JEDDAH: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the UK are aiming to conclude negotiations on a free trade agreement in the “near future” after commerce ministers from both sides made “significant progress” in talks aimed at deepening trade and investment ties. The discussions took place during a virtual »»»

May 11 (UPI) -- Police responding to a situation inside the chimney of a Pennsylvania home ended up rescuing three baby raccoons stuck in the stack. The Lansdale Borough Police Department said on social media that three officers were dispatched to a home where the kits were repoted stuck in the chi»»»

May 11 (UPI) -- A Miami-area dog park hosted a pool party with 277 dogs in an attempt to break a Guinness World Records title. The Chewy Summer Social, hosted by pet supply company Chewy on Saturday at Chewy Bark Park, part of The Underline linear park in Coral Gables, gathered 277 canines of all s»»»

An ad hoc parliamentary budget and finance committee approved at first reading a bill amending the Consumer Protection Act, submitted by Progressive Bulgaria MP Yavor Gechev. The bill transfers provisions from the Euro Adoption Act into the Consumer Protection Act and extends their application by o»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Office of the Director of National Intelligence will conduct an investigation into more than 120 US-funded biological laboratories located abroad, including in Ukraine, the New York Post reported. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard told the New York Pos»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni has congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and expressed confidence in continued cooperation, the Cambodian Ministry of Information has said. "Th»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic extended his condolences to the family of legendary Red Star Belgrade basketball player and football executive Vladimir Cvetkovic at Belgrade's New Cemetery on Tuesday. A funeral service for Cvetkovic was preceded by a commemorative event held at Red St»»»

DUBAI: Egyptian composer Omar Khairat will perform live with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in a concert beginning at 7.30 pm, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Khairat, widely regarded as one of the Arab world’s most influential contemporary composers, is known for i»»»

DUBAI: As the Gulf’s cultural sector continues its rapid expansion, boutique consultancy Artepreneur is positioning itself to support the region’s growing demand for specialized arts talent. Founded in Madrid in 2024 by Maria Gracia de Pedro, the company focuses on recruitment and strategic support»»»

AL-EIZARIYA: 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 Palestinian communiti»»»

AL-EIZARIYA, West Bank: 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 Pal»»»

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»»»