United Arab Emirates

A growing number of Albanian crime figures are finding refuge and laundering money in the United Arab Emirates, knowing that authorities in Albania and elsewhere in Europe will struggle to secure their extradition.

The United Arab Emirates became the first Gulf country to announce a case of monkeypox on Tuesday, insisting it was "fully prepared" to handle any outbreak.

The UAE is believed to be just the second Middle Eastern country after Israel to detect monkeypox, whose appearance in a number of countries has caused alarm after the coronavirus pandemic.

Libyan author Mohamed Alnaas became the youngest winner of the prestigious International Prize for Arabic Fiction with his debut novel "Bread on Uncle Milad's Table" on May 22.

Alnaas, 31, will receive $50,000 and funds will also be provided to translate his book into English, organizers said on their website.

Lebanese expatriates in 48 countries including France and the United Arab Emirates voted Sunday ahead of the May 15 parliamentary elections, state media reported.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog extended his wishes to Turks on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr in a phone conversation with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the presidential office has said.

Saudi Arabia reported its fastest economic growth rate in a decade on May 1, as a booming oil sector fueled a 9.6 percent rise in the first quarter over the same period of 2021.

The preliminary results come after the world's biggest oil exporter resisted U.S. entreaties to raise output in an attempt to rein in prices that have spiked since the Ukraine war began.

Turkey's top diplomat, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, will go to Israel to hold talks on the normalization of the bilateral ties on May 25, in a first senior-level visit in years.

Turkey's attempts to normalize ties with foes will gain momentum through important visits and meetings with Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the Turkish Foreign Minister has reportedly told ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmakers.

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, congratulated President Aleksandar Vui on his victory in the presidential elections held on April 3.

Congratulations from the EP Rapporteur for Serbia

European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia, Vladimr Bilk, also congratulated President Vucic on re-election.

Voting takes place at three polling stations - in Washington D.C., New York and Chicago. The polls opened at 8 a.m. local time, and 1.155 voters were registered.
Polling stations are open in Canada and London.