Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has announced a four-day paid holiday for private sector employees across the UAE, in observance of Arafat Day and Eid Al Adha. The Eid break will run from Tuesday, May 26, and continue through Friday, May 29. Normal working hours will re»»»

No cases of Ebola have been reported in Kyrgyzstan, the Ministry of Health’s press center reported. According to the ministry, the risk of virus being imported into the country is currently assessed as low, but the Ministry of Health is taking all necessary measures to ensure the healthcare system »»»

HEADLINES Bulgarian media on Monday are dominated by the victory of Dara at the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna, with newspapers and broadcasters extensively covering the singer’s success and public reactions in Bulgaria. Among the leading front-page headlines, Telegraph »»»

RIYADH: Public Investment Fund-backed Taiba Investments Co. has finalized an agreement worth SR2.4 billion ($633.4 million) to develop three hotels in central Madinah. The deal will see the firm create a special purpose company with Osool Integrated Real Estate Co., and Taiba will contribute SR300 »»»

Iran said Monday it had responded to a new US proposal aimed at ending the war, adding that exchanges were continuing despite Iranian media reports describing Washington's demands as excessive. Washington and Tehran have been swapping proposals in an effort to end the conflict which broke out on Fe»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine lost over 300 soldiers in combat against Russia's Tsentr battlegroup over the past day, in addition to losses in manpower and equipment on other fronts, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday. "The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to over 300 military pe»»»

Dubai: A new Ebola outbreak in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has triggered growing global concern after spreading undetected for weeks in a region torn by conflict and displacement. Nearly 250 suspected cases and around 80 deaths have already been reported, while neighbou»»»

While cracking India’s fiercely competitive engineering and medical entrance exams remains a daunting challenge, students from the UAE are increasingly securing seats in reputed institutions, including IITs, NITs and government medical colleges, at fees that are often lower than monthly school tuit»»»

Muna Easa Al Gurg has been named in the 2026 TIME100 Philanthropy list, in recognition of her efforts to support women and girls across the Middle East and North Africa. The annual list by TIME highlights influential figures shaping the future of philanthropy and social impact. Get updated faster a»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Katz Enforces “Execution Law” for Palestinian Prisoners in West Bank 18-05-2026 12:23 PM Israeli DM Yisrael Katz with Israeli military and »»»

The Cabinet of Ministers allocated additional funds to support small and medium-sized businesses and the garment industry. The First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Daniyar Amangeldiev, told journalists as part of the Open Cabinet project. According to him, suppo»»»

Jakarta, Indonesia: Indonesia will continue boosting its defence capabilities, President Prabowo Subianto said Monday, citing uncertain times as he presented new military hardware, including six French-made Rafale jets, to the air force. The Southeast Asian nation, which pursues a policy of diploma»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The largest number of foreign mercenaries in the ranks of the Ukrainian armed forces have been spotted in the Kharkov and Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) directions, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large on the Ukrainian regime's crimes, Rodion Miroshnik, told Sputnik. "The»»»

MINSK (Sputnik) - Military units of Belarus for the combat use of nuclear weapons and nuclear support have started military drills, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said on Monday. "Today, in the interests of increasing the readiness of the armed forces for the use of modern weapons, including speci»»»

HARBIN, China (Sputnik) - Russia's Rostec is working on a new super-heavy engine and will unveil it in the coming years, Viktor Kladov, the state corporation's director of international cooperation, told Sputnik. "We are working on a super-heavy, super-powerful engine to replace the products of [th»»»

BEIJING (Sputnik) - Beijing and Moscow intend to continue to promote bilateral relations to an even higher level, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday. "Taking this opportunity, the parties intend to further advance bilateral relations to a deeper and higher level, bringing »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine has confirmed that hantavirus is widespread among the military personnel of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Sumy direction, Russian law enforcement agencies told Sputnik. "Kiev doctor Irina Semenova stated that hantavirus is widespread among the military personnel of th»»»

The recent rise in the exchange rate, amid political instability, has reduced the overvaluation of the Romanian leu, but it still persists, according to an analysis by the Romanian Commercial Bank (BCR), which has increased its forecast for the EUR/RON level. Analysts also note a shift in the Natio»»»

ING Bank Romania is expanding the RoPay functionalities available in Home’Bank with the launch of the Payment Request option, which allows users to send and receive instant payment requests using only a phone number, without entering an IBAN. ING Bank is expanding the functionalities offered throug»»»

Romania’s economy remains in recession. The first quarter of this year recorded a decline both compared to the end of last year and to the same period in 2025. Annual Romania’s economy remains in recession. The first quarter of this year recorded a decline both compared to the end of last year and »»»

In its meeting of 15 May 2026, the Board of the National Bank of Romania (NBR) decided the following: to keep the monetary policy rate at 6.50 percent per annum; to leave unchanged the lending (Lombard) facility rate at 7.50 percent per annum and the deposit facility rate at 5.50 percent per annum;»»»

Dubai: Born amid conflict, Dubai Safari Park’s baby rhino Salam quickly became an unlikely symbol of hope for many residents across the UAE. Named after the Arabic word for peace, the endangered southern white rhino calf arrived at a time in April beginning when conflict dominated headlines across »»»

TEHRAN: Iran’s national football team was headed to Turkiye on Monday to play a final friendly match and apply for visas to fly to the United States for the 2026 World Cup, Iranian media reported.The team plan to participate in the tournament despite co-host Washington having launched a war against»»»

Israeli forces were intercepting a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on Monday after it set sail from Türkiye last week, with organizers saying one of the vessels was stopped west of Cyprus. "Military vessels are currently intercepting our fleet and Israeli forces are currently boarding the first of our boat»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran has conveyed its comments to the United States in response to Washington's adjustments to the conflict resolution plan, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday. "Despite the fact that the United States has explicitly stated that it rejects this [Iran»»»

Iran said Monday it had responded to a new US proposal aimed at ending the war, adding that exchanges were continuing despite Iranian media reports describing Washington's demands as excessive. "As we announced yesterday, our concerns were conveyed to the American side," foreign ministry spokesman »»»

A meeting of journalists with Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Daniyar Amangeldiev, is taking place today, May,18, at Yntymak Ordo as part of the Open Cabinet project. When asked by 24.kgnews agency whether Kyrgyzstan is considering closing sanctioned banks to address West»»»

RIYADH: Syria will take part in a closed-door session with G7 finance ministers and central bank governors in Paris ​on Monday, a person familiar with the matter said, in a sign of its growing status less than two years after the ousting of Bashar Assad. Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh is expe»»»

DUBAI: An Iranian state TV presenter has drawn criticism after shooting at a United Arab Emirates flag during a live television segment promoting firearms training. The broadcast, which aired on Iran’s state-run Ofogh channel this week, featured a masked member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Co»»»

GAZA: In a small sewing workshop in southern Gaza, Nisreen Al-Rantisi pulls ​fabric from a pile and reshapes worn wedding dresses, trying to keep a fading tradition alive amid war and soaring costs. Families said they have been struggling to find new wedding dresses and many search instead for plac»»»

Building on the codeshare partnership launched in June 2025, Qatar Airways and Philippine Airlines are unlocking more than 40 new destinations for global travellers Doha, Qatar: Qatar Airways and Philippine Airlines are expanding their strategic partnership by enhancing the connectivity between bot»»»

South Korea's Unification Ministry on Monday released a new white paper focusing on peaceful coexistence with North Korea. This photo shows the Unification Bridge in Paju, across the border from the North, on Oct. 26, 2025. File Photo by Yonhap The Lee Jae Myung government has shifted its focus to »»»

Tehran, Iran: Iran's national football team headed to Turkiye on Monday to play a final friendly match before flying to the United States for the 2026 World Cup, Iranian media reported. "The Iranian national football team... departed this morning for Antalya, Turkiye to play its final friendly matc»»»

The ninth edition of the International Exhibition for National Security and Resilience (ISNR 2026) is set to bring together 253 local and international companies at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from May 19 to 21, marking the largest edition in the event’s history. Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh »»»

ISTANBUL:The ‌organizers of a flotilla of aid ships bound for Gaza said on Monday ​that Israeli forces had boarded one of their vessels and that contact had been lost with another of the vessels in the eastern Mediterranean. Earlier on Monday, Israel’s foreign ministry had said on X that it “will ‌»»»

Saudi authorities have confirmed a ban on the entry and use of liquefied gas cylinders of all sizes at pilgrim hospitality centres and government facilities within the holy sites during the Hajj season. The restriction came into force on Monday, the first day of Dhu Al Hijjah, corresponding to May »»»

Nigeria and the United States have carried out fresh strikes against ISIS extremist militants in northwest Nigeria, the US military said on Monday. The strikes were conducted on Sunday, US Africa Command (Africom) said in a statement. "Intelligence confirmed the targets were ISIS militants. Complet»»»

Footage has been published online purporting to show an assault by an Israeli settler against a Palestinian farmer in the occupied West Bank, in one of the latest alleged attacks targeting Palestinian civilians. The video, posted by the media office of the Palestinian government on Saturday, shows »»»

Rotterdam, Netherlands: A cruise ship that sparked global alarm after a deadly outbreak of hantavirus made its final approach to Rotterdam Monday, with the remaining crew facing weeks of quarantine. The MV Hondius is expected to dock in the Dutch port between 10am (0800 GMT) and midday (1000 GMT), »»»

Tunis, May 18 (TAP) — The weather, on Monday, will be partly cloudy across most regions, with local thunderstorm to develop in the afternoon over western areas in the north and center of the country, according to the National Institute of...»»»

Four new deputy ministers have been appointed, the Government Information Service reported on Monday. Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications - Anna Stoyanova Mihneva-Natova. Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works - Pavleta Rumenova Pelovska. Deputy Minister of Labour and »»»

DOHA: The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoECC), represented by the Department of Chemicals and Hazardous Waste, has carried out a comprehensive field survey campaign in the New Industrial Area (Zone 81). The initiative was conducted in collaboration with the Environmental Security Gro»»»

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said plans to strengthen frontline units on the border with South Korea, as well as other major units, were key to "more thoroughly deterring war," state media KCNA reported on Monday. Kim's comments on bolstering the military strength on the border to make it an "im»»»

Taiwan’s president on Sunday stressed that arms purchases from the United States are “the most important deterrent” of regional conflict and instability, after President Donald Trump called into question continued US support of Taiwan following his visit to China. US arms sales to Taiwan and securi»»»

A scientific mission was set to kick off the search Monday for rodents that may be hantavirus carriers after an outbreak on a cruise ship departed this region at the southern tip of Argentina on April 1. For several days, biologists from Buenos Aires will set traps at various locations on the south»»»

This landmark project will deliver China a modern heavy helicopter tailored to its needs. “It will be a sensation when this jointly developed new helicopter enters the market,” Rostec’s Director for International Cooperation, Viktor Kladov, tells Sputnik.The new aircraft will have a 14–16 ton paylo»»»

Thiruvananthapuram: Shortly after taking charge as the Chief Minister of Keralam, VD Satheesan on Monday held the first meeting of his Cabinet. Congress leader VD Satheesan was sworn in as Chief Minister earlier in the day, officially bringing the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) back to »»»

Nature and EnvironmentAsiaGermany and Japan test hydrogen future with BMW, Toyota carsMartin FritzDuring a recent visit to Japan, Germany's transport minister Patrick Schnieder toured hydrogen projects aimed at bringing the fuel into the mainstream. https://p.dw.com/p/5DqgKHydrogen projects could b»»»

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) has issued a new rule requiring private sector companies to pay employee salaries on the first day of every month beginning June 1, 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen wage protection and labour compliance. Under Ministerial Resolution No»»»