Doha, Qatar: The total payment system transactions reached 73.533 million in April 2026, representing a 29% increase compared to 56.869 million in April 2025. This growth surge in adoption of digital payment channels. The card payment systems continued to dominate transaction volume, accounting for»»»

Singapore: President of Singapore H E Tharman Shanmugaratnam met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs H E Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan bin Ali Al-Thani at the Presidential Palace (Istana). The meeting took place as part of the participation of the Deputy P»»»

Doha, Qatar: Uzbekistan is seeking to deepen cultural and intellectual ties with Qatar through the promotion of its rich Islamic heritage, with the presentation of the Islamic Civilization Center of Uzbekistan at Katara Cultural Village highlighting growing cooperation in museums, manuscripts, and »»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s consumers increasingly turned to online shopping and delivery platforms during Eid Al-Adha holidays, driven by convenience, time savings, and the growing availability of digital services. Many residents told The Peninsula that they order for gifts, clothing, electronics, perfum»»»

Dubai: The UAE Fuel Price Committee on Sunday announced the retail prices for petrol and diesel for June 2026. Under the new rates, Super 98 petrol will be priced at Dh 3. 95per litre, compared to Dh3.66 in May, while Special 95 petrol will be set at Dh3.83 per litre, against Dh3.55 last month. E-P»»»

Dubai: UAE motorists could see fuel prices rise for a fourth consecutive month in June, although the increase is expected to be far smaller than the sharp jumps recorded earlier this year. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.The reason is simple: oil »»»

KABUL: Four tourists went missing and their driver was injured after their car plunged into a river in Nuristan province, east of Afghanistan, on Friday night, said a statement of the provincial police office on Saturday. The incident took place late Friday in a mountainous area, and the driver has»»»

Scarperia e San Piero: Spain's Raul Fernandez sped to a surprise win ahead of favourites Jorge Martin and Fabio Di Giannantonio in the Italian MotoGP sprint race at Mugello on Saturday. The 25-year-old Aprilia-Trackhouse rider started on the front row of the grid between championship leader Marco B»»»

A bus crash in Virginia killed five people in one family, including two children, and another unidentified woman. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo May 30 (UPI) -- The bus driver whose bus crashed into cars on a Virginia highway Friday will face charges for the accident. Charges are pen»»»

Tunis, May 30 (TAP) - An online survey has been made available to Tunisian enterprises currently involved in, or interested in, cross-border e-commerce. This initiative is part of the "E-commerce and Digital Trade in the MENA Region" programme. The...»»»

Doha, Qatar: The world marks No Tobacco Day annually on May 31, an international observance launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) to enhance awareness of the health, social, and economic menaces of tobacco and to encourage stronger policies aimed at curbing its spread among all members of»»»

Doha, Qatar: A large number of citizens and residents on Friday, May 29, 2026, attended the funeral of former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry H E Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah following Asr prayer. The funeral prayer for the late leader was performed at the Nasser bin Abdu»»»

Who is Timur Turlov? Where did his billions come from? And how did he turn a small brokerage firm into a transnational financial ecosystem? Freedom Holding Corp. is a Kazakhstan-born international fintech company listed on the Nasdaq and valued at nearly $9 billion. In recent years, the company - w»»»

Who is Timur Turlov? Where did his billions come from? And how did he turn a small brokerage firm into a transnational financial ecosystem? Freedom Holding Corp. is a Kazakhstan-born international fintech company listed on the Nasdaq and valued at nearly $9 billion. In recent years, the company - w»»»

After almost three months of being cut off from the world, internet access was partially restored in Iran starting on Tuesday. While some rejoice at finally being reconnected and able to check in on their loved ones, many complain about the persistent slowness in connectivity and doubt a complete r»»»

1 of 2 | The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts appears in Washington, D.C., on Friday. A federal judge ruled that President Trump overstepped his authority by renaming the Kennedy Center after himself, ordering Trump's name to be removed and reversing a decision to »»»

VIRGINIA: A bus struck six vehicles on Interstate 95 in Virginia early Friday as traffic slowed for a work zone, killing five people and injuring 34, including the driver, authorities said. The crash happened at about 2:35 a.m. on southbound I-95 in Stafford County, near Quantico, Virginia. All fiv»»»

The government approved a draft amendment to the Framework Agreement between Bulgaria and Lockheed Martin Global INC regarding the F-16 Block 70 Industrial Cooperation Programme, the government information service reported on Friday. By a decision of the National Assembly of May 8, 2026, the Minist»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday. On Friday, a federal judge temporarily blocked his administration's so-called anti-weaponization fund. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo May 29 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Jus»»»

Thai rescuers pulled a man from a cave in central Laos after he and six others had been trapped for nine days. Photo by Metta Tham Kalasin Rescue/EPA May 29 (UPI) -- One Laotian miner has been pulled from a cave in central Laos after being trapped for nine days underground, a Laotian rescue organiz»»»

Widespread reporting on Thursday that the Department of Justice was investigating Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll is being denied Friday by the U.S. Attorney out of Chicago. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo May 29 (UPI) -- Reports that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago is investig»»»

QUITO: Children of all ages rush ‌on to a soccer field in southern Quito to train, inspired by the achievements of their biggest role model, Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo, and driven by the dream of one day playing in a World Cup like their idol. The children, aged between five and 16, have bee»»»

A fire in a New York train tunnel Friday morning injured five and shut down commutes between New York and New Jersey. File Photo by Justin Lane/EPA May 29 (UPI) -- An early morning fire in an Amtrak contractor maintenance vehicle has injured five people and suspended all Penn Station service betwee»»»

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has issued a travel advisory ahead of the Eid Al Adha holiday, urging commuters to use the Dubai Metro for direct and hassle-free access to key destinations, including Dubai Mall amid expected crowd surges. The authority said the metro remains the easiest and»»»

The results of an analysis of Access to Information Programme (AIP), conducted in the period March 30 – April 30, 2026, were presented at a web-conference on Friday. The research was aimed at assessing how public authorities fulfill their obligation, in relation to the Access to Public Information »»»

The World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Annual Report 2024 provides a comprehensive analysis of global trade trends, focusing on the transformative potential of e-commerce. The report projects that e-commerce could constitute over 30% of global trade by 2030, driven by rapid technological advancements»»»

Saudi Arabia’s listed technology companies posted strong first-quarter earnings for 2026, reflecting a structural shift in the sector as digital revenue growth converged with tighter control over operating and administrative costs. Combined net profits for companies in the Kingdom’s applications an»»»

Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul said Friday he believes Starbucks Korea should face sanctions over a recent controversial marketing campaign. This photo, taken May 26, shows a Starbucks location in downtown Seoul. Photo by Yonhap Veterans Minister Kwon Oh-eul said Friday he believes Starbucks Korea s»»»

The EU imposed a 200-million-euro ($232 million) fine on Chinese-owned online retailer Temu on Thursday for allowing the sale of illegal products, including dangerous baby toys and defective chargers. "The company failed to diligently identify, analyse, and assess the systemic risks of illegal prod»»»

Doha, Qatar: The global sports fraternity yesterday mourned the death of former shooter and prominent sports administrator Raja Randhir Singh. Singh, an honorary member at International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the first Indian to become President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), died in Ne»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar will take on regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Oman, along with Hong Kong in Group E of the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers following the Official Draw conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday. Qatar will host all Group E matches in Doha as teams bat»»»

E-commerce turnover in the EAEU increased by $110 billion at year-end 2024. Daniyar Imanaliev, Minister for Integration and Macroeconomics of the Eurasian Economic Commission, told reporters. According to him, this represents more than 17 percent of all retail trade in the union. «We see great pote»»»

The European Union has slapped a €200 million fine on Chinese retailer Temu, for selling products it considers toxic or unsafe, including baby toys and electronics. The e-commerce giant disputes the ruling, which came under the EU's Digital Services Act, requiring online platforms to protect consum»»»

WIENER NEUSTADT, Austria: An Austrian court on Thursday convicted a man of planning to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna nearly two years ago. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The state court in Wiener Neustadt, south of the capital, found the 21-year-old defendant, an Austrian citizen»»»

The US Justice Department has launched an investigation for perjury into E. Jean Carroll, the columnist who a 2023 civil trial found had been sexually assaulted by US President Donald Trump in a New York department store 30 years ago, a source close to the matter told AP Thursday.  The Justice»»»

The Supreme Court threw out the conviction and death penalty for a Mississippi man because of racial bias in jury selection. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo May 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court agreed with a lower court's ruling that a Mississippi man's conviction and death penalty »»»

The European Commission has fined online shopping platform Temu for allegedly selling dangerous products. File Photo by Hannibal Hanschke/EPA May 28 (UPI) -- The European Commission fined Chinese-owned retailer Temu $232 million for selling illegal products, including dangerous baby toys and faulty»»»

Journalist E. Jean Carroll, left, won two lawsuits against President Donald Trump for sexual assault and defamation. Now, the Department of Justice is investigating her for alleged perjury. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo May 28 (UPI) -- The Department of Justice launched a crimina»»»

1 of 6 | South Korea’s leading beauty and wellness retailer Olive Young will open its first U.S. store in California on Friday. In this March photo, a visitor browses at the company's flagship store in Seongsu, Seoul. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI SEOUL, May 28 (UPI) -- South Korea's leading bea»»»

Customs officers have seized over 1,000 shipments of narcotics in various forms, purchased online, during Operation Hydra, said Thursday Stefan Bakalov, Deputy Director of the Customs Agency, and Desislava Petrova, spokesperson for the Sofia City Prosecution Office. Operation Hydra was carried out »»»

Doha, Qatar: Hamad International Airport has announced a series of operational measures to ensure the smooth arrival of passengers in Doha following the Eid Al Adha holidays and Hajj season. In a statement, HIA unveiled guidelines on immigration and baggage services, as well as ground transport ope»»»

Customs authorities in Bulgaria have uncovered a large-scale drug distribution scheme involving online orders disguised as everyday consumer goods, with more than 1,000 suspicious shipments identified in under two weeks during Operation Hydra, conducted jointly by the Drug Enforcement Directorate, »»»

Iulia Suciu (ZEN-VITA, Bucharest), Cristina Olteanu (AlbAlb, Bucharest), and Carina Sava (Watermelon Agency, Bucharest) are the three entrepreneurs who won the She’s Next grants totaling €60,000, during the second edition of the program run by Visa and ING Bank Romania, in collaboration with Impact»»»

Manila: The Office of the Ombudsman has accused Sen. Jinggoy Estrada of receiving at least ₱573 million in alleged kickbacks tied to infrastructure projects, marking the third plunder case filed against the lawmaker amid a widening corruption crackdown involving several prominent politicians. On Th»»»

UPPSALA: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday he was working with Sweden on a major defense package, including a “strong step” on Gripen fighter jets, as Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson welcomed him to Sweden. Kristersson and Zelensky signed a letter of intent last year u»»»

POLITICS – APPROVAL RATINGS bTV reports that a new government led by Rumen Radev starts with 50% public trust against 24% distrust, citing a survey by Market Links conducted between May 16 and May 27 among 1,008 respondents through face-to-face interviews and online polling. Sociologist Dobromir Zh»»»

Dubai: A Pakistani site supervisor who has lived in Sharjah for 30 years, a Bangladeshi construction worker pooling tickets with friends, and an Indian expat who got the news while on holiday back home were among four winners of Dh25,000 each in Big Ticket's third weekly e-draw of May 2026, held on»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s industrial and logistics sectors showed mixed performance during the first quarter of 2026, with warehouse rents continuing to rise despite softer maritime activity and broader regional disruptions, according to ValuStrat. The report, citing the latest data from the National Pl»»»

There has been a “tenfold increase” since the start of May in misinformation circulating online in Armenia ahead of the June 7 parliamentary elections, according to Artur Papyan, the director of Armenia’s Media Diversity Institute. Both the ruling party and the opposition – as well as foreign inter»»»

Poland’s competition and consumer watchdog UOKiK has launched proceedings against the online stores of H&M and Peek & Cloppenburg over the way they advertised discounts to shoppers. Regulators allege the retailers either failed to display the lowest price from the previous 30 days — a legal require»»»