Doha, Qatar: As the first group of Qatari pilgrims arrive at Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, Hamad International Airport has extended additional support and care to pilgrims making the journey. HIA said that it had opened check-in counters at Rows 6 and 8, with early check-in allowed 24 hours before »»»

Voting has officially begun in Albania’s Democratic Party leadership election, with current chairman Sali Berisha running as the sole candidate for the party’s top post. Polling stations opened at 08:00 local time, with more than 90 voting centers operating across the country. Around 51,000 Democra»»»

Albania’s Democratic Party (PD) is facing a significant decline in membership amid growing internal divisions surrounding the leadership referendum organized by former Prime Minister Sali Berisha. According to figures confirmed by the party headquarters, the country’s largest opposition force curre»»»

Narayanganj, Bangladesh: Crowds in Bangladesh are flocking to snap photographs with an unlikely social media star -- an albino buffalo with flowing blond hair nicknamed "Donald Trump" due to be sacrificed within days. Owner Zia Uddin Mridha, 38, said his brother named the 700 kilogramme (1,500 poun»»»

CAIRO: A Saudi-backed, big-budget action film shot largely in Riyadh, “7 Dogs” is positioning itself as one of the most ambitious productions to emerge from the region. Set for release on May 27, with a red carpet premiere in Cairo on May 22, the film brings together a major Arab ensemble featuring»»»

JEDDAH: The Ministry of Interior has announced the successful conclusion of the Makkah Route initiative for this year’s Hajj season, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. Operating across 17 ports in 10 countries, the logistical program facilitated the pre-clearance and arrival of 388,694 pi»»»

NEW DELHI: India’s power ministry urged careful use of electricity on Friday, a day after breaking records for power generation during an intense heatwave in the world’s most populous nation. Peak power usage this week has broken records for four straight days, with temperatures hitting 47°C, accor»»»

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Saturday that Tehran will not back down from its national rights especially as the United States has shown no honesty and cannot be trusted. “We will pursue our legitimate rights with intel»»»

BEIRUT: Israel kept up strikes on Lebanon on Saturday, hours after overnight raids on the country’s south and east, including one that damaged a hospital, its chief executive told AFP.Israel’s military has been pounding Lebanon despite an April 17 ceasefire, while Lebanese movement Hezbollah has al»»»

At the end of a quadrilateral meeting between Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Georgia, Bulgaria's Deputy Energy Minister Kiril Temelkov said that plans are in place to develop a roadmap to identify and accelerate activities related to the implementation of the Green Energy Corridor project betwe»»»

London, May 23 (SANA)– The British government has proposed creating a single market for goods with the European Union in an effort to reintegrate its trade within the continent. The idea was rejected by the EU, reflecting the continued complexity of relations between the two sides since Britain’s d»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani held a phone call with the President of the United States of America HE Donald Trump. During the call, the two sides reviewed the latest developments in the region, particularly regional and international efforts aimed at consolidating calm a»»»

CAIRO: The preamble and ceremonies for “Glory in Giza” concluded on Friday night at the Grand Egyptian Museum with the official weigh-in ceremony for the fighters competing in the highly anticipated card on Saturday night. The showcase event, part of Riyadh Season, will take place at the Pyramids o»»»

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food, through the Regional Agriculture Directorates, is providing full assistance to farmers affected by the floods in the regions of Veliko Tarnovo, Lovech, and Gabrovo, the Мinistry said in connection with the heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours. Teams from Irrig»»»

MINA: Ashmana Al-Sayed Suleiman, a 63-year-old Sudanese pilgrim, has told of the emotional fulfillment of a 15-year dream to perform Hajj, inspired by years of watching images of worshippers performing their rituals in Makkah. Suleiman, who lost a child during Operation Decisive Storm and Restoring»»»

MADINAH: Miqat Dhu Al-Hulayfah in Madinah witnessed heavy pilgrim movement on Friday as crowds departed for Makkah and the holy sites to begin their Hajj rituals. The large-scale movement was supported by a comprehensive operational plan that ensured smooth traffic flow and efficient transportation»»»

Dubai: A major real estate fraud case that promised luxury beachfront chalets and high-return resort investments in Egypt has ended with heavy prison sentences in Kuwait, after authorities uncovered one of the country’s most significant property scam operations in recent years. Kuwait’s Criminal Co»»»

A military source strongly warned enemies about possible move against Iran, saying the country’s Armed Forces are fully prepared to confront hostile moves. “The Iranian armed forces are fully monitoring the situation and have prepared new scenarios for confronting the US and its allies in case the »»»

Authorities across the UAE have announced free public parking during the Eid Al Adha holiday period as part of nationwide measures to ease mobility and support residents during the long break. The exemption applies across major emirates, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman, where public p»»»

Sharjah: Sharjah has introduced a new logistics facilitation measure exempting cargo trucks arriving from Oman through key border crossings from truck toll gate fees, as part of the emirate’s efforts to strengthen supply chains and enhance freight movement across the UAE. The initiative, launched t»»»

An International Youth Tourism Forum-Festival under the motto «Friendship, Unity and Cooperation» is being held in the city of Kadamdzhay in Batken region. The press service of the Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the region reported. According to the statement, the event aims to deve»»»

Setúbal, Portugal: A French woman suspected of abandoning her two young boys in Portugal and her partner arrived at court on Saturday for further questioning, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. The 41-year-old woman and the 55-year-old man could potentially be placed in pretrial detention f»»»

Taiwan's security chief said Saturday that China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in regional waters stretching from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and Western Pacific. The deployment happened in the past few days after US President Donald Trump's meeting with h»»»

MINA: The Saudi Data and AI Authority has activated its Mobile Operations Centers for the Hajj season. The centers are designed to support government agencies in the field by accelerating response times and enhancing decision-making through real-time data analysis and operational monitoring. The ce»»»

DUBAI: The United ​Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on Saturday it ‌received reports ‌from ​various ‌sources ⁠of ​suspicious activity within ⁠the Gulf of Aden. It said there ⁠had been ‌multiple reports ‌of ​vessels ‌being approached ‌by skiffs. UKMTO also said a ‌large skiff wi»»»

CANNES: “Ben’Imana” created history when it became the first film by a Rwandan filmmaker to premiere within the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival, which closed on May 23. Directed by Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo in her feature debut, the film focuses on the memories and emotional fract»»»

TAIPEI: Taiwan’s security chief said Saturday that China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in regional waters stretching from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and Western Pacific. The deployment happened in the past few days after US President Donald Trump’s meetin»»»

DOHA: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani held a phone call with Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptian Expatriates of the sisterly Arab Republic of Egypt HE Dr Badr Abdelatty. During the call, the two si»»»

Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations has extended the weather alert for May 23–25. According to weather forecasters, unstable weather with localized heavy rains is expected in the foothill and mountainous regions of the republic. As a result, mudflows are possible, and river water levels a»»»

Twenty-seven countries have moved since the Iran war started to put in place crisis instruments that could quickly access funding from existing World Bank programs, according to an internal document viewed by Reuters. The World Bank document did not name the countries or the total amount of funds p»»»

A man once labelled China’s “most devoted fraudster” has reignited debate over healthcare costs and desperation after mainland media revisited the story of how he illegally secured life-saving dialysis for his wife. The case centres on Liao Dan, a former factory worker in Beijing whose family fell »»»

The Kyrgyz diaspora has proposed installing a monument to outstanding Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov in St. Petersburg in a park named in his honor, with the unveiling planned to coincide with the writer’s 100th anniversary. The press service of the Zhogorku Kenesh reported. According to the statem»»»

European Union countries will face large bills for defense, energy and pensions in the next 15 years, the International Monetary Fund told EU finance ministers on Saturday, suggesting a mix of reforms, consolidation and joint borrowing as a way to manage that. "If left unchecked, public debt will b»»»

LUGANSK (Sputnik) - The death toll from the attack on a college in the Lugansk People’s Republic on Saturday rose to 11, while the whereabouts of 10 people remain unknown, Lugansk People's Republic head Leonid Pasechnik said. "As of midday on May 23, 11 victims of this monstrous crime have died: ei»»»

Bolivian riot police fired tear gas at anti-government demonstrators in La Paz on Friday as unions and Indigenous groups renewed demands for President Rodrigo Paz to resign amid a deepening economic crisis and mounting unrest. Bolivian riot police clashed with anti-government protesters in La Paz o»»»

Authorities in southern California ordered the evacuation of 40,000 people on Friday after a huge storage tank began leaking a hazardous chemical used to make plastic parts, posing the risk of an explosion.  Tens of thousands of people were ordered to leave their homes in California on Friday »»»

Tehran accused the United States of "excessive demands", Iranian media reported on Saturday, as US media reports suggested that Washington was mulling new strikes while Iran was considering the latest peace proposal. Read our liveblog for all the latest developments. (FRANCE 24 with Reuters, A»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has reclassified 60 hectares of irrigated agricultural land in Kant, Chui region, into residential land designated for the construction of multi-story housing. The plot, part of the State Agricultural Land Fund and located in contour No. 3 in Kant, will be use»»»

A state of emergency has been declared across Gabrovo Region by an order of the regional governor due to heavy, sustained rainfall, rising river and stream levels, and flooding across all four municipalities in the region, the regional administration said on Saturday. The decision followed an emerg»»»

Viktor Chaushev, Sofia's Deputy Mayor for Transportation and Urban Mobility, submitted a report to the Sofia City Council on a large-scale optimization of the capital's tram network, the Sofia Municipality press service reported on Saturday. The report is set to be reviewed by the Municipal Council»»»

Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Friday dismissed Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government after months of mounting tensions between the two leaders, plunging the debt-stricken West African nation deeper into political uncertainty. Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye »»»

The first group of French activists from the Global Sumud aid flotilla returned to Paris on Friday after being detained and then deported by Israel amid international outcry. They described what they said was a violent, humiliating ordeal – including sexual abuse – after they were detaine»»»

A gas explosion at a coal mine in China’s northern Shanxi province killed at least 90 people and trapped dozens underground, state media reported Saturday, in the country's biggest mining disaster in more than 15 years. A gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China has killed at least 90 pe»»»

LESNYYE DALI, Moscow Region, Russia (Sputnik) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday said that Armenia is being drawn into an anti-Russian camp in an attempt to make Russia "suffer as much as possible." "The West is trying to pull apart our allies, first and foremost beginning with ou»»»

South Korean company plans $200 million joint investment with ReElement Technologies to produce rare earth materials and permanent magnets in the United States The entrance of POSCO Tower Yeoksam in Seoul, photographed May 22, 2026. Photo by Hyojoon Jeon / UPI May 22 (Asia Today) -- POSCO Internati»»»

Paris, France: Alone in her bedroom, six-year-old Emilia laughs at jokes told by kids on the other side of the world and listens to stories told by a lively adult voice. The tales and gags -- many baffling to adult ears -- are emitted by a Yoto player, one of a growing class of sound-only gadgets f»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, held a phone call on Saturday, May 23, 2026, with HE Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptian Expatriates of the sisterly Arab Republic»»»

Israel staged fresh airstrikes in Lebanon on Saturday after earlier raids killed 10 people, according to media and the government in Beirut, targeting an area near the Syrian border. The state-run National News Agency said there were five Israeli airstrikes shortly before midnight in the mountainou»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his deep condolences to Chinese President Xi Jinping following the tragedy at a coal mine in Shanxi province, according to a telegram published on the Kremlin’s website. “Dear Mr. President, dear friend! Please accept my deepest condolences in connection w»»»

Hundreds of suspected child predators have been apprehended and dozens of minors rescued in a sweeping multi-agency crackdown across Southern California targeting internet-facilitated child exploitation, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has said. A total of 341 suspects were arrested and 40»»»