The number of worldwide executions jumped to their highest level since 1981 in 2025, pushed in part by a "staggering" increase in Iran's use of the death penalty, according to Amnesty International on Monday. The UK-based rights group said it had confirmed the executions of at least 2,707»»»

Runners from across the globe put their physical and mental stamina to the test on May 16: to conquer the Great Wall of China Marathon. The race that starts and finishes near the Huangyaguan fortress celebrated its 23rd anniversary this year. It is known for being a particularly gruelling course, b»»»

Washington: India’s shift towards green steel production could help the country avoid nearly $1 trillion in long-term coking coal import costs and strengthen its position in future export markets, according to a new study released by the India Energy and Climate Center (IECC) at the University of C»»»

OAKLAND, United States: A federal jury ruled Monday that billionaire Elon Musk waited too long to sue OpenAI and its co-founders, delivering a decisive victory to the ChatGPT startup and ending one of Silicon Valley’s most closely watched courtroom battles. The swift decision caps a three-week tria»»»

TAIPEI/BEIJING: China is the greatest source of regional unease and instability due to its ongoing military activities, Taiwan’s Premier Cho Jung-tai said on Tuesday, as the Chinese navy announced it had sent a carrier task force into the Western Pacific for training. China, which views democratica»»»

It’s been a tumultuous week for Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is facing a leadership crisis. Following a chaotic week in which nearly 90 Labour MPs called on Starmer to resign, along with a series of ministerial resignations, the prime minister is clinging on to power. Read moreWho are»»»

The hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius on Monday reached the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection as authorities prepared quarantine arrangements for remaining crew and medical staff following an outbreak that has killed three people and triggered global monitoring. The hantavirus-hit cruise»»»

Russia launched hundreds of drones and nearly two dozen missiles at Ukraine overnight, hitting ​two ships in the Black Sea near Ukraine's Odesa region and wounding more than 30 people. Ukrainian authorities said that the two civilian vessels hit included one ‌under the Marshall Islands flag an»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Monday, May 18, 2026: First, Ukraine's drone attacks on Russia may mark a turning point in the war. Next, Venezuela's post-Maduro era is conflicting for locals. Also, there's more drama at the Cannes Film Festival as Canal+ hits back at filmmakers. Finally, Gen Z find new ways o»»»

A British photographer who lives in Kyiv has told FRANCE 24 how he doesn't believe the war in Ukraine is coming to an end. Mark Neville takes his photographs to tell the real stories of the Ukrainian people as they fight for their country against the Russian invasion. Amid the latest more positive »»»

France's justice minister Gérald Darmanin is in Algeria to discuss improving cooperation and the fate of a detained French journalist. The visit is a sign of warming ties between the two countries, after a diplomatic spat triggered among other things by Paris's official backing Moroccan sovereignty»»»

At the start of May, Jordan launched several airstrikes into neighbouring southern Syria, targeting facilities it deemed key assets for drug smugglers operating along the Syrian-Jordanian border. Jordanian warplanes struck warehouses and even residential buildings believed to shelter stockpiled dru»»»

Bulgaria’s Regional Development Minister Ivan Shishkov has announced that all payments linked to construction projects using the old indexation methodology will be suspended, marking a significant shift in infrastructure financing policy. Speaking to Nova TV, Shishkov said the decision follows the »»»

Bulgaria’s Finance Ministry has formally launched the budget procedure for 2026, with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev outlining a broad package of austerity and restructuring measures that he said would put an end to what he described as years of “financial acrobatics” and un»»»

Tariff benefits have been granted to Mailuu-Suu Electric Bulb Plant, the company reported. According to the enterprise, a tariff exemption from import customs duties has been introduced for certain types of LED modules classified under EAEU Foreign Economic Activity Commodity Nomenclature code 8539»»»

Nearly 48 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated value exceeding 4.4 million euros have been seized in a coordinated operation by Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (SANS), customs officials, and the prosecutor’s office near the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint. The operation was launc»»»

A 35-year-old man has been detained after allegedly setting fire to multiple vehicles and construction equipment in the town of Beloslav in Varna Region during the early hours of the morning. According to initial information, the fire destroyed or damaged five cars along with a road roller. Authori»»»

Freestyle wrestler from Kyrgyzstan Malik Shavaev won the Ali Aliyev Memorial International Tournament held in Kaspiysk, Russia, from May 15 to 18. The Wrestling Federation of Kyrgyzstan reported. Competing in the 86-kilogram weight category, he secured five victories and claimed the gold medal. Mal»»»

The history museum in Karakol will be completely reconstructed, the Ministry of Construction reported. The project is being implemented using the republican budget, with a total cost of 159 million soms. The work is being carried out by the state-owned enterprise Kyrgyzkurulush. ​​Dismantling work »»»

Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings has improved Bulgaria’s credit outlook from “stable” to “positive,” while confirming the country’s long-term and short-term foreign and local currency ratings at “BBB+/A-2,” according to information released by the Finance Ministry. The agency said the revised o»»»

President Iliana Yotova visited an industrial facility near Baku that was fully financed by Bulgarian investment, as part of a broader visit to Azerbaijan focused on economic cooperation and urban development initiatives. The plant is located in the Sumgait industrial free economic zone, around 25 »»»

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev has stated that any decision on a potential state buyback of the Lukoil Neftokhim refinery must be preceded by a detailed assessment of its value, risks, and long-term benefits for the country. Responding to a question about how such an acquisi»»»

Poland ranks as the sixth most complex country in Europe and 19th globally for doing business, according to TMF Group’s 2026 Global Business Complexity Index. The report, which covers 81 jurisdictions representing more than 90% of the global economy, compares 292 indicators across accounting and ta»»»

Poland's Defence Ministry dispatched two deputy ministers — Cezary Tomczyk and Paweł Zalewski — to Washington on Monday for emergency consultations at the Pentagon. They carry a message from Prime Minister Donald Tusk that Poland is ready to host a larger American military presence, in direct respo»»»

Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defence Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz oversaw the signing on Monday of an agreement between state-owned Military Aviation Works No. 1 in Dęblin and US engineering giant Honeywell. Under the deal, Dęblin will host an Authorised Service Centre for the AGT1500 engines that po»»»

BEIRUT: The death toll in the latest round of fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon surpassed 3,000, Lebanon’s health ministry said Monday. The ministry said the toll is now 3,020 killed in the Israeli strikes, including 292 women and 211 children. Fighting began on Ma»»»

A former boss of a notorious Libyan prison faces three days of hearings at the International Criminal Court from Tuesday, accused of war crimes including murder, rape and torture. Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, 47, is suspected of 17 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committ»»»

New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) In a significant breakthrough against rising street crime and mobile snatching incidents, the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of the South District Police apprehended a mobile phone snatcher on Tuesday. It recovered six stolen and snatched mobile phones from his possession, an»»»

LONDON: Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was slightly higher last week, returning to levels in line with the average recorded since the start of the Middle East conflict after hitting a wartime low. A total of 55 commodities vessels crossed the strategic waterway between May 11 and 17, accordin»»»

LOS ANGELES: Billie Jean King raised her right arm in triumph. Not for another victory on the tennis court. This time, she was celebrating earning a college degree 65 years after she first took classes. The 82-year-old sports and equality icon received her bachelor's of art in history from Cal Stat»»»

A shooting Monday at a mosque complex in southern California killed three people, with two suspected teenage gunmen later found dead in a car from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, police said. Police said emergency response teams found the victims outside the sprawling Islamic Center of San »»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov spoke at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 18. The presidential press service reported. The head of state is participating in the forum at the invitation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Around 20 heads of state»»»

People look at a mural depicting Colombian-Venezuelan businessman Alex Saab in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday, a day after he was extradited to the United States. On Monday, Saab made his initial appearance in a Miami courtroom. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez/EPA May 18 (UPI) -- Alex Saab, a billionaire »»»

BEIJING: Russian President Vladimir Putin is traveling to China to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping less than a week after US President Donald Trump wrapped up his own trip to Beijing. Putin is scheduled to be in China on Tuesday and Wednesday in a visit likely to be closely watched as Beijing s»»»

Saudi Arabia’s National Centre for Meteorology (NCM) has forecast hot to extremely hot weather, accompanied by dusty winds, in Mecca and the holy sites during the 2026 Hajj season, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 47°C. The NCM said strong surface winds could stir up dust and sand, pa»»»

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has completed large-scale road and infrastructure upgrades in Mecca and the holy sites for the 2026 Hajj season as part of efforts to improve mobility and reduce congestion for pilgrims. The ministry said the works included the implementation of»»»

The United States said Monday it had approved the sale of more than $4 billion in military helicopters to South Korea, which has vowed to buy more US weapons as it defends against the North. The State Department said it had given its approval for South Korea to spend $3 billion on 24 "Romeo" Seahaw»»»

Starbucks Korea's chief executive has been dismissed following backlash over the launch of a line of reusable drinkware, the company said Tuesday. The furore centred on the company's use of the words "Tank Day" to promote a series of coffee cups known as "Tank tumblers", which were launched on May »»»

The UAE is expected to see generally fair weather this week, with fluctuating temperatures and active winds of up to 40 km/h causing blowing dust and rough sea conditions, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). The NCM said the country is being affected by an extension of a weak sur»»»

Dubai: Born in Abu Dhabi, forced to leave the UAE as a child, and returning years later on a bus from Jordan with almost nothing in his pocket, Ali Al Najjar transformed hardship into one of the UAE’s most inspiring corporate success stories. Speaking to Gulf News, Jordanian expatriates Al Najjar s»»»

THE HAGUE: A former boss of a notorious Libyan prison faces three days of hearings at the International Criminal Court from Tuesday, accused of war crimes including murder, rape and torture. Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, 47, is suspected of 17 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes allege»»»

Oslo: India and Norway on Monday marked a significant upgrade in bilateral ties with the signing of 12 agreements and initiatives during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to the Nordic country, signalling a broad expansion of cooperation across climate, technology, maritime, and scienti»»»

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Monday endorsed former San Francisco City Manager Connie Chan in the race to take her seat in Congress. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo May 18 (UPI) -- House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi on Monday endorsed San Francisco City Supe»»»

Unidentified gunmen opened fire on pedestrians in the Egyptian town of Abnoub in Assiut province late on Monday, leaving 10 people dead and wounded in what witnesses described as a chaotic attack. The shooting took place near Al Central Street, where residents said armed men travelling in a black J»»»

Egypt’s Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, has unveiled an ambitious plan to propel the nation’s economic landscape by listing 11 state-owned enterprises on the stock market by 2025. This strategic movement is a part of Egypt’s expansive Initial Public Offering (IPO) program, designed to optimize st»»»

TOKYO: Russia ​has downed a drone headed for ‌Moscow, ‌city ​Mayor ‌Sergei ⁠Sobyanin ​said on ⁠the Telegram messaging app ⁠on ‌Tuesday. Emergency ‌services ​have ‌been deployed ‌to the area ‌where the drone has ⁠fallen, the ⁠post added.»»»

GENEVA: The Middle East war is undermining wages and working conditions worldwide, according to a new report. The conflict could cost millions of jobs and force earnings down in 2026 and 2027, with a particular risk for migrant workers who send home remittances, the UN’s International Labour Organi»»»

Oil prices fell sharply in early Asian trade, extending losses after recent volatility tied to disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz began to ease and tanker traffic showed tentative signs of recovery. Market data at 9:27 a.m. Tokyo time showed: WTI crude at $102.5, down $1.87 (-1.79%) Brent crud»»»

Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, is shown in April at a subcommittee hearing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. On Monday, Zeldin announced the EPA will roll back some protections on chemicals called "forever toxins" in drinking water. Photo by Annabelle Gordon»»»