Greeting you with an image of a jolly anthropomorphic bee donning a chef’s hat, Jollibee is giving even the business of bees in Saudi Arabia some juicy and crunchy chicken to munch on. The branding of Jollibee — which was founded by Filipino Chinese entrepreneur Tony Tan Caktiong — is said to have »»»

KINSHASA, CONGO: Africa’s top public health body on Friday confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in Congo’s remote Ituri province, with 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths recorded so far. Neighboring Uganda later confirmed one death in an Ebola case it said was imported from Congo. The deaths and suspected»»»

LONDON: As self-proclaimed King of Switzerland and, to give his full titles, Emperor of the Lauwiner Empire, Grand Master of the Order of Merit, Admiral of the Empire Fleet and Field Marshal of the Empire Legion — to say nothing of his recent election to the municipal council of the Swiss city of B»»»

NEW YORK: Jurors deadlocked in Harvey Weinstein ‘s rape retrial Friday, forcing another mistrial in a #MeToo-era case that has gone to trial three times so far. While the former Hollywood mogul has been convicted of other sex crimes on two US coasts and remains behind bars, the mistrial leaves the »»»

Keir Starmer may still be British prime minister when this article is published, but it is certain that he will not lead the Labour Party at the next general election, due to be held in June 2029. Starmer became prime minister after steering Labour to a decisive election victory in July 2024. With »»»

US President Donald Trump’s China visit was an attempt to “save face” and seek relief after the Iran war destabilized the global economy, geopolitical analyst Danny Haiphong has told RT. According to Haiphong, the US is now in a “far weaker position” than China and is seeking closer ties with Beiji»»»

MUNICH: Bayern Munich veteran Manuel Neuer announced Friday that he has extended his contract at the German champions by one year until 2027. The 40-year-old goalkeeper’s deal was set to expire in the summer but he will stay on in Munich for what will be a 16th year at the Bavarian giants. “It was »»»

RIYADH: Syria has appointed Safwat Raslan, head of the Syrian Development Fund, as central bank governor while former Governor Abdelkader Husriyeh was named ambassador to Canada, state media reported on Friday. Reuters reported earlier on Friday, ‌citing two people ‌in Syrian banking sector, that ​»»»

New York: Several UN agencies warned today of a rapidly worsening food emergency in Somalia, pushing 6 million people, or 31 percent of the population, into critical levels of food insecurity between April and June. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Office for t»»»

MOSCOW: A court in Moscow ruled in favor of the Russian Central Bank in its lawsuit against Euroclear, the Brussels-based clearing house that holds the bulk of Russian assets frozen by the European Union, Russian media reported Friday. The lawsuit sought to recover 18.2 trillion rubles ($249.7 bill»»»

1 of 2 | CIA Director John Ratcliffe (L) meets with high-level Cuban officials Thursday in Havana to discuss economic and security issues. Photo via CIA/UPI | License Photo May 15 (UPI) -- CIA Director John Ratcliffe's visit to Havana this week opened a new political chapter inside and outside Cuba»»»

Team Qatar’s swimming team won eight medals today — including two gold, three silver, and three bronze — on the final day of the swimming competitions at the 4th GCC Games currently taking place in Doha. The Games continue until May 22, with around 1,400 male and female athletes from GCC countries »»»

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks at a press conference after attending the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi, India, Friday. Araghchi signaled a willingness to negotiate with the United States. Photo by Rajat Gupta/EPA May 15 (»»»

BAGHDAD: Israeli forces set up a post in the desert in Iraq at the beginning of the US-Israeli war with Iran, Iraqi and US officials told The Associated Press. The existence of the secret Israeli military facility was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which described it as a base housing s»»»

Texas Governor Greg Abbott tried to remove state Rep. Gene Wu from office, but the state Supreme Court ruled against him. File Photo by Francis Chung/UPI | License Photo May 15 (UPI) -- The Texas Supreme Court refused to remove state Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, from office, despite the efforts of Gov.»»»

Texas Children's Hospital in Houston reached a settlement on Friday with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over transgender medical services it offered until 2023, which will see it open the nation's first "detransition clinic." File Photo by James Nielsen/UPI | License Photo May 15 (UPI) -- Texas »»»

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC have placed sustainability at the center of long-term development agendas, with the focus now shifting from ambition to execution and from policy to implementation on the ground. Despite strong delivery performance, environmental benchmarks still point to a ga»»»

Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori gained the largest percentage of votes in the first round of the presidential election in Peru. Photo by Paolo Aguilar/EPA May 15 (UPI) -- Peru's National Office of Electoral Processes finalized the official vote count Friday after 33 days of scrutiny and legal c»»»

The National Media Authority (NMA) has launched a series of sessions as part of the National Campaign for Awareness of the 2026 Media Content Standards, aimed at fostering a safe and responsible media environment that promotes creativity and excellence in the UAE. The NMA inaugurated the campaign W»»»

President Donald Trump said Friday that wants to build the National Garden of American Heroes, an exhibit of statues in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo May 15 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said Friday that wants to build the National Garden of Americ»»»

May 15 (UPI) -- An Illinois museum received a speeding ticket from New York alleging its replica Knight Rider car was caught on a traffic camera -- but the car hasn't moved in over a decade. The Volo Museum revealed on social media that it received notice in the mail that its 1982 Pontiac Firebird »»»

NEW YORK CITY: Syria remains at a “critical, yet promising” juncture, the UN warned on Friday, as senior officials told the Security Council that progress on efforts related to accountability, recovery and the return of refugees risk being undermined by insecurity and economic hardship, coupled wit»»»

VILLY-LE-PELLOUX, France: A French toy spaniel named Lazare thought to have been “the world’s oldest dog” has died aged 30, his carer said on Friday. Contacted by AFP, Guinness World Records said it “did not receive an application or associated evidence” before Lazare passed away on Thursday, so co»»»

London: West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo wants VAR decisions to show more consistency after his relegation-haunted side were denied a crucial equaliser against Arsenal. Nuno's team thought they had rescued a valuable 1-1 draw with the Premier League leaders last weekend when Callum Wilson netted i»»»

New York, May 15 (SANA) Syria’s permanent representative to the UN Security Council, Ibrahim Olabi, said Friday during a Security Council session in New York on developments in the situation in Syria, that transitional‑justice process is moving forward as one of the pillars of the new Syria, noting»»»

WASHINGTON: The Justice Department will seek the death penalty for the man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington outside a Jewish museum, prosecutors said in a court filing Friday. Elias Rodriguez faces federal hate crime and murder charges in the killin»»»

Geneva, May 15 (SANA) The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has welcomed Syria’s initial steps toward developing a national strategy to combat torture, expressing support for ongoing efforts in this regard. In a post published on its official account on X on Friday, the Office of th»»»

NEW YORK: Lawyers for a prominent pro-Palestinian protest leader requested Friday that US immigration authorities terminate their push to deport him, alleging the Trump administration “secretly engineered” the outcome of his case. US President Trump has championed the effort to deport Mahmoud Khali»»»

Dubai: Roads and Transport Authority has opened the Mall of the Emirates Smart Bus Station, the first facility of its kind in Dubai, as the emirate accelerate efforts to modernise public transport infrastructure through smart and sustainable mobility solutions. The new station introduces a model de»»»

Read more NATO chief wants to triple money flows to corruption-plagued Ukraine – Politico NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte wants NATO members to cough up 0.25% of their GDP for Ukraine. This figure seems minuscule, but how much hard-earned taxpayer money does it add up to? Rutte floated the idea a»»»

WASHINGTON: Someone paid more than $9 million to have lunch with basketball player Stephen Curry and Warren Buffett, and the legendary investor also promised to match the winning bid so both their favorite charities will benefit. The auction on eBay was intended to revive an event that Buffett host»»»

JOHANNESBRUG: History favors Egyptian club Zamalek when they seek to overcome a 1-0 deficit against Algerian visitors USM Alger on Saturday in the CAF Confederation Cup final second leg. In 22 previous editions of the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League, three teams have built solitary-goa»»»

The US delegation failed to negotiate from a position of strength with their Chinese counterparts, Ekaterina Zaklyazminskaya, head of the Center for World Politics and Strategic Analysis at the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia (RAS), tells Sputnik. What's behind the fiasco? 1.Prior to the m»»»

LONDON: Sitting comfortably in his office in Amman, Dr. Ziad Rifai does not immediately strike you as someone whose grand mission is to fight information warfare. The dean of the Jordan Media Institute and architect of its media literacy program — one of the first and most comprehensive initiatives»»»

First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Daniyar Amangeldiev and Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk held talks on the sidelines of the International Forum Russia — Islamic World: KazanForum 2026. The parties focused on the implementation of agreem»»»

RIYADH: Saudi media experts have affirmed that contemporary conflicts are no longer waged by military means alone but through “narrative wars,” pointing to the US-Israeli-Iranian war as evidence that media is not a neutral conduit but a principal actor in shaping the balance of power. The remarks c»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed on Friday to launch more retaliatory strikes on Russia, a day after a Russian strike on Kyiv killed 24 people, including three children, according to officials. Russia has shown little sign of halting its more than four-year invasion of Ukraine, launchin»»»

Federal Reserve Chair nominee Kevin Warsh speaks during a Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs hearing on his nomination in April. He was confirmed on Wednesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo May 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. treasury sold $25 billion of 30-year bonds Wednesday»»»

The IMF has warned that Pakistan's economy remains dangerously tied to the Gulf Cooperation Council, which supplies over four-fifths of its fuel and half of all remittances. The International Monetary Fund has issued a stark warning: A staggering 85% of Pakistani fuel imports and 50% of its remitta»»»

The FBI is offering a $200,000 reward for information leading to capture and prosecution of a former US Air Force counterintelligence specialist who defected to Iran in 2013 and was later charged with revealing classified information to the Tehran government. Monica Elfriede Witt, 47, was indicted »»»

Talgat Ashirbekov has been appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kyrgyzstan to Egypt, the Presidential Administration reported. The corresponding decree was signed by President Sadyr Japarov. Earlier, on December 15, 2025, a presidential decree established the Embassy of Kyrgyzs»»»

Starbucks workers holds signs on a picket line when they hold an employee strike outside of a Starbucks location in lower Manhattan on November 21, in New York City. Starbucks is planning to lay off 300 employees across the country as it tries to lower costs and reorganize, the company announced Fr»»»

Israel carried out new strikes in southern Lebanon that it said targeted the Hezbollah group on Friday, wounding 37 people as the two countries' envoys started a second day of peace talks in Washington. United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza condemned the "unacceptable" toll»»»

TUNIS, May 15, 2026 (TAP) - Tunisia’s economy posted 2.6% year-on-year growth during the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) announced Friday.According to INS data, estimates of the...»»»

Today, 360 pilgrims from Kyrgyzstan departed from Manas International Airport to Jeddah, the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan (SDMK) reported. This is the first flight on Bishkek — Jeddah route this year. The first group of pilgrims departed for the hajj on May 10 from the southern ca»»»

A two-day national scientific conference, titled “The April Uprising and the National Liberation Struggles of Bulgarians in Macedonia”, was held in Razlog. The academic forum, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the April Uprising, was organized by the Macedonian Scientific Instit»»»

US President Donald Trump said Friday he did not bring up the issue of tariffs during a landmark summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Returning to Washington after making what he called "fantastic trade deals" with Beijing, Trump said on tariffs: "We didn't discuss those... It wasn't brought»»»

AMMAN: Jordan defender Issam Smeeri will miss the country’s first World Cup after the national football association said on Friday he had suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. The 26-year-old sustained the ‌injury during individual ‌training with ‌the national ⁠team, the association ⁠said in a post »»»

PARIS: European ministers adopted ‌a new interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights on Friday that could facilitate some migrant deportations, including to third country “return hubs,” but which critics say will weaken human rights protections. The declaration comes amid complaints f»»»

NEW DELHI: India’s capital will roll out fuel-saving measures starting on Monday, including work-from-home days for city employees, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for greater public participation to mitigate the economic fallout of the US-Israeli war on Iran. New Delhi will be the »»»