RIYADH: Gulf stock markets fell 1.3 percent in May, diverging sharply from a global equity rally fueled by artificial intelligence optimism, as the third month of disruption in the Strait of Hormuz weighed on investor sentiment and oil market volatility. According to Kamco Invest’s monthly report, »»»

Dubai: Earlier this year, Lebanon’s leaders appeared closer than they had been in decades to achieving one of the country’s most elusive goals: Disarming Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed militia that has long operated as a state within a state. That effort has now largely stalled. According to a»»»

The scope of the authorization granted to the Israeli army for the expected attack on Beirut's southern suburbs remains unclear, Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on Monday. It quoted an Israeli military official as saying that the army is currently working on "identifying and defining the targets »»»

Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced that the Maritsa-Iztok Mine complex and the state-owned Maritsa-Iztok 2 thermal power plant will continue operating until 2038, providing a 12-year horizon for Bulgaria’s coal sector as the country navigates the transition toward cleaner energy sources. Speaking»»»

RIYADH: Jordan’s national exports in the first quarter of 2026 stood at 2.13 billion Jordanian dinars ($3 billion), representing a 1.6 percent increase compared to the same period of the previous year. Citing the country’s Department of Statistics, Jordan news agency Petra reported that the value o»»»

A meeting between Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy and Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev drew attention after details emerged not through official institutions, but via a post on the social media platform X. The visit had not been publicly announced in advance by Bulgarian authorities. The encounter was »»»

A fire truck exits the Hanwha Aerospace facility in Daejeon on Monday, following an explosion at the company's factory that killed five and injured two. Photo by Yonhap SEOUL, June 1 (UPI) -- Five workers were killed and two others injured Monday after an explosion and fire at a Hanwha Aerospace de»»»

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday said they had ordered strikes on the Dahieh suburb of Beirut. "In light of the repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon by the terrorist organization Hezbollah and the attacks on our cities and citizens, Pr»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron hosts his annual "Choose France" investment summit on Monday with foreign investors already pledging billions of dollars of capital for AI and data projects. The conference could also see announcements on rare earth investments in France. France holds a foreign»»»

More than 80% of Irish-made alumina was exported to Russia in the first quarter of 2026, the highest proportion since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Irish Times reported on May 30. The exports directly contradicted the Irish government's claim that the plant primarily serves E»»»

A young model from Delhi, Divyanshu Joshi, drowned on Thursday in an abandoned stone quarry at Mudakuzha in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, which had filled with water and turned into a deep lake. Police said the body was recovered the same day, and after a postmortem examination, it was flown to Delh»»»

French police detained 780 people involved in violent clashes in Paris and other French cities that erupted Saturday night after Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League title. Police said a man in his twenties died in a motorbike crash in the capital. Planned celebrations for the team's win on»»»

Arab Finance: Egyptian ports handled a record 11.1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2025, marking a 24.3% year-on-year (YoY) increase from 8.9 million TEUs in 2024, according to a statement by the Ministry of Transport. The ministry said Egyptian ports also received the highest number»»»

The Israeli army has taken control of Beaufort castle in Southern Lebanon, crossing over the Litani river, which they had been using as a de facto boundary. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the operation a "dramatic shift" in the Israeli offensive in Lebanon. The Israeli army now ha»»»

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's ruling Civil Contract party is on course for a commanding victory in next week's parliamentary election, according to a new opinion poll, even as Russia escalates diplomatic and economic pressure over Yerevan's increasingly pro-Western foreign policy. A sur»»»

Colombia's presidential election is headed to a runoff after voters delivered a sharply polarised first-round result on Sunday, setting up a contest between hard-right populist Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist senator Ivan Cepeda. The vote came at the end of Colombia's bloodiest campaign in mor»»»

The Indian rupee lost nearly 11% of its value against the US dollar y/y between May 2025 and May 2026, a slide that makes it the worst performing currency in the world against the greenback when looked at from a one, five or ten year horizon. According to reference rate-FBIL data from India’s »»»

Europe needs Russia to survive amid an energy crisis, Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president's special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), said, Komsomolskaya Pravda reported on May 31. His remarks foll»»»

The Economist’s Kinley Salmon on his encounters with the candidates France 24’s Gavin Lee speaks to Economist’s Latin America Correspondent Kinley Salmon about what’s at stake for Colombia, whether a hard right populist who calls himself “The Tiger” could become President and why security is still »»»

Former title holders crashed out at Paris's Roland-Garros tennis stadium and PSG faced off with Arsenal in Budapest to win their second Champions League final in a row as a heatwave shattered European temperature records for the month of May: FRANCE 24 looks back at some of the week's most striking»»»

‘The Sheep Detectives’ (2026) will not have you counting sheep, but it might awaken the curious child within you. Reminiscent of 1995’s “Babe,” another talking-animals film, this one similarity has many caked-in moral lessons amid the adventures and misadventures — and it comes with a side of murde»»»

BMW has launched a BMW iX3 recall affecting a small number of early vehicles built at its new Debrecen plant, after a safety risk was identified during internal checks. According to Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), 145 vehicles worldwide are covered by the campaign, all produced b»»»

Billions of hungry Moroccan Locust (Dociostaurus maroccanus, or DMA) have descended on southeastern Iran, and thousands of families are fighting to stop the ravenous swarm from devouring everything they own. The pests have exploded across the plains of southern Sistan-Baluchestan near Pakistan, whe»»»

Three months after a missile strike destroyed an elementary school in the Iranian city of Minab, killing over a hundred children, a nightly ritual of grief continues for the families. Washington says an investigation into the attack is underway, but for the victim's family, there is no doubt. Our I»»»

Maltese ⁠Prime Minister Robert Abela ​claimed a record-breaking, fourth successive general election victory ​for his Labour Party on Sunday after campaigning on the strength of a thriving economy and calling for a strong mandate to shield the tiny island state from the crisis in the Middle East.&nb»»»

Less than a month after taking office on May 8, Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s government launched a broad overhaul of key state institutions, replacing senior officials across the security, customs, energy, agriculture, food safety, and administrative sectors. The changes follow a familiar pattern i»»»

The United States will only send used nuclear-powered submarines to Australia as part of an agreement to "streamline" the AUKUS defence deal in a move branded on Sunday as a "cost-effective" by Defence Minister Richard Marles. Australia is expected to receive at least three so-called»»»

Ballots for the first round of Colombia's presidential election open Sunday, as candidates with radically diverging visions for the future face off. The vote, seen as a referendum on outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s policies, comes 10 years after Colombia signed an historic peace pact w»»»

The Wall Street Journal’s award winning Chief European Political Correspondent Bojan Pancevski speaks to France 24’s Gavin Lee about the anti aging efforts President Putin is undertaking and the 26 billion dollar Russian State backed programme for longevity. Bojan also speaks about his forthcoming »»»

Russia said on May 30 it has recalled its ambassador to Armenia for consultations over what it described as Yerevan's growing rapprochement with the European Union, escalating tensions between the traditional allies just days before Armenia's June 7 general election. The move comes amid a widening »»»

Russia said on May 30 it has recalled its ambassador to Armenia for consultations over what it described as Yerevan's growing rapprochement with the European Union, escalating tensions between the traditional allies just days before Armenia's June 7 general election. The move comes amid a widening »»»

A massive structure on the lawn of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has been nicknamed “The Claw” because of its 90-foot-tall steel arches. It currently dwarfs the President’s residence and consists of camera rigs, a lighting grid, and an overhead canopy in case of rain. The structure is being assembled fo»»»

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has denounced what he called a dangerous Israeli escalation in the south, urging an immediate ceasefire and insisting that a "scorched-earth policy" would not ensure Israel's security. In a televised address, Salam also defended his government's direct negotiations with I»»»

Saudi Arabia’s National Housing Company (NHC) has emerged as a central force in reshaping the Kingdom’s housing market, evolving from a state-backed developer into a key engine of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s economic reform agenda under Vision 2030. Far from being a conventional real estate »»»

Dubai: The Gulf’s role in the global energy market is evolving beyond its traditional status as a major producer, with flexibility, adaptability and reliable delivery emerging as critical pillars of energy security amid growing market uncertainty. As energy markets grapple with rising freight costs»»»

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel in a televised address on Saturday of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy” following new Israeli strikes in the south of the country. A ceasefire between Israel and Tehran-backed Hezbollah officially took effect on April 17 but has not been observed»»»

Former Bulgarian Deputy Economy Minister and businessman Alexander Manolev has been removed from a U.S. sanctions designation that had barred him and his family from entering the United States since 2021. The move was confirmed to The Pavlovic Today by a representative of the U.S. State Department.»»»

The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) allowed the pound to depreciate against the dollar during its regular auctions on Thursday and Sunday pushing it down to LE7.73, its lowest level since auctions began in December 2012. This is the second round of pound devaluation with the first initiated at January »»»

As a heatwave continued to rage in Paris Friday afternoon, French MP Clémentine Autain visited an overcrowded prison in the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb of the capital and witnessed conditions that inmates describe as “inhumane". A damp towel hangs from a barred window, a fan churns the muggy air: Inma»»»

The EU has unlocked €16.4 billion in funds for Hungary after new Prime Minister Peter Magyar enacted reforms to weed out corruption. It caps off weeks of negotiations between his government and the EU to release funding crucial to Hungary's slumping economy. Details by Camille Knight.»»»

The Bulgarian News Agency's archives preserve the news of each of the National Tourist Marches "In the Footsteps of Botev's rebel detachment" from Kozloduy to Okolchitsa Peak, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said at a meeting in the Vratsa village of Banitsa with the leaders of groups participat»»»

Workers continue to paint the Reflecting Pool in front of Lincoln Memorial on Friday. The repainting of the landmark is part of President Donald Trump's effort to repair Washington landmarks in preparation for the country's 250th birthday this summer. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo May»»»

Albania’s Democratic Party (PD) approved a series of amendments to its statute during the party’s National Assembly on Saturday, introducing reforms aimed at strengthening internal structures and broadening political representation. Following an address by party leader Sali Berisha, Democratic Part»»»

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»»»

Bulgaria's Parliament has given final approval to legislation establishing a new Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), a move backed by all parliamentary groups except Delyan Peevski’s DPS. The vote comes less than four months after lawmakers dismantled the previous anti-corruption body, a decision ini»»»

Four months after the establishment of the Board of Peace, an international body launched under the initiative of U.S. President Donald Trump, none of the billions of dollars pledged by participating countries has reportedly reached the organization, according to information published by the Financ»»»

A judge has revoked the Kennedy Memorial Center board's decision to add Donald Trump's name to the institution, and close for 2 years of intense renovations. The President reacted in a lengthy tirade on his platform Truth Social, and angrily gave up his responsibility in the maintenance and managem»»»

French intellectual Edgar Morin has died at the age of 104, his wife said Saturday. The World War II Resistance member dedicated his life to promoting critical thinking and combatting intolerance. Outside of France he was best known as the inventor of "cinema verité" for his 1961 doc»»»

It is one of the world's fastest-growing industries. Cyber fraud operated out of scam centres scattered across the Mekong region generates tens of billions of euros every year -- by some estimates, equivalent to 40 percent of the region's combined GDP. This edition of Access Asia takes a deep look »»»

A visit to Sofia by US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has drawn attention after details of the meetings emerged primarily through social media rather than official announcements from Bulgarian institutions. In a post on X, Guilfoyle said she had trav»»»