Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has appointed his close aide and party spokesperson Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as Officer on Special Duty (Political) to the Chief Minister, in one of the most closely watched appointments made by the newly formed Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) governme»»»

DAMASCUS: Daesh ‌claimed responsibility on Tuesday for an attack in eastern Syria that killed two Syrian army soldiers, the militant group’s first deadly operation against the Syrian government since February. Monday’s attack in the eastern province of Hasakah points to the lingering threat posed b»»»

Lebanon's civil defense agency said two of its personnel were killed in an Israeli strike on Tuesday while they were on duty in the country's south. The personnel were killed in "an Israeli airstrike that targeted them while they were carrying out a rescue mission" after a previous strike in the ci»»»

Dubai: Visitors will be able to explore some of Abu Dhabi’s leading cultural attractions for free from May 16 to 18 as part of celebrations marking International Museum Day on May 18. The initiative gives residents and tourists complimentary access to several museums and heritage sites across the e»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Museums has announced it will present a curated collection of new releases during the 35th Doha International Book Fair. The fair will take place from May 14 to 23, 2026 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, commonly known as DECC. A Qatar Museums statement said the organ»»»

The way businesses move money is changing faster than most boardrooms anticipated. Speed is no longer a premium feature; it has become a baseline expectation. Across industries, companies that fail to offer real-time settlement are finding themselves at a competitive disadvantage, regardless of how»»»

The consumer-facing side of this trend is visible in how digital platforms handle onboarding. Reducing the volume of personal data collected at sign-up lowers friction, speeds conversion, and removes a common point of customer abandonment. Across e-commerce, fintech, and entertainment, the pattern »»»

Amid growing maritime disruptions across global shipping routes, Saudi Arabia’s export capability through the Red Sea has emerged as a strategic safeguard against a surge in global energy prices. Kristijonas Gedvilas, Chief Executive Officer of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Kingdom of Sau»»»

TRIPOLI: Authorities in eastern Libya say ‌they have found and deported 120 migrants who were being held captive by people traffickers south of Benghazi, and have recovered the bodies of three other migrants from the Mediterranean shore. A statement by the security directorate in the city of Ajdabi»»»

Cairo — Egypt’s stock market ended trading on Monday, 11 May 2026 on a mixed note, with the benchmark index easing slightly following the previous session’s strong gains, while mid- and small-cap stocks continued to attract buying interest. The benchmark EGX30 fell 0.28% to 54,475.49 points, accord»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s benchmark Tadawul All Share Index fell 119.22 points, or 1.07 percent, on Tuesday to close at 11,039.23. The MT30 index declined 15.57 points, or 1.04 percent, to 1,477.37, while the parallel market Nomu advanced 159.48 points, or 0.70 percent, to 22,794.54. Trading turnover »»»

A man with a history of domestic violence has been arrested near Thessaloniki for trying to break into his parents’ home with a loaded shotgun after hitting and threatening his father, authorities said Tuesday. A police statement said the 44-year-old suspect was stopped Monday from entering the hou»»»

1/10Visitors listening to experts during a panel discussion on the second day of Gulf News Edufair 2026.Virendra Saklani/Gulf News2/10Sophia Anjum with Mustafa Alhariri, Director - Career Services and Outreach, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Dubai, Nidhi Sehgal, Head of School – Business a»»»

Tunis, May 12 (TAP)- Tunisia's embassy in Belgrade, in collaboration with the Tunisian National Tourist Office (ONTT), is organising Tunisia's Days in Serbia on May 14-16 at the Madlena Art Palace. The event, which will take place in observance of...»»»

Dubai: Kuwait has revealed that members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards allegedly attempted to infiltrate a strategically important island in the Gulf, exposing what authorities described as a hostile operation amid soaring regional tensions. The accusation by Kuwait of an Iranian link to the incide»»»

DUBAI: Part-Saudi model Shanina Shaik returned to the runway at Australian Fashion Week 2026 this week, walking for Australian label Carla Zampatti during one of the event’s most anticipated shows. Held against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour, the presentation marked another milestone moment for the»»»

ZURICH: World Cup -bound Iraq have two new players for possible selection after FIFA approved eligibility for Nashville SC midfielder Ahmed Qasem and Dundee United defender Dario Naamo. Both comply with FIFA rules for a binding change of national eligibility because of family ties to Iraq. The nati»»»

TEHRAN: Iran’s chief negotiator said Tuesday that Washington must accept Tehran’s latest peace plan or face failure, after US President Donald Trump warned the truce in the Middle East war was on the brink of collapse. The war, which erupted more than two months ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran,»»»

Donald Trump is set to touch down in Beijing, China, on Wednesday for a two-day state visit – the first by a US president in eight years – as relations between the world’s two largest economies teeter at a crossroads defined by the Iran war, trade friction, and technological rivalry. The visit is e»»»

Phoenix Group PLC (ADX: PHX), an IHC portfolio company and global digital infrastructure operator, today announced a strategic partnership with DC Max to develop its first European AI data center, an 18MW facility in Lyon, France. The project is the inaugural deployment of Phoenix's European Data C»»»

The GERB-UDF political party will support the legislative amendments proposed by Progressive Bulgaria at first reading at the committee level, aimed at containing growing prices in the country, but remains sceptical of the proposals of the ruling party GERB-UDF MP Vladislav Goranov said before the »»»

National scholarships for Roma students, a national qualification programme, support for young Roma entrepreneurs, state and municipal internship programmes, active policies against hate speech, and partnership between the State, local authorities and the non-governmental sector will be among the p»»»

Skopje, 11 May 2026 (TAV/MIA) - TAV Macedonia, a subsidiary of TAV Airports, a member of Groupe ADP, finished the first 4 months of 2026 with a strong, record 32.4% passenger growth, serving a total of 1.2 million passengers (1,202,828) at Skopje International Airport and Ohrid St. Paul the Apostle»»»

JEDDAH: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the UK are aiming to conclude negotiations on a free trade agreement in the “near future” after commerce ministers from both sides made “significant progress” in talks aimed at deepening trade and investment ties. The discussions took place during a virtual »»»

May 11 (UPI) -- Police responding to a situation inside the chimney of a Pennsylvania home ended up rescuing three baby raccoons stuck in the stack. The Lansdale Borough Police Department said on social media that three officers were dispatched to a home where the kits were repoted stuck in the chi»»»

May 11 (UPI) -- A Miami-area dog park hosted a pool party with 277 dogs in an attempt to break a Guinness World Records title. The Chewy Summer Social, hosted by pet supply company Chewy on Saturday at Chewy Bark Park, part of The Underline linear park in Coral Gables, gathered 277 canines of all s»»»

An ad hoc parliamentary budget and finance committee approved at first reading a bill amending the Consumer Protection Act, submitted by Progressive Bulgaria MP Yavor Gechev. The bill transfers provisions from the Euro Adoption Act into the Consumer Protection Act and extends their application by o»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Office of the Director of National Intelligence will conduct an investigation into more than 120 US-funded biological laboratories located abroad, including in Ukraine, the New York Post reported. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard told the New York Pos»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni has congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and expressed confidence in continued cooperation, the Cambodian Ministry of Information has said. "Th»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic extended his condolences to the family of legendary Red Star Belgrade basketball player and football executive Vladimir Cvetkovic at Belgrade's New Cemetery on Tuesday. A funeral service for Cvetkovic was preceded by a commemorative event held at Red St»»»

DUBAI: Egyptian composer Omar Khairat will perform live with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in a concert beginning at 7.30 pm, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Khairat, widely regarded as one of the Arab world’s most influential contemporary composers, is known for i»»»

DUBAI: As the Gulf’s cultural sector continues its rapid expansion, boutique consultancy Artepreneur is positioning itself to support the region’s growing demand for specialized arts talent. Founded in Madrid in 2024 by Maria Gracia de Pedro, the company focuses on recruitment and strategic support»»»

AL-EIZARIYA: Israeli bulldozers tore down dozens of Palestinian shops on the edge of a town southeast of Jerusalem this week, clearing land ahead of a settlement-linked road project in the occupied West Bank.Israel says the demolitions are needed to make way for a road serving Palestinian communiti»»»

AL-EIZARIYA, West Bank: Israeli bulldozers tore down dozens of Palestinian shops on the edge of a town southeast of Jerusalem this week, clearing land ahead of a settlement-linked road project in the occupied West Bank. Israel says the demolitions are needed to make way for a road serving local Pal»»»

KARACHI: Pakistani fintech startup ABHI this week announced it has partnered with Saudi Arabia’s cloud-based Point of Sale platform to launch the Earned Wage Access service in the Kingdom, saying the move would promote financial inclusion. EWA is a financial solution allowing employees to withdraw »»»

A bill to amend and supplement the Protection of Competition Act, submitted by Progressive Bulgaria MP Yavor Gechev and a group of MPs, was adopted at first reading on Tuesday by the ad hoc parliamentary budget and finance committee with 17 votes in favour, two abstentions and two votes against. Th»»»

A total 79 more migrants have been rescued off small boats that ran into trouble south of Crete after crossing the Mediterranean Sea from north Africa, the Coast Guard said Tuesday, amid a surge in arrivals. Monday’s operations came after hundreds of people, mostly from the Middle East and Africa, »»»

The proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection Act and the Protection of Competition Act will not lead to lower prices and may even have the opposite effect, said Assen Vassilev, leader of the Continue the Change (CC) party, speaking to journalists on Tuesday after a meeting of the Ad Hoc Commi»»»

The Sharjah Department of Human Resources announced on Tuesday that the Eid Al Adha and Arafat Day holidays for government departments, authorities and institutions in the emirate will begin on Monday, May 25, and continue until Friday, May 29. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf New»»»

Dubai: A sharp rise in the number of vehicles on UAE roads and a surge in newly issued driving licences have contributed to a significant increase in road accidents in 2025, according to Ministry of Interior (MOI) open data analysed by RoadSafetyUAE. The country recorded 853,411 new vehicle registr»»»

Dubai: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) reported record first-quarter financial results on Tuesday, driven by higher electricity and water demand, growth in clean energy generation and expanded infrastructure capacity. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - si»»»

Washington, United States: President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced talk with Cuba, which has been suffering under Washington's fuel blockade for months following the US capture of Havana's ally Nicolas Maduro. In a post on Truth Social he described the communist-ruled island as "a failed countr»»»

Manama: Bahrain sentenced on Tuesday three people to life on charges of collaborating with Iran's Revolutionary Guard, while over 20 others were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison by a court in Bahrain, which was hard-hit by Iranian attacks during the war. A woman "accused of... collaborating wi»»»

Corporate wellness programs encourage healthy behaviors but fail to systematically identify which employees carry serious, undetected health risks. Vascuscreen, a preventive health screening company, argues this gap fundamentally limits meaningful health outcomes because silent conditions like vasc»»»

RIYADH: On the night of Paris Saint-German’s second-leg Champions League clash against Bayern Munich, football fans had taken over LDN Circus. Inside Riyadh’s first pub-style entertainment venue, giant screens flashed the game above rows of football jerseys, scarves and signed memorabilia brought i»»»

LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles is famous for its sun, sand and surf, celebrity sightings, and an endless variety of food and entertainment. It’s set to become a World Cup site again. The 1994 men’s final was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, which also hosted the 1999 women’s final. Los Angeles is hos»»»

BOGOTA: The number of people displaced by conflict in Colombia doubled year-on-year in 2025 as violence by armed groups rose to its highest level in a decade, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Tuesday. At least 322,688 people were displaced in 2025 as clashes between rival gu»»»

GENEVA: Conflict and violence drove more people to flee within their own countries last year than natural and manmade disasters for the first time on record, monitors said on Tuesday. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center and the Norwegian Refugee Council said in their annual report on the su»»»

Gold fell from a three-week high on Tuesday, as slim hopes of a US-Iran peace deal drove the dollar and oil prices higher, clouding the US interest rate outlook ahead of key inflation data. Spot gold fell 0.8% to $4,696.07 per ounce by 1117 GMT, after climbing to its highest since April 21 earlier.»»»