirates. The meeting, attended by UAE Ambas»»»

The Black Sea Defense and Aerospace (BSDA), the leading defence and security industry event in the Black Sea region, will be held under the patronage of President Nicusor Dan. The BSDA returns to Bucharest on 13-15 May at the ROMAERO Baneasa site.According to a press release issued on Wednesday, th»»»

National gas corporation Romgaz announced that it has reached an agreement in principle with Azomures on the main commercial terms for taking over the plant's operational activity through a business transfer, with negotiations expected to be finalized by the end of this month."SNGN Romgaz SA inform»»»

Former Deputy Prime Minister Dragos Anastasiu believes that, regardless of who will govern, the Romanian state must respect the law in its relation with the business environment, continue debureaucratisation and avoid granting state aid schemes funded by entrepreneurs if it wants to regain trust.Th»»»

Romania needs, as soon as possible, a government to continue the process of budgetary deficit reduction and absorb as much as possible of the European resources, says the chairman of the Fiscal Council, Daniel Daianu."The turmoil in the foreign exchange market (the depreciation of the leu) is to be»»»

financial evaluation agency Fitch Ratings regarding the political situation in Romania, presenting data which refer to first-quarter budgetary execution and regarding the PNRR evolution.'As long as these agencies—and Fitch in particular—request information, we must be there to provide it, so that w»»»

The Europe Day reception at Cotroceni Presidential Palace, which was due to take place on Saturday, has been cancelled, and the visit of President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola will be rescheduled.The event was cancelled in light of developments on the domestic political scene followin»»»

The President of UDMR (Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania), Kelemen Hunor, stated that his party considers the main solution to be the re-establishment of the governing coalition that had been in place until a month ago - made up of PSD (Social Democratic Party), PNL (National Liberal Party)»»»

Chairman of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) George Simion claims that President Nicusor Dan is breaching Article 103 of the Constitution by holding "secret" meetings with political leaders to form "his own government", arguing that AUR must be included in the process of forming a new »»»

Chair of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Sorin Grindeanu said on Wednesday that he rules out forming a government together with the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), national minorities and unaffiliated MPs, arguing that such a formula would not ensure the necessary political s»»»

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said on Wednesday that, until his last day in office, he will work for Romania's interests and will not abandon his principles, mentioning that during his 10-month term he sought to implement a different model of governance."Dear Romanians, it has been an honour for me t»»»

Doha, Qatar: beIN Sports, the leading sports broadcaster in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), will mark the one-month milestone to the FIFA World Cup 2026 with comprehensive, bi-lingual, multi-channel coverage across the region on Monday 11 May. The 23rd edition of the global football showpi»»»

Beverly Hills: FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Tuesday defended World Cup ticket prices, insisting that football’s global governing body was obliged to take advantage of US laws that allow tickets to be resold for thousands of dollars above face value. FIFA has faced searing criticism over the c»»»

Doha, Qatar: Excitement is building ahead of the highly anticipated Amir Cup final, with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) yesterday confirming full readiness to host Saturday’s showdown at the iconic Khalifa International Stadium. Record 19-time champions Al Sadd will take on defending champion»»»

CEBU: Conflicts far beyond Southeast Asia are expected to dominate meetings of the regional ASEAN bloc that began on Thursday in the Philippines, with the Middle East crisis posing serious challenges for its fuel import-dependent economies. Concerns of energy and food supply security will take cent»»»

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military warned Thursday it would respond strongly against any attack as it marked the anniversary of last year’s four-day conflict with neighboring India that brought the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of war before a US-brokered ceasefire halted the fighting. The military»»»

US President Donald Trump will host his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the White House on Thursday -- the latest test of the ideological opposites' tenuous relationship, with security and investment topping the agenda. At the helm of the Americas' two largest economies, the lead»»»

After launching its first scheduled flights (three times a week) to Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport on 1 May, Air Cairo announced that it is planning to expand its services to Libya soon – with new flights to the cities of Benghazi, Misrata and Sebha. The revelation was made by Hussein Al-Sharif, Chairman»»»

Divers are due later Thursday to try and inspect the wreck of a Turkish-operated freighter that sank off the Aegean Sea island of Andros without loss of life but raising questions over potential environmental damage. Greek authorities, including the National Intelligence Service, are also taking a »»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Foundation (QF) celebrated the achievements of its Class of 2026 at a convocation ceremony yesterday, highlighting not only strong academic performance but also a growing emphasis on innovation, research, and real-world impact. A total of 16 students were honoured with the presti»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Shahania and Al Kharaitiyat gear up for the play-off tomorrow, with both sides chasing a spot in next season’s Qatar Stars League at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. Kick-off is set for 7pm, with the fixture bringing together a top-flight team fighting to retain their status and a Second D»»»

Washington: OpenAI announced the official launch of the ChatGPT add-in for Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets spreadsheet models, making it available to all users globally after the end of the beta version. The company began testing the add-in in Excel last March, before making it available in Googl»»»

Greece is set to roll out nationwide use of electronic ankle monitors for prison inmates this month as authorities seek to ease chronic overcrowding in the country’s correctional facilities, where about a quarter of detainees are awaiting trial. The electronic monitoring system will officially take»»»

May 7 (UPI) -- Federal law enforcement agents have arrested and charged 18 people accused of selling drugs in and around downtown Los Angeles' MacArthur Park, according to authorities who say additional drug operations will be conducted. The 18 people arrested over the last 24 hours in the so-calle»»»

Mounds of slimey carcasses pile up on a riverbank in Jakarta where authorities are fighting an uphill battle against a fast-breeding invasive fish flourishing in Java island's heavily polluted waterways. The sapu-sapu, a sucking fish introduced from South America decades ago to keep Southeast Asian»»»