Dubai: A major transformation in urban mobility is underway as driverless taxis begin operating on selected streets of Dubai, marking a step forward in the emirate’s smart transport vision. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced that autonomous taxis are now operational in Jumeir»»»

Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV will travel to France for an official state visit from September 25 to 28, the Vatican announced on Saturday, in the first such trip by a pontiff in 18 years. The first pope from the United States, elected in May 2025, will notably travel to Paris for a visit to the headq»»»

Beirut, Lebanon: Israel launched new airstrikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Saturday, a day after the two countries agreed to extend a truce following talks in Washington. "The IDF has begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in several areas in southern Lebanon," the Israeli mili»»»

DUBAI: Iran has prepared ​a mechanism to manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz ‌along ‌a designated ​route ‌that ⁠will ​be unveiled soon, ⁠the head of the Iranian parliament’s national security ⁠committee Ebrahim ‌Azizi said ‌on ​Saturday. Azizi ‌added ‌that only commercial vessels and partie»»»

New Delhi: In line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that students of Classes 9 and 10 will study three languages from the 2026-27 academic session. Under the revised system, students will study three languages, labelled R1,»»»

Degrees alone no longer guarantee employability, industry leaders and university experts agreed during a panel discussion at the second day of Gulf News Edufair 2026, as employers increasingly prioritise adaptability, practical exposure and cross-functional skills over academic credentials alone. S»»»

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed gratitude to Pope Leo for his “moral stance” against US-Israeli attacks on Iran, urging the international community to adopt a realistic and fair approach to counter what he called Washington’s “illegal demands and adventurous, dangerous policies.” »»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed a law ratifying the loan and grant agreements with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the construction of a 500-kilovolt power line between the Kemin substation and the new Balykchy substation. The document was adopted by the Zhogor»»»

A new outbreak of Ebola has been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed an Ebola outbreak in Ituri Province, the organization’s press service reported. According to the center, 246 suspected cases of the disease have bee»»»

The era of choosing universities purely for prestige may finally be fading. At Gulf News Edufair 2026 in Dubai, education experts made one thing clear: students today are asking harder, smarter and far more practical questions about studying abroad. During a panel discussion titled High-impact degr»»»

Bulgarian head of State Iliana Iotova will attend the Leaders' Summit at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum in Baku on May 17-18 at the invitation of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, her press centre said on Saturday. The platform was established in 2001 by the United Nations in response t»»»

Since US President Donald Trump’s barrage of threats to seize Greenland, authorities on the frozen island have been seeking help from a northern ally: Canada. A reserve unit of the Canadian armed forces called the Rangers has long maintained a year-round presence in mostly inaccessible Arctic commu»»»

A botany teacher from Pune has been arrested in connection with the NEET-UG Biology paper leak case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Friday, taking the total number of arrests in the probe to nine. The accused, identified as Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, was arrested from Delhi after»»»

Speaker of Parliament of Kyrgyzstan Marlen Mamataliev paid a working visit to Alai district of Osh region, the press service of the Zhogorku Kenesh reported. The speaker participated in a business forum organized with the goal of sustainable development of Alai district by leveraging its investment»»»

France's justice minister will head to Algeria next week to discuss improving cooperation and the fate of a detained French journalist, his office said Saturday, as ties warm following a diplomatic spat. "The purpose of this trip is to work on opening a new chapter in judicial cooperation," Justice»»»

For Palestinians May 15th is a date etched into their souls. Nakba, literally means ‘catastrophe’ in Arabic. For Palestinians on this day in 1948, the day after the State of Israel was declared, the destruction of their homeland began. While Israelis celebrated the birth of their nation, hundreds o»»»

DUBAI: Bahraini flyweight Hamad Marhoon is just days away from the biggest fight of his young professional career, something of which he is very aware. The 22-year-old KHK MMA Team product will face Jordan’s Saher Qasmieh (2-0) on the preliminary card of PFL MENA 9: Pride of Arabia, due to be held »»»

DUBAI: “Once Upon A Time In Gaza,” from Palestinian directors Tarzan and Arab Nasser, has won Best Film at the 10th Critics’ Awards For Arab Films, Deadline reported. Set in Gaza in 2007, the story follows a student and a restaurant owner who begin to sell drugs while delivering sandwiches. Things »»»

Israel launched new airstrikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Saturday, a day after the two countries agreed to extend a truce following talks in Washington. The Israeli military said its forces have “begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in several areas in southern Lebanon," Leb»»»

Rabat: France-born Ayyoub Bouaddi has been approved to play for Morocco less than a month before the 2026 World Cup kicks off. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) confirmed Friday they had received approval from world football governing body FIFA's Status Chamber to change Bouaddi's sport»»»

Abu Dhabi: Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said the UAE’s decision to withdraw from OPEC and the OPEC+ was a sovereign and strategic choice driven by the country’s long-term economic vision, expanding energy capabilities and enduring commitment to global ener»»»

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Cooperation, Samar al-Ahdal stressed the importance of enhancing development financing and supporting digital transformation and innovation in the countries of the Global South to confront growing economic and geopolitical challenges. This came d»»»

Kinshasa: The Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced that the death toll from the renewed Ebola outbreak in the country's eastern region has risen to 80. Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said in an official statement that specialized laboratory tests »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's Zapad battlegroup has liberated the settlements of Borovaya and Kutkovka in the Kharkov Region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday. "As a result of active operations, units of the Zapad battlegroup liberated the settlements of Borovaya and Kutkovka in the Khar»»»

Kyiv said on Saturday that Russia had returned 528 bodies to Ukraine identified as Ukrainian soldiers killed in action, in one of the few areas of cooperation between the warring neighbors. "As a result of repatriation efforts, the bodies of 528 deceased individuals have been returned to Ukraine; a»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China on May 19 for a two-day visit, hot on the heels of US President Donald Trump's trip to Beijing, the Kremlin said on Saturday. During the trip, the Russian leader will discuss with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping how to "further strengthen the»»»

Dubai: There is a line in the film Burlesque where a character reflects on leaving everything behind after realising she no longer saw a future that inspired her. For Filipino expatriate Mychal Feraren, that feeling became unexpectedly real. After more than a decade working at one of the Philippine»»»

Tommy Robinson’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally is so controversial that the British government has deployed the latest surveillance technology against attendees and banned speakers from entering the country. What are they so scared of?Tens of thousands of protesters are expected at the Unite the Kingdo»»»

U.S. authorities on Friday detailed charges against a commander of an Iran-backed Iraqi militia who was allegedly involved in plotting terrorism against Jewish people in Europe, Canada and the United States. Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, 32, is said to have directed and urged others to attac»»»

CAIRO: Mosques in northern Gaza ​on Saturday announced that Hamas’ military wing commander had died, a day ‌after Israel’s ‌military ​said ‌that ⁠it ​had targeted ⁠the armed wing chief in airstrikes. Witnesses said that mosques in ⁠Gaza City ‌had ‌announced ​Izz Al-Din ‌al-Haddad’s “martyrdom.” The»»»

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China on May 19 for a two-day visit, hot on the heels of US President Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing, the Kremlin said on Saturday. During the trip, the Russian leader will discuss with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping how to “further streng»»»

Israel launched new airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday, a day after the two states agreed to extend a truce following talks in Washington. "The IDF (army) has begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in several areas in southern Lebanon," the Israeli military said. Lebanon's state-run »»»

Tokyo, Japan: A Japanese pharmaceutical firm has warned doctors against prescribing a drug for rare autoimmune diseases to new patients following the deaths of 20 people who took it. Kissei Pharmaceutical, which sells the drug Tavneos in Japan, sent a notice to healthcare professionals on Friday sa»»»

US officials suspect Iranian-linked hackers may be behind cyber intrusions targeting fuel-level monitoring systems at gas stations across multiple US states, CNN reported, citing sources briefed on the investigation. According to CNN, the compromised automatic tank gauge (ATG) systems were exposed »»»

BAGHDAD: Iraq exported 10 million barrels of oil via the Strait of Hormuz in April, down from about 93 million barrels monthly before ​the Iran war, the country’s new oil minister, Basim Mohammed, said at a press conference on Saturday. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the Iran war has cu»»»

The Israeli military said it had launched new strikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure across southern Lebanon on Saturday, the day after the two countries agreed to extend an existing ceasefire. The military said that its forces “have begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in several area»»»

US President Donald Trump has said recovering Iran’s highly enriched uranium is “more for public relations” than anything else, downplaying what remains one of the key sticking points in negotiations aimed at ending the Middle East war. Following the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran last ye»»»

DUBAI: Al-Taawoun could only manage a 1-1 draw with Al-Riyadh on Friday night, but the result was good enough to confirm their qualification for the AFC Champions League Two next season. The draw left Al-Taawoun sixth in the SPL table and two points behind outgoing champions Al-Ittihad, who have pl»»»

The Israeli military said it had launched new strikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure across southern Lebanon on Saturday, the day after the two countries agreed to extend an existing ceasefire. “The IDF has begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in several areas in southern Lebanon,” the»»»

RIYADH: Sudan, Cameroon and Palau were among countries that have received financial support from the Saudi Fund for Development so far in 2026, as it continued its work despite growing geopolitical tensions. Established in 1974 and commenced operations in 1975, SFD has financed more than 800 develo»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia emerged as this week’s main mover in startup activity across the region, with five firms announcing new funding across fintech, health tech, and business operations. The largest deal in the sector from the Kingdom came from fintech Stitch, which raised $25 million in series A f»»»

Caracas: An explosion at a natural gas platform on Lake Maracaibo in western Venezuela triggered a fire on Friday, injuring six workers, state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) confirmed. In a statement, PDVSA said the incident occurred at a plant in the waters of Lake Maracaibo»»»

Senior IS leader killed by US and Nigerian forces 17 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleMakuochi Okafor,West Africa reporter, LagosandYang Tian AFP via Getty ImagesThe Nigerian military has increased cooperation with the US in efforts to combat extremist violence (file photo) Nigeria's P»»»

DUBAI: Parkin PJSC has introduced a seamless, gateless and paperless parking experience at Mirdif Avenue Mall, offering auto-payment and Pay Later options through the Parkin app for a smoother and more efficient user journey. The system is designed to streamline access, reduce manual ticketing, and»»»

Iraq exported 10 million barrels of oil via the Strait of Hormuz in April, down from about 93 million barrels monthly before the Iran war, the country's new oil minister, Basim Mohammed, ‌said at ‌a press conference on ‌Saturday. The ⁠closure of the ⁠Strait of Hormuz due to the Iran war has curtail»»»

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu and the west African country's military on Saturday confirmed the killing in Nigeria of a senior ISIS leader in a joint operation with US forces. "Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joi»»»

Damascus: The UAE has announced the restoration of the historic Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. The move was suppored by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (Mother of the Nation), Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme C»»»

Dubai: Kuwait has officially announced a reduction in working hours across government entities to six hours a day during the summer months as part of efforts to reduce electricity consumption and support the stability of the national power grid. The decision came after the Civil Service Council app»»»

As Israel’s military grapples with a severe manpower shortage estimated at 15,000 troops — a situation Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has described as “dangerous for the future of the Jewish state” — Israeli ultra-Orthodox parties continue to reject military service in favor of Torah study even as Israe»»»

Former Rapid Support Forces (RSF) field commander Brigadier General Ali Rizqallah, known as “Savannah,” arrived in the Sudanese capital Khartoum days after announcing his split from the paramilitary force led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), in a move observers say highlights growing divisions w»»»