Crude oil prices plunged in volatile Asian trading early Thursday (May 28, 2026) as investors bet that a possible easing of tensions between the United States and Iran could eventually restore more normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical oil chokepoint. As of 7:09 am»»»

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Nicolas Enrich, a former senior USAID official-turned-whistleblower, said the US agency was dismantled not to cut waste but "to soothe the ego of the world's richest man", then DOGE head Elon Musk. Enrich warned that up to 14 million people could die in the next five»»»

Four months after its creation, the Gaza reconstruction fund of US President Donald Trump's so-called Board of Peace has yet to receive any of the billions of dollars pledged by donor countries. Israel has continued to carry out strikes across the devastated Palestinian territory despite a US-backe»»»

The ongoing conflict between armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has made it harder for health workers to contain the worsening Ebola outbreak, World Health Organization Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. The World Health Organization chief warned»»»

When an Indian student at a US university used AI to create the “Cockroach Janta Party (CPJ)”, a parody political party, it sparked a viral sensation, hitting the zeitgeist in a country that has been particularly affected by the Iran war. As India's youth circumvent bans to express their economic d»»»

A satirical political movement has gone viral amongst India's youth with an unusual mascot at the helm: the cockroach. The Cockroach Janta Party was born after India's chief justice referred to unemployed youth as "cockroaches". Though he later said he was misquoted, his comments ricocheted online.»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is emerging as the Middle East’s leading force in electric vehicle adoption and manufacturing as governments across the region accelerate efforts to cut oil dependence, strengthen energy security and build domestic clean-tech industries. According to a report released by the In»»»

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was not yet satisfied with Iran’s offers to make a deal, after Iranian state television reported details of what it claimed was a draft agreement.Speaking at a cabinet meeting in the White House, Trump added that he was in no rush to reach an »»»

Dubai: US President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to all countries under any future agreement with Iran, while warning Oman not to interfere in negotiations over the world’s most strategically vital energy corridor. “It’s international waters. Nobody’s »»»

LONDON: Yusuf Kaabneh, 16, was shot dead during a raid by Israeli settlers on the Palestinian towns of Sinjil and Jiljilya in the central West Bank on May 13. It is not clear who killed him — the armed settlers themselves or the Israeli army, which stood by and watched until a handful of villagers »»»

Cast member Matthew Perry attends the screening of Reelz's "The Kennedy's After Camelot" in 2017 at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, Calif. The last of five people charged in connection with Perry's death was sentenced Wednesday. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo May 27 (UPI) -- K»»»

A Liberian man walk pass an ebola awareness painting on a wall in downtown Monrovia, Liberia, in 2015. The United States wants to build a quarantine facility for exposed Americans in Kenya. File Photo by Ahmed Jallanzo/EPA May 27 (UPI) -- The United States and Kenya are in talks to create a quarant»»»

Ugandan authorities have ordered the closure of the country's border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with immediate effect to curb the spread of a rare type of Ebola. The decision was taken by the national Ebola task force, led by Vice President Jessica Alupo, following a rise in ca»»»

1 of 5 | Attorney General Pam Bondi attends a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 24. Within days of being fired from her post, she said she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. File Photo by Graeme Sloan/UPI | License Photo May 27 (UPI) -- Preside»»»

The 39-day bombing and air defense campaign against Iran depleted inventories of key U.S. munitions stockpiles, as a previous CSIS analysis detailed. The report highlighted the fact that main obstacle challenging the process of replenishing the depleted weaponry inventories is time, expecting a sta»»»

The US has declined to condemn Russia over its warning about upcoming strikes on military-linked sites in Kiev in retaliation for Ukraine’s deadly attack on a college dormitory. On Friday, Ukrainian drones struck an education facility in the Russian town of Starobelsk, killing 21 people, mostly you»»»

The Yemeni government is betting that rebuilding the transport sector can help revive an economy battered by more than a decade of war that has left airports, ports and roads badly damaged. Yemeni Transport Minister Mohsen al-Amri told Asharq Al-Awsat that rebuilding the sector “requires resources,»»»

Residents of Sofia's Mladost borough Wednesday protested against the construction of a 75-metre-tall building in the area. Traffic on Aleksandar Malinov Boulevard was temporarily blocked. The project will be put to a re-vote in the Sofia City Council on Thursday. The protesters’ main demand is that»»»

For the third year in a row, Gaza residents marked Eid al-Adha with the same bitter question, “In what state have you returned, Eid?” Joy was again absent from the Gaza Strip, replaced by fear over the security situation, assassinations, and Israeli escalation, as fighter jets flew heavily overhead»»»

A protester confronts Minneapolis police after groups from competing protests confronted each other in downtown Minneapolis on January 17. Brian O'Hara, chief of the MPD, resigned Tuesday. File Photo by Craig Lassig/UPI | License Photo May 27 (UPI) -- The chief of the Minneapolis Police Department,»»»

AMSTERDAM: The Netherlands’ top scorer Memphis ‌Depay and Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber were both included on Wednesday in the country’s squad for next month’s World Cup despite concerns over their fitness. The 32-year-old Depay, whose 55 goals are the most for the Dutch, has been struggling with»»»

BERLIN: Germany sporting director Rudi Voeller on Wednesday urged members of the World Cup squad to avoid making political statements during this summer’s tournament. Speaking from Germany’s pre-World Cup camp in northern Bavaria, Voeller said players were not under a gag order but encouraged them »»»

Know what I’m getting really sick of as a Canadian? Harmful deferentiality towards the US that persists despite all the “elbows up” rhetoric. In the latest example, an Air France fight took off from Paris, heading for Detroit. Do you see anything Canadian in that at all? Canada does! The airline ha»»»

Türkiye is set to cut imports of Russia's Urals crude from Baltic and Black Sea ports this month to the lowest level in almost one and a half years, according to data from LSEG, Kpler and trading sources. Türkiye is the largest importer of seaborne Russian crude in the Mediterranean and the world's»»»

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed 31 people and wounded 40 on Tuesday, Lebanon’s health ministry said, including at least four children and three women, as Israel said it was intensifying operations despite a truce with the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. Israeli strikes on southern Leba»»»

TORONTO - At a reception that marked the launch of direct flights between Belgrade and Toronto, Air Serbia CEO Jiri Marek said the Serbian national airline would keep increasing the number of new long-haul flights and that, with more than a hundred destinations operated, it had become the regional »»»

The global wheat market is entering what experts describe as a structural turning point, with early projections for the 2026 harvest indicating that worldwide consumption will surpass production. This assessment was presented by Vasil Simov, executive director of the Sofia Commodity Exchange (SCE),»»»

As a deadly Ebola strain continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with cases also confirmed in Uganda, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is urging governments and airlines to follow health protocols introduced after the COVID-19 pandemic to limit aviatio»»»

Uzbekistan’s foreign trade turnover reached $26.3bn in January to April, marking a year-on-year increase of $1.44bn, or 5.8%, according to data released by the national statistical committee.  Exports declined 16.8% to $9.97bn, while imports climbed 26.7% to $16.36bn, resulting in a trade defi»»»

NEW YORK: Global conflicts from South Sudan’s political crisis to the United States’ recent war with Iran are putting more children at risk of suffering. One humanitarian duo wants to ensure conflict-stricken children get funding for an often-overlooked need: education. Under an agreement announced»»»

WASHINGTON: US military contractors need at least three years to replenish stockpiles of three key weapons systems used heavily in the Iran war, according to an analysis released Wednesday, adding to concerns that American forces would have limited firepower in any future conflict with China. The w»»»

Frankfurt, May 27 (SANA) The European Central Bank warned on Wednesday that an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, combined with global trade tensions, could weaken economic growth in the eurozone and pose risks to financial stability. In its twice-yearly Financial Stability Review, the »»»

1 of 2 | Health workers wearing full personal protective equipment prepare to transport the body of an Ebola victim for a safe burial at Sofepadi Hospital in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Saturday. The World Health Organization recently raised the national risk level o»»»

Dubai: For nearly three months, millions of Iranians lived in near silence online — unable to freely message loved ones, read independent news, stream films or even run businesses that depended on the internet. Now, after what internet monitors and activists describe as the longest nationwide inter»»»

The shape of Eid al-Adha has changed for many Lebanese as the war continues, along with the escalation, warnings, and daily anxiety accompanying it. Security developments resulting from the conflict have disrupted family gatherings that have become increasingly limited, while fear and anxiety conti»»»

The Lebanese army said on Wednesday that a soldier had been killed in an Israeli air strike near his post in Bekaa and that it had retrieved his body, Reuters reported. It said the retrieval was delayed from the previous day due to the security situation in the area. Meanwhile, Hezbollah said its f»»»

WASHINGTON: The United States plans to open a quarantine center in Kenya, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, as a deadly Ebola outbreak surges in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The facility is primarily intended for Americans who test positive for the virus or have been exposed to it, »»»

The International University Sports Federation (FISU) has allowed Russian athletes to compete in its events in all disciplines via a neutral status. In sports where a relevant federation has already lifted restrictions on Russia, they will be able to participate with their national flag and anthem,»»»

Dubai: Leaning on a cane or the barre in her Santiago dance studio, 100-year-old Evelyn Cordero continues to teach ballet with grace and dedication. “Even in my dreams, I dance,” says the veteran instructor, whose passion for ballet has lasted nearly a century. Cordero began dancing at the age of f»»»

MAKKAH: In a display of the care Saudi Arabia lavishes on pilgrims, the General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque expanded its services this year at the Grand Mosque for elderly pilgrims and those with disabilities, drawing on a combination of on-site facilities»»»

NEW YORK - Serbian FM Marko Djuric met with Kyrgyz FM Jeenbek Kulubaev on the sidelines of a UN Security Council session on Tuesday. Djuric said Serbia and Kyrgyzstan were "connected by traditionally good and friendly relations" and expressed gratitude for Kyrgyzstan’s "principled and consistent su»»»

PARIS: Iga Swiatek navigated her way into the third round of the French Open on Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-3 success over world number 35 Sara Bejlek. The four-time Roland Garros champion is seeking to reclaim the title she won three times consecutively between 2022 and 2024, before losing out at the »»»

As she presented her priorities on Wednesday, Labour and Social Policy Minister Nataliya Efremova said that social payments were secured. “Social payments are guaranteed - pensions, supplements and assistance for people with disabilities, as well as for families and children, will continue to be pa»»»

Sofia Municipality and the Centre for Urban Mobility Wednesday presented the new Sofia2Go mobile app, which integrates public transport cards in Sofia into a phone’s digital wallet via Google Wallet. The service enables travel without a physical card and was developed with Google and NXP. Sofia May»»»

ALKHOBAR: For millions of pilgrims, Hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime spiritual journey. For thousands of workers behind the scenes each season, it is something else entirely: a crash course in pressure, unpredictability and human endurance. Nothing fully prepares first-time Hajj workers for the scale o»»»

Egypt’s transport and storage sector has quickly become a key driver of the country's economic growth, supporting both domestic productivity and international trade. Once viewed as just a supporting service, the sector is now a key part of Egypt's economic transformation. The sector’s growth is not»»»

Arab Finance: Auto sales in Egypt increased by 3.2% month-on-month (MoM) to 17,800 vehicles during March 2026, according to data from the Automotive Market Information Council (AMIC). This growth reflects increased consumer demand for cars as they anticipate higher prices in the coming period, driv»»»

Arab Finance: Valu, through its specialized arm Valu Shift, partnered with ElTawkeel.com to launch Egypt's first fully integrated digital automotive e-commerce platform focused on the new car segment, as per an emailed press release. The partnership aims to provide customers with a single platform »»»

The recently appointed commander of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Odeh, has been killed in an airstrike in Gaza, the Israeli authorities have claimed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue to carry out attacks on specific targets in Gaza despite a US-brokered ceasefire being in place in the Pal»»»

TEHRAN: Iran’s intelligence ministry said on Wednesday that the goal of the United States and Israel remained to overthrow the Islamic republic and break up the country. “The enemy is now pursuing through other means the objective of overthrowing and partitioning the country, which it openly declar»»»