BEIJING (Sputnik) - China is ready to work with Russia to implement agreements reached by heads of two countries and enrich cooperation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Thursday, commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit. Russia and China need to follow the trend »»»

Manila: At least two infrastructure projects worth ₱186.8 million fully paid by Filipino taxpayers but turned out to be non-existent — or "ghosts" — are now the subject of court battles, amid an ongoing crackdown on infrastructure anomalies tied to politicians. One project, worth ₱94 million, invol»»»

New York: The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution supporting strong action to combat climate change, despite US diplomatic efforts to have the measure withdrawn. The General Assembly, comprised of 193 member states, adopted a non-binding resolution endorsi»»»

Seoul, Republic of Korea: A group of Samsung Electronics shareholders on Thursday vowed legal action against a tentative deal between the Republic of Korean chip giant and its largest labour union that averted a major strike. The last-minute agreement on bonuses -- which union members will vote on »»»

Doha, Qatar: The University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) yesterday continued its celebrations for the Class of 2026 graduation ceremonies, honouring a new group of graduates from various academic disciplines. The occasion, held under the patronage of the Prime Minister and Minister of »»»

Amira Elhamy covers “Rise up summit 2019”, hosted in its new destination AUC new Campus for the first time, with exclusive quotes for MEO With its 2019 slogan “ Journey to Growth” Rise up summit” 2019 was held on a bigger scale, on Dec 5th at the American University new Campus at the fifth settleme»»»

Airbnb, facing tighter local regulations on short-term home rentals, announced Wednesday it is adding boutique hotels, car rentals and grocery delivery to its app in a bid to transform itself into a one-stop travel shop. The rollout marks the latest step in Airbnb's push to capture more of the trav»»»

A record number of 274 climbers scaled Mount Everest on Wednesday, a hiking official said, the highest number ever to reach the world's tallest peak on the same day from the Nepali side. The 8,849-meter (29,032 feet) Everest straddles the border between Nepal and the Tibet region of China and can b»»»

Iran on Thursday hanged two men convicted of armed rebellion and membership in "separatist terrorist groups", the latest in a string of executions during the Middle East war. Since the start of the conflict with Israel and the United States in February, Iran has ramped up executions, with many of t»»»

As part of nuclear forces exercises in Belarus, Iskander-M operational-tactical missile systems equipped with special warheads have been deployed, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. The weapons were delivered to the field storage points of a brigade. Military personnel received the w»»»

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has ordered financial institutions in the country to strengthen consumer protection measures against fraud and enhance security authentication procedures beyond single-factor verification methods such as one-time passwords (OTP). The central bank said it had begu»»»

Across the UAE and the wider Gulf, the conversations with CIOs and CISOs have changed. Where once the focus centred on how to keep attackers out, the question being asked most often today is far more direct: “when we are hit, how quickly can we recover?” That shift in framing reflects the reality o»»»

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi City Municipality has installed 3,800 decorative light displays across Abu Dhabi Island and mainland cities ahead of Eid Al Adha, as part of efforts to mark the holiday and enhance the capital’s urban landscape. The project, carried out in collaboration with the Department of C»»»

The Iranian body overseeing the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf has delineated a specific supervisory zone for managing the strategic waterway. In a statement posted late Wednesday on its official X account, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) defined the supervisory management zone of th»»»

London, United Kingdom: British no-frills airline EasyJet said Thursday that its losses deepened in the six months to end-March after the Middle East regional tension sent jet fuel prices soaring. The headline loss after tax came in at £377 million ($506 million) for first half of its financial yea»»»

Bangkok, Thailand: The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) said on Thursday that it has elevated surveillance and prevention measures for the Ebola virus disease within the country's civil aviation system. This move follows the World Health Organization (WHO)'s declaration of the Ebola viru»»»

UAE, Dubai: DSV, the global transport and logistics leader, and Arcapita Group Holdings Limited (“Arcapita”), the global alternative investment firm, through its real estate development platform, Lintara Properties, announce the completion of a new, state-of-the-art 30,000-square-metre build-to-sui»»»

DUBAI: The US State Department’s internal watchdog is investigating the now defunct Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) over how it spent millions of dollars in emergency aid allocated for Gaza. The inquiry, led by the State Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), is reportedly focused on a »»»

Doha: The cultural salon at the 35th Doha International Book Fair hosted President of the 66th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and former High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations H E Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Nasser to talk about his last book “A Year at the Helm of»»»

TEHRAN: Iran on Thursday hanged two men convicted of armed rebellion and membership in “separatist terrorist groups,” the latest in a string of executions during the Middle East war. Since the start of the conflict with Israel and the United States in February, Iran has ramped up executions, with m»»»

Gold edged lower on Thursday as higher Treasury yields and a firm dollar weighed on the metal, while hopes of a resolution to the US-Iran conflict limited losses. Spot gold was down 0.3% at $4,528.03 per ounce, as of 0611 GMT. Bullion had gained more than 1% on Wednesday after falling to its lowest»»»

LONDON: The Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) participated in the Global Partnerships Conference, held in London and co-hosted by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the UK International Investment Corporation (BII), and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). The co»»»

Dubai: Dubai gold prices slipped slightly on Thursday, giving UAE shoppers a small breather after recent volatility in bullion markets. The price of 24K gold dropped to Dh546.75 per gram, down from Dh547.50 yesterday, while 22K fell to Dh506.50 from Dh507.00. The decline tracks softer international»»»

Dubai: Publsh Media Group has signed an exclusive strategic partnership with Vivenda Group to expand both companies’ premium media portfolios across the UAE, Italy and Spain. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here. The agreement will see the two companie»»»

President Donald Trump's motorcade arrives at the United States Coast Guard Academy's graduation ceremony in New London, Connecticut on Wednesday, the same day that he told reporters that he would speak with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te about a stalled arms deal. Photo by Angelina Katsanis/UPI »»»

This photo, taken Thursday, shows the trading room of Hana Bank in Seoul as South Korean stocks spiked more than 8 percent as Samsung Electronics averted a strike. Photo by Yonhap South Korean stocks spiked more than 8 percent Thursday on tech gains, after Samsung Electronics averted a strike and s»»»

The U.S. military said Wednesday that it boarded an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was suspected of trying to violate the American blockade, the latest action by the Trump administration to try to push Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But President Donald Trump is facing »»»

Doha, Qatar: Indian Cultural Centre, under the aegis of the Embassy of India, organised a felicitation ceremony on May 18, 2026 at ICC Ashoka Hall to honour the Grade 10 and 12 CBSE toppers from various schools in Qatar. Ambassador of India to Qatar H E Vipul attended the event as the Chief Guest.A»»»

Doha, Qatar: A panel discussion organised by the Qatar Press Center examined the future of the Gulf region in the aftermath of the recent war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, highlighting four possible regional scenarios and outlining ten strategic priorities for Gulf countries in the»»»

Doha, Qatar: Doha Festival City, Qatar’s leading retail and lifestyle destination known for its curated mix of coveted trends, is set to mark Eid Al-Adha with a programme of cultural experiences, family entertainment, and community initiatives inspired by the spirit of tradition, generosity, and to»»»

Doha, Qatar: The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), in cooperation with the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, organised an introductory meeting on a research project titled “Institutional Sustainability from a Human Rights Perspective in Public Institutions.” The event witnessed broad parti»»»

Brussels: Qatar took part in the 27th GCC-EU Joint Council and Ministerial Meeting convened in Brussels, Belgium. Participating in this event were delegations from the GCC nations and the GCC General Secretariat, alongside officials from the EU. Director of Policy and Planning Department of the Min»»»

London: Minister of State for International Cooperation H E Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met with Minister of State for International Development at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, H E Baroness Jenny Chapman, on the sidelines of the Global Partnerships Conference held i»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Katara Cultural Village Foundation hosted a lecture on Tuesday evening titled “The Dialogue of Paper and the Role of the Exhibition Curator,” presented by Dr. Aisha Al-Misnad. The lecture explored the experience of the “Dialogue of Paper” exhibition, which was staged in Japan in 20»»»

They have been our meat and our messengers, a source of fertilizer and a religious symbol: while pigeons are now mostly reviled as dirty city pests, they long played an important role in human society. Now, research published on Thursday has revealed that the humble birds were first domesticated 3,»»»

There are several major factors that could contribute to further growth of trade turnover between China and Russia—which reached $240 billion in 2025, Russian expert Yekaterina Novikova told Sputnik. These include:Continued bilateral cooperation in nuclear and green energyA possible increase in Rus»»»

Dubai: EFG Hermes and Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange have launched an Investor Day for ADX-listed companies in Abu Dhabi, bringing together senior executives from listed firms and regional and international institutional investors. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - si»»»

SINEXCEL is rapidly expanding its presence in Eastern Europe, with Romania and Hungary among its key markets, amid growing demand for battery storage and grid stabilization solutions, https://www.energynomics.ro/ reads. The company has reached a global portfolio of more than 5,000 projects and has »»»

Greenvolt Next Romania, part of the Greenvolt Group, has signed a new agreement with Sam Mills for the development and operation of a photovoltaic project for self-consumption, with a capacity of over 2 MW, integrated with a battery energy storage system (BESS) of 10.03 Mwh, https://www.energynomic»»»

WattRO Energy, a Romanian distributor of photovoltaic equipment and energy storage systems, has signed a strategic partnership with Chisage ESS, the renewable energy subsidiary of the Chinese group Chisage Holding Group, becoming the official distributor of the brand on the Romanian market. The val»»»

The average price of fertilizers and soil improvers in the European Union increased by 8% in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, in line with the price of natural gas and hydrocarbons, and among the member states the highest price increase was recorded in Romania, data p»»»

Greenvolt Next Romania, part of the Greenvolt Group, signed a new agreement with Sam Mills for the development and operation of a photovoltaic project for self-consumption, with a capacity of more than 2 MW, integrated with a battery energy storage system (BESS) of 10.03 MWh.According to a press re»»»

Romania's energy production fell by 2.3% in the first three months of this year compared with the same period in 2025, while final electricity consumption decreased by 2.2%, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS) data published on Friday.According to official statistics, between 1 »»»

Romania produced 579,400 tonnes of oil equivalent (toe) of crude oil in the first three months of 2026, down by 52,300 toe (-8.3%) compared with the same period of 2025, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS) data.Crude oil imports exceeded 1.576 million toe in the first quarter (Q»»»

Romgaz Group reported a consolidated net profit of RON 973.16 million in the first quarter of 2026, up 2.33% (an increase of RON 22.18 million) compared with the same period of last year, according to data released Friday to the Bucharest Stock Exchange.Revenues totalled RON 2.138 billion, down 10.»»»

Nuclearelectrica has completed the first continuous concrete pour for the permanent structures of the Cernavoda NPP Unit 1 Refurbishment Project, the company said in a press release."In September 2025, Nuclearelectrica obtained from the Commission for the Control of Nuclear Activities (CNCAN) the c»»»

The Deputies’ Chamber adopted on Wednesday as a decision-taking forum, a draft law which aims at reopening the non-energy mining operations, the continuation of the mining activities for the companies in insolvency and the use of mine voids in salt mines for tourism and medical purposes. The draft »»»

Dubai: In a makeshift studio carved out of a modest Dubai apartment, a man holds a canvas inches from his face. His eyes, once sharp enough to capture the subtlest shifts of light, now strained. Slowly, deliberately, he drags a palette knife across the surface, coaxing thick, heavy ridges of paint »»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained in power for most of the past 17 years due in part to a tight alliance with ultra-Orthodox religious parties. But that alliance is tearing apart his governing coalition and proving to be another major liability for the long-serving Israeli lead»»»

As negotiations with the United States hang in the balance, a hard-line Iranian general linked to notorious attacks at home and abroad over the past decades is believed to have seized a place near the center of power. Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, who heads Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, has b»»»